#their intelligence are highly recognizable

[adm-starblitzsteel-4305]

La Clan Supremacy 🫡

[bewitched-if]

"A love not so genuine, a love so forced it was made to feel real."

[ DEMO ] ✧ [ RO INTROS ] ✧ [ WORLD LORE ] ✧ [ CWS/TWS ]

Overlooked your whole life, you never had any friends to turn to—except the neighbor's kid, who you could not even call your friend. Even your parents cared about others more than they cared about you. They made it clear that you were the bane of their existence, that they're ashamed to call you their child.

Sometimes, Jules tries to comfort you. They didn't know that they were the reason you were always lonely. Overlooked. Jules embodied perfection, kindness, intelligence—everything you were not. You wanted to be them. You wanted to be loved. Wanted to feel how it's like being the person everyone either wanted to be or to be with.

And now, you find yourself somewhere completely foreign. In a world filled with empires, kingdoms and dukedoms, you were suddenly the beloved heir and child of a highly respected House and Heart Lady's child. You were the so-called saint of the empire, loved and adored by all.

Everything felt surreal, forced. Everyone worshiped you, loved you, no matter what you did, no matter how you acted; they all just turn a blind eye.

You were right.

Stumbling upon an old mage's book, there you face a truth: the body you now inhabit cast a curse—bewitched—everyone—surprisingly affecting everyone but a certain group of people into loving you forever.

What will you do with this discovery? Will you continue to live through this artificial affection? Or will you fight to break the curse, risking everything to free yourself and those around you from this unnatural bond?

In a world where everyone loves you, will you ever find out what true love really means?

Play as male, female, non-binary.

Customize your character, your original body and the child of Heart Lady.

Romance any of the six romanceable options; but earn their trust first.

Find a way to break the curse.

Or maybe even meet the original soul of this body?

Buy interactive drabbles in-game using hair pins. [in the works, more info coming soon.]

✧ These are your victims companions throughout the game. Will you befriend them or will you go for something more?

Juniper de Verburgh: Crowned Heir of Kleian Empire - Embodiment of: Jules : [NB] [RO]

Juniper is the Emperor's child and Kleian Empire's future ruler. They are often considered as angelic, intelligent, and attractive. Everyone either wants to be them, or be with them. Their hair is long, straight and red while their eyes are dark blue with porcelain skin. They remind you of your neighbor's kid, untouchable and perfect. Their personalities are similar too; charming, playful and excessively flirtatious towards you. You would think being engaged to someone will stop them from being touchy with Heart Lady's child, let me tell you something: No it won't. Perhaps, it is because they're affected by the spell? Or are they?

Celeste Roselli: Matriarch of Roselli Manor - Embodiment of Beatrice : [F] [RO]

Celeste took on the role of Matriarch of Roselli Manor after her father’s passing. Since then, she’s grown distant, serious, and almost impossible to approach. Her life revolves around work, her sister, and her responsibilities, leaving no room for rest or relaxation. The vibrant person she once was has faded, replaced by someone barely recognizable to those who knew her before the tragedy. She has long white hair that is ridiculously curly. Her skin is a deep shade of chestnut, while her eyes is glowing red. She reminds you of Beatrice, who was a girl who used to watch you get isolated and overlooked. She made no effort to befriend you, instead watched you get pushed around and left out. She was distant, cold, and shy. Celeste needed someone who she could call her home, her rest. Maybe that could truly be you?

Calliope Roselli: Celeste's Sister - Embodiment of Ophelia: [F] [RO]

Calliope is nothing like her sister. She is stubborn, fierce, and foul-mouthed. She often gets into scandals due to her recklessness and short-tempered nature. It's easy to get on her bad side, and when you do, you're in for hell. She shares her father's short, slightly curly hair and blue eyes, while her skin and hair color mirrors her mother and sister's. She reminds you of Ophelia, who was your ex-best friend and the only friend who betrayed you. Ophelia used to protect you from people, and you're not sure if you're fond of their similarities. Will you tame their fire, or will you get burned?

Rhys Stevyn Nicolei: Duke of Vasina - Embodiment of Feliks: [M] [RO]

If Rhys could pick one person who he hates the most in the whole galaxy; it would be you. You don't know the reason for his hatred, but the original soul must've done something to offend him, and it doesn't help that Rhys is suspicious of you because everyone seemed to love you. Rhys kind of acts like Juniper in a way, flirtatious, known for his hook ups and carefree attitude. Rhys has a neck-length, long braided black hair. His eyes is a deep shade of violet with olive skin. He reminds you of Feliks, who was your older sister's best friend and your rival. You and Feliks always tried to one-up each other, and to be honest, Feliks found solace when he found out you were a sore loser, a loner. It only made him joyful. How far will you go to make sure Rhys does not find out about the spell?

Kieran: Commander of Kleian Knights - Embodiment of Wren: [M] [RO]

As the Commander of Kleian Knights and your bodyguard, Kieran takes his job very seriously. You thought along with the four, that he would be the same and be immune to the spell, but what the hell is this arrangement? The original soul and he have a friends-with-benefits type relationship? Kieran has heterochromia eyes: left eye; gray, right eye; red. His caramel skin is always dirty due to spars, his hair is brown and tied up. Kieran reminds you of Wren, who acted like your protector and close confidant, he always looked at you with longing stares as if he wanted to kiss you. One thing led to another, and you found yourself falling in love and you thought he did too. But joke's on you, he didn't love you. He made a bet with your sister that if he could get you to fall in love with him, your sister would date him. All of it was fake. How are you supposed to know if Kieran is affected by the spell or not?

By falling in love it could either mean: 1) MC fell in love with the idea of being loved, 2) MC had actually fallen in love with Wren.

Zara/Zeke Montclair: The Magician - Embodiment of Zoya/Zivon: [F/M] [ RO ]

Z is known to be quite... an outstanding magician. Often caught causing trouble in many ways, like accidentally setting their own tower on fire, losing valuable items given by the emperor, making kids cry, getting people sick due to their magic... Zara has short lavender hair, while Zeke has a long one. Their skin tan brown, while their eyes are black. Z reminds you of Zoya/Zivon, Your childhood friend who returned to Russia. Zoya/Zivon would always make you laugh when you were sad, always bring you food when you were hungry and starved, would always share their toys with you, would always play with you. Even though they had other friends to be with, they always chose you. But now that they're gone, you probably won't ever experience that happiness ever again. Once the only source of your happiness, now gone.

Kara (rename-able) [IRL] - Your older sister: [F]

Your sister... she's not really the easiest to get along with. Being seen as perfect in your parents' eyes, she got away with everything. Like getting into physical fights with you, humiliating you in public, messing with your stuff, et cetera, et cetera. She makes it clear that she hates your guts, and that she is overjoyed to see you suffer. How would she react when she sees you gone?

Mother [IRL] - Your mother: [F]

Your mother doesn't care about you. Not one bit. She is often away for her business trips, leaving you and Kara alone, but when she does come back, she doesn't even bat you an eye and focuses on Kara instead. She turns a blind eye whenever Kara picks on you, in front of her, unbothered. She probably doesn't even care that you're gone.

Father [IRL] - Your (step-)father: [M]

Your father... you don't have much say on him, honestly. The only time he ever talks to you was when he needs an errand child, or when he joins in on your mother yelling at you for whatever reason. There was one time where your mother asked you to buy things for your sister because she was too lazy, where you walked in on your father making out with some random woman at the back of a 7-11. He threatened to throw away the stuffed bear your biological father gave you if you ever snitched on him. He's probably overjoyed to see you gone.

??? - An otherworldly being: [?]

The voices in your head that make you go crazy, mental, second-guess, commit a crime.

reblogs appreciated <3 | demo: writing prologue; please be patient!

[rennybu]

AAAAUHG.. so many things come to mind so i will start with... i like to imagine he and Fenris are the same height :') (5'11"). This got a bit long but i'm always happy to talk about this guy!!!!!!!!! @trebuchet151

he's got a big garnet signet ring with the Amell family crest carved in it, and that's about the only recognizable thing that denotes his lineage... he has always liked stamping wax seals on letters with it!!! he's a ring guy generally, he likes mixing and matching stones and metal.

his hands are very scarred and rough from reckless casting, and especially casting fire magic without a staff (in a pinch).

He has a heart tattooed on his ring finger for Fenris :') their wedding was very. Andraste as the witness, on the road, impulsive. Vows for themselves, nothing legally binding. Fenris has a plain gold band on a red cord somewhere on his person at all times.

his testosterone is taken via oral tincture, some kind of oil solution he takes drops of daily. like a mild and highly personalized potion recipe! it's the only reason he sometimes needs a home base or shop to set up in, to prepare a big batch. He stores it in little glass vials he collects from trinket shops. Malcolm found the recipe for him after he came out in his tweens.

Bethany is kind of sainted in his mind, when he's exasperated or stunned he might utter an "oh Bethany" (in the tone of "are you seeing this shit") rather than an "oh Maker"

He struggles a lot with empathy, in that he frequently can logically recognize when he should feel for another person's situation, and yet finds himself unmoved. He will deliberately go out of his way to care for others, sometimes more than is needed, to try to make up for what he perceives as a personal flaw. This is how he ended up like a wrung out mouldy rag, emotionally, by the end of DA2.

His spell class is fucking terrifying, he has a lot of mana and not much hp, but is really reckless about his reserves. He combines force magic with fire magic, trapping foes and incinerating them, and sometimes leaving himself winded in the wake of too much magical exertion at once.

he's pretty spry and strong but doesn't have a great constitution. He tires out quickly in fights, hence trying to end them explosively and quickly.

Was briefly stalked by a sloth demon, perhaps around Act 2, and passed a very "get off my doorstep" homebrew harrowing as a result. Burnt it out of his shadow and got some spring back in his step, around roughly the same time he recognized his feelings for Fenris, settled into his role as Hawke within Kirkwall, etc. He Killed Dysphoria, Forever!!!

His love for Merrill makes him very "blood magic is okay", he loves her worldview and wisdom about its use, but his upbringing prevents him from extending that grace to himself. He was forced to use blood magic in his duel against the Arishok in order to survive it!!! Angst. Hates himself quite badly for this. Until Merrill is like "why are you special" and he's like ooohh. I get it

We all kno Hawke goes thru hell but I love reflecting on Orson's arc from early family life to Now/post-DA:I, he found closure among his friends and family and was able to fully remove himself from a public leadership role and is doing much better for it. He's a bit of an anarchist i guess, jack of all trades with a pretty rigid set of personal morals that sometimes forces him to act outside the law. He's very grey market, hard to contact, arrive in the nick of time.

He and Fenris do not ever shut up around each other. Two dudes who talk about fuck all, very intelligently. If you see Fenris in the wild, Orson is probably around, too. They love hunting Venatori and only sometimes get in the way of other spy/subterfuge activities.

he smells like BRITTLE sun-baked wood, with a hint of oily herbal medicine.

[bird-in-the-space]

Cryptids or Unnatural Cybertronians

A headcanon of different groups of cryptids in Cybertron.

(Author's note: Kinda got carried away. Hope you enjoy)

Warnings: some mentions of eating things, these groups being scary and violent, mentions of deaths and rebirths.

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

Gardeners 

- Strange group of transformers, who live on the parts of Cybertron where organic life flourishes. 

- They are known to tend to the organic flora and fauna of Cybertron’s surface, making them more techno-organic compared to other cybertronians and cryptids. 

- They are smaller in size and their appearance tends to depend on which organic lifeforms they tend to more. Those who look after the flora tend to have plants growing around their limbs while those who look after the fauna would bear half-animalistic features. They are like Cybertron’s versions of faeries. Their metallic plating also tend to be more soft to the touch.

- Despite their sizes and organic features, they are capable of manipulating the organic flora to their will and communicating through the fauna. Nothing would get past them in the woods or organic areas.  

- They are less known than the other groups. They are more solitary and tend to avoid other cybertronians, only showing themselves if they threatened the organic wildlife. 

Depth Dwellers

- Cybertronians born inside the depths of Cybertron, near the core of the well of allspark. 

- Adapted to live in darkness, they are the caretakers of the core of Cybertron. 

- Like white cell, they neutralize all possible threats to the core by consuming them and they are rumored to be immune to the effects of dark energon. 

- They are physically built to move around the shifting levels and are unsettling fast. They were not easily seen as they take cover in darkness. However, when they are out in the light. They are tall, thin, and possess many limbs like insects. They possess several razor sharp teeth which makes them even more unsettling. Living in the depths of Cybertron also make their bodies incredibly cold to the touch.

