#so idk how common it really is or if this is actually as noteworthy as i think it is

[poethebeloved]

It's so interesting that shipping/romance is such a big aspect of the qsmp. like of course it's a aspect of fan culture like with any other fandom, but it's also important to the storyline. these characters are motivated by their attraction, they make decisions around pursuing the one they love, and they are emotionally affected by rejection and flirting. and its not just fanservice, we have seen with guapoduo and fooligetta that these characters are forming meaningful relationships with narratively satisfying payoffs. idk how common this is in smps, but the fact that the creators have made it so important is so fascinating to me

[shotorozu]

hii!!! i have a lil request! its smth ive been thinking a lot about bc i love him so much, but how do u think shoto would be with someone whos like super counter-culture? like super goth or punk or gyaru or smth! im personally really into goth and have lots of facial piercings including some that are not super common like angel fangs as well as a bunch of tattoos, brightly dyed hair and dress kinda trad goth on the regular w bones and all that.

i can kinda see him maybe catching interest in someone whos so outside of the norm in style as a way to kinda fuck w his dad since he grew up so traditionally and all that, but also he seems like he'd be too kind to actually follow through with dating someone solely to spite his dad.

skfbdidjd idk! i just kinda wanna hear other ppls thoughts on it! i hope u have a good holiday season and a good new year!

(gender neutral reader, no pronouns mentioned— i tried to be very broad when it came to describing aspects of aesthetics)

ohh i think shouto being with someone that’s super counter culture is an interesting concept

before meeting them, he’d probably walk past them— his future s/o decked out in super cool accessories (including piercings), tattoos and dyed hair, and his neck would almost SNAP due to how fast he looked back at them 😭😭

it’s a culture shock, he obviously isn’t used to people that are so.. non-traditional? if he brought you in front of his dad then his dad would probably freeze up (ironically) and get sent to the hospital in an ambulance.

he’d be in awe just by looking at them standing, breathing, doing nothing— the wrist guards (solely for aesthetics, a shock for shouto since he needs those in the heroics) leg warmers, colorful hairpins, intricate and one of the kind hairstyles—

your overall fashion sense has him gawking.

it’s almost rude (and is about to become that way) the way he’s just opening staring at you like some kid on an airplane— but y’know, he’s kinda cute so you don’t make much of it. on top of that, you should probably mind your business, and not start some beef with the current #1 hero’s youngest and also famous son.

when he gets to know you more, he finds himself liking you— whether or not your personality aligns perfectly with your chosen aesthetic, or it’s the polar opposite, he finds himself sticking to you like some lost puppy.

it’s a perfect 50:50 of “i think your personality is cool” and “i need to follow you because i need to look at you more. you LOOK cool”

so he dates you for the reasons above and also because he wants to piss off his dad— because again, looking at you could send endeavor into a shock. (and he dates you genuinely because he actually really likes you and wouldn’t use you without your consent just to spite his very traditional father)

all backstory aside, he goes to you when he needs advice to level up his appearance— that includes fashion. anything you say is noteworthy, and he will absolutely take any advice as long as you say it.

he also comes to you for advice for piercings especially.

yeah, because y’know how it looked like he had some cartilage piercings in some of the latest official arts? he definitely went to you to ask for the pain level and aftercare.

“will it hurt?”

“yeah.. it’s cartilage after all. what if you got a lobe piercing first? you don’t have one.”

“i trust you. :)) so i’ll get one if you say so.”

he would’ve made you pierce his ears— or he did make you. it depends on how okay, and experienced you are with it. (and even if you weren’t— he’d still want you to do it 💀 it’s a good thing you could say no)

he’d also want to know the backstory behind any of your tattoos if you have any.

and he’d also want to try everything with you— that includes touching up your hair dye, getting new clothes, painting your nails, doing your makeup— the endless amount of things he’s willing to do with you, and assist you with 😭 i need someone like that

anyways, besides everything fashionable— he is your number one defender.

someone (for some stupid reason) said out loud “when i think of todoroki, i can’t imagine him being with someone like Y/N..”

and before anyone could say anything else, he just blankly replies with

“when i think of you, i can’t imagine you with anyone.”

that causes everybody to shut up, and you have to bite the inside of your cheek to prevent yourself from breaking into a smile.

he’s ruthless sometimes 😭

[bestworstcase]

I really enjoyed the Watts post! He is an underrated favorite of mine and in particular the rooftop scene is one of my favorite character moments, for both him and Cinder, and you articulated something that always sat poorly with me when I read fandom interpretations of his speech and character in general. He's a far more interesting character than the one-note stooge that most seem to peg him for. As a sidebar, in that post you mention the possibility that someone could pour years into manifesting their semblance, only to find that they never had one. I'm curious about this. Are there any truly semblance-less characters? Besides Mercury, who was robbed, I thought anyone without an ostensible semblance had just never unlocked it, but had the potential inside, just waiting to be realized.

after cinder he’s easily the member of the cabal i find most interesting because there’s just… all these little details to add up. none of his character development is flashy or obvious but he’s also so integral to salem’s machinations and has this web of histories and grievances with so many other characters that he ends up feeling like one of the most fleshed-out secondary characters in the whole show. idk why people collectively decided to treat him like a cardboard cutout.

as for semblances! kind of? i would consider never realizing a latent semblance to be functionally the same as not having a semblance at all, and my read on semblances generally is that it’s not so much “unlocking your unique superpower” as it is “learning how to press your aura outward and whatever form it takes under the pressure of your identity and your desires and your needs will stick for the rest of your life,” i.e. the ability doesn’t meaningfully exist until the first time it happens creates the pattern for every subsequent use.

(i figure this is part of why traumatic semblances are so common. you react to intense acute stress so strongly that your aura imprints on it and then that follows you forever, for better or worse.) (the other part is that hyperarousal gives you a huge burst of energy by shutting down your digestive system, redirecting blood flow to your muscles, rapidly burning short-term energy reserves like fat, and dialing down non-essential processes like neurological hearing; within the world of rwby all of this would logically have the effect of boosting aura.)

the kids [pyrrha, nora, ruby] have actually stated a couple times that everybody does have a semblance—BUT, there are some important qualifiers attached:

1 - in after the fall, a semblance is defined as a “special ability unique to every warrior on remnant”

2 - in roman holiday, roman thinks of semblances as “one of those special abilities some people had that often seemed like magic”

3 - during the semblance conversation in volume five, ren indicates that the semblance is the most advanced kind of aura manipulation, the sort of thing you don’t begin to focus on until you’ve mastered everything else.

4 - neither jaune nor oscar had any idea what a semblance was until they entered the social circles of huntsmen, and jaune had never even heard of *aura.*

5 - “everybody has a semblance!” is also just… unverifiable, because anyone who doesn’t have a semblance is presumed to just not have found theirs yet, even if it’s taking an unusually long time.

so it seems to me like “everybody” actually means “every huntsman and huntress” and it’s fairly rare for people outside of these circles to have one. (as always, it bears repeating that rwby’s core cast is 100% huntsmen and military personnel, and the only noteworthy civilians characters are people who work for salem. expanded materials offer a lot more glimpses into what life is like for normal folks in this world, but our perspective is largely through the eyes of an elite warrior class.)

anyways, in the WOR episode on the subject, salem defines aura as a “life force” that flows through all living things. huntsmen are distinguished by their ability to “amplify and control their aura,” and semblances are merely a “projection of aura into a more tangible form.” this tracks pretty well with the mechanics shown in the story proper: it requires “intense concentration” to generate defensive aura, aura is exhausting to use at first but builds up like a muscle with regular exercise, and regeneration of depleted aura is not an automatic or natural process but rather an active technique (we see jaune practicing in volume seven, and ren remarks that he’s getting better at it). ergo, aura manipulation is not simply a matter of channeling the spiritual energy you naturally possess—you have to do something to charge it up first, and then you have to actively sustain that for as long as you intend to use aura.

[sidebar: this is a big part of why the narrative use of aura-breaking as a dramatic device works. it’s not a health meter. you don’t break a person’s aura by whittling down them down to zero, you do it by pushing them beyond the brink of their trained instincts and then breaking their concentration. the easiest method of doing so is by attrition, but a single blow they’re not expecting or not ready for works too.]

sooo taking all of these bits and pieces together:

1 - the existence of aura is common but not universal knowledge.

2 - aura cannot be manipulated in its natural, dormant state—it needs to be ‘released’ first, which can be done deliberately by an experienced practitioner (e.g. pyrrha) or by training (e.g. ruby) or during periods of acute trauma or stress (e.g. ren, nora).

3 - once a person’s aura has been released it requires serious effort and dedication to become worthwhile

4 - semblances are the highest level of aura manipulation; anyone who possesses a fully-realized semblance has mastered the discipline.

5 - spontaneous (usually traumatic) manifestation of a semblance seems to be fairly common but do not correlate to skill; e.g. ruby petal bursts once during training before even coming to beacon but it takes months, perhaps years before she’s able to do so consciously and consistently.

6 - aura itself is shown to be subject to normal human diversity of capability—if it’s possible to have an unusually large quantity of aura (jaune) then it must also be possible to have an unusually small amount.

7 - it’s also shown that a person’s aura can be permanently damaged: pietro’s aura never healed from removing pieces of it to make and remake penny.

8 - a person’s semblance can also be stolen or destroyed forever (mercury).

9 - it follows that aura disabilities must exist, both congenital and resulting from irreparable damage due to injury or illness. (i think this is probably why nora ended up with scars aura can’t heal; she overclocked herself so hard she injured her aura.)

so all in all i think it’s probably more common than not for people to just… not have a semblance. to have a dormant aura or a weak or erratic aura that can’t be amplified to the level required for aura manipulation or sustained at that level for prolonged periods of time. to have had a traumatic experience as a child that manifested your semblance and also burnt so much of your aura to keep you alive that your aura is all but nonexistent now. or even to be trained to the level of mastery in aura manipulation and never develop a semblance at all because you never ended up in the right moment to figure it out. like in principle everyone has the potential to manifest a semblance because it’s just a projection of aura shaped by your identity, but in practice aura manipulation is difficult and semblances are such a specialized and individual form of that discipline that it feels sort of like saying everyone has the potential to be an olympic gold medalist.

like, the cast of rwby comprises almost entirely professional warriors who are explicitly the best in the world at what they do. it makes zero sense to me to look at their proficiency in the magical discipline central to their profession and generalize that to the entire global population, imo, and far more sense to conclude that the kids are just kind of sheltered from what’s normal outside of their very restricted social circles.

