#input is always appreciated

[solardrake]

hiii I come to you with some worldbuilding

Airplane dragons did not always exist, in fact they only showed up suddenly around the world ~20 years ago, replacing every existing aircraft at the beginning of this new modern magic era. I wanted to imagine all the new/different roles existing infrastructure would take on as a result of this, along with some new infrastructure that may have popped up in the last 20 years.

Side note: this doesn't exactly take place in our current world. Its a bit more of a utopia in the way that clean renewable energy has been figured out, capitalism is only found in history books, and a few major adjustments to countries (mainly the US) have been made. It's pretty solarpunk!

The work that Daniel Clark did for "Dear Alice" is very close to what i'm trying to go for :)

[writing-plurals]

I'm very new to this. Do you have a list of the "big sins" that are the most important to avoid when writing plural characters?

Most of these Big Sins are Big Sins in a vacuum, so most of these have an exception to the rule. And they're not if you've created the exception, that's when you can always ask for another second opinion from a friend or this blog.

Serial killer alter! This is the first trope that most media jumps to, and probably has the least wiggle room. The only way I can really picture this not being offensive is if this is one system out of a bunch of others in the same story that don't do this.

Different alters/headmates that look different affecting how the body looks outside when they front. While there are definitely cases where some headmates present as having certain disorders that others don't, this doesn't affect what their body looks like. The Caveat to this is that your character could be a shapeshifter from another source that's not being a system, and that's perfectly fine!

Beyond those two, for my screening purposes, it very much becomes case by case. And it really becomes a case of if something will be an offensive fit with the context you've put your plural character in, moreso than a blanket statement.

-Mod Tick Tock

[the-holy-ghosted]

how do you think things started. Did Bridgens or Peglar make the first move? Was it before or after John began tutoring him?

Brought up in the book, actually! He taught Peglar how to read while they were on their Beagle voyage and when they came home, he sought Bridgens out again for more lessons. At some point after finding him again, Peglar made the first move on him.

From chapter 28, the first of a handful of Peglar POV chapters. Despite the book being... the way it is, I do like how it does these two. If you were to read any part of it, read chapters 28 and 50. My suggestion to you heehee

[dennisboobs]

i still think its funny how people misinterpret the gang chokes as dennis wanting mac to Take Charge, take care of, and control him rather than just wanting mac to be more self-assured and reliable (ie. able to save someone from dying of his own free will) when one of dennis' common complaints in early seasons was that mac was too bossy. if you ever find yourself talking about power struggles, remind yourself that dennis doesn't want real power, he just wants the illusion of power. he only needs this because he doesn't want to be out of control. he's happier when he and mac are on equal footing.

[purplekoop]

Random Overwatch take ramble time: Sigma.

Sigma is a weird character to get a grasp on, because it's not exactly clear how... aware he is. His origin story video seems to spell out that the incident caused him to completely lose it, and Sombra in Code of Violence says, quote: "A bad experiment fractured his mind. He's just trying to remember how the pieces fit together." In this story, he seems completely oblivious to anything around him, including a violent break-in on the facility he was held in and the fact he was dragged out on an airship. There's no details in the story as to how he reacted to this, so the implication would be... he didn't react to it. He just went along with it.

And yet in game he's... seemingly fine? A bit eccentric sure, he'll often spout a seemingly random question or thought, but he definitely seems aware of his surroundings, as he's able to notice and recognize people and hold natural conversations, aside from his signature unique ponderings. His most recent new interaction with Lifeweaver in particular is extremely coherent, and it's the one time so far we've really seen Sigma act concerned for anyone... even himself, frankly.

Worth noting that this disparity between how we see him pre and post Talon may be deliberate. It's quite possible (if not probable) that between his isolated containment and the "current day" of in-game, his initial gravitic brain scrambling may have recovered. To go off of Sombra's word, maybe in the time between the incident and his time with Talon, he's started to put the pieces of his mind back together.

The most striking part though is that he seems to flip between calm and aloof one moment, then deliberately and mercilessly violent the next. Now, granted, part of this is because he's a character in a PvP game, there's plenty of examples of that in Overwatch's cast alone (Mei being a somewhat infamous example of contrast between character and gameplay), but with Sigma it seems like a very deliberate part of his character. He goes from tender, inquisitive grandpa to violent terrifying supervillain at a moment's notice.