- However, despite their unsettling appearances, Depth Dwellers pose no harm to the surface dwellers. It was discovered that they possess a culture of they own and that they are capable of tolerating light but simply choose not to come to the surface. They do pose harm to those who seek to inflict harm on Cybertron’s core. 

- They are capable of controlling the scraplets as they are slightly related, though, in some cases, Depth Dwellers have been seen to eat them. 

Starlight Seekers

- Cybertronians rumored to have been born from star drops. 

- They are more known than the other groups but are still seen as highly cryptid. Some believed they are seeker's highest form of evolution.

- They have their own advanced culture and a killer whale-like mentality. They are highly intelligent and adapted to flying through space without any need for space crafts.  They do not wander alone and travel in groups. 

- From their namesake, they feed on radiations from stars. This gives them energy and even additional fuel which allows them to survive long periods of time without energon. They are also capable of manipulating the radiation within their bodies to power their weapons and physical capabilities. They are even rumored to have the ability to jump into a type of hyperspace that would allow them quickly to travel from one part of the galaxy to another. 

- By physical description, they can grow taller than ordinary Cybertronians. Due to their unique sparks and radiations, the color in their frames varies depending on their environment and their usual frame color is black. In space, their colors are illuminated while standing on a planet they do not. They are also recognizable by their white and silver optics that shine like stars. 

- Starlight seekers tend to wander through space. However, they occasionally rejoin society on Cybertron, usually to catch up or raise new members of their family. 

- The ordinary cybertronian regards them with fear as they are powerful and dangerous when angered. Starlight seekers are usually open-minded but tend to bully those whose views they consider foolish or absurd. 

- They are dangerous when in groups. However, they are just as dangerous alone and no cybertronian who attacked them alone never lived to tell the tale. 

Fireborns 

- Mystical cybertronians with sparks born from the flames of Cybertron. They are believed to be descendants of the first Fireborn (Based on an old fic idea) and are fundamental parts of Cybertron’s natural heat sources. 

- Like phoenixes, upon death, their spark releases regenerating energy, reforming their bodies to adapt to the survival terms of their current environment. These forms can vary and even take a half organic forms. It was a type of rebirth as their soul would remain the same, but they would gain a new face and from that a new name. 

- Physical appearance debends on their regeration but common features that usually stayed was a sun-shaped mark and the colors of their eyes tend to chance based on their moods. 

- Fireborns are known to be warm and gentle minded beings. Most cybertronians would not even know that they were talking with a Fireborn as they could take a form that made them look like an ordinary cybertronian. 

- They are incredibly rare as there are not many of them. Their regeneration can also vary in effect when they are at the end of their life cycle. If the fireborn was dying in a dangerous situation, their regeneration can be destructive and burn everything near them. But if the fireborn was in a safe environment and ready to be reborn with a calm mind, the regeneration can have a healing effect on those near and the surroundings. 

- They are also known to bear gift of singing, possessing the most beautiful voices. 

- Fireborns are important to Cybertron’s natural heat sources because Fireborns are capable of reigniting them with their regeneration if necesary. This ensures Cybertron would not fall to an age of ice age and be drained from its energon sources in order for the cybertronians to have heat.

[just-wrting]

Secret Admirer

Title: Secret Admirer

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Summary: You've been trying to figure out who keeps leaving you little notes and gifts. Despite everyone else knowing, you keep denying the obvious answer.

Word Count: 1721

Master List

A/N: This will probably be the only thing I write for Reid. I'm not super into him but when the List Randomizer spat out secret admirer I weirdly thought of him. I plan on trying to write a bunch of different characters from a bunch of different fandoms. Just whoever pops into my head I guess. Two will probably be posted Friday.

You aren’t sure when you noticed it. Maybe it was the fact that your desk was always clean. Maybe it was the little extra things that started to appear. Slowly but surely, you realized you had someone who was leaving you gifts and notes. You had a secret admirer.

Despite your efforts, no one on the team would say anything. For several weeks, you pressed the issue with the other BAU members, yet no one cracked. In fact, you were teased about being unable to figure it out. How could a member of the BAU not figure out their mystery admirer?

“Come on Garcia! I know you know. You have to tell me,” you plead with the tech genius. “You’ve literally been avoiding me. I know you know.”

She lets out a squeak before running to the safety of her lair. Morgan is giving you a smirk and shaking his head. Despite your scowl, he chooses to tease you.

“Come on, (L/N), can’t you figure it out? Who could be this mystery man leaving you gifts and fancy letters?” He laughs as he pokes the latest gift, a small stuffed version of your favorite animal.

“Hey, leave my new son out of this. What did he ever do to you?” you grumble, pulling it closer to you. “I didn’t even realize someone remembered such a little detail.”

“Maybe that means it’s been a long time crush.”

At that moment, Reid sets his bag down and takes a seat at his desk. You think you see Morgan’s grin get wider, but it’s hard to tell given how wide his smile usually is. It’s a picture perfect smile.

“That’s a relatively cute stuffed animal. I’ve actually been reading up on that one recently if you’d like to know more,” he offers. “Only if you’re interested of course.”

Reid gives you his charming boyish smile. It goes well with demeanor and you can’t help but find it cute.

“As long as you’re willing to leave out the creepy facts. I don’t even remember telling anyone my favorite animal,” you say with a smile. “Who would remember such a little detail?”

Morgan chimes back in, “Maybe someone with a perfect memory. Like what the kid has.”

You sigh. “Reid seems to like highly intelligent women with PhDs. I may be smart, but I’m not smart enough.”

Before anyone can protest, Hotch calls you all to the conference room for a case. While you’re sure Reid is nice enough to help whoever has a crush on you, you doubt you’d be his type. Maybe Reid is the perfect person to question about the mystery man.

—-

“Reid, (L/N), you two stay here and look through the papers,” Hotch orders before leaving the precinct.

You frown. What’s the point of having you here? Reid can read faster than you can. It’s almost like you’re just here for moral support in case he gets tired.

“Well now I feel useless,” you groan. “What am I even supposed to do?”

Reid doesn’t look up as he speaks. “Maybe today you’re our mascot. After all, mascots are supposed to be cute.”

You roll your eyes and try not to laugh. “Not all mascots are cute. Recognizable is definitely more important than cute. Besides, am I really that cute?

“I meant to say that compared to Morgan, you’re cute.” Reid buries his head further into the papers.

You ponder for a moment. “Well, you’ve got some charm. Morgan has the charm of he’s good with women so that’s why he gets hit on. Hotch is mature and a leader so that’s why women are into him. You’re cute though. You’ve got this soft sort of shyness that makes you adorable.”

You don’t catch Reid’s reply. His face is completely hidden behind various files. Maybe he’s just embarrassed, given that he’s always been a bit bad with taking compliments. That doesn’t stop you from thinking that it’s adorable.

“Speaking of your charms. I like the fact that you’ve got a good memory. You wouldn’t happen to know who’s got a crush on me, would you?”

He doesn’t look up. “I can pass along a message if you’d like.”

“Well then, I suppose you should tell this guy to ask me out. I can say for certain that if he’s this considerate, that he’s already got my interest.”

“I’ll do that,” he mumbles before handing you a file. “Take a look at this. I think I’ve found what we’ve been missing.”

—-

You peer into the lecture hall. It took some convincing, but you have successfully dragged J.J. to one of Lewis’ classes. You gesture vaguely into the room.

“See! That’s what normal Reid is. Dorky jokes, random facts, and the rambling on for ages is what makes him Reid. That’s not what he’s like around me anymore,” you hiss.

She makes a face and shakes her head. “So you have a different Reid? I don’t think he’s been replaced (L/N). Maybe you’re thinking about it too hard.”

You scoff. “No I’m not. Reid just seems so nervous around me. Did I do something? He barely looks at me anymore.”

With a shrug, she leads you away. “Have you tried asking him?”

You toss your empty coffee cup in a trash can. Part of you wants to throw up your hands and be done. Why is everyone treating this like it’s normal? No one is giving you any answers.

“Of course I have J.J. It would be weirder if I hadn’t. He clearly knows something about this secret admirer of mine, but won’t tell.”

J.J. pats your arm comfortingly. “Maybe it’s because he’s your secret admirer. Perhaps you need to ask him out.”

“Yeah sure. I’ll ask him out once I have the evidence that he’s the person leaving me these gifts.”

J.J. raises her eyebrows as she drinks from her coffee. Her face says she has other thoughts, but she won’t press the matter further. Your gut tells you to trust her, but you’d rather not make a fool of yourself. Sure, she knows Reid better than you do, but Reid can be difficult to read.

—-

After reading the latest note, you search your desk for your stapler. You’ve been stapling the date and time to each note before tucking it in your desk. However, it’s missing.

You let out a groan. This isn’t the first time it’s been in the wrong spot, and you’re sick of it. You opt to beg Garcia to look at the camera footage to see who’s been using it.

“Hey Garcia? Can you please pull up the footage of my desk this morning? Someone’s been using my stapler, and today they stole it,” you grumble with a scowl. “Whoever took it is going to get some very strong words.”

As she speeds through the footage, you watch the people who got there before you. At first, you see Reid pause at your desk and fiddle with something. You note that he’s the only person in the office at the time, but after he pulls away, you see your stapler still on the desk.

The next person to stop at your desk is Morgan. He pulls your stapler off your desk and staples his paperwork together as he heads to Hotch’s office. He never sets it back on your desk.

“Garcia? Can you please get my stapler from that idiot?”

She laughs. “Has he been using your stapler this whole time? He said there wasn’t any more in the supply room.”

You shake your head. “You like him so much, you can retrieve my stolen goods from him.”

Garcia nods. “I’m on it. You can count on me.”

You leave her to her planning. You don’t comment on the fact that Reid had been at your desk. If you ask her about it, she’ll just  leave you alone to go get your stapler. This is enough evidence for you though. It’s time to confront Reid.

Thankfully, he’s made his way to the conference room to look for something. You sneak in behind him and stand between him and the door.

“So, what did you need from my desk this morning?”

You watch him jump and spin around. He looks shocked, but quickly covers it up.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, (L/N).”

You frown. “I found out my stapler was missing. Garcia showed me the footage and before it went missing, you were at my desk. What did you do?”

Reid opens and closes his mouth a few times. He doesn’t look at you. His hands keep fiddling with whatever he’s holding.

“Forget about it, I’m sure there was just some trash leftover that you cleaned up.”

He swallows hard. “Yeah. I didn’t want you to have to worry about it.”

You give him a smile. “Thanks. Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you about something else. The others seem to think I’m just talking myself out of it, but I think I can't put it off any longer.”

You make your way towards him, your smile still plastered on your face. You can tell he’s even more nervous now.

“Reid, are you my secret admirer?”

This time, Reid looks you in the eyes. You hear his breath hitch in his throat.

“What if I am?”

You’re a bit taken aback. Despite the determination you had walking into this, you aren’t sure what to say.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Your voice is a whisper now. It feels like some sort of dream. It’s almost like if you talk too loud, this whole thing will shatter and you’ll be left in pieces.

“I didn’t think you’d like me back. Your type just didn’t seem to include me.”

Reid hesitantly pushes a strand of hair out of your face.

“You’re more my type than you realize.”

“Then do you want to get dinner tonight?”

Now you’re the one who's acting nervous. Your palms are sweaty. It’s more difficult to breathe. You can’t help but bite your lip.

“I’d like that. If you’re willing to get dinner with me.”

Reid leans down, and gives you a quick kiss. It barely lasts a second, but you can feel your skin heat up. When he pulls away, he stays close.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Smithsonian Magazine:

An ambitious humpback whale is making waves in the marine biology community after researchers discovered he undertook an incredible 8,106-mile swim across the globe, likely to be the longest distance traveled for the species on record.

This odyssey was “truly impressive and unusual, even for this highly migratory species,” Ekaterina Kalashnikova, a whale researcher at the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies and lead author of a study published Wednesday in Royal Society Open Science that tracked the whale’s movements, tells Helen Briggs of the BBC.

Humpback whales are by no means sedentary. According to the study, they “undertake one of the longest known seasonal migrations of all mammals.” However, their migration routes tend to go “between latitudes,” traversing north and south to seek out feeding grounds in colder climates and breeding grounds near the tropics. Rarely do groups of humpback whales go from east to west, preventing them from encroaching on other whales’ territories.

That made it all the more surprising when Kalashnikova and her fellow researchers determined that the same humpback whale was spotted off the Pacific coast of Colombia in 2013 and 2017 before reaching Zanzibar, in the Indian Ocean, in 2022. The whale’s exact route between these endpoints is unknown, but he might have dipped south to Antarctica before tracking back up Africa’s eastern coast, which would extend his route even longer than 8,106 miles.

