#thread: superiority complex

[storystartsanew]

Closed Starter/Parent Thread (Hemlock & Buddy): Superiority Complex

Hemlock hates coming back to the rehab facility as much as the next person. It would be one thing if she were here to visit her own father. As much as she hates this place, it would be nice to see her family, especially given everything that’s been going on. But, no. She has to be here to visit with someone else. 

Keefe’s father was more of a last ditch effort than anything. The phone and the mystery attackers had led to dead end after dead end. She’s been running herself ragged trying to find answers, and she hasn’t been able to find anything. With the surfacing of Keefe’s new powers, she thought it might be worth it to ask the man who’s been obsessed with Supers since childhood. Maybe there’s something there that they’re missing.

She sighs softly when she enters the day room, immediately scanning the room for Buddy and for anyone who might try to listen in on their conversation. Her scowl worsens when she finally sees him. She plasters on an almost sarcastic smile and walks over to him. “We need to talk.” 

@nxttheendxfthestxry

[jabberwockprince]

Hello! I've been seeing your post about the Spina Venatores. They're so cool and I'm kinda interested about your girl Poultry, I'm wondering can you talk more about her?

YEAAA glad you like em!

Poultry is my beloved, stressed, constantly struggling, perfectionist girlgenius chicken! <3 ohh where do I start with her ... she's the only human in Spina Venatores, a girl who figured out how to mix mankind's logic and the arcane. her role in Spinas

i'll put the rest under a read more bc it got a bit long o7

she's the little girl mentioned in Darley Clatter's in-game Stories! Lilian! at least until bluepoch releases a Darley Clatter anecdote where they show the actual Lilian lmfao

they don't explicitly state that Lilian is a human afaik, but since her father is hiring an arcanist to get her the best horse in the world, I interpreted it as how humans will hire arcanists for frivolities like this

(screenshots taken from the wiki because I can't be bothered with opening the game rn lmfao)

either way, Poultry is that little girl; spoiled, bratty, precocious, too smart and observant for her age, eager to have adventures and have everything she asked for. she was so enamoured with her childhood friend Darley Clatter and arcanum as a whole that she asked her parents to make her into an arcanist despite being a pureblooded human--when she found out this is Literally Impossible, it sort of ruined her friendship with Darley Clatter due to resentment and jealousy, and she put all of her time and efforts into finding a way to BECOME an arcanist, to mix both humanity and arcanists into one, instead of having humans recreate arcane skills with machines and whatnot

and she ACTUALLY succeeded, she figured out the differences between human and arcanist physiology through experimenting with arcane creatures and critters, and then regular animals with arcamun similar to Pickles and whatnot--horrible horrible stuff going on, stuff that leads sometimes into creating homunculus and chimeras and things that should not be alive! which got her kicked out of her university!

now. I'm fully aware that, as far as we know in canon, it's impossible for pureblooded humans to become infected or to make use of arcanum the same way arcanists do--one needs the smallest amount of arcanist heritage, no matter how diluted through the ages, for that to happen (like Semmelweis). it's all biology and physiology and science stuff. so for Poultry, her theoretical process of becoming arcanist involved a lot of. well. forcing her body to naturally adapt to arcanist cells and produce them. which could only happen through unethical self experimentation, something she could only get in Manus Vindictae

Venison recruits her on a whim, convinces the higher ups that her knowledge and experiments could be weaponized against mankind, and in turn, they give her the resources needed to go through her dream of becoming an arcanist. and these resources are Spina Venatores! because everyone there has specific arcanums related to the human body--flesh, blood, bones, etc! and it fucking works! frankenstein's monster! her body can NOW slowly adapt to arcanum!

the DOWNSIDE is that the constant exposure to arcane creatures guts and blood of all sorts (one of Spina Venatores' jobs is to hunt down mythical beasts, aside from hunting down important targets) actually caused Poultry to become infected with the Beyond Disease--the Manus Mask she wears was explicitly given to her by the higher ups to fuel her extremely weak arcanum into something actually useful (think of Enigma's explanation about low tier vs high tier arcanists and batteries). but ALSO to slow down the Beyond Disease, because Manus is invested in seeing if they can genuinely turn a human into an arcanist with the intent of creating more cannon fodder to turn into Disciples and Followers (yknow, the monsters arcanists turn into when they wear the masks)

so unbeknownst to Poultry, she's become an experiment within Manus Vindictae!! and shes probably going to die very soon!!

a fun fact is that her arcanum is both related and powered by delusion and belief, becoming stronger the longer she believes herself to be arcanist like any other, but also hinting towards the Beyond creature that infected her being a fairy of sorts.

[stripedtabbycat]

i am also aware that my standards for "bad movies" are perhaps exceedingly generous, such that i could never declare any of the films i have seen as "the worst", and for this reason i can never look at the notes or comments of any "what's the worst movie you've ever seen" post because i know it'll be full of people who do not have my standards and have also not seen very many movies

[gomzdrawfr]

I'm curious, what made you fall out of love with Ghoap?

multiple reasons that all stacked up in the end, the short answer is burntout

Drew this ship for 2 years+, while I adore and love their dynamic, it got tiring at some point since most of the time I drew ghoap for the sake of engagement back then

When mw3 happened, a lot of things happened on codtwt (as per usual) that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. There were many artists (some of which are friends are people I looked up too) that started dragging other artist for drawing other ships, like ghost x [character] or soap x [character]. There's just a sudden influx and rise of believing ghoap is the only acceptable or superior ship in general from COD. I understand at the moment we were all grieving for Soap and was angry with the devs and with everything, but this really put into spotlight on a few people that I was close with and I really didn't want to continue this any more

Continuing on that ghoap only superiority complex, there were also just threads and posts that openly talks about topics that I really wasn't comfortable with. You'll see posts like "you knowwww...Im so in awe when people can ship ghost/soap with others, like it is not it for me, honestly it's also kind of annoying to see it on my tl? I dont understand how people can do that when they're clearly made for each other. But you do you though <3". Like. Be so fr. There were so many people who agreed and that really just sours the mood for me, as someone who's a multishipper

You might be thinking, it's the fandom, not the characters, which yeah you're right but when you're surrounded by a community who talks about ghoap like that, it just no longer feel nice

I received a lot of harassment and threats for doing a lot of ghoap angst/mcd arts, while these really didn't affect me cuz idgaf (and was more busy trying to survive irl lmao), I think it could have contributed to the issue. Not exactly nice to doodle and know you'll get drag in the comments when you share it. The entitlement of ghoap fans can get pretty far and ridiculous

Got a few nitpicking comments on the way I draw Soap that yes, did greatly affected me. Didn't want to draw him since because of it (examples: you draw him too young, isn't Soap's mohawk more like a flat shorter look? why did you alter his design so much, they would not do this or that etc) I was still new with being an artist online, and at the time was struggling irl too so I was quite sensitive to all these

My friend was also falling out of the ship, she was my closest friend and we do a lot of brainstorming, discussion and doodling together, so when that fell off naturally my interest dropped too

I don't hate ghoap, I still love this ship, but I just can't enjoy it the way I used to anymore

[fatalism-and-villainy]

One major overlap between Julian Bashir and Seven of Nine is the way they both have heightened, extra-human awareness of their own bodies and cognitive functioning - Seven runs self-diagnostics, Bashir is capable of raising his blood pressure at will - and yet they are both susceptible to human error, in ways that are deeply frustrating to them.

Seven’s initial struggle was in adjusting to being severed from the hive mind and thus reduced and weakened in her perception and capabilities; furthermore, she grew up in an environment where she was only a cog in a machine and any significant physical damage would result in termination. By extension, she is very unwilling to acknowledge physical weakness or vulnerability (as seen in episodes like Imperfection). And much of her arc revolves around her making mistakes despite her assurance of the efficacy and superiority of her methods, and learning to cope with her fallibility.

Bashir, as seen in episodes like The Quickening and Chrysalis, has enormous amounts of trouble dealing with failure, and the former episode makes it clear that his arrogance is wrapped up in his desperate fear of not measuring up (similar to how underneath Seven’s arrogance, she still has traces of the frightened, vulnerable child she once was). The augmentation reveal with Bashir gives a lot of context for that inferiority-superiority complex, and once his genetic enhancements are made public, he seems to feel pressure to make his abilities uniquely useful despite the socially marginalized position in which his enhancements threaten to place him. In Statistical Probabilities, one of his motivations in getting the other enhanced people involved in the statistically generated prognostication is his desire to prove that they can “contribute to society.”