In fact, it's somewhat implied he's not even aware of the extent of his actions, but it's really hard to decipher, especially when the actual PvP gameplay (y'know, our most thorough source of reference) isn't even canon. Sometimes after a team kill he'll say something like "Huh? Where did everybody go?", which can be interpreted a number of ways, and again, comes from the dubious source that is PvP dialogue, but it does seem to imply him being not fully aware of what's going on is part of his character.

And... yeah okay, obligatory messy subject when talking about Sigma's characterization: his condition being analogous to mental illness.

I'm not well-researched enough to go into specifics, but it's very clear that Sigma is meant to be experiencing something akin to some kind of mental illness, obviously with the one main difference being the more fantastical nature of its source and effects. He doesn't seem aware of his surroundings or his actions, he flips moods from passivity to violence sporadically, and most "yikes!" of all, one of his debut skins had him in the classic serial killer insane asylum outfit. That one is... yeah that one's just icky, I'm sorry. Overwatch does that thing a lot where they get fantastical with real world issues (most notably having one of the more "whatever" robo-racism stories), and while most of the time it's done in a way that's pretty inoffensive and disconnected from reality... that skin is just disappointing. Legitimately the most embarrassing part of the game as far as I'm concerned.

But I think it'd be a disservice to the character to limit a reading of him to just that depressing note, so here's my take (and reason for making this post in the first place):

Sigma isn't insane. In fact, a lot of his "odd" behavior isn't even because of his unique condition.

He's... to be blunt (and predictable on Tumblr Dot Com), Neurodivergent.

I know, that's not a much more flattering reading than mental illness, but hear me out.

I think it's safe to assume that Siebren was always inquisitive and far-thinking. He's a scientist after all, he had to have some ambition to try and do his experiment. So his random hypotheticals he spouts out aren't madness... they're unfiltered. His seemingly bizarre views on reality and his wonky perception are just... what he considers to be important or unimportant.

In fact, he kind of spells it out himself.

The incident didn't change him: It freed him.

As a scientist, he probably had to maintain a veil of professionalism and seriousness that he just doesn't have to now that he has his powers. Shoot, based on how he casually brings up meeting The Iris (the literal deity of Zenyatta's beliefs), it's quite possible that the incident was more of an enlightenment than a transformation. He saw past the conventional limitations of reality... and society.

he acts the way he does because he's realized it doesn't matter, he can do what he wants because he's met a god and has gravity powers.

Now, I'm not saying he doesn't also have a fantastical mental illness, but instead that there's layers to him. He's "weird" on his own, and that's just been unfiltered.

Personally speaking (as someone who's not officially diagnosed autistic but very very heavily expects it based on... well reasons that might be self-evident, among others), I feel like this is a more interesting and potentially just more accurate way of reading the character than just "old man who went insane because of space magic". I find myself randomly thinking of out-of-nowhere ponderings about life and the universe and everything, but I've grown up learning that most people look at you funny if you say them out loud. Plus, I'm definitely prone to big swings of anger that feel out of nowhere over small things, and whatever funky part of my brain to contribute that to is very much undetermined as of now.

So for me, I realized Sigma is kind of just... the power fantasy of someone who recognizes the greater scope of things and has a passionate curiosity to learn, and doesn't have to worry about the rules of society or even physics. It makes more sense and feels more meaningful to read him not as mindless, but... free. Free to be curious and not care how other people view him.

So. Yeah, long, somewhat rambly post that touched some complicated subjects, in a way that's probably not as articulated as I would like, but oh well, rather would get it out imperfectly than not at all. Lately I've been thinking about Sigma's seemingly wonky characterization, and then figured out an answer to the question of how to interpret his behavior in a way that both made sense and was more compelling than an initial glance reading.

(can you tell I've recently realized I think kinda like the funny floaty gravity science man, I think I didn't clarify that enough earlier)

But hopefully I've made something vaguely resembling a convincing argument for how this character is compelling and relatable in a way that isn't problematic and icky, I didn't wanna dwell on that stuff but it felt important to bring up.

