Ari: 5, 18,26,33,35,42,48,49,50,53,55
49. What are some themes tied to your character’s story?
“No wonder we cannot appreciate the really central Kafka joke: that the horrific struggle to establish a human self results in a self whose humanity is inseparable from the horrific struggle. That our endless and impossible journey toward home is in fact our home.”
— David Foster Wallace, Consider the Lobster and other essays
Ari’s central theme is this precise struggle to establish a self, but under a pressure of being perceived in a world that enforces a bunch of roles and identities on her. Being a half-drow girl in a small-minded village and having a cold, judgmental father, she knew from a very young age that there are acceptable and not acceptable selves, and if you show the world the wrong thing, you will be punished. And not just show the wrong self, but if you perform the right self in an unsatisfactory manner, you will not be accepted either. Like, she was a small orphan girl being bullied, but parents never took her side, because she was a grey-skinned drow child of this weird elf loner and she didn’t dress or look or behave like little girls, because she didn’t have a female role model and Daeghun just dressed her practically and didn’t bother giving her “feminine” cloth. So she watched other girls like a zoologist studying an animal behavior and adopted the patterns like “Oh hey guys, check out what a Hyper-real Idealistic Femininity I’ve got there, I think I deserve some acceptance and validation for that, huh?” Of course this realization that it’s not enough for her be something, people will only treat her like that thing if she performs what they expect from it lead to her building up a lot of resentment. And she never got a chance to figure her true self out as the pressures and expectations were being piled on her, up to saving Neverwinter. So Ari felt like a collection of masks hiding an empty center, where she doesn’t even have a self, just resentful rage and a bunch of shadows. She only got to figuring herself out in MotB, bc MotB was not about saving a kingdom, but about saving herself, and to save herself she needed to first define it.
33. How have they changed over time?
in original NWN2 Ari doesn’t really change, just grows better and better at performing what everyone around expects from her and becoming more and more bitter and angry because of that under a ethereal sweetness that she coaxed over herself. in MotB she’s finally forced to confront herself and realize that she’s not actually a despicable monster incapable of love and good things that she believed she was her entire life. She also came in terms with her masks, and being able to find her “self” and so to distinguish what part is a role and what part is she, Ari is now much more in control of the performance instead of compulsory mirroring the expectations. If before the world was theater and she was the actress, now she is also directing the play. She… well, not calmed down, she’s still very Extra™, but she’s lost the self-loathing self-destructive violent edge.
48. What was their lowest point? What was their highest point?
Lowest point is def the end of act 1 start of act 2 of MotB when Ari thought she can’t control the hunger and also because all she could feel inside is raging darkness and she couldn’t tell apart where is she and where the soul-eater, so she was completely unraveling at the seams. The highest probably when she went back to Neverwinter and saw that people of the Crossroad Keep are still aggressively loyal to her, and Kana is keeping off Nasher from annexing the Keep with lawful bureaucratic nonsense like Penelope waiting for Odysseus to return.
53. Expectations vs Reality: what did you expect and what did you get with this character?
I didn’t expect anything when I just started nwn2, I usually see what narratives and themes the game offers me and form a character I think would be the most interesting to explore them with. If we talk about defying the expectations, it’s probably that I expected her story to be over at the end of nwn2. I was disappointed with the ending, but on some level I saw it as fitting - Ari didn’t have the character development as much as self-destructive spiral throughout the game, and she died after her biggest victory, she always wanted, but never could live for herself, ceasing to exist as Neverwinter didn’t need her anymore, a heartbreaker who was only loved for what’s projected onto her, a shadow disappearing when the masks covering it are smashed by rocks. And then Mask of the Betrayer happened, and gave me not just a story custom-tailored to the themes and development of Ari, but also with love interest having parallel thematic arc of performing vs true selves. Even the flaws of OC NWN2 were post factum justified, like characters being one dimensional because that’s how Ari saw them vs layered, complex characters in MotB bc she learned to let people have their own agency and not just as objects that she needed to manipulate in order to save. It was truly a poetic cinema moment. At the end of nwn2 I thought Ari would be a sad character from a mediocre game that never gave her space to grow, and she ended up as my absolute fav OC in motb.
50. What are some motifs associated with your character?
Masks, shadows, Fae glamour, flowing shimmering silks, mirages, lightning, sky, esp in transitional stages between night and day times, twilight or the blue hour before the dawn, labyrinths made out of lilac hedges with a monster in the center.