[frociaggine]

thinking about what would happen if just Ianthe and Alecto were stuck in a spaceship together. no idea what Alecto would think ofc but I feel like she’d see Ianthe as like. emblematic of how John’s use of power has become so much Worse over the years. she seems like a corrupted image of what the Nine Houses were supposed to be like, since she uses necromancy to seek power, she and her cavalier were full of hatred toward each other, she seems like she doesn’t care about what happens to the “shepherd planets” and refugees, etc. but at the same time she’s really really young and overwhelmed and wants to protect her sister and Harrow, and she seems conflicted in some ways... I think they should gossip about Harrow and do each other’s hair, but in a way that’s mutually unnerving and frustrating and nasty. they’ve also both had to act as John’s “protector,” and Ianthe is just Beginning to hate that role. so, some life experiences in common

Like you said, Ianthe is really young. I don't think she's especially worse than anyone in her circumstances would be, not to the point that the 4.5B years old soul of the earth would single her out as anything remarkable. Like, she's Seen Some Shit, before the apocalypse she was inflicting a dozen natural disaster a months. IDK, I just don't know if we can be certain about anything with Alecto, beyond the fact that she feels betrayed by John and that she wanted to know where "he put the people" and she thought the collective death of humanity was bad. But there's a lot of room for interpretations here

I just absolutely have no idea what Alecto would do and think and feel about complex moral topics. I can see her trying to make overtures of friendships to random humans and listen to Ianthe talk about Harrow a lot more easily than I can see her expressing opinions with any clarity about the Status of Humanity — I can't wait to find out but for now she's so alien to me! They WOULD frustrate each other though, and be creepy, of this I have no doubts. And shittalk John, as a treat <3

[tbh I just... don't think Ianthe is especially bad, or emblematic of the ad in the Universe? Factually, pre NtN, she mostly used necromancy to be a nerd. And yes to seek power but I truly don't see how it's noteworthy. She didn't like Babs, but I don't think she was full of hatred. While I don't think she especially cares about the shepherded planets, literally nobody in the Houses does, and Ianthe 1) was putting on such a massive Act in NtN through Nona's very confused POV that I think we've missed 70% of what's actually going with her and what she actually thought; and 2) she's shown to care about human life more than many other people in the series. Also she's John's stressed PA, definitely not a protector. She's trying to Run Things, not to babysit God. So I really don't think anything about her would make Alecto Take Notice beyond the fact that she hangs out with John and tried to steal Harrow]

[puppys-rhythm-heaven]

i got bored and so out of adhd impulsiveness i compiled a list of random rhythm heaven facts that i think are neat but don't see anyone talk about so uh. enjoy i guess. :3

there's a few differences in cosmic dance between tengoku and megamix. most noticeable is the fact that in tengoku, the pause in the middle is a random length, while in megamix, it's always the same length (and also longer than on tengoku's ost for some reason), which is due to how the music's stored (that's all the wiki says-). less noticeable and also idk why the wiki deems this noteworthy is that in tengoku, cosmic girl's sitting animation has her facing forward, but in megamix, she faces to the left. riveting, i know. even more riveting is that in tengoku, during cosmic girl's posing(/turning i guess-) animation, her socks shorten in length. these are both still on the wiki by the way-

the color of the space dancers' hands is inconsistent and yes i know how weird of a sentence that is. in tengoku, they're consistently yellow in-game, including in the epilogues, with the same going for in space dance itself as well as the icon in megamix; however, elsewhere in megamix, including the art used in-game and the epilogues, they're white, with the same going for their official art from tengoku's website. given that this doesn't apply to the paddlers at all and they're consistently white for them i feel like they are meant to be white but idk. also for some reason this is on space dance's wiki page and not the space dancers' page and idk why.

i think the existence of voice tap is pretty common knowledge? but just to go over it anyways, in ds, there's unused songs called seqarc_tap1 and seqarc_tap2. idk how we got voice tap from those. but anyways, the cues from them are reused in several games' japanese audio, namely space soccer, board meeting, fever karate man 2, and pajama party. also in fever there's unused sprites for tap troupe that look like ds' art style so it's possible that this could somehow be related to tap troupe idk why they'd port the sprites to fever and then completely remake it tho tbh klsfdjsklfdsf-

most of the singers for ds' korean lyrical songs aren't known, due to rhythm sesang releasing after the cd with all the other languages' songs coming out. notice how i said "most." the korean singer for that's paradise is known. through like, THE most unconventional source: a youtube comment on a video with the korean version of airboarder. i'm not joking. this is hilarious to me-

okay rapidfire round of character names: the tap trial girl is named yuka, the pajama party girl is named mako, the vegetables in rhythm tweezers are hair vegetables and the onion specifically is harry onion, the catchy tune guys are alaline and plaline, the street (basketball court??? the rhythm item calls him a street so-) in fruit basket is named courtney, the tiny ghosts (in big rock finish) are named boo-boo (the player one), ecto (the green one) and spooky (the red one), i had to check but the sumo brothers are individually named toba kaido (the blue one) and tenno hondate (the red one), why is this the kind of knowledge ingrained in my mind-

side note but do you ever think about how the space dancers aren't ever actually referred to as that in english. like they'd definitely be called that but megamix never refers to them by name so. anyways.

though also speaking of that in the korean version of megamix, fruit basket 2's rhythm item description states that "There is a table tennis club belonging to the Space Dancers in the gym next door." i think that's neat but also fruit basket 2 is like way before space dance sfldjfdsklsfjdklfsd-

during the zoom-out in flock step, the planet from rhythm rally 2 that looks like a paddler head can be seen and megamix forgot to actually change it accordingly to cosmic rhythm rally's redesign. it's barely noticeable in gameplay though so who cares really-

in the japanese version of ds, in lockstep, during the second farthest zoom out, during the offbeats, there's a noticeable amount of missing pixels on the left side of the screen. like it's super noticeable how did they miss this- also also another lockstep fun fact: in ds, the last ten steps don't actually count, meaning you can miss them during a perfect and still get the perfect. megamix removed that though because they hate fun (/j i'm guessing it was a mistake in ds).

in the korean versions of the games, lots of things are redesigned due to association with japanese culture, such as the wandering samurai being redesigned, shrimp shuffle's prologue and epilogues being recolored, and other things. the most interesting of these is ninja bodyguard, though; in megamix, the ninjas are redesigned as you'd expect,,, but only in ninja bodyguard, and not in their cameo in freeze frame. i'm not sure if they just forgot to redesign them or if it's to keep it consistent with ds.

there's lots of neat facts relating to rhythm sesang/the korean versions of the games tbh. for example, rhythm sesang wii is inconsistent with what language it uses for audio; some games use english audio (screwbot factory, see-saw, air rally, catch of the day, launch party, bossa nova), some use japanese audio (donk-donk, cheer readers, mochi pounding), while most do have korean dubs. the songs are also all kept in english, though the lyric cards have korean translations.

in exhibition match, the city in the background during the zoom-out is a grayscale image of new york city pre-9/11. i have no idea why. rhythm heaven has new york real??? (not clickbait)

basically every rhythm heaven lyrical song has a full version, with the exceptions of karate rhythm (tengoku karate man's song), bon odori, bon dance, that's paradise, and sono hitotsubu no ōkina namida ni wa (machine remix's song), but of these, the only two to have english versions are thrilling! is this love? (in fan club 2) and i'm a lady now (since it's always being in english). wack.

also speaking of karate rhythm the literal only source for its name is, of all games, wizard's waltz's reading material, rhythm poem collection. megamix doesn't give it a name. and it also doesn't call tears of a dog ninja by name which annoys me to no end-

tengoku remix 1, 2 and 4 have unused full versions that aren't used in game. if you thought tengoku remix 1 was long, well lemme tell you, the full version is FIVE MINUTES LONG. could you imagine if it was the full length in-game- oh also i think it's fairly common knowledge but it's still neat to me: there's an unused version of tengoku remix 1 called dance lesson 1, which has tap trial instead of rhythm tweezers and is also longer than remix 1 is in-game. the name is presumably because the remixes' music was used to train the development team's sense of rhythm by having them dance to it. as you do-

yea i have brainrot-

[jumpluffdrifting]

Milgram Mahiru Song Breakdown/Theory/Discussion

After waking up at 6 AM to listen to the new song I couldn’t help feel a little disappointed by how black and white the murder was. Like, a yandere but the kind that exists in our world. But was that really all there was to it? I hope not! 

Let’s start with the things we know about Mahiru Shiina. She’s 22, in college, new in town, and desperately in love with some guy, who she kills in some way. I also like her hair

Her song chronicles 16 days out of her life, and within like two weeks she meets her boyfriend and then kills him so like, speed run I guess. What I find interesting is all of the still pictures of her life are shot like posts on social media with accompanying text, as if we’re reading a blog, but all of them would have to had been shot by someone other than her who we’ll assume doesn’t exist. But either way it gives a strong sense of perfomativeness and artificiality to her life and by extension her love.

The Japanese text in the images also provide a lot of context for Mahiru but since my Japanese isn’t good I’ll summarize it up so hard instead of translating. Basically it starts with her self care routine as she believes any day she’ll meet the person of her dreams. And three days later she makes eye contact with someone at her college campus and she instantly becomes infatuated. Then after she (purposefully or not) runs into her crush several different times they begin dating and she is all for it, as expected. He invites her over to his house and then they... idk what feelings does this face convey to you

AFTER THAT the color of the texts on her “blog posts” become bright pink, and the words are placed in an erratic order, probably to convey that she’s kind of losing her grip on reality a bit with her all consuming love of this guy. We only ever see his hand btw but I guess he’s attractive enough. The 16th picture is her waiting for her boyfriend to come over so she can surprise him with her homemade food, and then it cuts to the birdcage like in the above image. 

I didn’t notice it the first few times I watched this MV, but the clothes she’s wearing on day 16 are the same as in the birdcage segments, so this is presumably the last day before the “murder” happens. This is also interesting because with this direct tie to her blog posts and the birdcage, the earlier scenes in the birdcage can take on a whole different meaning if you choose to interpret it that way: if all of those scenes took place during one day.

On the topic of the birdcage, though, there’s a few noteworthy things going on. Throughout the video we see Mahiru chasing after, jumping in, and looking at blue feathers floating around inside the birdcage. The feathers seem to represent her boyfriend, and even though birdcages are usually meant for birds, Mahiru was probably the only one in the birdcage originally before being visited by the blue bird, or at least traces of it.

If you haven’t played the Zero Escape trilogy you should. These feathers are almost certainly alluding to the bluebird of happiness, which usually means like “happiness is fleeting but can always return” or whatever, I can’t read. The real kicker here though is that Mahiru, like the other prisoners, is strongly associated with a color, orange. Orange and blue are complementary colors and as such are on different sides of the (traditional RYB) color scale, so they don’t have any colors in common with each other and will cancel each other out if mixed together.

The choice to have Mahiru chase after the bluebird but also associate her with the color orange could imply that happiness is completely removed from Mahiru’s life, and added with the birdcage imagery she seems to be trapped in a deeply unhappy life. maybe that’s why she came to tokyo?

All we’re left with at the end of the video is this rather haunting picture of Mahiru realizing that he’s dead, or realizing that he, the bluebird, flew the coop. The implications are left to the viewer to decide.

In terms of the actual murder I have far less clues so I can’t really go into detail. It’s possible that she killed him directly out of desperation to keep him with her but that kinda just feels very... predictable and also counterintuitive to lasting happiness. It’s also possible that the constant attention she put on him, morning and night phone calls, breakup “rituals” drove him to kill himself but that’s also a little weird. He only met her two weeks ago so I think it odd that he, a man presumably in college with a job and his own apartment, would feel so much pressure that he’s pushed to suicide to escape from it. 

My theory, and this is just speculation–this is for fun, is that the constant pressure and stress building up led to something like the incident that led to Kawakami from Persona 5 being blackmailed the way she was. As in, the stressed out boyfriend acted recklessly and ended up in a fatal accident that Mahiru may blame herself for, the details of which could be anything. This theory also has holes though, because if the “murder” is too “oh so it wasn’t her fault” then it loses all nuance of whether or not we should forgive her for it, so it’s unlikely that the MILGRAM team is going for that angle here.

Welp, thanks for reading this. This may have been the most interested I’ve been in one of the trial songs despite the initial disappointment I felt, but let me know what your theories are because I’m probably so wrong! and if anyone managed to get useful information from the voice drama don’t keep it to yourself lol.

[shipfishwrites]

Flora, Fauna, and Other: Survey: P.E.R.N.