With this in mind, there are some significant threads connecting Statistical Probabilities to The Voyager Conspiracy. Both episodes involve Bashir (along with the other augments) and Seven, respectively, undertaking massively complex cognitive processes in order to synthesize vast amounts of data into speculative conclusions - for potential outcomes of the Dominion War, and for theories regarding how Voyager came to the Delta Quadrant. Both are motivated by the desire to make their unique abilities useful to the institutional structures of which they are a part. And both episodes follow a structure in which each character is able to uncover something true and small-scale - with Bashir and the augments, it’s that the Dominion wants to acquire a planet that will allow them to produce ketracel-white, and with Seven, it’s that there is a photonic flea infestation - only to then have their speculations become much broader in scope and threaten to undermine either the ideals or the cooperative structures surrounding them.

There are significant differences between the episodes. Seven’s speculations are revealed to be straight-up false, and a result of her trying to assimilate more information than she can handle. With Bashir, the veracity of his observations is left ambiguous, and his putting a stop to the other augments’ plan to leak confidential information to the Dominion is largely spurred by political necessity (though the war does unfold differently from anticipated, in large part because of variables no one could have known about at that point). Seven’s failure is more directly linked to human limitations kneecapping her attempt to use her heightened cognitive abilities. But in both cases, their attempts to use mathematical precision in mapping out broad-scale events and systems of cause and effect, in ways that only their minds are capable of, ultimately cannot fulfill the social function they intend for them.

[rottenpumpkin13]

When or even if ever you're up for it:

What's the dumbest and/or most gullible thing AGSZC believed for a significant length of time?

What and/or who made them learn the truth?

How did they react to learning the truth?

Are they responsible for anyone else believing in that particular falsity?

What is the superior chicken soup; noodle or rice?

Angeal: Spent two whole years of his early SOLDIER career lovingly maintaining the "exotic flora" in the SOLDIER floor lobby. They were plastic. He watered them, whispered encouragement, even wrote a maintenance schedule. Lazard found him at 1 am before he clocked out, giving an impassioned speech to a dusty plastic fern about "persevering through the harsh Midgar climate." Tried arguing that Lazard just didn't understand "specialized horticulture" until Lazard physically unpotted one to show him the made-in-Junon sticker. Still mortified, but his legacy lives on. Zack gifted Aerith a succulent that "Angeal said is a rare desert species that only needs water once a month." She didn't have the heart to tell him it was plastic.

Genesis: Absolutely convinced that Sephiroth's hair used to be black and turned silver from the stress of war and training, based on a 47-page theory he read on "SephirothSecrets.com" at age 15. He held onto this belief for years, confidently citing it during casual conversations like it was common knowledge. The illusion shattered at age 22 during a heated argument, when Genesis dramatically pointed at Sephiroth mid-debate and yelled "At least your hair figured out how to cope by going silver before you did!"

Sephiroth, visibly perplexed, simply responded "…It's always been silver."

Genesis stood frozen in silence, reevaluating his life choices, before spending three days writing a scathing takedown of the website and drafting increasingly unhinged legal threats. But the damage was done. Zack casually told Angeal he'd found a single silver strand in his hair, grinning as he said "Guess you're turning into Sephiroth! One day, you'll be just as cool as him!"

Sephiroth: Read exactly one (1) friendship magazine article not long after befriending Genesis and Angeal. Became convinced that best friends regularly break into each other's apartments to deep clean as a sign of affection. Angeal was too polite to comment the first time he came home to find every surface sparkling and his socks arranged by color and thread count. Genesis was no stranger to nightmares, but nothing could have prepared him for the 3 am domestic terror of finding Sephiroth a 6'7 humanoid cryptid perched on a ladder, gently buffing lightbulbs. Then Sephiroth, utterly unfazed, glanced down and said "Your dim lighting is a disservice to our bond." Genesis hasn't slept right since.

Genesis and Angeal have tried to tell him how the magazine article was nonsense, and probably written by interns, but Sephiroth's reasoning of "I see no flaw in their logic" means he will keep doing it.

On the bright side, since befriending Sephiroth, Zack now thinks his dishes are self-cleaning.

Zack: Fully believed that SOLDIER members had to maintain their mako glow by "charging" under fluorescent lights, standing perfectly still, for at least two hours daily. Kunsel pranked him hard by convincing him it was "standard procedure" during his first week. Spent six months finding excuses to stand perfectly still under office lights until Angeal found him in the elevator, furiously doing squats, his eyes twitching as he muttered "I don't care if the glow is fading. If I don't move I'll die." Angeal calmly called for a medic to have Zack sedated. Kunsel still can't look at Zack standing under fluorescent lights without losing his shit.

Cloud: Arrived in Midgar absolutely certain that city folk communicated primarily through elaborate hand gestures, based on his mom's friend's cousin's description of "those fancy Midgar people." Spent his first year responding to everything with increasingly complex hand movements until Zack finally asked why he was "doing interpretive dance in the cafeteria line."

[twiceeshy]

Between

Read on ao3.

The dissolution of a soulmate bond.

T, rosquez, 800 words

--

Vale knew that he was dreaming.

The colours gave it away. A sheen of iridescence laid upon the scene, as though filtered. Perhaps it was too pretty to like. It was impossible not to enjoy.

He knew how these dreams would turn out. He knew also that he would remember, for he was one of the unfortunate ones to carry his dreams into daylight. In his waking hours, he would still be able to access them with a muted quality - the beauty of it, with a forbidden air of regret. Vale would not permit himself to regret.

Beside him, his soulmate smiled, watching as dawn broke across the horizon.

"I love being here," Marc said.

"Here" was a dirt track on bikes in their colours. They could easily spend the entire dream racing each other, with no clock tower to track the time, and no other competitors in their way. Just a starting line, an ending line, and bliss; bodies invincible.

When Marc thought Vale wasn't watching, he would often stretch his right arm all the way up, and Vale would remember that nobody was invulnerable.

They had no helmets here, because there was no permanent injury. They could feel the full brunt of the wind in their faces, constrained by nothing. Marc would fall, and fall, and get up laughing, shaking off the temporary bursts of pain. He would go faster when he tried again. Vale still preferred not to hit the ground.

He did not love being here. It was always accompanied by a sense of guilt and loss, so hard and brittle he could reach out and snap it. But if he did, he feared he would lose his place here forever. The last tendrils of their soulmate bond were holding on by a thread. Marc now refused the consummation and the renewal.

"Are you sure this is all you want to do?" Vale asked, leaning against his bike.

Marc grinned and shook his head. "I told you Vale, I have a girlfriend now. I'm in love."

So did Vale. He even had two children, though Marc never had qualms about ruining Vale's morality in the dreams when Marc had been single. Vale had never been certain quite how much real-world consciousness Marc brought into the dreams, and he never wanted to find out.

They used to spend their time differently. In the early days, their reality centred on racing and sex, so dreams were defined by adventures they lacked time for: sunbathing on red sand at Santorini, walking through an aquarium in Genoa, watching aurora borealis from Scandinavia.

Until this world became the only place they could fuck, so they did scarcely anything else. Resentment belied the bond that they renewed over and over again. Until Marc shattered his humerus and Vale retired, so racing each other became the primary need.

Marc didn't use to be so prudish though. He used to be receptive to Vale's advances, once they were sated with their race. Whatever Marc had with this girlfriend had to be serious. Vale always forgot she existed, then remembered again. He even forgot his own girlfriend until he was forced to dig into his real-world memories. The concept of attachment to other people jarred against the concept of this world.

"How do you know she's following your rules in her own dream?" he asked dourly.

"I trust her character," Marc said serenely.

Vale was reminded of why he could be so difficult. His face was so carefully devoid of judgement that Vale inferred it all over the hidden undertones. Marc was a know-it-all with a superiority complex. He would never say the bad words first, he just raced like the devil.

"We might never come back here," Vale said. He curled into himself. Eventually, the statement would be true, because Marc refused to fuck him. He was unmovable when he chose to be, at the cost of personal harm.

He offered that hurt little smile just to prove it, martyring himself for a pain that could so easily be resolved. "You always say you don't like here, Vale, so it shouldn't matter to you."

A part of him did it just to make sure Vale could never win, Vale was sure of it. Between them, they would raze every last morsel of goodwill to the ground. They wouldn't even have their shared paradise left when Marc was done with him. The soulmate bond would be extinguished, years before death.