The discovery was enabled by a citizen science website called Happywhale.com that allows professional biologists and casual whale watchers alike to upload photographs of a whale’s tale, also known as its fluke. Distinct marks, patterns, pigments and scars all contribute to making each whale’s fluke one of a kind. Modified facial recognition software using artificial intelligence matches up distinct features that form a “flukeprint,” as distinct and recognizable as a human fingerprint or face.

[kedreeva]

hey kedreeva! i scrolled through the whole quail tag to see if anybody had asked you this before, and i didnt see it but tumblr is tumblr so if i missed it just let me know BUT I've been considering getting some quail in the future (having discovered an adoration for scrambled quail eggs) and i've taken care of chickens before so- what would you say differs between chicken husbandry and quail husbandry?

The quail have had weird tags over the years- /the+quails, /quails, /quail, /coturnix+quail, /coturnix+quails have all been used, so there may be info there BUT

The biggest difference I think is that the coturnix have a difficult time in large spaces- or at least, in tall spaces. When you give them more than about 18 inches in height, they can start breaking their necks jumping up into it. I tried keeping them in my big, 13x16x10 foot pen for the bobwhites, and I was losing them to hitting walls and ceilings when they try to fly around because they are not coordinated. I had to move them back into rack caging just to keep them alive.

They also take a different feed- about 23% protein and 2.6-2.7% calcium- they perform worse above or below this. Nowhere makes this feed, you have to make it yourself by mixing chows. They are hands down the messiest fucking birds out there. We had to double-modify our J feeders to prevent them from flinging it all over and waste twice as much food as they eat- and they still eat a lot for their size, because they're basically a meat bird that lays eggs like crazy and not a one of them has mothering instinct, they will never go broody and the one in a million that might, doesn't know what to do with the babies. They also drink a lot of water, an unfathomable amount of water for their size, and the amount of food + water they consume equals a LOT of poop for their size, too.

they are also just. very stupid. they're incredibly stupid birds. they're thinking about something but god only knows what, because it's not born of any recognizable intelligence. they will walk into walls. they will let another bird pick them up and shake them. you can walk up to them and they just look at you in confusion. I cannot fathom their perception of the world.

Some people keep them in caging that allows for shavings to be added as substrate; imo, it's not really worth it, in the end. A coated wire (so it's soft) bottom with plastic poop trays underneath is cleaner for them, cleaner for you, easier for you, and allows for roll-out egg tray bottoms that remove the eggs from their space, so they don't break them and you don't have to hunt for them in poopy bedding. I would highly recommend an auto-water system of some sort for the summer at least, so you don't have to replace bottles or anything. I would also recommend a feeder like a J feeder that allows you to fill the feed from the outside of the cage.

[fight-nights-at-freddys]

About Senate Bill 20 in Texas

(Disclaimer - I'm not a lawyer, so this should all be taken with a grain of salt! This is just a layman's interpretation of the law)

So, if any of y'all have seen the bill that passed Texas Senate this week and are worried about what it means, lemme break it down for you.

TL;DR, the bill claims to target AI depicting minors, but in using vague language, it just reaffirms already-existing obscenity laws at best, and opens the door for harsher laws at worst. Worry more about them taking advantage of it to censor LGBT media, or sexual content in general. Obscenity is subjective and laws surrounding it are bad.

What does it mean?

To quickly explain, the bill targets the "possession or promotion of obscene visual material appearing to depict a child".

The thing that's gotten people up in arms (or celebrating, depending on who you ask) is Sec. 43.235(b), which reads:

"A person commits an offense if the person knowingly possesses, accesses with intent to view, or promotes obscene visual material containing a depiction that appears to be of a child younger than 18 years of age engaging in activities described by Section 43.21(a)(1)(B), regardless of whether the depiction is an image of an actual child, a cartoon or animation, or an image created using an artificial intelligence application or other computer software."

'Obscene' refers to material or a performance "that the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest in sex", "depicts or describes: (i) patently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sex acts, normal or perverted, actual or stimulated, including sexual intercourse, sodomy, and sexual bestiality; or (ii) patently offensive representations or descriptions of masturbation, excretory functions, sadism, masochism, lewd exhibition of genitals, the male or female genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal, covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state or a device designed and marketed as useful primarily for stimulation of the human genital organs", and "taken as a whole, lacks serious literary,artistic, political, and scientific value", as defined in Sec. 43.21(a)(1).

Basically, it's pretty difficult to meet those standards when it comes to art, because something having "literary and artistic value", being "patently offensive", or "appeals to the prurient interest in sex" is highly subjective.

The problem is with the vagueness of the words "cartoon or animation", but I believe, based on 18 U.S. Code § 2256(8), (9), and (11), the depiction would have to A) involve the use of a minor (and when I say minor here, I'm talking about real minors, not fiction) engaging in sexually explicit conduct, B) be an image, generated or otherwise that is, or is indistinguishable* from, a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, or C), be created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable** minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

*Indistinguishable meaning that the depiction is such that an ordinary person viewing the depiction is of an actual minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. This definition does not apply to depictions that are drawings, cartoons, sculptures, or paintings depicting minors or adults. *Identifiable meaning a person who was a minor at the time the visual depiction was created, adapted,or modified, a person whose image as a minor was used in creating, adapting, or modifying the visual depiction, or a person who is recognizable as an actual person by the person's face, likeness, or other distinguishing characteristic.

And what does all that mean?

The way it reads, if I read it in good faith, is that it's specifically aimed at AI depictions of minors, and because that's so new, it falls into a sort of a grey area of the law at the moment, which is what this is trying to amend. When it refers to cartoons or animations, I believe it's using over-broad words to include cartoonish AI generated images (that, of course, are still generated using images of real children). Though, I'm not positive what the bill means by phrases like "appears to be" or "child" because it doesn't offer definitions for that, so I have to assume we're using the definitions written in federal law.

However, in keeping things vague, probably intentionally, it also serves to make obscene anything it would deem as sexual, offensive, or perverse (not unlike normal obscenity laws...). It may be used to go after lolisho, hentai, porn, any kind of "video nasty", or it'll be used to go after LGBT media under the guise of it "grooming kids".

All that being said, I don't see how it would ever work in practice. Either nothing will ever be done with it, it'll be used only for AI (as it should be), or a helluva lot of media is about to be banned in Texas (and not just lolisho or "problematic" fiction, but shows like South Park, American Dad, Naruto, and Dragon Ball).

On the whole, though, most of this is already federal, and I wouldn't be any more worried about this than general obscenity laws. At best, it'll help to get rid of AI, and in the worst case scenario, it's a gateway bill for other states to censor fiction/LGBT media, but i'm an optimist, so... Here's hoping that second thing doesn't happen.

[ask-postcrash-curly]

Hello again, dear! Kind Words.

Just a follow-up... since last, I keep finding myself thinking about what kinds of birds you all would be! (Sigh. I even thought of one for Jimmy, yes. That man.) I know, quite silly, isn't it? I suppose I just couldn't help myself. If you don't mind me musing to you for a bit...?

[ https://open.spotify.com/track/219YZeCWcs99zpB1pKoQy7?si=8S-dJn9FRNmvsBJw5P_-9g ]

Curly: Blue Jay. I am sure you are familiar with these. Blue jays are recognizable for their iconic blue-and-black plumage, and they are quite popular among bird lovers! They are known for their intelligence, boldness, and loyalty to their tightly-knit flocks. A blue jay may represent good fortune, and chances for new opportunities within our lives.

Jimmy: Mockingbird. Unassuming little bastards - oh, excuse me - with loud and noisy calls. Don't be fooled by their humble appearance, though; they are known to be highly aggressive and territorial over their nests. I have heard they may represent a need for self-reflection and change. I frequently spot them bullying the blue jays in my neighborhood... and the squirrels. And the crows. And the neighbor's cat. Seems quite fitting to me.

Anya: Pigeon. Ah, the noble pigeon. Unassuming to most, and shamefully discredited for their helpfulness. They once played an important role alongside people as message carriers, but were eventually phased out and abandoned to city streets. Due to their domestication, though, they are now quite docile and tolerant of humans. I hear they can make for fantastic and loyal companions. They are common symbols of peace, hope, and freedom.

Daisuke: Hummingbird. Yes, everyone's favorite flashy, hyperactive backyard pollinators. They are just too cute to dislike, aren't they? They are known for their love of flowers' sweet nectar, as well as their speed and curious personalities. They symbolize unabashed joy, courage, and strength, and remind us to enjoy life's pleasures as they come.

Swansea: Trumpeter Swan. I am sure this one was obvious... the trumpeter swan is the largest swan species in North America. They are quite the loudmouths, with their signature "trumpeting" calls... and, like all swans, are known to be rather fierce and aggressive, especially regarding their young. Swans typically symbolize grace, beauty, and love... though, uh, I'm not sure how much of that is applicable to Swansea. You know him better than I. But they can also be symbols of wisdom and inner-strength, too.

And... that's everyone! What do you think, blue jay? I'll admit I may be a bit biased in my selection - especially yours, but I just couldn't put another bird to your name! Who couldn't be happier seeing a blue jay among the feeders, yes? They are just so charming.

Oh, gosh, I do apologize if all of that was terribly boring, though. It seems I certainly know how to chatter your ear off one way or the other. Feel free to stop me next time, yeah? (Whoops! I did it again.)

Ever watching the birds, darling! Cheers! 🐦

Hello again!

Hah, really? Course I don't mind. Please do.

(This sounds much nicer than the effects by the lounge's window screen...)

Awww. I can't agree with you that this sounds like me. I mean, c'mon, boldness? Good fortune? Please. Still, I'm flattered. Heheh.

Pfft. Can't much argue there. I thought cats were supposed to chase birds, not the other way 'round?

Pigeon, huh? This I have to hear. Mm, yeah, sounds like her... Peace, hope, and freedom. I like that.

Hah! That sure fits him. Always flitting about making some sort of noise (before the crash, anyways) and bouncing off the walls. Here's hoping he gets back there again. Hummingbirds are resilient, yeah?

Of course, of course. He really leans into the swan thing, you know. Even his keys are swan-themed! A fierce, aggressive loudmouth? That's Swansea all right. And— Hah! Hey, he's loving in his own special Swansea way.

I think you've got my crew pretty much down. Definitely biased when it comes to me, but I'm not complaining.

Nope, not boring at all! I told you over and over how much I appreciate your talks, yeah? It's more of a comfort for me than I can tell you. Please continue! (Hah. Yep.)

Cheers! (Psst. You did it again!)

[bethanythebogwitch]

Kaijubiology and the interior earth ecosystem

Monsterverse-inspired, but incorporates Toho movies and some other franchises.

Godzilla biology

Hyperfauna, known colloquially as kaiju, titans, giant monsters, etc, are massive organisms native to the interior earth dimensional space that can gain nutrition by absorbing radiation from their environment. The field of kaijubiology and study of the interior earth is young so quite a bit is still unknown about these organisms and the nature of the interior earth. Life appears to have existed both within the interior earth and the planet's surface for over a billion years. As many interior earth organisms are similar to surface life both in morphology and what limited genetic information is available, it is currently hypothesized that abiogenesis occurred either on the surface or in the interior and then spread to the other location. Interior earth life has a major advantage over surface life: the presence of effectively limitless energy in the form of interior earth radiation. This radiation promotes biological function, allowing interior earth life to develop faster and grow to sizes vastly greater than surface life. While on the surface the primary source of energy for life comes from the sun, in the interior earth the primary source of energy is interior earth radiation.

At some point (the fossil evidence is not yet clear on the exact time period), kaiju and subkaiju (a colloquial term referring to hyperfauna that do not reach 50 meters in height or length as adults) began to travel to the surface through the many tunnels connecting the surface with the Hollow Earth. While many species likely only visited the surface for brief periods, some species and individuals set up permanent residence. In prehistoric times, the levels of radiation on the surface were considerably higher than they are now, allowing for kaiju to sustain large populations on the surface. Species that are now known only from a single individual or small population once roamed the surface of the world in vast numbers. As the surface became less radioactive, most of the surface kaiju populations either returned to the Hollow Earth or died out, often leaving only exceptionally hardy individuals in hibernation across the planet. However, very few of these hibernating kaiju remained dormant for the millions of years that have passed, most would wake up and travel the planet for periods of time before returning to hibernation. Sightings of these kaiju inspired many of the legendary creatures and deities that can be found in the countless religions and mythologies from around the world. 