Flora

Grass (that’s not grass): “springy underfoot,” releases “sweet, pungent odors” when trod on. Just called grass at first, later specified as “triangular in form,” being “more blue than green”, and having no silicates. The last is important as the hard silicates inside grass is actually like... a big deal? They’ll grind your teeth away.

Varied plants: from the plains, enough for several noteworthy collections.

Varied sea vegetation: along with marine life, enough to give a biologist lifetime employment.

Lush tropical vegetation: On Ista island. “Bearing the profusion and lush growth common to tropical climes.”

Needlethorn: discovered on Ista. A “spiny plant”, “clever,” that launches needles from only the aggressed side. Needles are “tiny barbs.”

Klahbark: “A vigorous tree whose bark, when bruised in the fingers, gave off a pungent smell.” Discovered on the northern half of Nerat Peninsula. I really take issue with the bark being ready straight from the tree. “Bruising” suggests it’s wet, and the whole thing about drinks poured through grounds is that the grounds are dry? Blech.

Fauna

Marine invertebrates: lots of them. “interesting variations of exoskeletons” so probably arthropoda and crustacea analogues, mollusca not mentioned unfortunately. 

Dusk feeders: “larger” marine animals spotted feeding in Cove. Zero description of them at all.

Various insectoids: spotted attracted to campfire flame.

Double wings insect: is this a vtol? Otherwise it might be a dragonfly analogue.

Wherries: first described as “large flying things”, “squat, fat, and full”. Named “wherries” on the next page; “two identifiable types of the large avians, with raucous calls and the aggressive manners of predators” not sure how that’s a thing but ok.

“Some reptiloids”: scaled, basking, live on Ista

Long Boi: there are no larger animals, Anne says. “Shavva [was] narrowly escaping the attentions of a ten-centimeter-thick, seven-meter-long example.” This is a “reptiloid” btw. It’s like a half-foot across and 21 feet long? I feel like that’s large.

“Brilliantly plumed smaller fliers”: smaller than wherries.

“Creepy crawlies”: a thousand types of land bug. Take THAT, trundlebug supremacy!

“More properly large herpetoids of truly revolting appearance”

My New Baby: “horny monster, seven centimeters broad and five high, which waved tentacles and claws in an aggressive manner.” Oh boy, tentacles!!! AND claws! “They could discern neither mouth nor eyes.” ???????!!! “The creature’s back was covered with insectoid forms. “External digestive system?”” !!!!!!!!!! This is a fucking crazy animal, I wish it hadn’t been invented for just this passage and then forgotten. Anne has such titanium balls for inventing this one horrible thing for her biosphere and making the entirety of the rest a parallel earth. (Oh also my baby makes a stench as defense. Skunk-lobster-starfish-squid. Vertebrate status unknown but suspected.)

Dragonets: come in the expected colors and act pretty and smart. Like... mayb my baby was presented on the previous page JUST to to contrast the dragonets with “glistened like airborne jewels.”

Reef systems: counts as fauna, right? Around Ista Archipelago.

Coral: around Nerat Peninsular. Noted as a “viable ecology” not a “stale-mated” dense rainforest one. Did uh... did people thing rainforests were stale? Or stagnant? Back then?

Fungi/Protists

Red and green algae: I don’t know how to explain to Anne that you can’t just find some beach goop and call it algae. Especially red algae. Red algae is a whole other type of thing than all life, even. It’s ahead of us on the evolutionary ladder, post-eukaryotes. (I’m slightly alarmed by algae, can you tell?)

Interesting littoral fungi: again, try finding An Fungus, Anne.

The Motile Fungus: Ok. I’m just... very confused. Let me copy the whole sentence. “Liu scooped up samples of the red and green algae and found some interesting fungi on the shoreline, some with visible movement.” What does this mean, Anne. Is this a mushroom that walks? Some hyphae that reach? Or is it fungi that grow so fast they “travel”? Or is this just bad phylogeny for slime molds??? I DON’T KNOW. WHY IS IT MOVING. AHHH

Luminous mycelium: it’s a glow, whoopie. It is interesting that it’s specifically called the “mycelium” -- “some sort of luminous variety of mycelium.” The phrasing makes me think that Anne was just using it as a synonym for fungus, but what if it is the hyphae network that glows? You have to dig it out, wash it, string it up as a glowing net instead of just a basket of shroom caps, which I had always imagined. But then Liu says “Luminous lichens or organisms...” so is it a lichen?? help.

Mud bacteria: live in the plain south of Crom. “Emitting... sulfurous fumes ... plethora of promising bacteria over which Shavva crowed.” Idk what’s promising about them, so.

[qvietlight]

time for the big archie fact file!!

The Basics

Name? Archie Virginia Taylor

Age? 37

Approximate height? 5′8

Hair colour? Blonde

Eye colour? Blue

Do they speak with an accent? No

Where are they from? Zuzu City

Where are they now? Stardew Valley

Backstory

Who are their parents? Charles and Anthea Taylor

What is their earliest memory? Meeting her little brother, Aubrey, for the first time. She turned to her parents and asked if they were sure he had to come home with them.

What did they want to be when they grew up? Still a ghost hunter, but more the Scooby Doo type - busting baddies and hanging out with the loch ness monster.

What did/do their parents want them to be? Archie’s job is a point of contention with her father. Charles wants her to have a ‘proper’ career. Any career. Preferably something in an office that made use of her degree.

Do they have siblings? Older or younger? Brothers or sisters? Yes, one younger brother, Aubrey. He’s adopted, and they have a very good relationship.

Do they have or have they ever had children? How many? No. Gross.

Do they or have ever had a significant other? Are they still with them? Why? Why not? Penelope. They were together for fifteen years, and broke up only a couple of months ago. Penelope wanted to get married, Archie didn’t.

Up until now, what’s the most noteworthy thing they’ve done? To them? To the people around them? To Archie? Starting That’s the Spirit! To other people? Graduating summa cum laude from Colombia with joint honours in Sociology and Political Science.

Tastes

What’s your character’s favourite colour? Red

Do they/would they choose to wear a scent? What would it be? She wears a Jo Malone scent - Blackberry and Bay.

Do they care about what things look like? All things, or only some? In some ways? She likes things organised, and likes to appear put-together herself.

What’s their favourite ice cream flavour? Pistachio.

Are they a tea, or coffee drinker? Or soft drinks, or do they drink a lot of alcohol? What kind? Coffee coffee coffee! She doesn’t really drink soft drinks, but in terms of alcohol, she prefers her drinks uncomplicated. Beer, whiskey, etc.

What kind of books do they read? What TV shows and movies do they watch? Mostly non-fiction, she’s always looking to expand her knowledge in whatever way she can, but she does have a soft spot for pulpy detective novels. In terms of TV, she watches lots of documentaries, and likes British Crime dramas. She’s also a big Twin Peaks fan.

What kind of music do they like? Do they like music at all? Is it loud? Angry? Fronted by a female singer? She’s into it.

If they were about to die, what would they have as their last meal? Japanese food. Bang bang cauliflower, gyoza, yaki soba...

Are they hedonistic? In all cases? Or does practicality sometimes/always/often win out? No, Archie is practical to a fault.

Do they have any philias or phobias? Not really. She’s largely unflappable.

Morals, Beliefs, and Faith

Do they have an internal or an external moral code? Internal, I guess. She’s not above a little light law-breaking to accomplish what she needs. 

To what extent are their actions dictated by this code? Mostly?

Do they believe in a God or Gods/Goddesses/Higher being of some description? Nah.

Are they superstitious? Not really.

Do they believe in an afterlife? If so, what’s it like?  Not really. All of her research has disproved an afterlife so far.

Do they have any specific beliefs that manifest obviously? No.

Are the respectful of the beliefs of others? To what extent? She tries to be. But some people are stupid.

Have they ever had to stand up to criticism for being religious? Or not being religious? Nope.

Would they be more likely to act for the good of the one, or the good of the many? The good of the one.

Relationships

Do they make friends easily? Not at all. Her personality is kind of abrasive.

Do they have a best friend? It was Penelope. So not anymore.

Can they get people to do what they want them to? If so, how? Sometimes? Mostly though just being completely relentless.

Do they have a lot of romantic relationships? Serious, or short term? Not a lot. She had a couple of girlfriends in college before Penelope, but that’s all.

Do they fall in and out of love easily? Not at all. It takes her a long time to warm to people.

Do strangers and acquaintances actually like them when they meet? No.

Do they have a network? Probably just her dad and brother now. 

What is their relationship like with their family? Complex. After her mother died, she and Aubrey were raised very hands-off, and their father always treated them as adults rather than children because he simply didn’t know how else to relate to them. Archie and her father are very alike, which is part of the reason they butt heads so much. But there is no doubting their love for each other. 

Are they still in touch with non-family people they were in touch with a year ago? Five years? Ten? More? She’s got a couple of friends from college she still talks to, but her social group isn’t exactly huge.

Do they like children? Do they want children of their own? No, and no. 

Physical Appearance

How does this character dress? How would they choose to dress, if all options were open to them? Mostly dark clothes, clean and simple, and Doc Martens.

Do they have any tattoos? What do they mean? None.

Do they have piercings? How many? Just her ears, one in each lobe and one in her right cartilage.

Do they have scars? Where did they come from? Yes, from gender reassignment surgery. 

Do they alter their appearance in some way on a regular basis? She wears makeup almost every day.

Is there something they’d choose to change about their appearance if they had the opportunity to? Nope, she looks hot. 

Is there something about their appearance they’re particularly proud of/happy with? She’s got nice eyes, and she likes her freckles. 

Objectively, are they physically attractive? Fairly plain? Unattractive? Attractive...

Do they have an accurate mental picture and opinion of their physical appearance? Yes, I think so.

How much time do they spend thinking about their physical appearance? Not much at all anymore. She looks how she always wanted.

General Knowledge

Can they navigate their own local area without getting lost? To what degree? Yeah, she’s confident and fairly intuitive.

Do they know who the top politician or monarch is where they live? What about elsewhere? Yes, she tries to keep up to date with current affairs, being a Poli-Sci major.

Do they know if/where there are any major conflicts going on right now? Yes.

Do they know the composition of water? Yeah.

Do they know how to eat a pomegranate? Obviously.

Are they good with the technology available to them? Average? Completely hopeless? Her lifestyle is very tech-based, so yes.

Could they paint a house? Without making a mess of it? She certainly thinks she could - whether that’s actually true is debatable.

Could they bake a cake? Would you eat it if they did? She can follow instructions because she’s not an idiot, so the cake would be fine, but she wouldn’t be excited to waste time on it.

Do they know how to perform basic maintenance on the common mode of transportation? She knows how to change a tire and the oil in her car. She has to, since her car is a pile of crap.

Do they know the price of a loaf of bread? Yes.

Specific Knowledge

Do they have a specific qualification in a narrow area? No, he dropped out of college.

Is there something they do or know exceptionally well that most other people don’t? Well, she knows a lot about mythology and the supernatural. 

Do people often comment on a particular skill or area of knowledge to this character? Behind their back? Probably not?

Is there an area this character could be considered top of their field or a genius in? Probably not. She’s very intelligent, but lots of people are.

Have they deliberately sought to gain knowledge in a specific area? If so, why? She deliberately seeks knowledge in many different areas, because you can never be too educated.

Do they speak more than one language? More than two? Why? She speaks English, and some rudimentary Chinese and Spanish. It just seemed smart to learn.

Does their cultural background effect what they would be expected to know? Idk, white people shit?

Have they ever been publicly acknowledged for being well-versed in something? Well, she graduated college summa cum laude so yes!