Marc picked his bike back up and threw a leg over it. He looked over his shoulder, brilliant in the light of the sun. "Try to keep up," he goaded, and away he went.

In truth, Vale had never been able to. He would ruin himself if he tried, which was why he let Marc get far away before he gave chase. It might well be the last time.

[todayisdeadinside]

i wasnt even gonna say nothing because it didnt seem like a big deal but this person decided to post about me, so im taking the chance to air out the bs.

this isnt why i blocked them. i blocked them because they were very rude in the comments of one of my mooties because she made a post about thinking a larry reunion would be really nice. i didnt know this until later, but apprently the context of that was rumours of niall getting married (that are now proven false).

i dont give a fuck about them sharing their opinions, but i didnt ask them to bombard my dms with passive aggression and some sort of superiority complex. like i told them, "you go do your thing and ill keep doing mine."

anyway, after i stopped engaging with their comment thread on mootie's post, they decided the next logical step was to dm me because they'd "noticed id unfollowed them" and were bent out of shape that i dont particularly think niall is queer.

i wont share the whole dm exchange (although if this escalates i might for clarity) but this screenshot is important because it shows that they dmed me first, immediately making it about me unfollowing them:

i tried to keep it brief but they kept up with long, passive aggresive messages saying how they were concerned about where i fit into the fandom's dynamics, and how they dont like that i post larry-centric content (larrie is literally in my bio) and acting like my blog having a larry focus is somehow a bad thing.

anyway, i eventually blocked them, but not before telling them theyre too grown to be acting this immature over a ship disagreement and an unfollow, which obviously sparked their post making the disagreement out to be an age thing instead of what it was- them being snarky in my dms over us not sharing the same opinion on niall's sexuality.

i dont want this to become a big thing, like i said i wasnt even gonna say nothing until they posted about me, but i figured id put this out there since im not the type to stay silent when someone is trying to (badly) shit talk me. like my pinned says, dont assume me to be an easy target, especially because of my age.

[idrawweirdstuffnominors]

ok hear me out... a smutty and fluffy BillJosh fic where they 69 each other 🤭 if u end up doing it, thank you!!!<3

( here are ur two boys kissing my good sir

Title: “Issue #69: Repressed and Repulsive”

(Bill x Josh | Epilogue-era | NSFW | Bitter sexual tension > 69 > weirdly soft ending)

> The basement was hot, airless, and choked with the scent of old Funyuns, dirty socks, and something that might’ve been expired lube. Josh hated being back here.

But not enough to leave.

“Nice to see you haven’t cleaned since the Bush administration,” Josh muttered, stepping over a mountain of DVD-Rs.

“You’re one to talk,” Bill snapped, not looking up from his monitor. “You look like you crawled out of a Reddit thread on crybaby disorders.”

“Bite me.”

“Say it again, see what happens.”

They locked eyes. Josh’s throat tightened.

“Still the same loudmouthed asshole, huh?”

“And you’re still a whiny, obsessive bitch with a superiority complex.”

“God, I missed you,” Josh spat, voice thick with something he refused to name.

Bill stood. The chair creaked like it wanted to die.

“That why you keep coming back?” he growled. “Hoping I’ll throw you a bone? Pat your sad little head?”

“Maybe I just wanted to see if you’re still good at something.”

“Try me, Trekfreak.”

Suddenly they were chest to chest, pressed into the wall, mouths crashing in a kiss that was more teeth than tongue. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t even coordinated.

It was starved.

Bill’s hands yanked Josh’s shirt up. Josh moaned, but slapped Bill’s wrist.

“If you’re gonna manhandle me, do it right.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Bill growled—and then shoved Josh down onto the couch with the grace of a bag of bricks.

Josh, breathless, sprawled back. “Top bunk, huh?”

“You’re lighter. And I ain’t breaking my neck for you.”

Their pants hit the floor. Curses and insults flew between kisses, spit-slick and flushed. Bill’s beard scratched along Josh’s inner thigh, and Josh gasped.

“Jesus Christ—warn a guy.”

“Don’t like it, leave.”

“Shut up and sit on my face already.”

Bill barked a laugh.

“You’re such a needy little bitch.”

But he did.

Bill’s heavy weight settled over Josh’s chest, thighs straddling his face. Josh whined, muffled, and tugged him closer, nose buried deep, breath shaky.

Then Bill leaned down, took Josh into his mouth, and suddenly the insults stopped.

For a moment.

Then it was soft groans and the wet, sloppy sounds of two bitter nerds trying to outdo each other with their mouths.

Bill moaned low in his throat.

“Fuck—you taste like Mountain Dew and shame.”

Josh gasped, pulling back just enough to pant, “You taste like spite and gas station wings.”

But neither of them stopped.

It wasn’t graceful. It was sweaty and loud and full of angry eye contact and desperate noise. Josh gripped Bill’s thighs like they were lifelines.

And when they finally came—choked, shaking, breathless—it was like something snapped loose.

Bill collapsed beside him, panting, chest heaving.

Josh wiped his face, dazed. “...Well.”

“Shut up,” Bill muttered.

Silence.

Then:

“You, uh. Wanna stay? Got some MST3K episodes queued up.”

Josh blinked.

“...Yeah.”

Bill didn’t say anything. Just flicked on the TV.

And when Josh slowly leaned against his shoulder—Bill didn’t move away.

[thegummysharkbagsys]

Why I Believe Dr. Fizz Has BPD : An Analysis Post

Haha . Been a long while since I made a post , huh ?

Anyway :

BEFORE I START :

ALL POINTS WRITTEN IN THIS THREAD ARE MY INTERPRETATIONS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE WITH BPD AND KNOWLEDGE RELATING TO IT !!

Believe it or not , this thread contains talk of suicidal behavior , though considering we're discussing a fictional soda can , it's nothing graphic !

I would like to give some credit to my bestie @/pillowleafyuri on twitter for helping me write some points of this thread down !! ^^ She's been a great help throughout the making of this thread !

That aside , let's get into our points :

Reason 1 : UNSTABLE SELF-IMAGE

One of the symptoms of BPD , according to the DSM-5 , is having some sort of identity distrubance , better known as an unstable self-image or sense of self . This unstable self-image can vary from clinging to certain traits in an attempt to find some sort of identity , or having opinions , views , and aspirations that are constantly shifting .

We see both of these examples when it comes to Dr. Fizz ! In Box's Exit Interview , he states that being a doctor is "all he knows" (I know this could have been foreshadowing for the twist but . shhhh ..) , and in the final episode of Invitational , his vote on whether or not to melt Mephone4 changed seemingly randomly throughout the episode . I've actually mentioned this point in a prior mini-thread I made about Fizz having identity disturbance on twitter !!

Reason 2 : SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR

Now , I know this sounds like a very , and I MEAN a very big stretch , but I like over analyzing things so don't throw tomatoes at me , ok ? Ok .

Believe it or not , while we don't exactly know what is going on through Fizz's head , he has shown suicidal behavior two different times . One specific occasion being when he threatened Lifering in Box's Exit Interview , saying that if Lifering attempted to ask him another question , he would "blow his top" .. And considering we can assume soda is technically his blood , you could make the assumption he has basically told Lifering he was going to kill himself . Luckily , he didn't die , but you could still take this form of behavior as a symptom of BPD .

Another example of this would be in episode 18 of Invitational , when he was asked by Walkie Talkie to 'drench Candle's flame' using his soda . Going by our prior point that this is his blood , he is being threatend to kill himself to hurt someone else . However , instead of bringing up the obvious concern of the fact that he could DIE , he instead brought up how he can't bring himself to harm someone . This could show he cares more about others lives rather than his own , and can also be interpreted as suicidal behavior .

Reason 3 : SPLITTING

Splitting is known as a rapid shifting of opinions about a person , thing , or themselves , from a black-and-white point of view , and is a very common symptom in BPD , and we can actually find this symptom when it comes to Dr. Fizz !

When it comes to other people , we commonly see Fizz devalue others around him when they wrong him , nitpicking at all of their insecurities and flaws whether or not they were relevant to the conversation at hand . The best example of this would be how Fizz interacts with Lifering throughout Box's Exit Interview , but you could also make the argument that episode 18 and 19 could be another form of him splitting in this way due to considering that Mephone should DIE over a fake murder .

However , splitting can also refer to a black-and-white view on a person's self , and while we don't exactly have a lot of examples of this in canon , it has been implied by Brian that Fizz could have some form of superiority complex , which can be interpreted as a form of idealization of himself .