While the various species of kaiju and subkaiju are highly diverse, some common traits can be found amongst all of them:

All kaiju and subkaiju are able to feed off radiation absorbed from their environment. Many kaiju subsist mostly or entirely off of radiation, supplemented by the consumption of other food sources such as other kaiju, hyperflora, or geological elements. Subkaiju are more likely to regularly consume external food as their smaller size means they can more easily sustain themselves without needing radiation. For this reason, subkaiju are far more common than true kaiju and form a more recognizable food web.

All kaiju produce bioacoustics, extremely low frequency sound waves that can travel across the planet. Most surface animals are not able to hear these sounds, but kaiju can and use them to communicate. Most of this communication consists of territorial signaling or mate attraction, but some kaiju are intelligent enough to use more complex forms of communication. Studies on hibernating kaiju have shown that even while dormant, they are still capable of picking up bioacoustic sounds and responding.

Kaiju practice a strange form of interspecies dominance hierarchy in which most kaiju will recognize and submit to a stronger individual, known as an alpha. Most kaiju will only submit after some form of dominance is established, which is usually done either via threat displays, or, should both kaiju refuse to submit, a battle. These battles are known to end in the death of at least one participant should neither combatant submit. Known alpha kaiju active currently are Godzilla (Gojirasaurus colloseus), Kong (Titanopithecus kongii), Mothra (Gigatinea mosura), and Gamera (Hypertestudine pyrovoria).

All kaiju are known to constantly emit radiation in various quantities. This radiation is generated within energy-generating Yamane organs that act as biological nuclear reactors. Kaiju deprived of an external source of radiation are able to sustain themselves for long periods of time using their internal radiation, but will eventually require an external energy source or they will starve. Curiously, this radiation has immediate negative health effects to humans and other surface organisms, long-term exposure will actually begin to have beneficial effects. Many sites of kaiju battles have seen rapid growth of new plant and animal populations triggered by the leftover radiation. Some kaiju species have evolved to weaponize their radiation, most famously the Gojira genus and their “atomic breath”.

The interior earth dimensional space, often shortened to the "interior earth" and colloquially known as the "hollow earth", "Agartha", and a variety of other names, is a phenomenon akin to the sci-fi description of a pocket universe. It consists of a universal space distinct from the universe the planet exists in and is of unknown size. It can be accessed via wormholes that exist within fixed locations around the earth's surface. These locations are usually underground, leading to the misconception the the earth is hollow and the interior earth dimensional space is literally within the planet. These wormholes allow for interior earth radiation to reach the surface and allow for objects or organisms to pass between the surface and interior earth. Locations with wormholes are often described as wellsprings and are hotspots of hyperfauna activity and surface-dwelling kaiju will periodically visit them to absorb interior earth radiation. For unknown reasons, wormholes are found more prevalently around the Pacific Ocean and the north and south magnetic poles.

The interior earth consists of two surfaces suspended facing each other. Geological studies indicate that both surfaces have curvature consistent with each other, giving the impression that the interior earth consists of the surface of a sphere suspended within a larger, hollow sphere. It is currently unknown what would happen if one were to drill indefinitely through either surface, but both surfaces show clear signs of geothermal activity indicating the probable presence of a mantle and something akin to a planetary core. Gravity inverts between the two surfaces, meaning that if one travels far enough above the ground gravity will stop pulling them toward one surface and will start pulling them to the other. In between the two surfaces is a region of consistent microgravity where objects can float. Travel between the surfaces is done regularly by flying hyperfauna and via mountains large enough to connect both surfaces. Colossal crystalline structures are found throughout the interior earth. These crystals emit light in a consistent cycle, providing light for photosynthesis and creating a day/night cycle.

The interior earth is inhabited not just by kaiju but by humans. These humans are believed to have migrated into the interior earth from the surface via wormholes. It is not currently known if interior earth humans are descended from a single migration event or if there were multiple separate migrations. The majority of interior earth human cultures are extinct, known only from archaeological remains. Several surviving ones are known, most prominently the Iwi, who are also known to inhabit the surface's Skull Island and worship Kongs. Worship of kaiju, often a specific species or individual, is common among all interior earth cultures. Interestingly, some of those who do or did appeared to have methods of communicating with specific kaiju, who will then protect the humans from other kaiju. Known examples of this kind of human/kaiju relationship include the Iwi with Kong, the Seatopi with Megalon (Gigacoleoptera subterra) and the Muan with Manda (Kairyu manda). The Elias people of Infant Island have an almost identical relationship with Mothra, leading to speculation that they are descended from an interior earth culture that migrated to the surface. While all known interior earth cultures currently possess pre-industrial age technology, there are some indications that now extinct cultures may have had more advanced technology.

The interior earth ecosystem is apparently recovering from a recent (within the past few thousand years) mass extinction. Many of the largest hyperfauna species were driven to extinction of vastly reduced in numbers during this event, to the extent that many species are now known only from a single individual. The same event is likely responsible for the extinction of the majority of interior earth human cultures and the survivors losing much of their previous technological advancements. The cause of the mass extinction is unknown. Curiously, many ruins of interior earth cultures dating to this time depict a common visual motif: that of an unknown winged kaiju with three heads.

[mattnben-bennmatt]

Matt Damon's interview w/ The Advocate (18 January 2000)

[During promotion for The Talented Mr. Ripley, Matt Damon gives an interview to LGBT magazine The Advocate. He discusses his approach to playing Tom Ripley, same-sex relationships, and the scrutiny around his friendship with Ben Affleck. I first came across excerpts from this fascinating interview when browsing the Damon Affleck Slash Archive using the Internet Archive's WayBack Machine, but my gratitude goes to @kampedupkinks-blog for pointing me toward the full issue. Full transcription under the cut.]

Going to the Matt

Gay people, characters, and subjects are nothing new to Oscar winner Matt Damon. Here's his whole unexpected attitude on it all.

By Brendan Lemon

As the title character in the luxurious, homoerotic new movie The Talented Mr. Ripley, Matt Damon is obsessed with trying on a rich friend's clothing, looking for the right well-tailored suit to reflect his evolving view of himself. Ever since the Boston buddy picture Good Will Hunting won him a screen-writing Oscar and established him as a movie star two years ago, the actor has been redefining his own identity too.

Measuring this metamorphosis is a challenge, partly because the 29-year-old actor is still pondering just how to use the public voice that his fame has provided and partly because his celebrity's outward clues can be a little misleading. For example, he may have just bought a gargantuan—7,000 square feet—apartment in downtown Manhattan, but you sense he wants to make it a home rather than a showplace. And he may go out with another movie star (Winona Ryder), but, refreshingly, the two so rarely make the scene that they seem the furthest thing from a young Hollywood power couple.

The performer talked about both his life and gay-related issues raised by his new movie during a conversation one recent afternoon not far from his New York City home, a discussion in which he displayed his Harvard-caliber intelligence (he dropped out of that university to act, not because his grades weren't good), an attractive blend of sensitivity and seriousness, and the kind of genuine politeness that makes you want to meet, and thank, his mother.

While Damon upbringing has made him highly skeptical of celebrity, he is not about to turn the spotlight away from himself. "Matt is not the sort of actor who refuses to talk about his movies because he doesn't want to talk about his life," said Anthony Minghella, the director and screenwriter of The Talented Mr. Ripley. "In fact, one of the things that distinguishes him as both an actor and a person is that he doesn't duck the moment." Case in point: In the new movie's hottest scene, Damon's Tom Ripley looks lustfully at his friend Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) as he emerges from the bath. "Matt didn't ever try to wink at the audience while we were filming that, to distinguish himself from the character," Minghella said. To which Damon replies: "That would have been ridiculous. Ripley at that point was so bubbling over with desire."

Damon sees the homoeroticism of his latest character as an acting assignment, but his matter-of-fact approach to it has roots in his own life. "I grew up in a community house in Cambridge, Mass.," Damon said, "and a number of people who lived there were gay." Respect for difference wasn't the house's only core value; so was hard work a quality for which Damon is still known. "Matt won't always admit the rigor with which he approaches his roles," Minghella said, mentioning that for Ripley the actor learned to play the piano. "I sort of learned," Damon clarified, "just like I sort of learned to sing." The modesty is misplaced: In the movie the actor's wonderful rendition of "My Funny Valentine," aimed at an oblivious, sax-playing Greenleaf, stands as a clear, lonely lament recognizable to anyone—straight or gay—who's known the pain of unrequited love.

Don't expect Damon, however, to star any time soon in a revival of Babes in Arms, and certainly not with lifelong buddy Ben Affleck. The two remain call-each-other-at-all-hours close and make periodic noises about finishing that next screenplay, but any discussion about their friendship strikes Affleck, according to Damon, as "weak." Their bond, of course, still causes some people to regard them as more than pals. In this interview Damon addresses the subject head-on, while admitting that "the speculation isn't quite as much fun as it used to be."

But Damon, whose habit of answering virtually any question directly is reminiscent of Tom Hanks, with whom he had a memorable battle-jitters scene in Saving Private Ryan, mostly wanted to talk about sexuality because of his participation in The Talented Mr. Ripley. The movie which Minghella adapted from a 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith (the first in a series), tells the story of the aforementioned Ripley and Greenleaf, two young Americans at play in late-1950s Italy. The secretive, hollowed-out Ripley is a consummate social strive. Unlike the wealthy, golden-haired Greenleaf, Ripley is to the manner—but not to the manor—born. In his quest for class he aspires to absorb everything about his friend: not just his clothing and his possessions but his pampered way of life.

But Greenleaf, involved with another young American, Marge Sherwood, treats Ripley disposably. Amused by Ripley's conversational talents and touched by his love of music, Greenleaf takes him along on high-spirited jaunts up and down the Italian peninsula, a series of sunlit, mostly seaside locations that the film caught sumptuously on location. But when Greenleaf tires of his visitor and attempts to toss him off, Ripley reacts tragically. "Maybe no one who sees the movie will agree with me," Damon said, "but as the one who played the character, I thought, This is so unfair. This person deserved better. He was so close to knowing happiness with another man."

In the hands of Highsmith, a lesbian expatriate who like many American writers—Vidal, Baldwin, Williams—came to Europe partly to escape the stifling sexual orthodoxy of postwar America, Ripley is a figure of great fascination but little empathy. Following him as he assumes Greenleaf's personality and attempts to elude his pursuers after the murder is a riveting yet slightly chilly exercise. "We wanted to make Ripley more human than Highsmith did," Damon said. To that end, Minghella pointed out, the character does not, as in the novel, plan to kill Greenleaf but, rather, lashes out at him when he confesses his love and is rejected. In another adjustment, Minghella transformed Peter Smith-Kingsley, one of the book's minor figures, into a gay man offering Ripley love and acceptance.

By fleshing out the book's homoerotic subtext, Minghella has made the story more resonant for a contemporary audience. He has also opened himself to the charge that he has made a movie about a "gay serial killer." "I think that that is a very reductive characterization," Damon said, "but I would urge people to see the movie and make up their own minds about its sex and psychology." To which one might add: Whether you like the film or not and whether or not you find it upsetting, Ripley stands as a sophisticated essay about an identity in formation—economically, psychologically, sexually.

For the movie's Forsterian world of prim Anglo-Saxons smitten with Italian sensuality, Damon's Ripley and Law's Greenleaf were joined by Gwyneth Paltrow as Sherwood and Cate Blanchett as a new character named Meredith Logue. All of them except Damon play roles in keeping with their images. After all, Damon has built his career playing mostly recognizably good guys. "Is my list of credits that heroic?" the actor asks a little disingenuously. To which one answers: Look at your resumé, Matt. Damon's gallery of Hollywood classic male archetypes includes the soldier (Courage Under Fire, Saving Private Ryan), the cowboy (Geronimo, the upcoming All the Pretty Horses), the athlete (School Ties, the upcoming golf fable The Legend of Bagger Vance), and the lawyer on the side of Southern right (The Rainmaker).

As part of his search for new suits, however, Damon has been willing to try some unexpected material. He is the frisky fallen angel Loki in the controversial movie Dogma, and he and Affleck are producing a TV version of The People's History of the United States, an iconoclast work by the scholar Howard Zinn. But it is as Ripley that Damon has most fully revealed in the unexpected.

Some people think it was brave of you, after just having won an Oscar for Good Will Hunting and becoming Hollywood's newly minted leading man, to play a role as upsetting and vulnerable as Tom Ripley.