Have they ever been bullied for knowing a lot about something? People wouldn’t dare. She’s scary.

Do they actively seek new knowledge, or let it come to them naturally? Actively.

Miscellaneous

What did they have for breakfast this morning? A cup of coffee. 

What ridiculous belief/s did they have as a child? ): None really. 

Do they like marshmallows? Not really. Not vegetarian.

Do they sleep on their side, front, or back? Side

Do they work better with sound or silence? Sound, but only sound she can moderate herself.

Do they have a strange obsession with something minor? Ghosts? Mythological creatures?

Do they like art? Some? 

How fast can they run? Fast enough.

Do they prefer to sit on the floor or on a chair? Chair.

What do they want, right now? Another cup of coffee. And a cigarette.

[nejiiree]

Uraraka is the Traitor Part 2

Back with Part 2! Which- sorry to say- is probably going to be even longer than part 1 but it can’t be helped. So in this we’re gonna look more into Uraraka’s name, her place in the story of My Hero, and her parallel with Toga. So let’s dive in!

Uraraka’s Name

If you’re a fan of the manga, you’ve probably noticed Horikoshi has a really cool naming system for each of the character’s through their kanji symbols. For example, Izuku Midoriya’s (緑谷 出久) name is a reference to him being the 9th OFA holder and his signature green locks & Bakugou’s name (爆豪 勝己) can mean something along the lines of “explosion victory” which I don’t even think I need to explain how that relates to his character.

Uraraka’s name in Kanji is 麗日 お茶子 which can mean “pretty day”, which suits her bubbly, cute personality, right?

Well... not exactly.

You’ll also recall that Horikoshi deliberately writes character’s names a certain way sometimes so as to not spoil something about them. Take, for example, Himiko Toga whose name was written in katakana instead of kanji (because in kanji her name literally means “to put on someone else”) to hide her quirk until the big reveal during the hero license exam.

An interesting thing about Uraraka’s name is that she only uses the “Ura” part for her hero name “Uravity”. Another interesting thing is what the name “Ura” can be turned into when written differently in Kanji.

Take a look at this:

It would make sense for Horikoshi to use this genius play on words. While we think he’s calling Uraraka a “beautiful day”, he might actually have been hinting at her treason from the beginning, right in front of our faces.

Here’s the official Viz translation of Uraraka’s character page:

Why would Horikoshi feel like a “true genius” coming up with Uraraka’s name if it truly means what it appears on the surface as opposed to Bakugou or Deku’s (whose, honestly, fit their character more) unless there’s more to it.

Toga & Uraraka

I find the dynamic between these two to be really interesting for some reason. Probably because they seem like such opposites but actually have a lot in common, like their shared crush- *cough* obsession *cough*- on Midoriya.

It all started during their fight during the Training Camp Arc. Tsuyu’s pinned to the tree and Uraraka has Toga down thanks to her training with Gunhead (as opposed to, I don’t know, floating her up into a tree so she couldn’t escape or knocking her out or something other than just sitting on her, c’mon girl) when Toga starts to mess with Ochako a bit.

She’s obviously comparing them highkey, and Uraraka doesn’t even seem offended by it or like “this bitch is nuts.” Instead, she thinks back to when she wanted to win just like Deku at the sports festival, while making a face that says, “she’s got me figured out,” y’know? It’s almost like what Toga is saying makes Uraraka come to a realization about herself.

And then the two are pitted against each other again in the Hero License Exam, when Toga literally becomes Uraraka in order to trick Deku, who figures it out after she doesn’t float when knocked off a high rock ledge. It wouldn’t be anything noteworthy (I mean, Uraraka’s is the only blood Toga was able to snag, of course she’d be the one she’d imitate) except for the parting words Toga- masquerading as Camie- gives to Uraraka:

It’s almost like she’s saying it ironically. “Ha, it’s really funny that he trusts you so much.” I think Toga knows more about Uraraka than she’s letting on.

Do I think the villains know her on a personal level? No. She probably communicates with them exclusively through her phone or something. But Toga’s mocking makes it pretty obvious she’s on to her about something.

Aoyama

Our encounters with Aoyama in the story so far have been... interesting (?) to say the least. He’s kinda a mysterious guy that we don’t know much about.

But a particular scene with Uraraka makes it apparent he’s also very observant.

Like seriously how did he figure it out and not, I don’t know, one of the girls (who btw still don’t know. They just suspect it’s either Iida or Deku because those are the two she hangs with the most). He’s not really around Midoriya or Uraraka enough to know this unless he’s been watching one or both of them closely.

But why?

And then we have ch 167 & 168. Random chapters that seemingly came out of nowhere that gave us some really strange encounters between Aoyama and Deku.

For example:

He’s clearly trying to open Deku’s door at 1 am. Like what the actual fuck??? And the explaination we get for this is subpar at best. “He was trying to tell Deku that he knew how he felt having a quirk that hurt his body.” Like what??? That literally does not explain why he’s trying to slide open his bedroom door in the middle of the night. And the message he leaves him is weird af too.

I don’t buy Aoyama’s pitiful explaination for this. I don’t think “I Know” means what he says it does. I think he’s trying to warn Midoriya, in his own way. “I know who the traitor is.”

My theory is even further backed up later in the chapter when Aoyama carves this for Midoriya into a rock:

The writing is a French phrase which roughly means, “Don’t trust even the calmest of waters” or- according to the unofficial translation- “still waters run deep”.

We get absolutely no explaination for why Aoyama does this, but I have my own thoughts about it.

This was another warning.

“Don’t trust someone who appears the nicest, the friendliest. Their intentions aren’t what you think. It’s deeper than you think.” Because what’s a risk you take getting into water that appears calm? You could be swept under.

The only person that this warning could even remotely apply to is Uraraka, as she’s one of the only people to show Midoriya continuous kindness and calmness. I think Aoyama is watching Uraraka closely. He probably already suspects her, but needs some sort of definitive proof. And that’s where our favorite Lord Explosion Murder comes in.

Bakugou

Idk why, maybe it’s the inner writer in me, but I think the foil between Bakugou and Uraraka is too good not to exploit.

Like I mentioned, Aoyama is probably looking for some kind of definitive proof to the traitor’s identity, whether he be working with school to figure out the traitor’s identity or just working on his own. And who do we know who seems to be able to figure out complex situations better than anyone?

Katsuki Bakugou.

He figured out the complex truth of Deku’s power all on his own, he was able to read Yo Shindou’s eyes to determine he wasn’t as nice as he was pretending to be (“your words don’t match your eyes.”) Bakugou is smart.

How would he find out? Not really sure, but I do think it’s interesting that they’re on the same dorm floor.

And if she was the traitor, then she was probably responsible for telling the villains the training camp location, thus resulting in Bakugou’s kidnapping, which then resulted in All Might’s fight with AFO.

If Bakugou figures out who’s responsible for that... I don’t think it’ll be very pretty, especially if she tries to give him some bs excuse. Unlike most of the boys, Bakugou’s quite aware that Uraraka is capable and strong. He wouldn’t buy that she was manipulated into this or a weak girl was taken advantage of. Hell, he’s said as much himself:

Just saying, Horikoshi pits the two of them against each other a lot in his sketches as well. They rarely interact in the manga anymore, separated in almost every arc.

In conclusion, I refuse to believe that Uraraka will remain a one-dimensional character whose only major plot line is a crush on a boy she’s known for a few months. (Once again, I am not hating on her character. Quite the opposite. I think she has so much potential that it would be a shame to waste it.) Thanks for reading this trainwreck! I’d love to hear your thoughts as well! I’m gonna be doing some more theories soon (not traitor-related) :)))

[noddytheornithopod]

So this interview is a thing. Some stuff I find noteworthy is discussed below. Be warned, I may get salty, it’s been a while so steer clear if you hate me getting like this (and I know there’s people who do). :V

They mainly have Milo’s science room to still get out of drawing desks lol

They discuss the crossover when asked if Phineas and Ferb would do what they do if they had Murphy’s Law. To me the answer is obvious: of fucking course they would. And I mean, they do kind of affirm that, but the do NOT mention the goddamn Phineas and Ferb Effect at all. They just say the crossover shows they’d overcome adversity anyway and even take advantage of it... which okay, I GUESS they kinda do that, but it’s never a big deal for them, they’re just like “oh lol what’s this Murphy’s Law” and immediately weaponise it. The fact that instead of them being abstract ideas they’re turned into objective parts of the show’s universe I still feel undermines the whole thing because they don’t have to actually deal with Murphy’s Law and be challenged by it, they just find it and use it. If it was a real challenge, they did a TERRIBLE job of conveying it. And the way they talk about this not mentioning the Effect makes it all sound pointless anyway, so either have your Gary Stu ions or don’t, decide goddammit. Then again, maybe the Effect is why they never had any real issues. :V

They straight up admit that Doofenshmirtz taking over Season 2 was Disney’s suggestion. Granted, they DO say that they were building up to the crossover originally and when Disney saw their crossover plans they then said that was when they suggested to add Doof, so IDK who’s really at fault here? Unless there’s even more going on they’re not saying. :V

Seriously, again, there’s no real challenge with Phineas and Ferb and Milo. They’re still nice, but that honestly made the whole thing boring. Candace was also really detached about the whole thing. The question is asked like whether keeping them nice was this big challenge but it’s clear it REALLY wasn’t. Honestly, just dig up my old rants if anyone even cares. :v

Dan’s friend’s son is deathly allergic to specifically pistachios, and that’s how Pistachions were born.

Dan seems to get asked a lot about Meap me in St Louis. Also he says the movie wasn’t their idea but Disney’s from what I can tell?

Meap is a huge hit in Japan, and Swampy jokes they could make a Meap show just for the Japanese audience.

Someone cut the Phineas and Ferb Star Wars special into A New Hope and Dan and Swampy are hoping to see it.

We “might” see Vanessa again. Probably in the movie I assume.

Dan and Swampy were asked if they could add more diversity into MML so that’s how Zack is black (which Dan thinks makes him more interesting) and Amanda Latina. Dan admits it’s very easy to fall into your own biases and draw what you know (citing drawing funny guys over girls as a common example), and thus can risk ending up with very homogenous casts, and he thinks it’s good to remind people not to fall into that trap. I do appreciate that he actually is able to admit this, too. Dan also praises Mekai Curtis and feels if he had Zack white he would’ve missed out on getting him cast.

Candace is a redhead because she’s fiery, and Melissa is to look like Dan’s daughter. Candace is based on Dan’s sister who’s blonde (which I guess is where the claim she would originally be blonde came from?). Isabella due to being drawn before Dan’s daughter Isabella was born actually ended up looking like Dan’s niece, Amanda.

[crimsonfluidessence]

REALLY LONG CHARACTER SURVEY.

RULES. repost ,   don’t  reblog  !  good  luck  !

TAGGED. Found off @bloodsworn-marshal and I was like CHALLENGE ACCEPTED TAGGING. I will not be that cruel

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Esredes Rosemond

NICKNAME: Esrey

AGE: 33

BIRTHDAY: the fuck are birthdays

ETHNIC GROUP: Ishgardian Elezen

NATIONALITY: Ishgardian

LANGUAGE(S): Common Eorzean, Dragonspeak, does ishgard have its own language idefk

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Heteroromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single as fuck

CLASS: Gladiator

HOMETOWN / AREA: Ishgard

CURRENT HOME: The Coerthan Wilderness

PROFESSION: Heretic Commander/Ishgard’s Most Wanted

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Swept back and crimson. Noteworthy for the way it splits into tips at the ends.