Her general vibe is this post: “She had the confidence of a well organized library and the haunted grace of a moonlit cemetery.”
5. Height and Body type
Ari is tiny, like, not comically so, but pretty distinctly even for a half-drow. Half-elves are on average human-sized and shaped, and half-drows are normally just a bit smaller, but Ari’s mom was a half Moon elf herself, so Ari is actually just a quarter human. So if normally half-elves look more like humans with some elvish characteristics, Ari looks like a watered down elf. Still lithe and bony, with sharply defined features and elongated limbs, but the aggressive angularity is smoothed down. It’s most obvious when she’s standing next to pureblood elves like Sand or Daeghun, who are pretty much made up only out of triangles and straight lines, and Ari has some ovals and curves.
18. Have any special keepsakes?
Not really for herself, Ari is not sentimental at all. Her familiar tho collects shiny and interesting things like all magpies, and Ari has a designated pocket on her bag to carry it.
26. Guilty Pleasure
Interesting question for Ari. by the end of nwn2 original campaign she would technically classify as like high functioning alcoholic with also occasional drug abuse. But that’s just coping mechanisms, not pleasure. Having a breakdown and fucking several succubi in your Keep’s basement is also I feel like shouldn’t count as guilty pleasure, it’s just Ari’s equivalent of crying in the bathroom for 10 minutes, then fixing your make up and going out to get shit done. It’s “I can have a little drug-infused orgy, as a treat.” So for guilty pleasures… probably just junk food.
The ask meme
11 notes
·
View notes
your new icon aaahh I love it!!! it feels so good seeing other monster's fan :D
Thank you so much!!! ☺️💜 Monster is one of my all time favorite shows and something that I hold very close to my heart, so this meant a lot to me! I was actually introduced to your blog because of the Monster posts you reblogged and it made me so happy to find another fan! I’m always looking for more people to talk about it with, so if you ever want to chat about it or anything else, feel free to drop me a line! Hope you have a wonderful day!
2 notes
·
View notes
for the fandom ask: utena
Going for all the Ikuhara shows, as you should! Thank you!
Favorite Male Character: MikageFavorite Female Character: Nanami and KozueLeast Favorite Character: Probably Ruka? There are lots of characters to hate or dislike in Utena, but all other characters give me some reasons to like them anyway. Ruka’s fairly forgettable. Favorite Ship: Uhhhh I’m gonna go with Utena/Anthy for this one.Favorite Friendship: Utena and Wakaba was the first one to come to mind. It’s the most wholesome, but I also really like the odd friendships between the student council members. Miki, Nanami and Juri have some fun interactions and then Touga and Saionji have a great horrible dynamic.Favorite Quote: “But being normal has nothing to do with us!” is one of my all time favourite quotes. That whole Shadow Girls exchange from ep 12 means the world to me. Worst Character Death (if any): None, really.This made me so happy you have no idea Moment: When Utena kept going and kept fighting for Anthy in the last episode.Saddest Moment: When Utena lost her parents, crept up in a coffin and wished for death.Favorite Location: I always loved seeing how the dueling area would look like for each character. Utena and Anthy’s bedroom in Akio’s place was also nice, mostly because of what they would say to each other while laying there.
1 note
·
View note
I saw your crochet works and I just wanted to say, WOW. YOU'RE. SO GOOD!! they all are so well done and adorable
Thanks so much for the compliment! I’m trying my best :3
Following patterns is pretty easy so I would like now to get better at making my own designs
0 notes
sorry for the random message but I found out allamanda flower and i just?? thought immediately about you?? it's yellow and pretty and it seems so soft!! these are all things i associate with u!!!
this is the sweetest goshdarn thing??? ohmygoodness??? and this flower looks so soft and lovely, it makes my heart so warm that you thought of me!!!!
1 note
·
View note
I was tagged by @blue-bird-lamentation to show my lock screen, home screen, last song played, and last picture saved. Thank you!!
Lock and home screen are Chainsaw Man fanart made by @champi8177, so all credit goes to them! Song is by Clairo and the picture from my Pokemon Legends playthrough, game’s pretty fun so far :D
I’ll tag @kakuriyo, @tsugumi, @this-boy-is-exhausted, @yaboku, @idreim, @camu, @squirrelstothenuts, @koyo-koyo and whoever feels like it :)
14 notes
·
View notes
Thanks to @idreim for the tag ☆☆
4 notes
·
View notes
@idreim asked me to do a picrew it’s me!