I don't think playing Ripley was brave of me. I'm an actor who read a great script and who was extremely lucky to have been asked to do the part.

Ripley, however, is a very sad soul, and you appear to be anything but. What personal experiences did you draw on to convey that part of him?

Like everybody, I'm lonely to some extent. Like everybody, I live in fear of not being loved and not having love returned. And I think everybody has a Dickie Greenleaf in his life: someone who is extraordinarily charismatic but who can go away.

Ripley covets everything about Dickie's identity—his way of life, the issue of class, in both the sense of one's social stratum and of one's taste, is, along with sexuality, perhaps the driving issue of the movie. Did you relate to Ripley's cravings for class?

Only to a certain extent. When I was growing up in Cambridge, Mass., people took a certain amount of pride in not being Harvard people. We always thought we were cooler than they were. In terms of relating to Ripley's outsider quality, I have the standard stories that you probably have—of not being invited to the dance and picked for the team. The challenge of Ripley was making the longing to be chosen consistent in my character, despite the horrible things he's doing. Because if you don't stay in sympathy with Ripley—if you go into the theater thinking he's a "gay serial killer" and not a tormented, sensitive human being—then you may as well stay home. You're only going to have your preconceptions confirmed.

What were the key scenes for you to convey Ripley's sexuality?

The chess scene, where Dickie is naked and in the bathtub and Ripley is clothed and out of it. Also the scene where Ripley says he'd take a bullet for Dickie and the scene in the jazz club where, under the cover of music, I shout to him, "It's one big love affair." That's sort of my coming-out in the movie.

The bathtub scene is homoerotic yet slightly enigmatic. Ripley wants to get in the bath, but when he asks and Dickie says no, Ripley has to damp down his desires. Even though, moments later, when Dickie is toweling off, Ripley looks at his ass with a longing that suggests he's just seen the face of God.

When Ripley first got to Italy, if Dickie had taken off his clothes and said, "OK, strip down," Ripley would have just recoiled. Our idea was that he was a virgin. I say that because he's probably never been naked in front of somebody. Remember the first time you were naked in front of somebody? It's terrifying, but you get over it because, hopefully, you have somebody who says, "You're beautiful." But Ripley's never had that. He hasn't crossed the hurdle of deep self-loathing.

But when, at the movie's end, Peter Smith-Kingsley, a sweet, sensitive musician whom Ripley meets...

The ultimate man!

...asks Ripley to take his clothes off and become intimate, he's still struggling with his physical self-image. He is still deeply ashamed of himself, both because of his demonstrated capacity for violence and because of his inability to be intimate—with anyone, male or female. It is this abiding moral sense that makes him human rather than, to be reductive about it, a serial killer. He takes no pleasure in his transgressions.

Right, which is why the ending is so devastating. Ripley still believes that if he showed his authentic nature, he'd be cast aside.

Which is a version of what everyone fears and what some gay people, sadly, fear their whole lives: that as soon as people see our true, hidden natures they will reject us.

So rather than expose himself further to the man who truly loves him, Ripley "rejects" Peter in the most extreme way possible.

Ripley's relationship with Peter is potentially an adult, homosexual one, whereas the one with Dickie is more adolescent and amicable. The movie reminds us that there is a vulnerability involved in same-sex friendships that is just as acute as those in full-fledged gay love affairs.

Same-sex relationships with anyone when you are young entail extreme vulnerability. The first experience most of us have of devastating personal rejection is not with someone we want to date but with someone we want to befriend.

When you were that tender age, was your desire to be an actor looked down upon by your buddies?

No.

You were extremely lucky in that, you know.

I know. A number of people have come up to me and said that because of their interest in theater they were referred to as "drama fags." That wasn't the case in our school. I was supported by my parents and friends in the desire to be creative.

Who were some of the early gay influences on you?

I grew up in a community house, inhabited by my mother and brother and many other adults and children, and a number of people who lived there were gay. My theater teacher was not gay, but I probably had more gay than straight teachers in high school. So being gay, luckily, was not something that I was "introduced" to at some age. It was more that I was introduced to the prejudice against it. I had the reverse of a typical growing-up in that regard.

Your lifelong friendship with Ben Affleck had been endlessly scrutinized since your success with Good Will Hunting. Given how you grew up, was it odd to be tagged as lovers and have that speculation be viewed by some people as a negative thing?

The gay assumption seemed silly to me, a real waste of attention. But I understand that the idea of something hidden fascinates people.

At first, your friendship with Ben was a good marketing ploy. But now that your careers are established, has that strategy gotten tired?

Absolutely. You reach a point where it's your friendship and no one else's.

But you're smart enough to know that the media isn't likely to leave your relationships alone—whether it's you and Ben or you and Winona Ryder, your current girlfriend. You're also smart enough to know that the public has been burned enough times by the media dissembling about homosexuality to be more skeptical than they used to be about the subject. And thus a few people are going to read this interview and still want—still need—to believe that the couple is not you and Winona but you and Ben.

But that's because sex sells magazines and because people are now conditioned to believe that anyone they see on the cover is having sex with everyone in their lives. Given the shallow nature of the packaging and the salesmanship in our culture, it's no surprise that people are lulled into these assumptions.

The unvaryingly sexy packaging is a distraction from ever having to think about the real issues.

Of course.

To go back to you and Ben, would it be so terrible if you were a couple?

The question of whether Ben and I are gay is so awkward in a lot of ways. There is no real right way to answer it without offending somebody. It's offensive to just deny it fiercely, as if there would be anything wrong with it if we were a couple. That would be offensive to the people I grew up with. I don't want to be that person. At the same time, I can't say it's true because it's not. Ben once made light of this type of tabloid speculation by telling an interviewer something like, "I'm sure there are gay people who are in the closet in Hollywood, but also I'm sure that they didn't sleep with Henry's friend." [Laughs]

Yeah, it's interesting how the source for so many tabloid outings always seem to be some Henry guy's pal or some friend of somebody's hairdresser.

That's so true.

One of the strangest things about the media's attempt to disparage your relationship with Ben is that male friendship used to be considered a noble thing. It was not powerful men but powerful women who were divided through the use of the gay rumor. Now same-sex closeness of both genders is targeted.

I guess it's not enough for me to say that I love Ben so much that I'd take a bullet for him.

You also have to say—pardon my bluntness—that you'd take his dick up your ass.

Yeah. It's completely bizarre.

If you were, in fact, in a relationship with another man, would you be in the same position career-wise?

I would like to say that if I were gay, I'd be out. But I think that's not fair because I'm not gay, and I don't know personally what pressure is brought to bear on you if you are. My short answer, without a lot of reflection, is that if you were out, your career would suffer. Would Rock Hudson have had the career he had if he'd been out? No way.

But, of course, we'll never know until someone with your level of leading-man visibility comes out and until Hollywood allows the box office rather than its own internalized prejudices to decide if the public is ready for such a move. With a few test cases, maybe we could move away from this type of discussion. Saying that may be naive, though, given our culture's obsession with celebrities.

And with celebrity bedrooms.

It feels weird to think of the Ripley movie in light of this prurient culture of ours. Because it takes place at a time, the late 50's, when it was taboo for an American guy to confess any kind of affection. That type of unstated longing, of course, is what gives the film so much of its power.

If this were a contemporary movie, the relationships would probably be handled differently. All the people I talked to who are of Ripley's generation—who were young in the '50s—said that you didn't talk that much about your sexuality in any regard. Today, on the other hand, you meet someone, and 15 minutes later he's saying, "You know, my boyfriend and I have this problem with trust." If this were a movie set in 1999, for a tasteful young man like Ripley to admit to a wordly Princeton graduate like Dickie that he has a homosexual side would seem really tame. Especially in our age, when you go home and there, on Jerry Springer, is some guy with two penises.

But in some ways the culture remains alarmingly the same. Highsmith's novel, for example, is infused with homosexual panic. This is part of Ripley's fear of being found out in all aspects of his life—that he's a fake somebody instead of a real nobody. And the fear of thought gay remains a huge fear for some guys still today.

Sure. This makes me think of American Beauty with its theme of the fear of the person next door. Middle America knows that its next-door neighbors could, in fact, be gay. They can't pretend any longer that it's not possible. And that, unfortunately, is very upsetting to some of them. People should recognize that homosexuality just is. Personally, I think it's genetic. That's always been my theory because I have friends who are gay and who really don't want to be and who say they don't have lives that are conducive to it.

What do you mean, "not conducive to it"?

Because being gay makes their lives more difficult professionally.

I'm not going to take the time here to comment on that kind of self-concealment, even though I know from experience how necessary it can seem at a certain time in your life. Are some of these friends actors?

Not just actors. Though it's true that show business is a lot more closed-minded than it may appear. Which is ironic, considering that there are more gay people in the movie industry and in arts in general than in other walks of life.

I think that's a fair and accurate statement. Or at least one that won't frighten the horses.

[Laughs] Right.

Since, in a sense, we've been talking about maintaining appearances, let me raise the matter of appearances regarding the Ripley movie. Specifically clothing. Tom enjoys wearing Dickie's clothes, even though Dickie doesn't always enjoy the fact that Tom is borrowing them. This reflects, of course, how Tom is struggling to assume Dickie's identity in all forms, not just the sexual or psychological ones. The clothing interchange reminded me of one of the real pleasures of being a gay couple: wearing your partner's wardrobe.

But that's not necessarily a gay thing. My group of closest friends and I lived, until recently, in these loose communal situations—in New York, L.A., Boston. And there was a constant raid on somebody's closet. You'd see one of your roommates in a restaurant, and he'd say, "Hey, that's my shirt. You asshole! I just washed that shirt!"

What did the question of clothes mean to you in the making of Ripley?

It relates to body image. Ann Roth, the movie's costume designer, said to Jude Law, "These clothes hang better if you don't wear underwear." So Jude said, "Right, I won't wear underwear." And she looks at me, and I said, "Of course, Tom wears underwear. It would be too exposing of himself not to."

How were clothes key to the formation of your own personal identity?

I remember for my graduation from high school my older brother gave me his leather jacket, which was my favorite thing in the world. He gave it to me in June. I went into my room, put it on, and basically waited for fall. My brother was so cool, and because I was wearing his jacket, I was cool too.

That was a moment not so much of vanity as of validation.

Absolutely.

It's interesting how validation becomes vanity as you grow older. Speaking of which, at what point growing up did you start receiving validation for your looks?

When I got to Harvard. When I got there I thought I was James Dean, wearing my leather jacket. A friend of mine from England, who lived on my dorm floor, and I thought we were very cool. And we weren't afraid to say it to each other.

Some actors consider it a little unmanly to have to obsess so much about their appearance. Do you?

I worry about appearance less than I used to. I look at Brad Pitt. I will never, and could never, look like that. He is just incredible to look at. Period. If I were gay, he would be one of the posters on my wall. Ben and I both have more realistic ideas about what we look like. Not that we're insecure about it. But I know what drop-dead gorgeous looks like, and I know that I'm not it. I also know that I don't want to think, ever, about how I look when I'm in front of the camera. Because then I'm thinking about the wrong thing.

You know, however, that a certain amount of your stock as a movie actor has to do with your appearance.

But if they want handsome, they're not coming after me; they're going to Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise—one of those guys.

I wonder. I can think of a few producers who might think that you would fill the handsome slot just fine.

Well, thank you. Now I feel validated. [Laughs]

You've said that Ripley is a once-in-a-lifetime situation for you. Is that because you wouldn't play a character with Ripley's attributes—repressed rage, class envy, murderousness, homoeroticism, extraordinary sensitivity, aching beauty—ever again?

Anything as original as Ripley I'd love to do again. Unfortunately, people aren't willing to put up the money to make movies like this very often. They were with Anthony Manghella, in part, because he'd just won an Oscar for The English Patient.

Even though you signed on for the movie before Good Will Hunting made you a star, I don't think you should forget the role you and Gwyneth Paltrow played in getting the movie made.

I'm not sure about that. I just hope the movie gets received the way it should. Because, realistically, its box-office chances aren't clear-cut. It needs a strong critical reception to be successful. It's still amazing to me that the studio was so supportive of Anthony's vision. In the wake of The English Patient, he could have directed a lot of movies, but he chose to make this one. He's the one who's brave, not me.