Reason 4 : IMPULSIVITY

Another symptom of BPD is impulsivity , where a person will make rapid and unplanned actions , likely to gain something, such as satisfaction .

We see Fizz show an example of impulsivity twice throughout the series . One of the examples is found in Box's Exit Interview , as he threatens to blow his top in front of Lifering for not leaving (and being annoying) , and our second example can be found in III's finale , where he agrees to work with a group of people he likely didn't know well on a plan that seemed incredibly rushed and was implied to lack detail just to take down Mephone4 and his show .

Reason 5 : FEAR OF ABANDONMENT

A fear of abandonment is one of the key symptoms of BPD , and can be shown by an individual in many ways , such as doing actions to avoid being hated by other people around you .

I've gone into this in a LOT more detail in a prior thread of mine (which you can read here if you're curious : https://www.tumblr.com/thegummysharkbagsys/768854721324777472/why-i-think-dr-fizz-cares-more-about-other?source=share), but basically : Fizz commonly attempts to fit into society or the views of his peers to avoid being hated by them or seen as stupid . One of the main examples of this is how it's implied he ignored the fact Box didn't have a pulse and tried to gaslight himself into believing she was alive to fit in with his peers , possibly so they wouldn't hate or abandon him !

And that's the end of this thread ! My bad if some of the points here feel like way too large of stretches this is all just a silly fun analysis based on a headcanon I've had for quite a while !! Tysm for reading n ur free to lmk ur thoughts in the comments !

OH , and once again , I wanna give credit to @/pillowleafyuri on twitter for helping me set up the points for this thread !! Y'all should go follow her methinks !!

Ok byeeee !! ^^

[shainachantake2]

Finally the antisemitic thread was shut down because people were messaging the mods saying they felt unsafe, and I'm just laughing here because there's not a single Jew in that thread pro-bris (of course 2 or 3 token frei Jews being tokenised and a few shiksas who don't even know their kids won't be Jewish arguing their Jewish husbands out of a bris) because they always already feel unsafe being Jewish anywhere, so this can only have come from non-Jews who still expect to feel safe somewhere lol. Also of course the thread was over first days pesach, what a time to be alive. Resurrecting blood libel with a liberal sticker on it.

The amount of Europeans though against circumcision always gets me so upset, because I know where they're coming from and I know they're just being swept along by anti Muslim and antisemitic politicians. But they're happily regurgitating the antisemitism and racism without even freaking realising that, and no, the rest of the world does not need to become European (or "westernised" or "civilised" as they like to call it), you've already tried that with imperialism and you can all go f yourselves. The superiority complex they have makes me barf, especially because I used to have it and it's so disgusting.

[utilitycaster]

something interesting I've noticed in this campaign's discourse is that there's a fascinating moving of goalposts closer to what I (and others with similar opinions) said originally. Like, consider:

this ship isn't interesting because it lacks conflict being met first with "yes it is, you're just evil haters" to "must ships have conflict to be interesting?" to "well if things were DIFFERENT you'd like it"-style claims, threaded through constantly with "obviously it's great/bc I have eyes" tell-and-never-explain style arguments

or

"Bells Hells isn't as bonded" met with "YES THEY ARE THEY PLAYED WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THAT??" to "they would be bonded, but for the plot, which I see as something separable from the story and not the story itself" to "um actually it's better that they're not because that makes it different from the past campaigns where the characters had strong and complex relationships with each other, and novelty is always superior."

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Yet again, it’s time to indulge in one of my favorite new year traditions: my ten favorite new-to-me films of 2024!

Every one of these movies got under my skin in one way or another and made this difficult year that much brighter. If you like, consider this a strong endorsement for each of them.

Same rules as always: no movies from this past year (2024) or the year prior (2023). Every other year is fair game.

01. Close-Up (dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1990; Iran; 98 min.)

"Tell him The Cyclist is a part of me."

Every now and then, you watch a film for the first time that knocks you sideways, that reminds you of the power and beauty in cinema, that lives up to every expectation you had for it, that works its way into your bloodstream to take up permanent residence as a part of you.

That was my experience finally watching Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up. While retaining his empathetic gaze, Kiarostami uses a real-life incident to crack open the very ideas of performance, escapism, identity, truth, and storytelling. Is it a love letter to cinema or a condemnation of its ability to distance people from reality? Is it both?

That this film exists at all is a miracle. Hossain Sabzian's performance (as himself) is miraculous in itself, too. There is simply nothing like Close-Up, and I am so grateful to have experienced it. I can't wait to revisit it for years to come.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

02. Paris, Texas (dir. Wim Wenders, 1984; West Germany/France; 147 min.)

"I wanted to see him so bad I didn't even dare imagine him anymore."

I mean this in the best way possible: Paris, Texas was not what I expected it to be at all. For years, I've heard it spoken of with reverence, and I've seen shots from it, and I generally knew the premise, but I didn't expect a film that was as nakedly emotional as this. Paris, Texas ripped my heart out over and over and over again, and I was grateful for it every time.

Everything about it is superb: Robby Müller's cinematography, creating poetry out of the neon-soaked desert; Ry Cooder's haunting guitar; Sam Shepard's enormously moving screenplay; Wenders' patient and precise direction. And then there are the performances! I waxed poetic about Harry Dean Stanton's performance yesterday in this post, but in short: it's a landmark performance. Nearly equally impressive, and with less screentime, is Nastassja Kinski, the key to the film's mystery.

This is an exquisite piece of work. What begins as an almost unbearably lonely film grows into one of bittersweet reconciliation, of healing. I'll be thinking about Travis and Hunter walking together on opposite sides of the street for a long, long time.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.

03. Barton Fink (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1991; USA; 116 mins.)

"I tried to show you something beautiful."

I know I'm late to the party here (isn't that what these lists are all about?), but my God, what a major work. Barton Fink is every bit as dense and as literate as No Country for Old Men and as gripping and darkly hilarious as Fargo. John Turturro's performance is the perfect anchor, a twitchy live-wire with dueling inferiority and superiority complexes falling headfirst into a nightmare. He's matched (haunted?) perfectly by John Goodman, giving one of his best performances, using his folksy charm and twinkling eyes to terrifying effect. 

Again, though, the film is primarily an incredible achievement because of the Coens. Between their writing and directing, Barton Fink pulls at so many threads and juggles a number of conflicting tones to create a singularly hellish vision of Hollywood and an entertainment industry caught between World War II and the rise of McCarthyism. It's a marvel. I can't wait to watch it again and again.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

04. Hoop Dreams (dir. Steve James, 1994; USA; 171 min.)

"That's why when somebody say, 'When you get to the NBA, don't forget about me,' and that stuff. Well, I should've said to them, 'If I don't make it, don't you forget about me.'"

Hoop Dreams is every bit as monumental as its reputation suggests, both a masterpiece of non-fiction filmmaking and the blueprint for the next thirty years of documentaries. The editing work alone here is unbelievable, with the film starting life as a 30-minute PBS short and growing into a three-hour-long epic.

The triumph of Hoop Dreams is a reminder that documentary filmmaking is an act of sculpture. Director Steve James collected 250 hours of footage over five years of shooting, which he and his Oscar-nominated team of editors, Frederick Marx and William Haugse, whittled down to a single, thrilling experience. The film is long, but not without reason. By the end, you feel like you've lived William Gates' and Arthur Agee's high school years with them.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.

05. Out of Sight (dir. Steven Soderbergh, 1998; USA; 123 min.)

"It's like seeing someone for the first time, like you can be passing on the street, and you look at each other for a few seconds, and there's this kind of a recognition like you both know something. Next moment the person's gone, and it's too late to do anything about it. And you always remember it because it was there, and you let it go, and you think to yourself, 'What if I had stopped? What if I had said something?' What if, what if... it may only happen a few times in your life." "Or once." "Or once."

Call it a crime thriller, call it a neo-noir, call it a rom-com, call it whatever you like: Out of Sight is all of them, and it's extraordinarily good at being all of them at the same time. Every aspect of the film is perfectly realized: Steven Soderbergh's impeccable command over tone and genre; Scott Frank's charming, intelligent, complicated screenplay; the unstoppable movie star charisma of George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Everything that makes Clooney such a compelling actor is on full display here, and I'm not sure he's ever been better. Same goes for Lopez: she hasn't gotten nearly the respect she deserves for being such a remarkable screen presence, even in movies that don't deserve her, but she's luminous in this. 