EYES: Orange

NOSE: ....a fucking nose what do you expect me to say

FACE: Nasty looking

LIPS: Never anything but a black line in my art style so who fuckin knows

COMPLEXION: Light brown.

BLEMISHES: idk

SCARS: A lot in various places on the body.

TATTOOS: None

HEIGHT: 6′0

WEIGHT: idk how to do weights

BUILD: Sturdy

FEATURES: uh... he exists

ALLERGIES: None

USUAL HAIRSTYLE: As presented. He rarely combs down the tips.

USUAL FACE LOOK: Vaguely pissed off or emotionless.

USUAL CLOTHING: Either the Haubergeon outfit or his red tabard outfit.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR(S): Drowning, Being Captured, Failure, Strangulation, Dying in an embarrassing manner

ASPIRATION(S): Taking over and fixing Ishgard.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Loyal, Brave, Confident, Ambitious, Unyielding

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Manipulative, Brutal, Reserved, Hate-filled

ZODIAC: Fuck the zodiac.

TEMPERAMENT: Choleric

SOUL TYPE(S): what

ANIMALS: Rabbits

VICE  HABIT(S): Over-exerting himself

FAITH: None.

GHOSTS?: Yes

AFTERLIFE?: Yes

REINCARNATION?: Maybe?

ALIENS?: Dragons already exist

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: He’s like a conservative evil liberal its weird

ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE: what?

SOCIO POLITICAL POSITION: Anti Ishgard, pro heresy.

EDUCATION LEVEL: High School

FAMILY.

FATHER: Unnamed but he exists

MOTHER: ^

SIBLINGS: Seraphiaux Rosemond What siblings? I guess there’s Ysayle, it’s not like he has any biological ones who still love him...

EXTENDED FAMILY: Who knows?

NAME MEANING(S): Esredes doesn’t meant anything. I made it up. Ezredes means colonel in hungarian though, and that’s a neat coincidence.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: Not related to Durendaires.

FAVORITES.

BOOK: Probably that one epic heroic tale that’s actually realistic out there somewhere

MOVIE: If they existed, he likes action movies.

5 SONGS: Idk, but he sometimes likes humming them to himself.

DEITY: Fuck you.

HOLIDAY: eh... I guess All Saints Wake is pretty decent

MONTH: September

SEASON: Autumn

PLACE: Idyllshire

WEATHER: A slightly cloudy day with a nice, mild breeze.

SOUND: The soft ambience of a forest.

SCENT(S): uh

TASTE(S): Meats

FEEL(S): The hair of someone he cares about when he’s trying to comfort them.

ANIMAL(S): Rabbits

NUMBER: uh

COLORS: Red and Gold

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Swordfighting, Strategic Thinking, Manipulation, Flying

BAD AT: People, emotions, cooking, anything involving engineering

TURN ONS: Assertiveness, Confidence

TURN OFFS: Stupidity, Miqo’te

HOBBIES: Flying and hunting

TROPES: Dark Skinned Redhead, Frontline General, Ambiguously Brown, Magnificent Bastard

AESTHETIC TAGS: I can’t aesthetic but like, besides dragon and blood and swords, his aesthetic boils down to regal and elegant but tough

GPOY  QUOTES: ?

FC INFO.

MAIN  FC(S): Nope

ALT FC(S): Nope

OLDER FC(S): Nope

YOUNGER  FC(S): Nope

VOICE CLAIM(S): The voice he has in my head

GENDERBENT FC(S): Nope

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1: IF YOU COULD WRITE YOUR CHARACTER YOUR WAY IN THEIR OWN MOVIE, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED, WHAT STYLE WOULD IT BE FILMED IN, AND WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?:

Villain protagonist film where Esredes has to stop the Even Worse villain while still being unapologetically evil himself, teaming up with morally gray problematic good guys that don’t give a shit about his evil. General rule of thumb, if you want him to be the protagonist, make the villain the equivalent of Dolores Umbridge atrocious.

It has to be filmed in a way where the visual parallels clearly indicate nobody is in the right, that he is little less atrocious than the other villain. Give it enough of subtle intelligent cinema film style, not enough so that it’s confusing and prone to missing everything. Let the film have an element of pretty cinematography that can be contrasted with the more brutal scenes.

Call it “The Exception, The Guardian, and The Monster.”

Q2: WHAT WOULD THEIR SOUNDTRACK / SCORE SOUND LIKE?:

Esredes’ song aesthetic is somewhat orchestral, but intense in nature. It has to reflect the battle heavy lifestyle of his, all while making time for the more elegant and sophisticated parts.

Q3: WHY DID YOU START WRITING THIS CHARACTER?:

I wanted to make dragon characters for my friend’s roleplay group because generally no one gave a shit about all the human characters I came in with. His idea had the most inspirational energy and I went with a character representing everything I hate.

Q4: WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?:

I first began to actually like him because of his dialogue. So much fun to write, like holy shit.

Q5: DESCRIBE THE BIGGEST THING YOU DISLIKE ABOUT YOUR MUSE:

I mean, I find a lot of his personality atrocious in general. I don’t like his abusive tendencies, even though I love writing them because of how it defies the idea of him being the local sad man you can just befriend with sunshine. Really, I don’t like that he has to default to murder as a solution and call it for the greater good. He could be genuinely heroic if he tried to find another solution. And that is why he should never stop doing that.

Q6: WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN COMMON WITH YOUR MUSE?:

Desire for quick and snappy change. Generally being the one who can think when no one else can. Thinking nobody likes us while blatantly ignoring all the people directly around us. And both of us have a desire to use our powerful presence, but only one of us can actually pull it off.

Q7: HOW DOES YOUR MUSE FEEL ABOUT YOU?:

He’d probably just call me out on all my weaknesses. Try me, Esrey. So has everyone else before you. You know what it feels like too, don’t you?

Q8: WHAT CHARACTERS DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE INTERESTING INTERACTIONS WITH?

All the kids are fun because each flavor of Esredes trying to work with a disaster is beautiful. I love the absolute purity of Clover, the therapy of Dione, the chill of Rev, snark of Bellona, constant anger of Alastor, etc. The parents are also adorable for their emotional support to the character. Agatha and Esrey are fun because of how awkward but friendly they’re trying to be. Oh, and B’ahm is hilarious because the man is just trying to exist and be friendly and is STILL getting all over Esrey’s nerves.

Q9: WHAT GIVES YOU INSPIRATION TO WRITE YOUR MUSE?:

It’s not hard to get inspired to write him in general, since I have a puppetmaster approach and not a muse approach to writing characters. I usually just have to put on epic sounding music and absorb myself into the mental imagery of him it produces.

Q10: HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE?:

Like forty five minutes. Git gud.

[herotheshiro]

ok i was really hoping there was going to be a post on tumblr i could reblog bc i didn’t want to make an original post abt this manga but i read everyday is a good day by nishi noeko this morning and it’s cute! quick summary is that it’s abt a guy who takes care of his deceased sister’s kid, and despite the romance plot existing the manga was actually very much focused on taking care of the kid. they never explicitly defined the age gap bw the main 2 (toki (main) was in college, implied underclassman, while chihiro (love interest) was 15. so prob abt 3-5 yr age diff) but honestly kind of overlooked it bc appi (the kid) was SO CUTE and the mini family of sorts that toki, chihiro, and appi form in the end was so sweet. i think the entire story was handled very realistically so while i wasn’t necessarily BLOWN AWAY by the story, it was a pretty good read.

anyway sorry to focus on the main pairing’s age gap bc it’s really only partially a part of the story (”man he was only 15 when i first met him and now he’s grown. time has really passed huh...”) but i realized recently that the reason i have such an issue with age gaps in stories sometimes and other times not is bc i tend to bristle at age gaps (i’m using the definition of a 4-10 year difference since i think that’s the most common range. 1-3 years i usually never have an issue with and past 10 is like ... sorry no idk abt that chief) where one of the parties is like not really “matured”. like stories about teacher-student, mentor-young mentee (like example 35yo x 22yo, newly entering workforce) coworkers, older person-young, impressionable person who kind of has issues to work out... like they just make me feel uncomfortable to some degree. it’s one thing when it’s 2 adults who have gone about their lives, are comfortable with themselves for the most part, and have their own separate support networks and they meet and get together, but when one’s development is kind of not complete (this includes cases where the junior is “mature for their age”. stfu they’re still developing themselves) or dependent on the other (teacher-student, mentor-mentee)... idk it just makes me feel squicky for lack of a better word lol. i mean i know there are ppl out there who are into those kinds of dynamics, someone taking advantage of their senior position or a junior somehow seducing their teaching senior, but it just doesn’t feel right to me to read even if it’s a fictional story. even if the story isn’t written in a way that’s supposed to be the senior taking advantage of the junior’s issues or vice versa, i just feel that the younger person really needs to live life separate from wooing an older person before they get into a relationship. that’s why the established adult-established adult age gap pairings work with me sometimes because both parties have had a chance to develop and figure out by themselves what makes them tick; someone recently entering the workforce can be competent but they also just entered the workforce. tonari ni by basso is a very good example in my opinion of an age gap that falls under my definition of what an age gap pairing should be.

i just realized i completely missed the dynamic of older boss-established adult subordinate. that’s why i said i’m ok with age gap SOMETIMES, bc it also depends on the social dynamic being presented. if it’s 2 adults in different jobs or departments then alright depends on how their story is written, but if it’s 2 adults in the same department and one of them is under the other ... that still brings up the uncomfortable power dynamic for me even if the subordinate is established. i think i’ve read a couple of mangas where the boss and subordinate were around the same age but then yeah that takes out the whole age gap issue then. anyway this case isn’t what i’m specifically talking about when i say i have issues with age gap, so my thoughts here are less developed/concrete.

anyway i didn’t mean to turn this review into a discussion abt age gaps. tl;dr the BL that i originally wrote this post about is pretty good although i would have preferred to just reblog something since it wasn’t particularly noteworthy for me.

[trueraretalent]

A WALT QUESTIONAIRE

1. Describe the character’s height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

“I’m skinny or lean or whatever and I think I’m about 5′9? I don’t know.”

shut up alex, you’re 5′8 and you know it.

2. How old is he?

“Nineteen.”

3. Describe his posture. Does he/she carry himself well or does he/she slouch?

“It could probably be better, but I don't slouch too much. Depends on my mood really.”

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

“Obviously I’m nowhere near as fit as Jordan, but - and this is hard to believe, I know - I’m actually a fairly decent runner and did track for a few years. Take after my mum in that aspect, I guess.”

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

“There’s…there’s more than one way to move? Fluid, I don’t fucking know.”

he moves with ease and usually looks comfortable or casual or whatever. idk. 

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?

“Why don’t you tell me? Attraction is more of a perception thing based on personal preference so… but I’m not looking at myself and nitpicking, anyway, I know I’m pretty ace.”

was that a fucking pun you little shit.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

“I’m pale. I’m a white-ass white boy and I’ve got a bunch of tiny freckles all over the place because I’m incapable of tanning.”

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.

“My hair is about as straight as I am, and if you’re a sucker for brown hair with shaved sides, boy do I have news for you.”

he doesn’t do much to style it or anything. usually just rolls out of bed and brushes with his fingers. (x)(x)

9. What color are his/her eyes?

“Fuck if I know.”

they’re brown alex. they’re brown.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

“Dimples deeper than the Pacific ocean.”

11. What are his/her chief tension centers?

“…Shoulders, I guess.”

his first instinct was to say farrah. tf alex.