[baeddel]

thoughts i've had while reading the Foucault biography by David Macey:

(1) Foucault was a bourgeois and his entry into the elite higher educational institutions involved a number of processes that were designed very specifically to select for the children of bourgeois, in a way that reminds me a lot of the recent post by gothhabiba (click). one example which particular concerns philosophy is that entering the highly competiitve ENS would require knowledge of philosophy (Kant etc.), which was only taught to highschool students at the fee-charging lycees. further, philosophy was taught at lycees by ENS graduates, who may also be on the comittee that selects ENS applicants. this—along with a few direct interventions of actual nepotism—is how Foucault got there in the first place, because some (FAMOUS) men (like Jean Hyppolite!) met him as a child and decided he was 'very intelligent'. the same story repeats when Foucault gets his first few academic posts, with recognizable names balancing the scales for him. this does not seem to be something special but rather how all applications were judged and posts filled. there is a more subtle example for which analysis would be possible, but the book doesn't offer enough information, which is in the explicit discussion about how the topics for the oral agregation (necessary for graduation) should be selected. Macey concludes the section by saying that "[t]he 1951 agrégation [when Foucault graduated] had been a ‘Malthusian’ process of elimination: fourteen candidates were successful, and five of them were normaliens [ENS students]."

(2) throughout his youth into his late 20s (ie. the part i've read so far), Foucault seems to only ever—with the exception of patients and prisoners he met at the clinic when he worked there—interact with other members of the French elite. even in the communist party he attends a special ENS chapter and so forth. this may simply be because only famous men leave information to posterity, so we know less about Foucault's non-elite associations, or even that Macey just has nothing to say about those relationships, but it is quite striking. the same is not true of Deleuze per François Dosse's dual biography of Deleuze & Guattari (i mean anyway we talk about him in the same breath as Guattari who was not part of this system at all).

(3) he loved serialist music and had a live-in romantic relationship with a serialist composer named Jean Barraqué who was taught by Oliver Messaien. isn't that cool? they would go drinking between classes, just like we did when we studied serialism... haah...

(4) the biography skips around in time quite a bit; when Foucault first meets someone who will become important to his life we get a sort of summary of their whole relationship in rapid diegesis which will reoccur in a slower, although still diegetic, pace later in the book. this reminds me a lot of the way the Norse Sagas are written; in his excellent introduction to the Saga of Hrolf Kraki, Jesse Byock remarks that the author makes clear that he is compiling fragmentary sources by "telling the audience when one sub-tale ends and another begins: ‘Here ends the tale of Frodi and now begins the story of Hroar and Helgi, the sons of Halfdan.’" the biography of course also does this by explicitly mentioning, either in the text or in a footnote, which sources (books, interviews, letters, personal correspondences) the story is compiled from. when i thought about the Sagas i had thought of it as producing a very strange literary effect, almost like a Brechtian distancing effect, freely dispensing of suspense to remind the reader of the structural components of the narrative, and i have written some stories which try to perform this idea. however, now i realize that we still do this quite often, only in that peculiar form of literature called the biography, where it appears quite natural and doesn't surprise the reader. i think one explanation for the strangeness in the Sagas is that the Sagas are primarily in mimesis, and the sudden episodes of diegesis during which the story and the plot become momentarily disimbricated are surprising to a modern reader.

(5) Foucault suffers a bitter quarrel with another gay man named Jean-Paul Aron he was previously friends with which they would never rapproach. the reason for this quarrel is, according to Macey, because "one of Aron’s young lovers fled and took refuge with Foucault." Macey discusses this entirely in terms of "sexual jealousy" and "envy"—i suppose Macey is heterosexual because oh my god. doesn't that sound like such a familliar story to us... the guy had to run away from his partner and go and live with someone else over it... and it caused scene drama for the rest of their lives... what was going on there?

(6) in discussing the homophobia of the official French Communist Party to which Foucault belonged until 1953 (which was explicitly homophobic) the principal example which Macey chooses is a case where they expelled a highschool teacher for propositioning a pupil. for Macey this seems to only have the dimension of homosexuality, and neither the power dynamics of teacher and pupil nor the fact that the pupil was presumably a child are mentioned at all. this biography was written in 1993. it made me think immediately of a number of other instances of an adult man having or attempting a sexual interaction with an underaged boy, being penalized or imprisoned in some way, and the response of, essentially, the legitimate gay movement was to call it homophobic. i don't remember his name, but there was one composer, i think an American, in the 40s or 50s, who was imprisoned for sleeping with a 17 year old boy, and people came to his defense and considered the prosecution homophobic; similarly this highly sympathetic article (click) on the GLBT Encyclopedia Project about NAMBLA (who's periodical Delany used to read and recommend, something which he gets and still responds to emails about today), which opens with mention of "a successful effort on the part of gay activists to thwart a move by then-Boston District Attorney Garret Byrne to ferret out patrons of teenage male prostitutes via an anonymous telephone tip line", paints a picture where NAMBLA were relatively mainstream until the mid-80s. while i suspect this article of being at least a little apologetic it does also talk about gay organizing around changing age of consent laws & a line on how unequal enforcement of the age of consent was a tool to enforce homophobia, listing some impressive names who engaged in this kind of activism like Kate Millet and Gayle Rubin. and we also have, very infamously, Foucault's own advocacy on precisely the same thing, around the time of the petition, signed by Foucault and virtually every other French radical intellectual, to abolish the age of consent.

what do you think? from here doesn't it all look like a catastrophic blunder, something we're ashamed to remember and frightened to talk about? even when we're coming from an anti-carcereal, reparative, critical kind of perspective, something about the kind of narratives, defenses and advocacy from back then on such issues leaves us feeling alienated. i tend to think of it like this: that there was a historical situation where 1. all forms of homosexuality were illegal, 2. homosexuality was primarily understood in society, by both the right and left, as a kind of pedophilia, and 3. the concept of the age of consent was being redefined, socially and legally, at that time. this third point is specifically what Foucault was discussing in that interview, but i was interested to see the same point come up in a Defunctland video (click)(!), because—get this—one of the songs performed by Disney's in-house rock band Halyx was called 'Jailbait', and he asks the writer about it. on relistening to the song she immediately laughs in embarassment and says "please! what was i thinking back then!" and she has to basically do her own kind of historical-juridicial-philological analysis to attempt an explanation (timestamp), saying that they had "just done this thing saying that if you're over 18..." and so forth. her song by that title was performed by a female singer, and watching the performance i got the feeling that the intention was sort of twofold; in the first case, to exploit the imaginary erotic power of forbidden love ("i want you, baby / but you're jailbait"), and, in the context of a live performance, make the teenage boys in the audience feel wanted. i am not sure if the same effect is intended in Motorhead's song by that title ("i don't even dare to ask your age"). by the 90s you didn't get songs like this anymore; Boogie Down Productions' '13 and Good' is both condemnatory and paranoid and explicitly names it "statutory rape."

this isn't really a good thread of argument; i am not comparing like evidence. and i'd like to investigate contrary examples from that period—the documentary on NAMBLA Chickenhawk for example shows lesbian groups attacking NAMBLA members at demonstrations, and Andrea Dworkin was famously critical of NAMBLA—but i am anyway kind of interpreting Macey's framing as a 'pagan survival' of an older approach to these issues when they arose in a very different polemical context.

[twistedrehabilitationprogram]

Heard of the situation happening here, apparently a outbreak of some sort of unknown liquid colored black.

*Quickly taking a clipboard and pen strapped onto their belt, the anonymous hazmat suited person gazed at a certain detective.*

If I may, could I ask a question on what this black liquid is? And what does it do? Does it have any effect on the human body? Is there anything else I should know about this unknown black liquid? How do you plan to deal with the infection?

-Researcher Anon in a Hazmat Suit.

(PS: Researcher Anon does not know anything about the rehabilitation program... yet.)

Thankfully for you Rodger has just recently woken up from the sleep the others had all told him he needed, it's surprising how long he can seemingly push himself. " The ichor.... normally it simply acts as our blood but this particular strain of it is.... different. It's been observed to morph the bodies of those it comes into sufficient contact with into heavily distorted forms of themselves, with some undergoing more ... extreme transformations. He stops for a moment to think about the fates of the 3 main characters who got turned, the transformations they all underwent left them barely recognizable. " This unknown strain of ichor has also been noted as being able to damage the mind of a toon who is exposed until they are reduced to a highly aggressive hostile state, Glisten was the only exception to this... somehow fighting off the ichor's influence.. this had led me to theorize that emotional stability could be tied to the infection process. Luckily we did not have any human infections, Gardenview has long since been abandoned and both human employees and toons worked to evacute any visitors during the malfunction before the shutdown".

" As of now nearly the entire toon population of Gardenview has been turned into twisteds, but there may still be hope. In an admittedly snap decision I chose to bring Glisten back with us instead of leaving him on the lower floors as we used to due to the potential danger, and he was completely docile. He's managed to recover enough after his return to familiar surroundings that I devised the idea to find each twisted one by one , bring them home, and allow their memories to work to gain hold over their own minds again. Currently besides Glisten we have managed to locate Goob, but the others have proven not so easy to locate... despite their aggressive state the twisteds clearly are not braindead and can display signs of intelligence. They have been known to hunt in packs when multiple are in the same area as a healthy toon, using numbers to overpower a target. Still I believe our plan has a chance of working.... ( Rodger pauses before quietly muttering) it has to for their sakes... ".

[sleepingsongbird]

Alrighty so I’m finally getting around to writing some modern au One Piece fic so I figured I should probably share some background for it!

Everything is set in one giant city and I have put way too much thought into this

City is roughly split up between the “four emperors”

The Grand Line(NE-SW) is the main commercial street that runs through the center of the city where every large group has a front. It intersects Red Street(NW-SE) which divides the territories. The Hospital sits at the East corner of where the Grand line and red street intersect.

Big mom’s pastries

The Red Force bar - cocktail bar

Kids repair shop

The Amazon Lily - Boa Hancock’s strip club

Rayleigh is a legal consultant and the only piece of neutral territory on the grand line

Marinefold- the Town hall sits dead center of Red street

Lodge square - located in the center in front of city hall

Pacifista church - run by Kuma, large mega church

Etc.

The Heart territory is a couple blocks in the East side that spans from Law’s apartment to the employee entrance of the hospital

All of the Hearts work either at the hospital or the Heart Club

Hearts are highly territorial despite being in Red Hairs area

The Hearts have tattoos but no markings on their medical uniforms

The large hospital where Law works is neutral territory and pretty much every doctor/surgeon there is affiliated with a group

The white coats of the doctors each have the symbol of their affiliated group embroidered with white thread. Each major group has at least one doctor that is deemed safe to go to

Kaido is a Yakuza group and Kin'emon’s group is the remnants of the Kozuki clan that are trying to retake the territory

East side is Red Hair

Locations-

Baratie- restaurant Sanji works at and common meeting place of the Straw Hats

Water 7- Large mechanic shop, Franky uses one of the workshops there for personal projects and to repair their Van(The Sunny)

The Heart Club- A below ground nightclub owned by Law

Patty’s bar- Run by Makino and frequented by Shanks

Mihawk’s Dojo- Zoro frequently trains there

Elegia recordings - Run by Shanks and started to Publish his daughter’s music

Uta started as a streamer then starting doing live performances once her popularity grew, she is often out of the city on tour

She is a very active protester and has been arrested multiple times

Soul KIng - Music supply shop owned by brook

Brook who was a famous musician who faked his death and moved into town to avoid the publicity (still very recognizable)

The straw hats live friends style with 3 apartments on the same floor. They are the local menaces and are constant up in everyone’s business

North Side is Kaido

Locations

Onigashima- Formally called the Kozuki theater was taken over by Kaido and turned into a club. Run by Orochi but paid for by Kaido. The daughter of Oden works undercover as a dancer.

Oden restaurant - Named after the late boss of the Kozuki family is run by his friends and son, current front to the Kozuki Yakuza group

DonQuixote Inc. headquarters- Center of Doffy’s operations and front for the family

Dressrosa Casino - run by Doflamingo. Hosts fights at its arena. Formerly run by the Riku family, Viola Riku currently sits on the board.

Punk Labs- Caesar’s lab, Donquixote is their parent company. Was formally run by Vegapunk.

Cipher pol - Government intelligence. Has agents stationed in every region

-Local occult shop run by Hawkins. Perona works part time doing seances

West side is Big Mom

Locations

Germa 66 publishing company- a well known action comic publishing company owned and run by Sanji’s family

Thriller Bark - Haunted house run by Gecko Moria

Zoo - Run by a wildlife conservation group called Zou

Drum University Campus - known for its medical programs ​

South side is Whitebeard

Locations

Local Police station

Alabasta Gallery - an upscale art gallery. Formerly run by the Nefertari family has recently become a front for the Baroque Works gang run by Crocodile selling counterfeit art

The family heir Vivi is a curator trying to gain evidence to take down Crocodile and restore the Gallery to its former glory.