And, my God, Anne V. Coates' editing -- the brilliant story structure feels like it might fall apart at the seams if she hadn't held it together. Between a legend in the editing room and a legend in the making in the director's chair, Out of Sight seems to come together effortlessly. It's as graceful and entertaining a film as you'll ever see. I loved everything about it.

Currently available to rent on demand.

06. Punch-Drunk Love (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002; USA; 95 min.)

"It really looks like Hawaii here."

This one really is magical, huh? Between the cinematography (Robert Elswit, a legend) and the music (Jon Brion, a legend) to the beautifully funny script by director Paul Thomas Anderson, just about every individual aspect of the film sings. This is true, too, for the performances -- Emily Watson is always so lovely, and Luis Guzmán should probably be in every PTA film ever made, but especially Adam Sandler (who, Uncut Gems be damned, has never, ever been better), and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who makes a three-course meal out of minimal screen time.

I feel like I've seen or catastrophized the worst possible version of a movie like this so many times -- an off-kilter indie love story between two #weirdos, the kind of thing that aimed to replicate this film or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- but the experience of actually seeing Punch-Drunk Love knocked me out. It's just so funny and romantic and sad and sweet and winning. It's a thing of real beauty.

Currently available to rent on demand.

07. Female Trouble (dir. John Waters, 1974; USA; 97 min.)

"This is so exciting! Just think of all the little horror stories that go on in other people's lives!"

What a terrific vehicle for Divine. What a brilliant continuation of the Dreamlanders' work. I certainly appreciated Pink Flamingos, even if it made me genuinely sick, and I understand why it's still seen as Waters' masterpiece, but to me, Female Trouble almost feels like a more complete, more precise, and more vicious variation of the earlier film. As a hit job on the sensibilities of good taste, its aim is deadly.

The film's look and sound is more polished and impressive than in Pink Flamingos, too, particularly Van Smith's astonishing costumes, Vincent Peranio's production design, and the horribly catchy theme song. The whole film feels like a fever dream, and it would be very easy to imagine this as a straight-up horror movie if there wasn't such a relentlessly funny rebellious spirit to it. Even still, the final act is genuinely disturbing. "Who wants to die for art?"

It's horrible. It's wonderful. It's kind of a masterpiece in its own sick way.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

08. Memories of Murder (dir. Bong Joon-ho, 2003; South Korea; 131 min.)

"What did he look like?" "Well... kind of plain." "In what way?" "Just... ordinary."

At the risk of saying something extremely obvious, Bong Joon-ho is a really great director, huh? Purely looking at how he manages to make Memories of Murder -- one bleak, bleak, bleak film -- both extremely funny and extremely upsetting and, in multiple sequences, genuinely frightening, it's clear that Bong is a generational talent. 

The cast is stacked (of course) -- Song Kang-ho holds the whole thing together beautifully, lending the final shot its gravitas, but he's flanked by the likes of Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roi-ha, Byun Hee-bong, and, most memorably, the chilling Park Hae-il.

It's just kind of a knockout on all levels, from that gorgeous golden hour cinematography at the beginning giving way to the muted grays of the procedural to the way Bong milks an overwhelming sense of dread out of something as mundane as a rainstorm.

Currently available to rent on demand.

09. The Long Goodbye (dir. Robert Altman, 1973; USA; 112 min.)

"It's okay with me."

A neo-noir crime thriller with the vibes of a 70s hangout movie, The Long Goodbye is everything you could ever want from a Robert Altman/Philip Marlowe movie: grimy, rambling, uncomfortable, and very funny in its own bone-dry way. The soundtrack consisting of just one song? Inspired.

Elliott Gould is the perfect center for the film, giving a wonderfully relaxed, effortlessly cool performance. Altman's naturalistic conversation style mixes beautifully with the genre's stylized dialogue (and every other character tells Gould how cute he is, and you know what? It's true!). Also, it's got one of the great movie cats.

I'm positive I missed some of the inner workings of it, but it washed over me like a wave at the beach, and I loved every bit of it.

Currently available to rent on demand.

10. Crooklyn (dir. Spike Lee, 1994; USA; 114 min.)

"Ladybug, you turned out pretty good considering you were raised in a house full of ashy, rusty-butt boys."

Maybe it's just how inundated we currently are with this subgenre -- Esteemed Filmmaker Reflects On Their Childhood, à la Belfast and The Fabelmans and Roma -- but I can't help but feel like Crooklyn would become something of an awards darling in 2024. Like the best of the subgenre's newer films, Spike Lee's look back isn't really about him. He's definitely there (or at least a spectacled Knicks-loving stand-in is), but Crooklyn is primarily about growing up from the perspective of his sister Joie -- or rather, her stand-in Troy.

It's also more generally about the dynamics of the family and, by extension, their neighborhood. In both regards -- as a portrait of Black girlhood in the early '70s and as a memory piece of a family on the precipice of a major turning point -- the film is a triumph. The cast is tremendous, from the parents played by Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo, to the miraculously well-cast group of kids. Their chemistry together is magical (and my God, they are all so cute -- the scene of them singing along to the Partridge Family is instantly iconic to me).

There are so many well-observed slice-of-life moments in the film: all of the scenes of the family spending time together, RuPaul(!) in the bodega, Aunt Song (a very good Frances Foster) singing Christian songs while Troy stares at her. And, because it's a Spike Lee joint, Crooklyn is a stylistic and technical achievement. It has one of the most audacious aspect ratio changes I've ever seen (and honestly, I'm not sure if it's successful, but I admire the swing!), plus one of the funniest uses of the floating dolly shot in any of Lee's movies.

A supremely lovely film.

Currently available to rent on demand.

Other films I loved (in alphabetical order): After Hours (dir. Martin Scorsese, 1985); Aguirre, the Wrath of God (dir. Werner Herzog, 1972); An Autumn Afternoon (dir. Yasujirō Ozu, 1962); The Bad News Bears (dir. Michael Ritchie, 1976); Baseball (dir. Ken Burns, 1994); Big Trouble in Little China (dir. John Carpenter, 1986); Blue Velvet (dir. David Lynch, 1986); Burn After Reading (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 2008); The Cassandra Cat (dir. Vojtěch Jasný, 1963); Eyes Wide Shut (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1999); Green Porno (dir. Isabella Rossellini, 2008); Heaven Can Wait (dir. Warren Beatty and Buck Henry, 1978); High Hopes (dir. Mike Leigh, 1988); History is Made at Night (dir. Frank Borzage, 1937); The Hunt for Red October (dir. John McTiernan, 1990); I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (dir. Patricia Rozema, 1987); The Insider (dir. Michael Mann, 1999); It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (dir. Stanley Kramer, 1963); Joy Street (dir. Suzan Pitt, 1995); La Haine (dir. Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995); La Roue (dir. Abel Gance, 1923); Leave Her to Heaven (dir. John M. Stahl, 1945); Love Letter (dir. Kinuyo Tanaka, 1953); Marnie (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1964); The Match Factory Girl (dir. Aki Kaurismäki, 1990); Miller's Crossing (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1990); Morning for the Osone Family (dir. Keisuke Kinoshita, 1946); Oslo, August 31st (dir. Joachim Trier, 2011); Querelle (dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982); Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World (dir. Shirley Clarke, 1963); RoboCop (dir. Paul Verhoeven, 1987); The Salesman (dir. Asghar Farhadi, 2016); Seconds (dir. John Frankenheimer, 1966); The Shop on Main Street (dir. Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, 1965); Simon of the Desert (dir. Luis Buñuel, 1965); Spellbound (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1945); The Thing (dir. John Carpenter, 1982); Tokyo Godfathers (dir. Satoshi Kon, 2003); Tokyo Olympiad (dir. Kon Ichikawa, 1965); Twister (dir. Jan de Bont, 1996); The Unknown (dir. Tod Browning, 1927); Walking (dir. Ryan Larkin, 1968); When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (dir. Mikio Naruse, 1960); Wooden Crosses (dir. Raymond Bernard, 1932)

And finally, some miscellaneous viewing stats:

First movie watched in 2024: The Cassandra Cat (dir. Vojtěch Jasný, 1963)

First movie seen in theaters in 2024: I Know Where I'm Going! (dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1945)

Final movie watched in 2024: Asteroid City (dir. Wes Anderson, 2023)

Final movie seen in theaters in 2024: Interstellar (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2014)

Least favorite movie: Viva Zapata! (dir. Elia Kazan, 1952)

Oldest movie: How a Mosquito Operates (dir. Winsor McCay, 1912)

Longest movie: La Roue (dir. Abel Gance, 1923 - 413 min.)