[weyounbodycount]

DaMAAARRRR....

[dykegirlfriend]

and why?

reblog after voting!!

[nikosasaki]

hey can you guys vote on an album for me. you don't need to know why that's not important rn.

[whysojiminimnida]

so let's out jhope as bisexual?? your insider info is just as bad as the stalkers bts have. totally inappropriate. but you're just a small tumblr blog why should it matter? it 100% does. there is something wrong with you. it's not your place to be giving this info to anyone unless you are an attention seeker. Dont read your blog right if you don't like it?? shame on you really. it's nobody's place to out anyone elses sexuality EVER.

Oh my Lord, Frances. Calm DOWN. I mean the man literally did this back in July in front of how many people? Are you even aware of Equal Sign?

I can't win with some of y'all and yet here you are to school me regardless. Which I would appreciate had I not my own Korean gay couple to explain things, had I not been intimately involved with the unstr8 community since before your birth most likely, had I not lost friends to AIDS when that was still a thing. And since I'm feeling generous I'mma school your sensitive ass right back so since you're here just have several seats and pay attention. SCHOOL IS IN SESSION.

"Somebody I know says he is openly bisexual" is EXACTLY THE SAME THING AS "someone I know says he's straight" WITH ONE DIFFERENCE. That difference is negligible in much of the world but in some places I will readily agree that it's not. Korea is one of those places. That's a dude on that bed, btw. In case you were unclear about the message.

We all knew Hobi was bi back then. You did too, don't lie because your white horse got a cramp. Give the crusade a lil rest and let's ride right along. See, in Korea it is one thing to BE part of the alphabet mafia. It is another thing entirely to SAY it. Out loud. And you are correct that in those exact words, Hobi has never verbatim-ly said it. But honestly, you're coming off with a lot of internalized biphobia or a serious denial issue if you can't extrapolate the message from the above imagery alone, much less his lyrics. To his own music. Which he released publicly and has performed in front of, what, a hundred thousand people or so? Live? Plus it's right there on Hulu and Youtube if you're concerned about his level of visibility. Of course he also did this:

And I don't know about you but for me it's a little harder to ignore the specificity of the color arrangement of those gloves in light of his performance. But see here's the thing, he's never really hidden his bisexuality from us. Very much like other unstr8 BTS members, he has openly chosen to use inclusive pronouns in his music. He has worn many, many items - far too many to list here - in support of inclusivity, knowing well that some, even most people would see support as personal identification. He has smilingly played the court jester knowing that some people would ignore him, some would validate him, and some would use him to virtue-signal as a cover for their own dis-ease.

To ignore that is to ignore the totality of Jung Hoseok as a person and is far more disrespectful, in my own admittedly tiny corner of the internet. You do you, if it makes you feel better. I just can't magine any straight man filming entire videos in a Gucci pride flag sweater without a certain amount of personal input.

Not to point out the obvious but also, would a straight guy really voluntarily share a room with Park Jimin for YEARS?

On PURPOSE?

I mean we all know Jungkook was literally sleeping with Jimin in that bed on the left, we have the receipts and admissions, ain't nobody honestly and truly confused at this point. Again, it's a matter of degrees of difference, but in Hobi's case it's a pretty big degree. Being a single bi dude who also DOES IN FACT like and date women is a very far cry, Korean-militarily-speaking, from being a committed gay couple. It's not even in the same realm, honestly, and that whole military question is a hot mess I'm not going to deal with here. But I knew you were thinking about it so I thought I'd mention it.

Irene ain't care, bro. She's out there hitting the rainbow and fire emojis every damn time he posts. And if you need to take a deep breath and have another look at why you're so bothered that people around Hobi don't hide who he is, maybe go on and do that. Because his friends know him better than we do, okay. And they love him, as do (hopefully) we all. I do. And if I thought for one instant that my saying he is openly bi would hurt him, I would never. I run a "Jeon-Parks are gay/fucking/married in all but name" blog, for heaven's sake. I really don't think anyone expects me to be saying anything other than the blatantly obvious. If that suuuuuper hurts your feelings and makes you angry, please feel free to locate your nearest J-Hope "Under The Rainbow" photo and use it to vacate the premises.