Museum - has previously bought works from the prestigious Alabasta gallery. Robin works as a curator and researcher there.

The yami - dive bar run by Blackbeard

The coast(East Coast)

Impel Down- High security prison located on an island off the coast

Enies Lobby- an old mansion island now used for major celebrity and political events

The big top - an amusement park and circus located on the boardwalk. Run by Buggy. Alvida runs the big top in his absence.

Buggy is the primary informant in the city and also works as a clown at the local hospital to cheer up the patients and gather information.

The Barto Club - a bar and exclusive club dedicated to the strawhats gang. Run by Bartolomeo. Invitation only.

The Polar Tang- Luxury Yacht that Is outfitted with a full medical infirmary owned by the Hearts

Outskirts

Cocoyasi orchards - citrus farm owned by Nami’s family run by Nojiko

Baltago Cafe - front for the revolutionary army, an anarchistic group opposing the government. Koala is their head barista. Militia operations run by Dragon. Sabo is a member.

Feel free to use this as inspiration or setting for any fanfic or art just tag me so I can check it out!

[seeker-for-arts]

Raincode Pokemon headcannons

Although I’d never thought I would return to writing for this fandom, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy writing this.

This is something that has been done for many fandoms, including Raincode, despite the smaller fanbase. It’s been a while since I had written anything for this game, but reading Raincode NG+ by MHJoker4Ever, which had recently been continued after a hiatus, quickly got me inspired. Their fic series expands on many minor characters and gives them more characterization, which you’ll see me adapting here. For each character, I have included a Pokedex entry that can best show why I chose those Pokemon for them. Some have an in character blurb showing how they coexist with their partner, and some others have a direct explanation from yours truly. Without further ado…

Nocturnal Detective Agency

Yuma - Reuniclus

“When Reuniclus shake hands, a network forms between their brains, increasing their psychic power.” - Reuniclus Black Pokedex entry

Halara - Hisuian Lilligant, Tsareena, Lucario

“I suspect that its well-developed legs are the result of a life spent on mountains covered in deep snow. The scent it exudes from its flower crown heartens those in proximity.” - Hisuian Lilligant Legends Arceus Pokedex entry

“A kick from the hardened tips of this Pokémon's legs leaves a wound in the opponent's body and soul that will never heal.” - Tsareena Shield Pokedex entry

“It can tell what people are thinking. Only Trainers who have justice in their hearts can earn this Pokémon's trust.” Lucario Shield Pokedex entry

A commonality amongst Halara’s Pokemon is their Fighting typing, and how they attack with kicks, much like themselves. Tsareena matches Halara’s disposition almost uncannily well, having become cold and merciless in order to protect itself, and draws a comparison between Halara and Fubuki, who is in possession of the more innocent and naive first form, Bounsweet. However, Halara still values justice and doesn’t tolerate wrongdoing, which was why Lucario found commonality with them and eventually pledged to stay by their side.

Desuhiko - Ditto, Zoroark

“When it spots an enemy, its body transfigures into an almost perfect copy of its opponent.” - Ditto Yellow Pokedex entry

“Each has the ability to fool a large group of people simultaneously. They protect their lair with illusory scenery.” - Zoroark White Pokedex entry

Sometimes, when extra hands are needed for an investigation, Ditto and Zoroark act as invaluable helpers for Desuhiko, also being able to disguise themselves. However, a limitation of their disguises that Desuhiko himself doesn’t have is their inability to mimic human speech. A person being strangely silent can be a giveaway to the superstar detective’s Pokemon mimicking someone.

Fubuki - Bounsweet, Gholdengo

“Because of its sweet, delicious aroma, bird Pokémon are always after it, but it's not intelligent enough to care.” - Bounsweet Ultra Sun Pokedex entry

“Its body seems to be made up of 1,000 coins. This Pokémon gets along well with others and is quick to make friends with anybody.” - Gholdengo Scarlet Pokedex entry

Bounsweet is immediately recognizable by the innocent and somewhat dimwitted smile on its face, which it maintains even in danger. It resembles its trainer more than the other detectives in the agency would like to admit, although they keep silent in order to spare Fubuki’s ego.

Gholdengo, on the other hand, was gifted to the young heiress by Mr. Clockford as her protection during her detective ventures. Its silly appearance and amiable personality belie a highly capable Pokemon in combat, much like the reality-bending time powers that Fubuki possesses by virtue of her bloodline, despite her childlike naivety.

Vivia - N/A

The near-death detective often looked like a pile of rotten food being swarmed by flies, only in this case, the flies were various Ghost type Pokemon lingering around him. With one foot already on the "other side", he couldn't blame these wayward souls for taking an interest in him, but as for claiming one of them for his own, Vivia did not have the energy. To him, a trainer's bond with their Pokemon was merely temporary, no matter how strong. However, he appreciated the Ghost types for not assaulting his every senses with wails and whispers of regrets, like the souls of humans did. He wanted nothing more than some peace and quiet, after all.

Yakou - Inteleon, Tandemaus

“It may present itself as being well-mannered, but deep down, it still has a lazy side. It will slack off when its Trainer isn’t looking.” - Inteleon Violet Pokedex entry

“The pair sticks together no matter what. They split any food they find exactly in half and then eat it together.” - Tandemaus Violet Pokedex entry

Although it is registered under Yakou’s name in present time, Tandemaus was not originally his; instead, it was his wife’s Pokemon, whom Yakou ended up taking in after her death. Sometimes, when he looks at it, bittersweet memories of his time with her rush back.

Inteleon was recruited by Yakou upon receiving orders to rendezvous with Master Detectives bound for Kanai Ward, but in truth, the Water type sniper was recruited to assist in brainstorming his revenge on Dr Huesca.

Chapter 0 Master Detectives

Zilch - Chandelure

“It absorbs a spirit, which it then burns. By waving the flames on its arms, it puts its foes into a hypnotic trance.” - Chandelure Black Pokedex entry

The old wives’ tales surrounding the Litwick line are embodied by this Chandelure, who acts as the assassin’s partner-in-crime and incinerates whatever - and whoever - its trainer commands it to. It especially loves to capture and burn the souls of its trainer’s targets to fuel its flame after a successful hit.

Melami - Hisuian Typhlosion

“Said to purify lost, forsaken souls with its flames and guide them to the afterlife. I believe its form has been influenced by the energy of the sacred mountain towering at Hisui's center.” - Hisuian Typhlosion Legends Arceus Pokedex entry

Having been with Melami since its formative years and exposed to her affinity with the realm of spirits, her Fire type partner grew up to have mastery over communing with wayward souls and seeing the life energies of those around it, much like its ancestors from an era of the past. Whenever Melami is channeling, Typhlosion keeps watch by her side to ensure that the soul is calm and does not lash out.

Aphex - Pangoro, Yungoos, Primeape

“Although it possesses a violent temperament, it won't put up with bullying. It uses the leaf in its mouth to sense the movements of its enemies.” - Pangoro X Pokedex entry

“It wanders around in a never-ending search for food. At dusk, it collapses from exhaustion and falls asleep on the spot.” - Yungoos Moon Pokedex entry

“It becomes wildly furious if it even senses someone looking at it. It chases anyone that meets its glare.” - Primeape Silver Pokedex entry

Despite his rough life, Aphex does not regret meeting his three partners. They protected him from the less savory residents of the slums he grew up in, and prove to be powerful comrades when he comes into scuffles with criminal brutes, but Aphex’s natural keenness for talking with his fists leads to him allowing his Pokemon to run wild and them going out of control at times.

Zange - Gumshoos, Annihilape

“Once it finds signs of prey, it will patiently stake out the location, waiting until the sun goes down.” - Gumshoos Scarlet Pokedex entry

“It imbues its fists with the power of the rage that it kept hidden in its heart. Opponents struck by these imbued fists will be shattered to their core.” - Annihilape Violet Pokedex entry

In contrast to the brash newbie Aphex, Zange has no tolerance for any lack of discipline, from the trainee detectives under him and from his Pokemon. Gumshoos commonly helps to stake out investigation suspects, and anyone who tries to flee from the veteran Master Detective rarely gets past Annihilape.

Pucci - Hatterene

“If you're too loud around it, you risk being torn apart by the claws on its tentacle. This Pokémon is also known as the Forest Witch.” - Hatterene Shield Pokedex entry

Aetheria Academy

Kurumi - Rowlet

“Flies noiselessly on delicate wings. It has mastered the art of deftly launching dagger-sharp feathers from those same wings.” - Rowlet Legends Arceus Pokedex entry

Ever since the unending rain in Kanai Ward began, Kurumi’s partner had been unable to fly much at first, but it eventually adapted, and found out that the pittering of the rain helps to silence its flight. This was useful for when Kurumi had to spy on her targets, but when spying on Peacekeepers, she kept Rowlet in its ball, no exceptions. With how trigger-happy the Peacekeepers were, Kurumi simply could not risk Rowlet being on the receiving end of their aggression.

Yoshiko - Leavanny, Ninetales

“This gentle Pokémon has strong protective instincts. The leaves on its arms are sharp enough to slice a thick tree in half with one stroke.” - Leavanny Scarlet Pokedex entry

“Very smart and very vengeful. Grabbing one of its many tails could result in a 1,000-year curse.” - Ninetales LeafGreen Pokedex entry

Even in the metal metropolis that was Kanai Ward, life finds a way. Yoshiko met her first partner when it was still a wee Sewaddle in one of the few spots of greenery amongst the high-rise apartments in the city. Although the unending rain that started after the Blank Week proved rather troublesome for a Grass-type who was used to bathing in the sunlight, nurturing still proved enough to raise the little bug into a mature Leavanny. The caring Pokemon was more than happy to help in its trainer's solo rehearsals by mimicking other actresses.

Ninetales, however, had a more complicated story. Yoshiko found the little critter hiding from the rain only a few weeks after the Blank Week, but for whatever reason, it was feral and shaky, nearly biting at the girl when she tried to approach it. Yoshiko thought that it might have been the wounds it bore, but even wild Vulpix were usually rather calm (as long as you didn't touch their tails), and to snap at a human like a feral animal was rather unexpected. Although it got comfortable with Yoshiko with time, she still had to warn others, even her close friends, to not surprise the fox, lest they suffer a nasty bite instead of a 1000-year curse.

OOC: While there were some shades of it when I wrote for the Chapter 0 Master Detectives, this section with the girls is where I’m going to be drawing heavily from their expanded characterizations in the fic I had linked.

The two Pokemon chosen by Yoshiko share a common theme: their elegant and benevolent looks belie a vicious side that surfaces when enraged. Leavanny shows no mercy to those that harm its kin, and Ninetales, the ethereal and elegant fox spirit, is known for bearing disproportionate grudges and imbuing curses on travelers over a slight.

Despite being the most outwardly friendly between the three of them, Yoshiko bears a deep darkness within her ever since they committed to their murder plan, which is seen in full force after the deed was done.

Waruna - Incineroar

“Incineroar's rough and aggressive behavior is its most notable trait, but the way it helps out small Pokémon shows that it has a kind side as well.” - Incineroar Shield Pokedex entry

OOC: Let’s talk about one of the most infamous starters of all time. Incineroar is explicitly designed after a heel wrestler; it’s big, muscular, and loves to brag and challenge other Pokemon, but despite its showboating and Dark typing, it actually has a kind heart, and adores the support shown to it.

This pairs amazingly well with Waruna herself, who genuinely cares for her friends despite presenting herself as a demanding, no-nonsense actress.

In addition, Incineroar’s personality is a stealthy reference to how most wrestling matches are scripted, aka kayfabe; there is no real tension between the face and the heel, despite their theatrics and showboating. While Waruna and her friends may keep up the act of a cutthroat rivalry between them, it is precisely that, an act; none of it is real, and they are secretly still friends.

(And no, I did not give her a feline Pokemon just because she likes cats.)

Kurane - Phantump, Poltchageist

“This Pokémon came to be when the spirit of a deceased child possessed a tree stump. It now wanders the forest searching for friends.” Phantump Violet Pokedex entry

“Supposedly, the regrets of a tea ceremony master who died before perfecting his craft lingered in some matcha and became a Pokémon.” - Poltchageist Scarlet Pokedex entry

OOC: A running gag in the game, and expanded in the fic I had linked, is Kurane's tendency to sink into the background, and then reappear when she wants to and scaring the daylights out of people who hadn't noticed her. As such, what better type to give her than Ghost types? Specifically, two Ghost types: Phantump reflects its trainer in being shy and reclusive, but still yearning for friends.