Shortest movie: Stellar (dir. Stan Brakhage, 1993 - 2 min.)

Month with the most viewings: February (54)

Month with the fewest viewings: October and November (7 each)

First movie from 2024 seen: Drive-Away Dolls (dir. Ethan Coen)

Total movies seen in theaters: 30 (including shorts)

Total movies: 246

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Hi! Given your experience working with marine mammals and intelligent views on cetacean captivity, I wanted to ponder the following. Here in the Netherlands is a cetacean (mostly porpoise) rescue organisation. After years of having no facilities, and having a 100% kill policy unless a porpoise could be returned straight away, they finally have a gorgeous rescue facility again.

Recently they announced the facility would be getting an outdoor expansion, featuring habitats emulating the Wadden Sea ecosystem. Providing both education about its inhabitants, as well as a place for late-stage rehab porpoises to spend their last weeks before release outside, in a larger habitat. And, in case an animal is non-releasable, provide an adequate space to hold them for while while next steps are being assessed.

The response was overwhelmingly negative. Most of their following is cetacean-smitten, but completely anti-cap (of the emotional, uninformed type). They all bristled at the idea that perhaps a few sharks and seals would be kept there "and then you'd be no better than a zoo!" (which is of course the worst thing to be). But mostly: the amount of people saying they would honestly rather see a non-releasable porpoise killed, because death is preferable to spending a single day in captivity ("because that is what I would want"), is frankly staggering. What do you say to these people??? A rescue facility is getting a beautiful outdoor expansion - GREAT! How can someone claim to love the animals so much when they would rather see them dead than in a situation that makes them personally uncomfortable? It just boggles my mind and frustrates me to no end.

Tl;dr: people want rescued porpoises dead because they might end up in captivity, and have you found an appropriate response to this ridiculous line of thinking?

Wow that's really amazing that the Netherlands is stepping up like that! It sounds like a great option for rehab and also to provide much needed education about porpoises to the public.

Honestly my response to those people is pretty much what you said: "Why do you want to see these animals dead just because it makes you personally unhappy to see them in human care?"

I think it's important to call out these comments as what they are: advocating for the death of animals. It's not noble, it's people projecting their own guilt complexes (of something they have no control) over onto animals.

And that is what a lot of anti captivity propaganda relies on - shame and guilt. That's what I remember when I was starting to allow myself to learn more about SeaWorld after being so convinced by Blackfish for a long time. I felt a hollow shame feeling in my chest as if being curious about how killer whales are trained was somehow wrong or bad.

Activist marketing (especially The Dolphin Project and anything from Naomi Rose, Lori Marino and Ingrid Visser) is about making you feel bad for even considering going to marine parks or learning more about cetaceans in human care. As if it would genuinely make a difference on things like Taiji or improve the lives of the animals in any way (it won't and it looks like it's only making things worse at this point)

A lot of these activists have massive egos and savior complexes that are fed by this sort of marketing. As if their snarky comment on Facebook is going to make a difference.

At the end of the day, they're people that have to make zero personal sacrifice (going to a marine park is not a hard thing to do for them) to feel a sense of moral superiority. And that's very reinforcing and feels good.

If you calmly give them the facts about cetacean welfare in human care and tell them exactly what they're advocating for (death or poor welfare)- it may not change their mind (because that's not how our brains work) but it may convince the people reading the comment thread.

[mcrcki]

here i come with another MASSIVE event plotting / starter call (this time with 20 characters bc i've lost control) !! before i get too much into event stuff, i just wanna put up some housekeeping things so i’m not just repeating myself over and over in the discord : i will be dropping almost all of my pre-event threads. meaning, i will only be keeping the thread if it is an active plot that needs to be continued because we aren’t at a place to infer the ending. i am just so utterly overwhelmed with my number of drafts that i really need to just start fresh with starting work again soon, so i’ll be using this as my chance to spam the heck out of y'all’s calls and get way more threads that i actually have muse for. i’m sorry if we had a thread you really wanted to continue, i just need a fresh start. now for housekeeping for my call, as always this will be capped. i wanna write with everyone but i can’t if i get a million requests from one person so!! the cap is three starters per writer!! BLIND DATES WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE CAP! i'm also capping this pretty low because i'll be doing memes too! otherwise, please LIKE for plotting messages, and REPLY for starters (pls specify muses unless previously discussed!!)!

in the meantime, if you wanna see what my clowns are wearing, please follow this link to my pinterest :))

alani tiure | star wars | date w. thanatos & zagreus ( 1 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : they're here with their partners, happy to have some people they actually like talking to and dancing with to be around. though, she does have a bit of a superiority complex and thinks that they're too good for this, they will be happy to check in on clients. tbh once you get a few drinks in them though, they'll be flirting and dancing with people who look lonely.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ charlie dalton ( hali )

beelzebub | helluva boss | flying solo ( 2 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : as the sin of gluttony and known for her parties back home, bee is living for this. though, she will be trying to get the dj to play some actual party music instead of just lame slow dances. they're fine and all, but when is the real party happening? will be down to get into some drunken shenanigans, flirt with some people, just get to know the city a little better in her preferred atmosphere.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ verosika mayday ( britt ), loona ( swan )

princess buttercup | princess bride | blind date w. vee delmonico ( 2 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : very excited for this party and for her blind date, honestly. she loves a good party, loves to dress up. she's looking forward to doing something to take her mind off all the strange things that have been happening, so catch her just trying to make friends with whoever wants to chat. she'll be dancing probably the whole night, but will take some time to wander around the museum when she needs a break.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ alex claremont-diaz ( aria ), laudna ( cassie )

charlie morningstar | hazbin hotel | flying solo ( 3 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : charlie is happy to have a distraction while hanging out with her friends. she's a little sad that she can't celebrate with vaggie, watching her girlfriend from afar during all this, just to make sure she's safe. she'll be doing that with all of her friends, really, just wanting to keep an eye on them while she explores the museum. will always talk your ear off, so apologies to anyone who gets stuck in her path.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ vaggie ( risa ) , rosie ( anna ), niffty ( swan )

daniela dimitrescu | resident evil | date w. myri tiure ( 3 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : solely came to this because myri looks hot dressed up. they are not exactly a gala person. and knowing how insane this city can get when everyone is in one room, she wasn't letting myri attend alone. they'll be keeping their eyes out for anything weird, but will also be open to some absolute chaos if you wanna do something, cause she really cannot help herself. a girl's gotta eat, right?

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date (for murder purposes)

starters ➛ henry creel ( alexis ), myri tiure ( moon ), ainsley whitly ( dee )

danika fendyr | crescent city | friend date w. fury axtar ( 2 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : they're very happy for some distraction from the absolute insanity they've been thrown into lately. will be tracking down some connections to get answers, but otherwise, she's going to be sticking close to their friends. they love a party and dancing, though ballroom dancing isn't exactly their vibe, they will be happy to drag you along to do shots with her at the bar.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ juniper andromeda ( moon ), fury axtar ( cheshire )

elain archeron | a court of thorns and roses | date w. lucien vanserra ( 0 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : despite the way things usually tend to go for the city when everyone is together, elain is choosing to ignore that in the effort to just have a good night with her husband. she wants to just enjoy herself, to dance and dress up.. she's been incredibly homesick lately, so this is helping her relax a little and just enjoy her time here. feel free to come up and dance, to wander around the museum with her, anything !!

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

katrina cardulo | fourth wing | flying solo ( 2 / 3 )

they/she pronouns : crash out city over here, they're mad as hell, want nothing to do with this fuck ass ball and just wants to go home. but like hell are they going to just leave imogen around all these people without keeping an eye on her. they might drag someone off into a dark corner, for reasons, but don't worry about that. you can most likely find them at the bar and they'll be happy to share a drink with you.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ roronoa zoro ( sunny ), mira sorrengail ( jodie )

kaya dura | star wars | flying solo ( 2 / 3 )

they/she pronouns : kaya is finally over their... situationship!! they are here to MOVE ON, to have fun and dance with whoever. they are incredibly awkward and don't really know how to do any of this, but she is going to be putting herself out there. if they're drunk and laughing at how ridiculous some of the art looks, either feel free to join in or mind your business.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ kriya dura ( kasey ), altair rigel ( mario )

leia organa | star wars | "blind" date w. han solo ( 3 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : so she rigged the blind date pool to assign her han as her date. sue her. what was she supposed to do? test her control by watching her husband flirt with some random woman all night? she has only just started training again, after shutting herself off from the force for nearly a year, she didn't want to risk it. she will be letting herself just have a little fun, drink some drinks and dance with her husband, even if she is just the president to him right now. if she gets a little too drunk well.. it's not her fault she's 4'11 and has the tolerance of a teenager.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ yennefer ( alexis ), winter celchu ( jodie ), han solo ( mario )

marley bishop | tvd | blind date w. mari perry ( 0 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : a blind date seemed fun and marley is still trying to get her footing here with adjusting to this time period and with everything going on with their family.. they are just happy to have some time to cut loose and will be enjoying all the offerings of the open bar and good dancing.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

molly | hazbin hotel | blind date w. lisa snart ( 2 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : molly isn't quite sure how to handle this place, and really just wants to fit in so she followed the crowd and signed up for a blind date. she's never gotten to just.. date before, so she's happy to have the opportunity. will be keeping an eye on her brother, but otherwise is just happy to try and make some friends!