12. What is the character’s wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he/she have six of the same suit?

“I don’t even know. I’ve got ripped jeans and a whole range of graphic tees and also some random big name shit. My fashion policy is basically just if it looks cool, I wear it. Pretty casual, ridiculously varied. I don’t really have a colour scheme at all, but hey! If I can throw together a half decent outfit then who cares?”

wardrobe tag: (x)

13. Do his/her clothes fit well? Does he/she seem comfortable in them?

“That’s basically my only criteria, so yeah. That, and if the clothes match whatever the hell my acethetic is.”

that's pun number two, people.

14. Does he/she dress the same on the job as he/she does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?

“If I had a job, I’m sure I’d make myself look professional as fuck.”

i doubt that.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?

“Boxers.”

Speech

1. What does this character’s voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

“…Am I meant to know this? Middle-range, I guess. A teacher once described my voice as ‘warm’ which was weird but might answer the question?”

imma be honest with you fam, half the time i imagine him with a british accent like his fc, one daniel howell. idk?? dan howell without the accent?? idk???? pretty even and clear, no cracking when he speaks. idk.

2. How does he/she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he/she talk easily, or does he/she hesitate?

“Okay - well - right. I just interrupted myself several times so sorry about that but let me give you the run down. I speak pretty easily, but speed varies depending on who I’m talking to or how I’m feeling and all that shit. The more nervous or worried I am, the more I ramble and I speed up a bit, but when I’m angry I’ve got a very even and calm tone somehow and when I’m talking to someone new I try and avoid talking quickly.”

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

“Not really.”

when he rambles he does a lot more ‘you know’ and ‘i mean’ without noticing.

4. What language/s does he/she speak, and with how much fluency?

“English. And I know some French from school but that’s about it.”

5. Does he/she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

“Uhh, no. Breaking out in French at random times would be super fucking weird, considering I know roughly five words.”

…yeah…who would…do that…

i apologise for my son penelope

6. Is he/she a good impromptu speaker, or does he/she have to think about his words?

“I’m a very good impromptu speaker. That’s basically the only speaking I do.”

literally the only time he stops and fully thinks his words through is when he’s full on angry. like legitimately furious. so, not talking to any one in particular here nope not at all i’m sure this will never be relevant at all ever haha, if alex is taking his sweet sweet time to answer, you know you’ve fucked up big time.

7. Is he/she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?

“A mix of both, I think. It depends on the subject, but talking is one of my strong suits so it’s not like I can’t convey an opinion.”

he’s probably more eloquent when he’s angry. also sarcastic. it's wild, he really gets his anger from vidia.

Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Is he/she book-smart or street-smart?

“Well, I’m not stupid. I ace most tests. My problem is more just figuring out where to ‘apply myself’. I know a lot about things I actually like and certain social issues like the feminist movement and sexuality stuff. And the only reason I passed maths as a sophomore was because I managed to get the teacher to like me after he’d decided that he hated the class with a passion. He wasn’t even subtle about that, actually. He literally announced it in our second week of classes. Yeah, he didn't fuck around. We had that in common. Anyway, befriending people is the closest I’ve got to street smarts.”

alex’s pun count so far: 4, i think.

2. Does he/she think on his feet, or does he/she need time to deliberate?

“I think a lot more on my feet than I probably should.”

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Is he/she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

“I’d say more idealistic. I’m an optimist. Apparently those are in short supply nowadays so I’m basically a unicorn. But yeah, probably more intuitive than logical, I’m led by my emotions rather than my head.”

for anyone curious, his mbti is enfp. take that as you will.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

“Imagine a series of private schools full of a mix of the kids of both shockingly successful strippers and the classic pretentious rich assholes. It was a weird juxtaposition. But I’ve gone through all the regular tiers to university.”

5. What are his/her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he/she interested in learning more about?

“Social issues, probably. I was pretty good at drama. Also I did violin for like 3 years. I still suck but at least I can be rhythmic about it. I don't know what I want to know more about, just a whole bunch of things in general. Biology has always been interesting.”

it hasn't really, he’s just taking any opportunity for a pun.

6. Is he/she an introvert or an extrovert?

“Take a wild guess.”

extrovert, in case it wasn’t clear.

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Is he/she even-tempered or does he/she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

“I’m pretty even-tempered and cheerful. I’ve got energy but I wouldn’t say I’m driven. My focus can be pretty sporadic sometimes.”

8. How does he/she respond to new people or situations? Is he/she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

“New people are great. Love ‘em. I’m pretty comfortable with most people, really.”

9. Is he/she more likely to act, or to react?

”Umm… react…?”

10. Which is his/her default: fight or flight?

“I see your fight and flight and raise you; freeze.”

probably fight tbh.

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Does he/she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

“Most humour, really. I can get bi with jokes, but I really ace sexuality puns - and you know that thing that happens where you create some ridiculously elaborate scenario and get really into? Yeah, I love doing that. I also have a compulsive need to make sarcastic comments. I think it’s a genetic thing.”

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he/she deal with them?

“Nope.”

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined him/her as a person?

“Being born was pretty significant. Meeting Jordan, definitely. Learning to embrace my sexuality. I don’t know, a bunch of little things. A bunch of people. Fucking Tyler, unfortunately.” 

fucking tyler page - this boy’s first serious relationship. listen up fam: it was a mess and fucked him up a little for a while there and basically made him doubt himself and his identity. it was toxic af because i have a compulsive need to give my characters unnecessary angst.

14. What does he/she fear?

“Spiders can fuck right off. And I’ve probably got a crippling fear of rejection or not being good enough, like any true teenager or young adult.”

for an optimist you sound pretty cynical there buddy. 

but for real that not being good enough thing.

15. What are his/her hopes or aspirations?

“Good question. I’ll get back to you when I know.”

he has no idea wtf he wants to do with his life he’s gonna be a social worker i guess i just want him to squirm for a bit but probably just having everyone he cares about happy?? what a dork.

16. What is something he/she doesn’t want anyone to find out about him/her?

“Well, it’s not that I don’t want people to know, but half the time I forgot to tell people I’m ace. Not that it’s something you have to tell people at all, but I at this point I have no idea who I’ve told and who I’ve just thought to myself - ‘oh, I should probably let them know at some point’. Other than that, Tyler. It’s just not fun to talk about.” 

fucking tyler. basically the whole deal with tyler he likes to keep under wraps and if he does tell someone who doesn’t know he’s definitely never going to mention that the breaking point of the relationship was tyler hitting him.

but yeah, that asexual thing. pull yourself together alex seriously.

Relationships

1. Describe this character’s relationship with his/her parents.

“Mum’s great. We’re close, and we’ve got each other’s back. Usually that just means her intimidating teachers, or us making comments to each other under our breath at events we have to go to or me pretending to be sick to get her out of meetings, but it’s fun. She’s pretty casual, really. Her coworkers probably think I have cancer or something, which is also fun. Wait - they might actually. Oh man, this explains why they were so weird and excessively understanding when they found out that we were fostering kids. They totally thought it was so Mum could find a replacement kid in case I died. Oh man, this explains so much. That’s why they looked so concerned when we adopted Jordan - they totally thought I was going to die. I need to text Mum and see if she can confirm it. Ooh, we could fake my death - actually a coma would be better, that way we can still mess with them and no one will have a heart attack when they see me.”

they have fun.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

“Jordan. I love her, she’s amazing. We’re definitely close, and it took a while to get to that point. She was the angriest 12 year old I’d ever met and I swear, I swear, it took months before I even saw her smile. That was such an achievement for me. We’ve got a pretty normal sibling relationship - we tease each other, we take care of each other, she threatens to punch people in the face, it’s a riot. I’d be glad to be replaced by her if I died of cancer.”

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he/she is close? Are there ones he/she can’t stand?

“We don’t see them that much, but I have grandparents. Grandma’s got a whole bunch of interesting stories about interesting people and jesus fucking christ, was their marriage nonexistent. I don’t know about Grandpa. I think he might actually be dead. Mum doesn’t really like either very much regardless.”

you think he’s dead?? alex wtf????

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he/she considers part of his family? What are his/her relationships with them?

“Well, mum’s friends are all practically my aunts and I grew up with their kids, so there’s that. Birdie in particular. She’s basically my little sister and she’s the literal embodiment of sunshine, I swear. I take care of her and Farrah whenever I can, even if the latter makes it difficult sometimes. And all the kids that have stayed with us - except for one or two that were legitimately assholes - are just automatically part of the family.”

don’t mind me just making assumptions about the pixie hollow fam.

5. Who is/was the character’s best friend? How did they meet?

“Jordan, probably.”

6. Does he/she have other close friends?

“Birdie, Farrah, Kennedy, the Belle’s - hey, if I say Scarlett, how annoyed do you think Noah would get? Because Scarlett Blake is fucking adorable and I’d be honoured to consider her a close friend.”

more assumptions don’t mind me.

also why do you need to mess with noah come on now alex.

7. Does he/she make friends easily, or does he/she have trouble getting along with people?

“I’m decent at making new friends, probably because I’m pretty friendly and trustworthy. I make a point of not fucking with people.”

you can't see but he's doing finger guns bc he's a dork.

8. Which does he/she consider more important: family or friends?

“Family, if I have to choose.”

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he/she been married more than once?

“Single, I’m all bi myself. And yes, at nineteen I have been definitely been married not once but twice.”

10. Is he/she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?

“Oh no, you totally got me!”

alex please.

11. Who was his/her first crush? Who is his/her latest?

“Some girl called Alesha when I was five. I’m not sure where she is now but I remember that she always had freakishly intricate braids. Lately? I don’t know if you’d call it a ‘crush’, it’s more of an, I don’t know, mutual attraction?”

lol whatever you say alex. you're looking very casual there with your fond smile and lack of eye contact.

12. What does he/she look for in a romantic partner?

“Okay, first off - nice hair. Not saying it’s necessary but, you know, always a bonus. Secondly - can survive without sex. Don't think that one needs much explaining. And, I don’t know, just being comfortable with them. Being able to feel like there isn’t any pressure and like I can talk and they won't get annoyed and like they actually really care. Someone I can have stupid inside jokes with and just have fun with. Someone that makes me happy and that I can make happy.”

alex that's sweet and all but what is your deal with the hair like seriously.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he/she relate to them? If no, does he/she want any?

“Shockingly, I am not a father. But, one day, I want kids. Maybe not any time soon, but yeah, I definitely see it in the future for me.”

if you don't want kids you do not have a chance with alex in the long term.

14. Does he/she have any rivals or enemies?

“Not that I know of. If I do I don't give a fuck. Literally.”

15. What is the character’s sexual orientation? Where does he/she fall on the Kinsey scale?

“I guess you could say I’m pretty ace.”

also biromantic without any real preference.

16. How does he/she feel about sex? How important is it to him/her?

he literally just snorted. he's literally trying not to laugh.

“Okay, seriously, though, what’s the big deal with sticking parts of yourself inside another person? Who looked at the process of making babies and went ah, yes, this will be a big deal for society, the act of sex. And that’s not even mentioning the concept of virginity which was fucking made up to make people feel bad about not having banged someone yet. Oh, and don’t even get me started with the double standards for girls, I mean -”

and that’s enough social justice ranting, thank you alex.

17. What are his/her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?

“Actually - you know what? I’d probably - reluctantly, mind you - sleep with someone if they went all out. Neither of us would enjoy it, but if someone, like, took me to a super expensive restaurant and hired out a theme park and did that sky writing thing and did the whole rose petals leading to the bedroom and some scented candles - actually, that’s a fire hazard, I don’t need the candles - but if someone went all out, you kind of have to give it a go, you know? Good thing the people I’m attracted to aren’t billionaire hopeless romantics, because it would be pretty uncomfortable for everyone involved. But if you want weird bedroom habits, I’ve been told I talk in my sleep.”

okay thanks for that, nice to know you’re taking this seriously alex. for those wanting some semblance of a proper answer (admittedly to a slightly different question), alex is definitely a kiss-me-hard-and-push-me-up-against-a-wall (or other flat surface) kind of guy. likes biting, cool with hickeys, not that into tongue. go wild kids, this is literally the only character that i can give an answer for this question.