However, shy is only one half of Kurane; when she is on the stage and performing, the mask changes, displaying a surprisingly competitive streak in her, and a desire to give the best performance she can. This earns her the respect of Poltchageist, who was once a perfectionist tea ceremony master who desired to hone his craft until the very best.

[pudgy-planets]

Yes, all of the characters here as 18+. Both Canon and OC’s.

This blog is heavily canon-divergent and bases everything off of the ending of Sailor Stars and beyond.

Rules

Side-Blogs:

@poignantandplumppleiades

Temporary Character Post Below:

Senshi(and Allies):

Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon

Gender: Female

Age: 47

Odango-haired Mangaka. Belly-heavy bottomless pit of love, kindness, and compassion. Princess of the Moon and heir to the Silver Millennium. Pure of heart and optimistic.

Lives with Mamoru, Setsuna, Luna, and their children.

Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury

Gender: Female

Age: 47

Hyper intelligent doctor and Princess of Mercury. Lover of sandwiches, enjoys swimming, and easily flustered. Benevolent to a fault. Throughly enjoys reading and helping those in need.

Blubbery belly with a deep, cavernous navel capable of storage. Owns a set of marshmallowy, fluffy hips with doughy, wobbly buns.

Rei Hino/Sailor Mars

Gender: Female

Age: 47

Head Miko of the Hikawa Jinja in Tokyo. A beautiful enchanting beauty with long, raven-purple hair and amethyst eyes. Stoic, serious, and curt that belies her intense passion and conviction for her beliefs.

Predominately thigh and hip-heavy with rolls of fat pancaked atop each other. Shaped similarly to a bell, crack included.

Minako Aino/Sailor Venus

Gender: Female

Age: 47

Goddess of Love and Beauty, Japan’s most successful plus-sized model, and Princess of Venus. A bubbly, unfathomably attractive, and charismatic blonde who lives her life with pools of confidence. Wholly dedicated to her ideals, her princess, and possessing a strong, nigh unbreakable will. She hides a great pain behind her smiles.

Completely Ass-centric and bottom heavy. Highly prideful in the massive mounds of flawless, cellulite-free rump and her general appearance.

Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter

Gender: Female

Age: 47

Tall, cinnamon-haired Princess of Jupiter. Strong, determined, and motherly with a temper to match. Loves horticulture, botany, and above all else: cooking and baking. An accomplished culinarian and owner of a successful bakery in Tokyo with countless fattening and delicious treats. Will not hesitate to kick your ass if the peace of her domain is disturbed.

Top-heavy with a highly active cycle of rich, fattening lactation. Flavor and consistency changes with whatever is consumed. From alcohol to solid foods or ingredients.

Haruka Tenou/Sailor Uranus

Gender: Female (Doesn’t care which pronouns you use for her.)

Age: 49

Charming, flirty, and playful prince/ss of Uranus. An androgynous former athlete and highly acclaimed racer turned handsome and voracious hedonist who spends her time living life as leisurely and pleasure-filled as possible~

Can and will flirt the pants of anyone they deem cute. Often found with her lifelong partner, Michiru in their vast estate and manor.

Generally belly and bottom heavy. Flabby pancake breasts, engorged and swollen spare tire of a gut that droops towards the ground, and a weighty, cellulite-speckled ass.

Michiru Kaiou/Sailor Neptune

Age: 47

Gender: Female

Elegant, eloquently spoken, and magnificent best describe Kaiou Michiru. Japan’s most recognizable violinist with enough talent to flood each continent. Her wavy, sea-green locks shimmer like the seas and her presence could fill a chasm, both metaphorically and literally. She embodies the planet of Neptune of which she is the crown princess in its entirety.

Beneath her aristocratic demeanor and exterior lies an unashamed, unabashed, and deeply indulgent woman who devours everything and anything she pleases. A dynamic duo of sorts with her consort, Haruka.

A gargantuan mega-pear with similarly flat breasts. Her colossal hips and ass sway like the sopping, billowing waves of an ocean.

Setsuna Meiou/Sailor Pluto

Age: 49

Gender: Female

Tallest among the Senshi and mysterious in nature, Setsuna is the Princess of Pluto and reigns over the dead and time. Though cold, even standoffish, and rather serious concerning matters of importance outwardly, Setsuna when touched by another’s benevolence immediately softens. She cares deeply for her friends and her family, willing to do whatever it takes to ensure their happiness.

Formerly the guardian of the Door of Space and Time, Setsuna is both a prestigious astrophysicist and nurse. She is the founder of “My Sweet Primrose”, a luxurious clothing brand geared towards plus-sized demographics. The success, affordability, and quality of its products have made Setsuna a lavishly wealthy woman.

She is inhibited only by a crippling addiction to caramel in all of its forms.

A voluptuous, Strongfat hourglass with a respectable paunch.

Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask

Age: 49

Gender: Male

A gentleman personified, Mamoru is the loving husband of Usagi and Setsuna. The reincarnated prince of Earth orphaned at a young age from a terrible car accident that took the lives of his parents, Mamoru became embittered and aloof focused solely on his education and future prospects.

Until he met Usagi, who changed his life forever. Empathetic to a fault, Mamoru’s dry wit and sarcastic sense of humor conceal his truly golden heart. He feels the pain, joy, and sadness of all those around him.

Similar to Haruka. A complete Dadbod package. Enormous, near floor grazing gut, voluminous hips and ass with hefty moobs.

Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn

Age: 29/30

Gender: Female

The Princess of Saturn and the Messiah of Silence. Hotaru’s origins are somber, born to Souichi and Keiko Tomoe, Hotaru was terribly wounded in a fire that took the life of her mother. Her father, the brilliant, yet mad Souichi reconstructed her into a cyborg.

After her sacrifice as Sailor Saturn and subsequent rebirth- She grew up once more as the adoptive child of Haruka Tenou and Michiru Kaiou. A brilliant, intelligent, and talented woman, Hotaru is sweet and soft spoken. She loves history, card games, and collecting lamps.

Possesses an Apple-shaped build with tubby arms, column thighs, and a stocky posterior.

Usagi ‘Small Lady (Chibiusa)’ Serenity/Sailor Chibi-Moon.

Age: 26

Gender: Female

The eldest daughter of Usagi, Setsuna, and Mamoru and crown princess to the Moon. A portly pinkette with cone-like odango and matching pigtails fashioned after her mother’s. Though somewhat spoiled and inheriting Usagi’s wanton gluttony, she’s just as good natured and positive.

Will always do what is right and loves her friends, family, and the people of Earth more than anything.

Identical build to Usagi. Belly-heavy with a mound of tummy jutting out several feet in front of her. What weight isn’t contained her gut goes to her hips, waist, ass, and legs.

CereCere/Sailor Ceres

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Leader of the Amazoness/Sailor Quartet, the guardians of Small Lady Serenity and the Princess of Ceres. Formerly controlled by the Dead Moon Circus with her younger sisters where she served as a trapeze artist, CereCere is a haughty, vainglorious woman who is equal parts sophisticated and mature. Elegance comes before all in her book.

Highly prideful of her assets, emphasis on the ass and supremely flexible. Identical body type to Minako. Ass-centric and prone to flaunting.

VesVes/Sailor Vesta

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Princess of Vesta and youngest of the Amazoness/Sailor Quartet. Once serving as the Dead Moon Circus’s fiery beast tamer, VesVes is a cantankerous and temperamental girl. Prone to starting arguments and fights, VesVes’s quick to anger nature stems from a deep rooted sense of self and lack of proper focus for her feelings.

Beneath her rough edges is a loyal soul willing to do everything in her capabilities to empower those around her. Can often be found arguing with JunJun.

Adjacent to Rei, completely thigh and hip heavy figure that jiggles and jostles with her every step.

JunJun/Sailor Juno

Age: 25

Gender: Female

The rebellious Princess of Juno and third born of the Sailor/Amazoness Quartet. Prior to being freed from Nehelenia’s grasp, JunJun was the illusion casting tightrope walker of the Dead Moon Circus. A tomboy harboring an affinity for the thriving culture of the 1980’s and 70’s, JunJun is tenacious and physically stronger than her siblings.

Confident, but brash, she can often be found listening to old records, driving a motorcycle or retro muscle car constructed from her illusions, or butting heads with VesVes.

The mirror image of Makoto’s top-heavy, breast focused body. With broad shoulders and a burgeoning bust. Doesn’t lactate as much, but grows gummy fruits in her hair.

PallaPalla/Sailor Pallas

Age: 25

Shortest of her sisters, but makes up for it with a ditzy, childlike wonder- PallaPalla is the second eldest Amazoness/Sailor Quartet member. Previously a ball balancer in the Dead Moon Circus, PallaPalla is the upbeat princess of Pallas.

Sickeningly sweet and almost always brandishing a heartfelt smile, she can always light up a room just by entering it. Silly to her core, PallaPalla is the smartest and most perceptive of the group with a streak of sadism hidden beneath her airheaded personality.

Nearly exclusively speaks in third person.

Shares Ami’s cuddly fluffy shape with substantially less tummy. Bloated hips and a full, rounded ass.

Phobos and Deimos

Gender: Female (Both)

Guardians to the God of War herself, they often take the form of two crows circling around the Hikawa Jinja when not perched on their lady’s shoulders.

The twins loyally follow their queen and offer counsel when possible, alerting her of threats when they arise. Can switch between humanoid and avian forms on a whim, employing their power of Fear and Dread when required.

They don identical outfits, with Deimos being purple and Phobos being red. Phobos is assertive and outspoken, while Deimos is calculating and patient.

Luna

Gender: Female

Mate of Artemis and advisor to former moon monarch, Queen Serenity- Luna was frozen in suspended animation at the fall of the Silver Millennium. Reawakened in the modern to seek out her princess and defeat their enemies, she now serves as a loyal friend and royal vizier to Usagi, Mamoru, and Setsuna.

Stern and focused, she is wholly dedicated to the Moon Kingdom and the Sailor Senshi. Often found lounging atop Usagi’s stomach when not tending to her duties.

A Mau alien who can switch between human and feline forms, often remaining in cat form to conserve energy and for maneuverability. Has black fur and blue eyes.

Artemis

Gender: Male

Mate of Luna and advisor to Princess Venus. Formerly one of Queen Serenity’s advisors in the distant past, he was reawakened in the modern day to aid Minako. A lazy, but well meaning father figure, Artemis is a positive, uplifting influence with a penchant for jokes.

To this day, he remains one of Minako’s closest confidants and can be found near Luna or resting in the Hikawa Shrine. Minako’s and Rei’s children refer to him as “Uncle Artemis.”

A mau alien who can, like Luna, switch between a feline and humanoid form. Has white fur and green eyes in cat form.

Others of Note:

Ikuko Tsukino

Gender: Female

Age: 68

The caring and loving matriarch of the Tsukino household, adoring mother to Usagi and Shingo Tsukino. A gorgeous woman who looks not a day over forty, Ikuko welcomes all into her home and feeds them enough until their buttons finally pop right off. A compassionate spirit with a mother’s strictness, she will fret and worry over your wellbeing regardless of asked.

Warm and therapeutic presence~ Heavyset mombod with a sizable tummy and hulking rear stuffed into jeans or dress.

Haruna Sakurada

Age: 62

Gender: Female

English Professor at Mugen Gakuen (Infinity Academy) formerly Usagi’s teacher in secondary school. A lonely, hardworking, and diligent woman who puts her all into inspiring and tracing bright minds. Treats her students as if they were her own.

Delicate to affection having been through a number of failed romantic relationships and connections. Frequently spends her weekends eating ice cream and watching dramas in between grading papers.

Naru Osaka

Age: 47

Gender: Female

Usagi’s lifelong best friend, owner of the prestigious jewelry chain OSA-P. The success of the initial store lead to a maelstrom of new locations and recognition as a household name for rings, earrings, quality gemstones, and more!

Naru is a friendly, outgoing, and an astute aristocrat. A massive wall of a woman with elephantine legs propping up a spare tire of a tummy.

Mayumi Osaka

Age: 67

Gender: Female

Mother to Naru. Skilled in the art of salesmanship and striking up a deal. Somewhat of a bimbo, but well meaning. Previous owner of OSA-P who now works as an ambassador and as part of company management, ensuring quality is maintained at locations.

OTPs:

Usagi x Mamoru x Setsuna, Makoto x Ami x Anthasea (Newbietrainer), Minako x Rei, Michiru x Haruka, ChibiUsa x Hotaru. Luna x Artemis.