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ archie kennedy ( salsa ), angel dust ( sunny )

omega archeron | star wars | date w. kirei monsula ( 1 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : here with her best friend, as friends, because they're suuuuper subtle about that!! anyways, omega will be here, fulfilling her role as senator archeron’s messy as hell kid, and drunk as shit nearly getting kicked out for shenanigans with the museum exhibits, and also perhaps drunkenly making out with their best friend kirei that they’ve been pining after for years.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ toph beifong ( sunny )

rosemary winters | resident evil | blind date w. willow rosenberg ( 4 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : my unaware child just out here trying to ignore all the people trying to convince them they know her, trying to convince her that the life she's leading is fake. she decided to sign up for the blind dates as a way to get away from all these random people and just meet someone new!! will be getting drunk and dancing and just enjoying pretending to be normal!!

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ emily fitch ( britt ), sayid jarrah ( salsa ), mouse honrada ( moon ), ethan winters ( dee )

sella palpatine | star wars | date w. allana solo ( 1 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : ONE NORMAL PARTY. LITERALLY ALL SHE ASKS FOR. she has a good feeling about this one, she got a new dress (finally not wearing pink wow who is she), and despite the family shake up, everyone seems to be doing.. okay. so sella will be forcing her girlfriend to just have fun and enjoy valentines day with her, even if it's a little late. if anyone needs a dancing partner, sella will also let you spin her :)) she is just here to get a little tipsy and enjoy all the love in the air

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ aequa claudius ( june )

sophie hatter | howl’s moving castle | date w. howl pendragon ( 3 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : once again, sophie has been dragged to one of these parties because their husband loves these things far more than she does. as long as they agreed to a babysitter, sophie agreed to come to this. they are not the biggest dancer, a bit too self conscious to put themselves out there like that, she doesn’t like drawing attention to herself. which is difficult when your husband is howl but.. will be focusing on enjoying the art more than anything, honestly.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ martha hatter ( risa ), rachel green ( atlas ), kell maresh ( cheshire )

sulpicia volturi | twilight | date w. aro volturi ( 5 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : okay, so going with her husband after a certain reveal probably isn't her best idea, but she wasn't going to let aro go with some other person, memories or not. she will be trying to just enjoy the night, talking her sisters down from murdering her mate for one more night. they could at least wait until it's somewhere less.. public. will be looking to chat with people, though. she does enjoy getting to meet new people now that she's out in the world.

potential plots ➛ drinking (not alcohol) || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ carlisle cullen ( annie ), phoenix volturi ( atlas ), carmilla karnstein ( salsa ), aro volturi ( dee ), didyme volturi ( mario )

vesta starkos | star wars | blind date w. shauna shipman ( 2 / 3 )

she/they pronouns : vesta is a fan of blind dates, she likes flirting with people and dancing a little. sure, they're a brat but they like to have fun!! if you want to do some chaotic things with the museum, she's your girl. if not, then she'll definitely be dancing with people, not just their date. happy to have a little party vibe even if they love to be chaotic.

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ zash baen ( alexis ), rain ( atlas )

victoria sutherland | twilight | date w. james witherdale ( 2 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : vic will never pass up an opportunity to dress sexy and dance on her mate, she has absolutely zero shame and does not care who is watching them. she also loves to use these events as a perfect little hunting ground. vic will probably be upset that it’s not turning into a nightmare but, she can make it a nightmare if she really gets that bored. until then? she will be annoyingly hanging all over her mate all night, they just went through hell so she will be extra annoying about it this time..

potential plots ➛ drinking (not alcohol) || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date (for a drink ;) )

starters ➛ james witherdale ( kasey ), heidi volturi ( swan )

violet sorrengail | fourth wing | date w. xaden riorson ( 2 / 3 )

she/her pronouns : the past year has been hell!!! and violet would like to savor the few moments of normalcy that comes with these parties. she and xaden are in a better place, trying to heal from everything that's happened and she will be trying to keep her dragons from burning him, and also dodging glares from her friends that don't remember her. if they disappear early... don't look for them. they just want to be a normal couple in their early twenties !!!

potential plots ➛ drinking || dancing || looking around the museum || general chatting || anti social food/bar behavior || attempting an escape || flirting || chaotic shenanigans || stealing your date

starters ➛ fen riorson ( jodie ), xaden riorson ( kasey )

[reverieshifts]

𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊 𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚

𝒔𝒄𝒊-𝒇𝒊 𝒅𝒓

𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚

The velari are an elusive and breathtakingly beautiful humanoid species native to the moon-world of Thalurei—a bioluminescent paradise of reflective terrain, glowing flora, and whispering atmospheric tides. Described by outsiders as "living starlight", velari possess a quiet grace and an ethereal presence that feels more dream than reality.

𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅

Height: Velari are generally taller than humans, with most individuals ranging between 5'5 and 6'5, though those from high-altitude clades or grav-adaptive lineages may reach slightly taller extremes. Their height contributes to their otherworldly presence, accentuated by their flowing movement and long proportions.

Body Type: Long-limbed, delicately muscled, and inherently elegant, Velari bodies are engineered by nature for agility, balance, and spatial harmony rather than brute force. Their musculature is lean, with subtle definition that flows along the body’s natural lines—more akin to that of dancers than soldiers. Every motion, even at rest, appears intentional.

Reflexes: Possessing a finely tuned nervous system—partially due to the secondary neural lumen node—Velari have reaction times far superior to most humanoid species. Their reflexes are both instinctive and fluid, allowing them to adjust movement with uncanny precision even mid-step or mid-air. In combat or during evasive maneuvers, they can shift weight, pivot, or dodge with split-second grace.

Environmental Adaptability: In high gravity or intense pressure environments, their lightweight skeletal structure and flexible joints adapt surprisingly well, though prolonged exposure can cause fatigue. In low-gravity or vacuum conditions, however, they are in their element—able to function with intuitive orientation and minimal external stabilization. Their bodies almost remember how to move without resistance.

𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏

the shimmer looks kinda like this

Coloration: Velari skin ranges from luminous pale ivory with a faint opalescent sheen to rich midnight indigo that mirrors a star-streaked sky. Intermediate shades are common—soft lavender-grays, silver-blues, and dusky violets that shift subtly under different lighting conditions. The undertones often reflect lineage and region of origin, with some clades known for their cool blue hues and others for warm stardust glows.

Texture: Smooth and silken to the touch, velari skin is finer than human skin, with a faint, powder-soft feel. A barely visible shimmer lies just beneath the surface, catching light like fine stardust scattered across their bodies. The shimmer is not uniform, often concentrating along the cheekbones, collarbones, and forearms where movement and expression are most frequent.

Wounds and Scars: Velari heal more rapidly than humans due to advanced cellular regeneration aided by trace iridesium in their blood. While most minor wounds vanish without a trace, deeper injuries may leave faint, silvery scars that shimmer like fine crystal threads under the skin. These scars are neither hidden nor stigmatized—instead, they are seen as echoes of resilience, occasionally braided into personal history or ritual markings.

Bioluminescence: Emotional states cause soft, glowing light to ripple beneath the skin in complex, genetically unique patterns—swirls, stripes, or branching arcs that flow along natural lines of motion like the ribs, spine, collarbones, thighs, and arms. These luminous patterns are usually invisible when dormant, but can flare to full brilliance during heightened emotional states—joy, fear, grief, arousal, rage. The exact configuration is entirely individual, similar to a fingerprint, and can be used to identify velari.