1 note
·
View note
thank you for existing! send this to 10 people who you think deserve a sweet and kind message in their inbox! ✨💖
Dawww thank you so much 💕😭 wish I could give hugs across the internet!
3 notes
·
View notes
@idreim replied to your post Ari: 5, 18,26,33,35,42,48,49,50,53,55
Yes good this Is exactly What I signed up for��and about guilty pleasures, i guess i was curious bc her character is so centered about embracing others people’s projection so i guess i started wondering if she had any and what kind of relationship she would have with them; since usually they are harmless things that are frowed upon in various usually degrees, would this prevent her in engaging at all? Things like that
no, that’s really not a problem for her. Like, Ari is not out there keeping up 100% perfect performance at all times or smth, she’s not even finessing the details. The thing about conforming to expectations is that different people will have different expectations from the same role, so it’s not feasible to try and ACTUALLY embrace all expectations. that’s what Gann does, personifies someone’s ideal, but only for one person at a time and for a short time, bc that’s just not sustainable. Ari is an area of effect bitch, she’s is not fitting expectations, she’s pretending to, she gives people a framework, a larger than life image and lets them project the details by themselves. This is how she manages to be an ideal woman to both Bishop and Casavir at the same time despite them having wildly different ideals. i mean, she can finesse the details for like one dialogue to achieve the needed impression, but she’ll not bother keeping it up later.
People who are projecting onto her are doing most of the job of keeping up that image, tbh, ignoring, not noticing or explaining the details that don’t fit, because once you think you met a dream come true, you’ll cling to that dream. Rose colored glasses make all red flags just look pink, you know. So Ari doesn’t just gets away with little harmless slip-ups, but with shit straight up incompatible with the projected image. if Ari loses her temper, she will cut a bitch.
Ari is like a Monet painting that has weird close-up details, you need to step back to enjoy the view so you don’t want to look closer, but if you did, you’d see a skull in the water and that one of the lilies has a dick sticking out of it. and if you managed to notice one thing and it’s too much for you to explain away by yourself, when you confront her, she will roll that 20+ Persuasion or Bluff
4 notes
·
View notes
Rules: Name ten favorite characters from ten different fandoms and tag ten different people.
I was tagged by @raeofalbion; thank you so much! This was a lot of fun!
This list is in no particular order, so here we go!
1. Royce Bracket from Transistor
2. Johan Liebert from Naoki Urasawa’s Monster
3. Edward Nygma/The Riddler from Batman
4. Michael Shelley/The Distortion from The Magnus Archives
5. Alastor from The Hazbin Hotel
6. John Constantine from Hellblazer
7. The Lone Minstrel/Tariq from Pyre
8. Kyoya Ootori from Ouran High School Host Club
9. The Gentleman with the Thistle Down Hair from Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (Book Version only. The actor was good but the mini series didn’t do the work justice.)
10. Lucille Sharpe from Crimson Peak
Tagging: @runicmagitek @lyriumlily @dvske @idreim @onetiredwitch @friedesgreatscythe @heywizards @terryfphanatics @cutie--thigh and @radonspa!
12 notes
·
View notes
song ask: 1,17,22,23,26,27,29,35,46 (i have no self control sorry)
1. Your current favorite song
Party Maker
I’ve been unironically listening to this on repeat for the last two weeks
17. A song that makes you want to slay your enemies
Life will change
I mean, nothing that dramatic but it get’s me pretty pumped
22. A song that motivates you to work/helps you focus
Nothing in particular, when I’m working i usually tune out whatever’s playing
23. A song from the soundtrack of your favorite video game/movie/TV show
Ai no Senshi
Does anime count as TV show? Anyway, I love Sailor Moon soundtrack
26. A song that reminds you of your favorite fictional character
Florence + The Machine - Rabbit Heart
This is totally a Usagi song
27. A song that best describes your personality
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
29. A song that cheers you up when you're sad
We are the pretty guardians
And pretty much any of the other group songs from the new Sailor Moon musicals
35. A song that sends chills down your spine
Vienna Teng - Never Look Away
46. A song that you wish more people knew about
Nipplepeople - Frka
2 notes
·
View notes
for the ask meme: waxing, midnight, full moon, soothe
thank you so much for sending this ask eep!