Beliefs

1. Do you know your character’s astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he/she fit type?

“Birthday’s June 10th, which makes me a Gemini. It fits well enough - good communicators, witty, indecisive, energetic. It works.”

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his/her life?

“Yeah, the bible has had a great impact on my life.”

no, they aren't very important to him. 

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

“Doesn't everyone? It's just the normal stuff to be honest; don't be an asshole for no reason, let people do whatever the fuck they want as long as they aren't hurting anyone, don't treat people like objects. That one really annoys the hell out of me.”

4. How does he/she regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he/she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

“All for it unless they're disrespecting someone’s existence, then they can fuck off. And people who like pineapple on pizza, what is wrong with you?”

5. What prejudices does he/she hold? Are they irrational or does he/she have a good reason for them?

“You know, there's probably some that society has planted in my subconscious but I try to avoid being consciously prejudiced. Unless you're into that pineapple on pizza bullshit.”

Daily Life

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Is he/she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

“We're fairly wealthy. Yay for us, I guess.”

2. What is his/her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him/her?

“I don't know, I don't think it's changed much. Pretty upper class.”

3. Where does he/she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his/her home his/her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he/she share it with others?

“Condo in Vegas. Sounds exciting, right? It's not bad, everything is open 24 hours and always a ton of tourists so that's good for people watching. The condo’s kind of big, especially for three people, but pretty comfortable. We all get our own rooms - even if Jordan barges into mine whenever she wants. Also the wifi is really good, which is the most important thing.”

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he/she spend his/her money on?

“Food. Clothes, I guess. Going out to the movies or exploring the city. There's this place down the road that does the best bubble tea, and it's right next to this phenomenal Chinese restaurant so I always end up spending money whenever I go down that street.”

5. What does he/she do for a living? Is he/she good at it? Does he/she enjoy it, or would he/she rather be doing something else?

“Don't have a job, so...”

6. What are his/her interests or hobbies? How does he/she spend his/her free time?

“Hanging out with friends, reading up on something so I don't have to do homework, I’ll go to a party or a club or something if it sounds like it’ll be fun, stuff like that.”

7. What are his/her eating habits? Does he/she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

“I don't skip meals, or try not to. Mum’s cooking is pretty hit and miss so we eat at restaurants and get take out a bit more than we probably should, especially if no one can be bothered cooking. I don't drink that much - thank Jordan for that, she actively despises the stuff. Not that she doesn't have good reason to, though.”

Associations

Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his/her favorite:

1. Color? 


like summer day sky blue. also yellow, tbh.

2. Smell? 


chocolate cake.

3. Time of day? 


late morning.

4. Season? 


spring.

5. Book?

think john green.


6. Music? 


think fun., walk the moon, paramore.

7. Place? 


sitting around a bonfire, talking and laughing with people.

8. Substance? 


does sarcasm count?

9. Plant? 


sunflower.

10. Animal?

probably like a dog or something. which is ironic bc he’s a cat person.

[cometkins]

even more qs

1) What position does your character sleep in? ( i.e; stomach, side, back, etc. ) Describe why they do this — optional.

He’s probably used to his side bc Shouri sleeps on his back and he likes using Shouri as a pillow.

2) Does your character have any noteworthy features? Freckles? Dimples? A scar somewhere unusual? etc.

Theo has full body freckles that are more prominent on the high points of his body, he’s probably got a few facial scars and other random body scars here and there. Has his marks of adulthood, which are white scars all across his body. His nose is broken and it wasn’t set back quite right so his nose has a fairly prominent ridge. Also has a veeery large fiend summoning circle on his back over his shoulders that was carved into his skin, and the scars are a bit more angry and red even still

3) Does your character have an accent? What does it sound like?

I feel like Theo sort of has an accent? Mostly he doesn’t use contractions and speaks very slowly and kind of stilted.

4) Do they have any verbal tics? Do they have trouble pronouncing certain words or getting their thoughts across clearly?

I mean he rarely raises his voice but idk if that’s a tic. I think combining words (don’t as opposed to do not) is still hard for him since those words don’t exist in elvish. There’s a few words he uses that just can’t be translated into common as well that he’d probably feel silly describing.

5) What are their chief tension areas?

Shoulders and neck for sure, probably his head as well. Theo’s very inward with his tension.

6) If you were to pick one song — and only one song — to describe your character, what would it be and why?

Glass Heart Hymn by Paper Route. It’s a softer tone song but I think it describes a lot of the emotional turmoil that he endures, with some elements of his religious struggles as well.

7) How does your character perceive themselves? Positive? Negative? Neutral?

Theo thinks completely negatively of himself. Between the abuse he endured during his enslavement and the abandonment at the hands of his god, his clan, and his love, he feels strongly that he must be a truly awful, ugly, disgusting person to be abandoned so constantly. He’s just constantly waiting to be left again.

8) Are they a quick thinker or do they need time to sort through their thoughts?

Theo is all quick thought and action. It’s not necessarily clever or what’s best, but he’s very quick on his feet. He doesn’t have the patience for thinking on things, and I think he’s tired from the long-haul plan he had to escape slavery. Thinking for too long and being in his head too long brings him back to that state of mine, and being quick is just easier.

9) Does your character dream or are their nights filled with an empty blackness? Describe a dream they’ve had or a night they couldn’t sleep and what they did to preoccupy their time.

Theo has a lot of nightmares and night terrors. He can’t always remember everything but a lot of it is just trying to process through his trauma. He hasn’t really had the chance to over the last 110 years and while I think he’s feeling settled now, it’s all gonna hit like a freight train pretty fast and he’s gonna be in a really bad spot.

10) If they had a choice, would they prefer a subway or a bus for public transportation?

I think in a modern context, Theo would prefer the bus. Subways are usually underground and I don’t think Theo would like that.

11) What do they think of creation? Do they believe in evolution or do they believe in God? What is their religion like?

With how DnD gods work, Theo doesn’t necessarily believe his god created the universe, but he does believe she holds him at her mercy against his will, and that she is malevolent. He abandoned her long ago by now though; he has no time or patience left for those who would subjugate him. Oppressors and enslavers must be destroyed.

12) Describe 5 unusual characteristics your muse has.

Actually very good at singing. Actually a very good cook. Very fond of children and very good with kids, which you’d never guess from his base personality. Very physically affectionate with people he’s close to. Doesn’t know shit about anything not from the wildwoods; if it’s not a potato, onion, or carrot it’s not shit my dude.

13) Have they ever been so overwhelmed they had to stop and take a break from something?

This is Theo’s constant state of being but he is never allowed to Rest or Be Happy so he just toughs it out. Small things tend to set him off for this reason.

14) Are they a team player or do they prefer to be solo?

Theo goes along with the group because it’s what he’s learned for survival growing up, and I think he does like being with a group, but he’s so fearful and distrusting that it makes it hard for him to actually gel with a group.

15) Can they multi-task or must they focus on one subject at a time?

I think by nature of being a magic user he’s fairly good at focusing and multitasking, but I think if too many things pile on top of him he loses concentration.

16) What are their best school subjects? What are their worst? List five of each.

There aren’t even 10 subjects wtf. I think Theo would be pretty good with artistic and creative things, but more technical and mathematic things would be slightly harder. He’s got a fairly decent intelligence so things that require clever thinkign aren’t beyond him, but things like home ec, art, creative writing, biological sciences, those are easier to process.

17) Is your character an introvert or an extrovert? How do they handle big crowds of people?

Introverrrttttttt. I think really big crowds, like in a city or festival setting or smth are okay, esp since his clan was pretty massive, but I think he gets uncomfortable with larger… groups? like being alone at a party. If he was ever surrounded by like, 10 - 20 other people on his own I think he’d shut down pretty fast.

18) Are they a leader, do they prefer to follow, or would they rather just stay on the sidelines altogether?

Theo used to be a leader, but I don’t think he can fill the role very well anymore, and I think he’d agree as much. I don’t think he’d want to do it anymore anyway, because it was absolutely miserable and it was making his hair go grey pretty fast. I don’t necessarily think he likes following either, at least he doesn’t like being told what to do and not being given a choice? He’ll follow along with plans and such but if you tell him specifically to do something you have to be careful.

19) If your character was suddenly challenged, would they rather run away or stay and fight?

Theo will pvp any scrub

20) If your character was allowed to murder one person without any consequences, who would that person be and why?

This is such a loaded question LMAO but to be honest he’d probably have Auril killed.

21) Your character has been granted 3 wishes; what would they wish for and why?

The problem here is that there’s a certain deck in dnd and a certain card gives you 1d3 wishes and if I write my wishes down they’ll never come true. But Theo would definitely correct a lot of his past and a lot of the damage Jericho did.

22) Does your character trust people right off the bat or does it take them some time to warm up to someone?

I think Theo used to be very instantly open to trusting people before Jericho, which is part of why he was friends with so many people. Now it takes him a looong time and several demonstrations of positive behavior for him to really trust anyone, and it’s very easily broken. I think Shouri, and maybe a select number of others could get away with breaking his trust and be forgiven quickly, depending on how tired he is of being angry with them. Shouri especially he was furious and upset with for a long time, and I think he’s just in a place where he feels like he’d be happier just forgiving and moving on than sitting in anguish. He knows Shouri makes him happier than anybody, and he’ll give Shouri whatfor, but in the end he’d rather not be mad at him and he’d rather trust he means well.

23) Do they prefer romance or affection? What is the quickest way to your character’s heart?

I think with as touch starved as Theo has been, physical affection is very important to him. Gentle, loving touches are a fast way to calm him down and ground him and keep him centered and I think a lot of people would be surprised at how far holding his hand would go too. Holding his face is also good.

24) Does your character have any enemies? If so, who and why?

I mean, ‘enemy’ but he and the party paladin don’t really get along. I’m 50% sure she’s gonna try some nonsense to get Theo and Shouri to break things off somehow and i’m just. squinting. what is she planning. Otherwise there’s his former goddess Auril. He used to consider the prince of frost his enemy but I think Theo feels he’s in a considerable position of power over him so he’s not really an enemy so much as a pawn now.

25) Do they have any weird bedroom habits? Any unusual kinks?

Hair pulling, roughness in general, getting rimmed, toy play, being very submissive.

26) How does your character prepare for bed? Do they sleep at all or can they stay awake for days on end without trouble?

Theo probably just strips down, finds the nearest living pillow in Shouri, and knocks out on an ideal night. If he’s not present I think Theo would force himself to stay up so he doesn’t risk night terrors; he’s very embarrassed by those and I think Shouri knows Theo enough to be able to catch them before they get too bad.

27) If your character had one thing to say to their parents before they died, what would it be?

“We made it out. I fixed it. I did something. I fixed it.”

28) Are they afraid of death? Do they have any regrets?

I think Theo, despite being extremely suicidal, actually fears death a lot. I think he worries about his afterlife and what that will entail for him, because he feels like he’s only going to end up punished. He has a lot of conflicting regrets and regrets in general and I don’t think he’d handle the end of his life well.

29) Does your character get restless when things are too quiet or do they favour solitude and silence? Why?

I think it switches. Having people around can be overhwelming, but being completely alone is upsetting. It’s a mix of both tbh.