While most velari can consciously dim or veil their glow, strong emotions may override control. Young or untrained individuals may display flickering, pulsing, or even strobing light—especially during trauma, bonding, or conflict. In close companionship, it’s common to memorize a loved one’s lumin pattern the way others might memorize a face.

𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔

starborn eyes would look a little more like the middle picture with the glittery iris, but it would be more pronounced

Shape: Large, almond-shaped, and delicately angled, velari eyes possess a natural reflectivity that enhances their depth and presence. The sclera is often tinged with a faint pearlescence, adding to their otherworldly gaze.

Color: Shades of blue, violet, and silver dominate, often with soft gradients or layered hues that shift subtly based on emotional state or ambient lighting. This shifting is most noticeable during heightened emotions—intense joy, sorrow, or fear can cause their irises to pulse with light or briefly change tone.

Night Vision: Velari possess superior night vision, capable of seeing in near-total darkness due to a reflective tapetum lucidum layer behind their irises (similar to felines). Their eyes may emit a faint glint when struck by low light, leading some offworlders to describe them as “starry-eyed phantoms.”

Rare Trait: A small percentage are born with “starborn eyes”—irises flecked with silvery or opal-like specks that shimmer and refract like distant galaxies. These eyes are considered a sign of rarity or fate, and individuals who bear them are often mythologized, admired, or quietly feared depending on context.

Effect: Velari eyes are naturally mesmerizing. Many non-velari find prolonged eye contact hypnotic—not through any telepathic effect, but due to their depth, symmetry, and quiet intensity. Depending on context, this can feel profoundly beautiful… or deeply unsettling, like staring into something ancient and vast.

𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓

Texture: Silken and lightweight, velari hair drapes like liquid light, with strands so fine they almost appear weightless in motion. Despite its softness, it resists tangling, and even in turbulent environments, tends to fall back into graceful alignment.

Color: Typically white or silvery-pale, with subtle undertones of lavender, pale blue, or platinum that shift slightly depending on ambient lighting. These undertones are not dyed but are a natural trait—unique to each individual and often inherited through clade lineage.

Glow: Under certain frequencies of UV or starlight, Velari hair may appear to faintly glow or catch the light in a halo-like effect. This shimmer intensifies during moments of emotional significance, often reflecting bioluminescent cues from their skin in complementary tones. In dim environments, their hair can resemble soft starlight trailing behind them—an unintentional, breathtaking phenomenon that many offworlders mistake for intentional ornamentation.

𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔

Ears: Gracefully elongated and pointed, akin to elven features in mythologies. Tips are often slightly translucent under direct light, catching ambient glow like thin crystal. Velari ears possess subtle muscular control, allowing for small, expressive movements that reflect emotional states. 

Fangs: Velari have slightly elongated upper canines that taper to delicate points. These small fangs are evolutionary remnants from a more predatory stage in their history, now used more for display, emphasis, or intimidation than actual function.

Overall Appearance: Velari faces are strikingly symmetrical, with softly angular bone structure that walks the line between graceful and inhuman. High cheekbones and long lashes give them an ethereal allure, and their skin’s shimmer and eye's reflectivity only add to the effect. Most have little to no body hair beyond their scalp, lashes, and brows, enhancing their polished, statuesque aesthetic.

Their features are so refined that many offworlders initially assume Velari are bioengineered synthetics or high-caste artificial beings, particularly due to their poise, visual symmetry, and uncanny stillness. The longer one observes, the clearer it becomes that this beauty is not mechanical—but something deeper, elemental. Something shaped by gravity, silence, and starlight.

𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍

Structure: Long, flexible, and prehensile, the velari tail extends gracefully from the base of the spine, tapering into a pale, expressive tip. When walking, it typically sways just above the ground, maintaining an elegant arc. The tail is covered in skin like the rest of the body, but the tone is noticeably lighter—almost pure white—and the shimmer across its surface is far more pronounced, giving it the appearance of stardust woven through moonlight. At the end of the tail is a large tuft of white fur, visually similar to their silken hair but softer to the touch.

Use: The tail plays a vital role in balance and stabilization, especially in low-gravity or zero-G environments, where it aids in midair correction and momentum control. It is also used in climbing, coiling, and spatial navigation, with enough strength to briefly support nearly the entire body weight.

Muscle Coordination: Exceptionally dexterous and strong, the tail is capable of independent movement and fine motor control—able to grasp, carry, or even wield small tools.

Touch Sensitivity: Densely innervated, the tail is highly sensitive to texture, pressure, and temperature. It is often used for subtle, instinctive communication among velari—coiling around limbs in affection, flicking in irritation, or brushing against companions in reassurance.

𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚

Blood Composition: Velari blood carries trace amounts of iridesium, a native crystalline mineral from Thalurei’s crust. This substance aids in temperature regulation and cellular healing, and may explain their increased healing rate and cooler body temperature. It also gives their blood a faint shimmer in certain lighting—subtle, but visible when exposed.

Neural Structure: Velari possess a dual-core neural system: a primary brain and a secondary neural cluster located near the upper spine, often referred to as the lumen node. This grants them exceptional reflexes and spatial awareness. The lumen node also plays a role in their emotional bioluminescent response and, in rare cases, resonant abilities.

Immune System: Their immune response is largely proactive rather than reactive. Velari immune cells have adaptive memory coding that can “learn” and “record” pathogens encountered across planetary environments. While not invincible, they are remarkably resistant to most known human and off-world illnesses—but are vulnerable to certain synthetic toxins and metals, particularly those that interfere with bioelectric regulation (like copper or lead composites).

Respiration: Velari lungs are adapted to Thalurei’s oxygen-thin, atmosphere-rich in trace gases. They possess a dual-lobed system with micro-filament alveoli that maximize gas exchange, allowing efficient breathing in low-oxygen environments. In high-oxygen environments, they require less frequent breathing and can hold their breath far longer than humans.

Heart and Circulatory Adaptation: Their hearts pump more efficiently in both low and high G, aided by a secondary, smaller pulse node that maintains stable blood flow in microgravity. This helps prevent dizziness or disorientation in shifting environments.

Bone Composition: Reinforced with a semi-flexible crystalline mineral unique to Thalurei. This structure is lightweight yet resilient, granting protection from high-impact forces and ideal adaptability to low- and zero-G environments.

Joint Flexibility: Velari possess double-jointed articulation in major joints (shoulders, hips, wrists), allowing for fluid, contortionist-level motion. This can appear unsettling to humans during combat or evasive maneuvers.

Metabolism: Velari have a slow-burning, energy-efficient metabolism. Their bodies require less food than a human’s, but they favor nutrient-dense, bioluminescent flora from their homeworld. 

Body Temperature Regulation: Velari do not sweat like humans. Instead, their skin subtly radiates excess heat through luminescent dispersal. In cold, their inner shimmer dulls slightly as energy is conserved and redirected.

𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒔

Vocal Cords: Velari possess dual sets of vocal cords—one primary and one secondary (vestigial in some), which can harmonize or dissonate in layered tones. This allows them to sing or speak in simultaneous overlapping pitches, producing hauntingly beautiful or unsettling effects depending on context.

Finger Structure: Velari fingers are noticeably longer and more slender than human fingers, with additional joint flexibility that allows them to bend and rotate with remarkable precision.

Natural Scent: Velari emit a faint natural fragrance, often described as a blend of cool ozone, night-blooming flowers, and something faintly mineral—like starlight on stone. It's subtle, but often soothing or slightly intoxicating to other species.

Temperature: They tend to run slightly cooler than humans, which is noticeable during close contact.

𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂

Ok, so it's kinda scary to post about this, because when I created this dr, I DEFINATELY was not planning on posting about it, but here I am anyways. And because of that, a lot of this dr is tailored to me specifically. Especially in the fact that, like I've mentioned many times before, I like to over-script. So there is SO MUCH information on everything, that in order to post about this dr, I'm gonna have to cut some of it down to keep the posts from getting too long. Also, for these posts I'm probably gonna end up just copying and pasting sections from my script, so a lot of it will probably end up being in bullet points because that's just how I like to script. And almost all posts on this dr will be long as hell so prepare for that.

Anywas, like I said, I wasn't able to fit everything in here (not by a longshot), so I'll probably do a few more posts on the velari pretty soon, like about their culture, their bioluminescence (and how to decipher what it means), and what a resonant is and the abilities that go along with it. And maybe something on their language if anyone wants to see that.

Also I'm not sure if I'm happy with the header images or the dividers, so I might edit this later and change them, but it works for now.

@aprilshiftz @lalalian