There it is!

I did not out this man. He outs himself without my help.

[nimue-hidden-lake]

You know what is a funny feeling? Managing someone to like your f/o(s). It's not done on purpose, it just kind of happens. May it be because of how you write them, draw them or how you talk about them. It even feels surreal sometimes. 'How did I pull that off?' - Or that is just me personally.

In contrast I love the feeling when I start to like characters more because of my friends & moots. That or I start liking characters because of friends & moots. It's basically seeing a character from someone's angle who loves them dearly. You learn why someone loves said character and it eventually catches on, to the point you like and appreciate the character in question more. And I love whenever that happens.

Does any of this make sense?

[wild-moss-art]

Btw if I ever post something racist/sexist/bigoted/whatever, feel free to send me a message or an anon. That’s why anon is always on. I’m aware that we all hold problematic internal beliefs and I try to reflect when it’s brought to my attention, I won’t roast you

[darcymariaphoster]

Bringing the book club invite back for anyone interested. We've got new titles to vote on for April, and I'm excited to get things going again. 🙏

https://discord.com/invite/upVMGCVM

[brokendreamscreation-moved]

@helluva-hazbins and I started discussing a possible disguise for Lucid to use bopping around Hell~ I went back up this picrew to throw a possible Hell and Earth disguise for him~

Humanized regular Lucid can be found here!

[lifenconcepts]

”man, I really wanna see a hedgehog in real life!”

universe: no problem, my g.

….

“Alright, yeah. Thanks. Preferably alive next time but uhm. Lovely!!!”

[arainesque]

IM BACK AND IM LOSING MY MIND please im actually SICK this is the most wonderful thing ive ever read ok ok ok so

It was late nights in his bedroom, sharing things he’d never dreamed to speak aloud before. It was early mornings just watching the shapes his dark curls created against the cream coloured pillowcases and finally feeling content. It was someone who let him relax, someone who had mastered the ability to stop George from thinking. Someone who pushed him yet never made him feel overwhelmed.

STAWP. he never makes him feel overwhelmed oh they are so sweet i cant deal with this, just the way you write that soft intimacy makes me want to scream (in the very best way), it's so NICE, like, it's like im watching it as a film or something it's so VIVID oh my GOD

It seeped into his blood so slowly he was unaware he was being injected in the first place.

ART. oh my LORD. this is so like. i don't even know but i LOVE IT??? it's so !!!!!!!!! like, he's not even aware of it, but matty will aaalways be in him and part of him now and oh my god. i can't word what i mean properly, but i CAN yell and sound enthusiastic, so AAAAHHHHHHHHHH that is how reading that sentence feels

“You’re beautiful, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, to the point where I feel like I can’t breathe if I look at you for too long.”

I AM DECEASED. something about the way george has to ask for clarification and mattys so confident about it because he knows george and he thinks george is beautiful (correct) and just hshshajshsjahsjasuhdahs BEST THING IVE EVER READ I SWEAR ohhh my god.

okay. apologies for the..........insanity, but can you really blame me when ive read THIS masterpiece???????? i have a headache and im convinced this is healing me ok ok ok bye bye i hope you enjoy your day and know how amazing you are at writing MWAH

PLEASE THESE ARE MY FAVOURITE!!!!! BREAK IT DOWN!!!

(I'm so flattered when someone likes anything I've written I don't know what to do with myself!!)

I genuinely take these compliments to heart you know. I appreciate you so so so much :(((!!!! Especially with the emotions around the intimacy because I'm always so scared they're lost in translation (I'm obsessed with non-sexual intimacy, more to come.).

ALSO THE INSANITY IS SEEPING FROM MY BRAIN STRAIGHT INTO URS, WE'RE INTERCONNECTED NOW!!! Matty loves George so much and George /knows it/ deep down but something within him is always just thinking it's too good to be true. (We need to get him out of that headspace when it's so obvious Matty loves George, everyone within a mile radius can physically feel it).

THANK U AGAIN I love u :( <33333

[ronoexiste]

i adopted a cat a week ago and she’s still nameless bc i can’t make up my mind, hELP.