30) Finally; if your character was forced to eat one thing for the rest of their life, what would they choose and why?

Reindeer cream stew with herbs and potatoes. It’s his favorite food and he didn’t get to have it often bc Reindeer couldn’t be slaughtered very often; he’d be happy eating it constantly.

[brokenhayatim]

tw: food

i’ve wanted to write this for so long but i couldn’t really find time and i think i felt too ashamed to write it. idk how to even write it. 

in the beginning of the year, and some of last, there were days when i didn’t eat well. i’m normally not a breakfast person - more dinner and desert. i didn’t feel lie coming out of my room so i usually just peeped out for dinner. it made me superr dehydrated and so early this year i tried to rectify that and just come out to get water. it was kind of a start but not. when i was at uni, i would just take water and a small granola bar bc i didn’t want to overeat, and i walked a lot for uni between classes. before quarantine, i told my psychiatrist i felt like i wanted to binge eat all the time, food was always on my mind even when i was eating, i would want something more. it was honestly distracted, everything i did had my mind coming back to it. i’m normally the type that loves food and never shies away from eating a whole ice cream cake. but i knew there was just something off and i couldn’t really tell how bc my mood is normally crap anyways and i don’t socialize with anyone to even sense the effect or them to see. it was really only post dinner i would feel this as i didn’t actually eat anything throughout the day like i mentioned. it seems really strange and may seem normal but it wasn’t for me. quarantine started and i was super insecure about gaining a flibillion pounds and then ramadan came and i was like maybe i’ll lose some?? i mentioned to my sisters lightly that i really never ate break/lunch and they were like why didn’t you just fast and get the blessings? i hadn’t thought of that honestly. but i remembered a few years ago where i actually lost sum pounds in ramadan when i did nothing really so i was like maybe this time. when i wok up for suhoor i drank just water (which isn’t sunnah yeah) or i ate a few dates. i don’t really remember nor do i think i would say i binge ate during ramadan, my dinners were normal and my desserts were common. but i just felt like i was constantly gaining weight. i went walking everyday and the biggest reason was to try and lose weight i thought i gained in quarantine. i hadn’t known my weight or what i lost for about 2/3 months. i knew my weight months before when i went to see my psychiatrist right before quarantine. you know those people that stare in the mirror and sort of pull all the skin and fat like it’s stretchy elastic, i became that and i still am. i was and am so hyper focused on it it seems now. when i went to my friends house, i messaged her weeks before if she has a scale and she was like yeah i think so but i’d have to find it. i went to their house and i ate so much and knew i ate so much (like two meals and two snack ok). it was like i couldn’t stop at night too. and i hated it, i knew i would regret it. very cooly the next morning i asked to see it. i stepped on the scale and from when quarantine started to a few months after, i had lost about 6/7 pounds. i felt so happy like genuinely surprised but also really happy. i shouldn’t have stepped on it because i’m actually worse. when i came back to my place i felt like i needed to get rid of every single weight i gained then, bc surely i did, and did the same as i always did. but now with this new sense of accomplishment, i couldn’t really bother waking up at 7 am alot so i started looking up how many calories i should eat everyday w my bmi or whatever. and i ate under it. i wasn’t calorie counting per se, i was just aware and checked. i then searched up how many calories less that would produce weight lose and stuck to that. i didn’t see it as starving or under-eating bc i ate dinner and desert.  it was like addicting to stay like that. i went to the grocery store after i came back from her house and i used this huge scale by the bathroom and it said i gained back about 4/5 pounds and i was like oh my god and that’s how this all really began progressing. i also did the eating routine along with walking my usual 2 1/2 miles sometimes. i had to make it like that again. i started classifying water and ice as a meal like breakfast. i still do. i did a lot of ab workouts for a few weeks. i asked my sister to bring a scale for suitcases when i was moving and she says the most accurate way to weight it is if you subtract the weight of you holding with your weight. i was afraid to step on the scale, for them to guess how much i weight bc i felt like it was too much larger than what i wanted. i stepped it on for a second days later and was proud that i did good. i’m home now and i’m still the same. same behavior. same mindset. more walking bc the house is way bigger than my apartment. there’s a scale by the kitchen, i assume to be packed up for the move, or thrown out, idk. but i was like yess when i saw it and weight myself. i was about the same weight i was at the start of this - 6/7 pounds less than pre-quarantine. it’s so bad now that i find every time i enter or are near the kitchen i weight myself. my sister noticed my habit and went “do you ever eat??” as she always usually asks me what i had for breakfast and lunch and i either say nothing or i lie. my only meal should be dinner, i can survive till then. i searched about intermittent fasting and maybe i can do that all the time. i don’t really know when this will end bc i’m afraid. i cant seem to see the weight gone, especially from my face so i try harder. she made me 3 pancakes once and it was really good but i felt like i had to have less dinner now. or i needed to make it up that gain the next day. i went to my sister’s house where her and her friend cook meals and had the same thoughts of either ‘i want it all i cant stop’ then ‘i’m gonna have to do something tomorrow to get rid of this weight’. even though it was all super healthy. i’m better at hydrating and i’ve tried to be really hard since i don’t normally enter the kitchen(s) until dinner so the intake is typically super low. i deleted the reminder app look away. idk why i’m so insecure that it’s embarrassing to even admit. i was at the neurologist and the paper said how is your diet? fair or poor? i shifted between the two for so long and i checked fair bc i know i don’t have an eating disorder you know? i just eat differently. it’s like fasting. though some tiny part of me knows it’s wrong. but even when i’m not looking in the mirror i’m conscious of all the fat on me and i want it gone. i watch pictures and videos of people closely and exercise my jaw acting like that will make it all more chiseled. i’ve always been !! about my thighs even though they’re always praised too. i look at my stomach a lot, stretch it out, suck it in. i don’t know if it’s something noteworthy to even mention, if it’s such a big problem or it’s normal. if i’ll get over it or keep it up with substitutes. i don’t know.

i’ve lost 11 pounds now since the start and i want to make it 15 so badly. 

[asaspro-blog]

Survey Results & Recruitment Picks (Also Apology)

New Post: https://fortnite.asas.pro/survey-results-recruitment-picks-also-apology/

#fortnite #game #fun #esport #news

Survey Results & Recruitment Picks (Also Apology)

TL;DR: Sorry for the delay of results and recruitment, was a crazy week for me. The survey ended as expected, with many people having negative feelings towards SBMM. There will be future surveys.

If you don't care for a wall of text, please leave now! I felt this post was unavoidable to keep short. Sorry not sorry.

An Apology

Hello everyone! I would like to start off by saying sorry for the delay of results. The previous two weeks were extremely busy and consumed most of my time. I appreciate all of you that have been messaging me to remind me to get this stuff done.

Furthermore, I would like to apologize to all the people that applied to my previous recruitment post and have not heard back. Rest assured, I have made my picks. (Spoiler: You can see them further down)

Survey Results

You can view the original post here

Brief Summary

I am sure everyone had a general idea of what to expect from the survey, and this definitely did solidify what most people already believed. Most people really do not like the idea of any Skill Based Matchmaking (SBMM) implementation. Rest assured, Epic Games has heard your fears and I have been told they would never consider such a feature without first strongly considering the myriad of variables it takes to get it right.

Noteworthy Results

Even after reiterating it many times, many people still believe I work for Epic Games and that the survey was somehow Epic related. Regardless, I enjoyed reading how much you think Epic is ruining the game with their "bullshit updates and emotes".

One thing I noticed coming up in discussion a lot is the type of player the average Redditor represents. Most people were under the belief that the average Reddit user was not casual, but in fact there is an almost 50/50 split between players that consider themselves to be a casual and competitive player.

In terms of the actual implementation of SBMM, there was definitely a common theme. Of those that believed it could work, the most common (and basic) answer was for it to exist as a separate mode. I personally believe that if any sort of ranked mode were to be implemented, that is how it would be.

Surprisingly, 15% of you think that a SBMM implementation should not be a separate mode! This (rather high in my opinion) percentage may be due to misinterpreting what the question was asking, but otherwise would mean that the community is wrong in how much everyone hates the idea.

Overwatch, Counter Strike, and the token (ticket) system. Many respondents who felt like being more passionate tended towards a couple categories. Overwatch and CS:GO were common games cited as doing matchmaking well. A token/ticket system was also a common suggestion that seems to have a lot of favor among the subreddit.

Another thing to note, you guys play a lot of Fortnite. Of the 15,028 people that answered, I'd estimate you all play in the high tens of thousands of hours a week. (Many of you answered 15+ hours, if all of you just played one that would still be 15k hours a week!).

I'll leave the interpretation of everything else up to you guys. But as an added bonus, I've generated

Raw Data

As promised, everyone now has full access to the survey data. You can view the spreadsheet here. If you find anything interesting feel free to make note of it in the comments below (I tried to go through all 15,028 responses but it is quite a daunting task).

You can view some more fancy stats here.

Future Surveys

I think we'll definitely be doing future surveys on what we consider to be topics of the week, as well as monthly "check ups" on where people believe the game is at. As a result, if you think there are any pressing questions that deserve data, shoot me a message.

Future surveys will be more planned out and last a week (until the next survey is posted). Upon closing, all data and a summary will be released.

Recruitment Picks

Programmer(s)

Please welcome your new code slaves /u/DaJuukes and /u/bcb67. They will be assisting my takeover of the world. We will begin by making a bot that doesn't break, doesn't have ugly code, and does my taxes. Perhaps also a Discord bot for everyone as well (mainly going be for us mods though).

Here's a little something about each of them:

/u/DaJuukes Hi! I'm a Node.js specialist and work in Discord and Reddit bots, along with Ethereum stuff. You can find more info about me here: http://dajuukes.codes

/u/bcb67 Hey Reddit squad! Just wanted to introduce myself, I'm /u/bcb67 and I'm going to be joining the /r/fortnitebr team to hopefully write some cool moderation tools / bots. I'm 21 years old and am a Senior at NC State University in Raleigh NC. I actually work as a part time Information Security Analyst @ Epic.

CSS/Designer(s)

Please welcome your new fashion designers /u/scorpionmechanic , /u/Ullaakut, and /u/Mastergoat. Two of which I've seen some brief initiative taken to help out, but I look forward to new ideas and new eyesores for everyone to look at! Being serious, I hope to tackle some long wanted features such as night mode, a proper filter, and a fancy sidebar.

Here's a little something about each of them:

/u/Ullaakut I'm a French software engineer working in Luxembourg (just fresh fired one week ago, my whole project team along with a few others have been trashed). I'm 99% backend but I still have some old skills in design and frontend so it should be fine for the job here. I'm 23, I like making video games on the Unreal Engine, playing tennis, and working on open source projects!

/u/Mastergoat Hey I'm MasterGoat (damn I wish I made a new account before this!) I'm a 20 year old FortNiteBR Addict from Darwin, Australia. My days consist of working for the government for 8 hours then another 8 hours of trying to get those Victory Royales! I've been creating my own video games and websites for a few years now and am happy I can finally apply that experience properly to a community that has been a big part of my life the past 6 months. Look forward to help make this site snazzy and pretty for you all!

/u/ScorpionMechanic Ok, my name is u/ScorpionMechanic, I just joined the FortniteBR Mod Team as a CSS Designer. IDK if my age will be a problem, but, I recently turned eighteen. I've been doing Graphic Design for almost ten years, mostly doing personal works or commissions from friends of my parents. I'm the designer of the FortniteBR subreddit. Both the Valentines and the Normal version. Also, help me to git gud. I haven' won in weeks.