waxing: what is your proudest accomplishment?hm probably the fact that I’ve managed to move out and live on my own for over a year and I havent majorly fucked up or anything and that I’m still alive? I honestly didnt think I’d make it to 22 or into this town or my own place and yet here I am
midnight: are you a different person late at night than in the early morning? oooh what an interesting question! I think I kinda am? at night I tend to get sadder and quieter and if I’m with someone I tend to open up more I guess
full moon: what type of person do you hope to be? I want to be the kind of person people know they can trust and go to for comfort or for a laugh, I want to be soft and full of love and able to help people and be generous. and I want to feel like I’m in control of my life and not drowning all the time. I just want to be happy and bring joy into the world tbh
soothe: what's one thing that always makes you feel better when you're upset? one thing? oh man. that’s too hard. when someone holds my hand n does the thumb rubby thing. or when someone kisses my forehead n pats my hair. or when magnus does that lil chirrupy purr and rubs his face against mine. that’s three whoops
thank you so much ily!
1 note
·
View note
Tagged by @zenien and @space--cowboys, thank you!!
Why did you choose your url?
It’s short and a reference to Senjougahara.
Any side blogs?
I’m part of @shounenedit, @entgifs, @otomokatsuhiro and @onepiecesource. @yyh held me at gunpoint so I’d join…
How long have you been on tumblr?
Since 2016.
Do you have a queue tag?
No, I don’t use queue.
Why did you start your blog in the first place?
I was very much into Tokyo Ghoul at the time, and tumblr was a good place for art/theories/etc.
Why did you choose your icon?
I really like Senjou ok…
Why did you choose your header?
I really like S- It’s a Bakemonogatari illustration by Yoneyama Mai, one of my favorite artists.
What’s your post with the most notes?
Haven’t checked in a while, but it’s probably this.
How many followers do you have?
Close to 3k.
How many people do you follow?
397.
Have you ever made a shitpost?
Sure have.
How often do you use Tumblr?
Yes
Did you have a fight/argument with a blog once?
Nope.
How do you feel about “you need to reblog this post”?
Not sure what that means.
Do you like tag games? Do you like ask games?
Tag games are fun once in a while, never know who to tag though… Never did an ask game so idk.
Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?
Most of them are famous…
Do you have a crush on a mutual?
Who knows…
Tagging: @yyh, @n5fw, @squirrelstothenuts, @koyo-koyo, @kozuuki, @kosame, @yooasobi, @idreim, @oreki, @nachtfaust, @yaboku, @ugokushiro, @tistellas, @this-boy-is-exhausted
13 notes
·
View notes
I was tagged by @idreim
APPEARANCE
I’m an I-need-to-pull-the-driver-seat-all-the-way-in kind of a person // i wear glasses or contacts // i have blonde hair // i prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // i have one or more piercings // i have at least one tattoo // i have blue eyes // i have dyed or highlighted my hair // i have gotten plastic surgery // i have or had braces // i sunburn easily // i have freckles // i paint my nails // i wear makeup // i don’t often smile // i am pleased with how I look // I prefer nike to adidas // i wear baseball hats backward
HOBBIES & TALENTS
i play a sport // i can play an instrument // i am artistic // i know more than one language // i have won a trophy in some sort of competition // i can cook or bake without a recipe // i know how to swim // i enjoy writing // i can do origami // i prefer movies to tv shows // i can execute a perfect somersault // i enjoy singing // i could survive in the wild on my own // i have read a new book series this year // i enjoy spending time with friends // i travel during school or work breaks // i can do a handstand
RELATIONSHIPS
i am in a relationship // i have a crush // i have a best friend i have known for ten years // my parents are together // i have dated my best friend // i am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // i have a long-distance relationship // i am an only child and also the youngest of 5(I'm my mom's only)// i give advice to my friends // i have made an online friend // i met up with someone i have met online
AESTHETIC
i have heard the ocean in a conch shell // i have watched the sunrise // i enjoy rainy days // i have slept under the stars // i meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // i enjoy the smell of the beach // i know what snow tastes like // i listen to music to fall asleep // i enjoy thunderstorms // i enjoy cloud watching // i have attended a bonfire // i pay close attention to colors // i find mystery in the ocean // i enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favourite season
MISC
i can fall asleep in a moving vehicle // i am the mom friend // i live by a certain quote // i like the smell of sharpies // i am involved in extracurricular activities // i enjoy mexican food // i can drive a stick-shift // i believe in true love // i make up scenarios to fall asleep // i sing in the shower // i wish i lived in a video game // i have a canopy above my bed // i am multiracial // i am a redhead // i own at least one dog // i have a cat
I tag @rhodaperdition @poisonforpigeons @bonbonbunny
2 notes
·
View notes