#(which is...I mean that's not ideal because I have never once successfully written anything while drunk and I am ostensibly

[musical-chick-13]

Just realized I don't know what the effects of my Condition™ meds interacting with alcohol are, oh well, guess we're going to find out!

[fantasyfantasygames]

Circles of Heaven

Circles of Heaven, Eustace Selden, 1998

Circles of Heaven (CoH) started off as a hard rebound against the Satanic Panic - by an evangelical kid. The goal was to make an RPG that would be considered holy. This... did not happen.

The author did his first writing when he was 14, which beats me by a year. Unlike me, he was raised in... well, a cult. The first version of CoH was about playing angels, but it was also full of proto-quiverfull eschatological heaven-justifies-the-means propaganda. By the time he was 17, his friends had successfully pulled him out of the cult and gotten him living with distant relatives in Tacoma. The author's changing worldview, the evolving music scene, some bootleg anime, and suggestions from the same friends - seriously, this friend group is fantastic - led to a major revision of the game. It was published locally in 1998, printed by a local shop and driven around to game stores and bookstores until they found some that would sell it.

Chargen is mostly random. You pick your Nobility and Corpus. Nobility is your rank, which doesn't let you order each other around but does apply to certain creatures. For example, Archdukes can give orders to insects; a Prince or Princess of Heaven can give orders to mammals (except humans). You get some alliterative skills related to your type of creature - Archdukes get bonuses to Clandestine, Collective, and Contaminate.

Corpus is your body, and I think it's a particularly fun part of the game. Characters in CoH are angels. They're not traditional biblical angels, because the bible is secretly the work of Satan - full of half-truths more dangerous than outright lies. Instead, they're inspired by the weirdest of monsters: adlets, nuckelavee, ouroboros, futakuchi-onna, penanggalan, and a several others. You are both a human being and your monster self at the same time. You can do things that either form could do, or even things that would need both a monster and a human in the same place at the same time, and it doesn't have to make sense to see.

You roll for your Hunt (the kind of people you're here on Earth to help or punish, gives skill bonuses), your Time (the hour each day where you have extra-special powers), your Vision (how you think the world could be made ideal, gives you more skill bonuses), and your Ruling Virtues. Oh, and your attributes. Those are done on a 5-15 scale generated from a d100 table. I did say this game was written in the early 90s.

You also roll for your equipment. Not boring mortal stuff, but for a wide variety of sacred items that you hold in potentia near you and can manifest at need. Shields of fire. Shadow citadels that can hide you overnight. Flocks of stained-glass butterflies that provide cover and distracting fascination. Daybreak, the mace made of pure sunlight. Nullblades that wield themselves and absorb bullets and magic alike. Fatehook, a crochet hook that can re-knot the fabric of the world - slow to use but flexible and devastating.

The system is mediocre. It's basically a heavily-stripped-down Rolemaster, with no critical hits or spell lists. If you can't come up with anything from Rolemaster that isn't the critical hits table, you're not alone. CoH's system sort of slid into my brain and slid right back out without making an impression.

The place the game is really lacking is art. Most of it is from early otaku who loved anime but had never taken an art class. The best of it turned out to be traced from manga. The cover was a black-and-white ouroboros on a white background, which, while still not particularly well-drawn, was at least striking on the shelf.

Eustace eventually moved on. In an interview in 2012 he said that writing the game was a cathartic experience for him, helping him understand where he came from and embrace where he was going. Once it was out, he didn't feel the need to keep writing. I hope he finds a creative spark again some day - I think a shorter version (with better art) would fit well with games like Mörk Borg and Songbirds.

[elpercotreviews]

My Anime 9/10′s

With probably no spoilers cuz I don’t wanna talk too long about them zzz.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist

YALL ALREADY KNOW THIS A 9/10. The only real reason this show is not a 10/10 is because it’s just a story that I’d never rewatch. There’s like 70 episodes, which is way too long for my short attention span, especially since I’ve seen it already. But yeah, by all accounts, this story is a masterpiece and is one of the only “shounen” anime’s that I genuinely enjoyed. No random sexualization. No dumb filler. All the characters have an actual purpose and role in the plot and everyone has their own morals and ideals that interact to make the story interesting. I couldn’t bring myself to really hate anyone, even the villains, because everyone was pretty well written. Also super satisfying ending that ties up everything properly without leaving me confused or upset. If you only watch a few anime in your life, Fullmetal Alchemist is pretty much a MUST WATCH to see a beautiful example of a modern classic anime as an artform. Also I should say that I really don’t like Hunter x Hunter (AN EXTREMELY CONTROVERSIAL OPINION BTW) but I love Fullmetal Alchemist so take from that what you will.

2. Parasyte: The Maxim

Same kinda shit where you already know this a 9/10 for me. It’s just a very satisfying anime that doesn’t have random sexualization or random filler or anything like that. Ending is also very good and ties up the story in a way that doesn’t leave more questions but also allows the characters to have a “life” outside of the scope of the story. I think Parasyte, because of its more horror and psychological-esque vibes, counts as a seinen and not a shounen, so for more mature audiences. I also really liked how the story was successfully adapted to modern times since the manga is from the 80′s. I have actually rewatched this anime, but what stops me from giving it a 10/10 is a few things that I found kinda “stereotypical” that I don’t wanna discuss further too much cuz it’s spoilers. I still obviously really like this anime and highly recommend it.

3. Zankyou no Terror

TBH, this anime is pretty hard for me to properly describe in a lot of words as to why I like it. The art was really pretty as well as the music, which was just straight up amazing. The cinematography of this anime is excellent as well, and a lot of scenes have that sense of being acted out by real people, as opposed to feeling completely drawn/animated. I was a teenager when this anime came out and I think a lot of the themes presented in the show really related to me. The show does kinda have some leftover questions when it ends that prevents me from rating it a 10/10, but I have such a soft spot for this anime. It’s from the same creator as Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop, and although those two animes are also very good, they did not impact me as much as this anime did. Recommended for people looking for idk something that gives off Inception vibes?? In the sense that it’s much more about its themes and its message more so than the believability of the events that occur.

4. Magic Kaito 1412

THIS IS JUST A PERSONAL PREFERENCE BTW LOLOL I DON’T KNOW ANYBODY WHO’D PUT THIS AS A 9/10 ANIME. I JUST REALLY LIKED IT OKAY. It’s made by the same person who does Detective Conan but I like this a lot more because it’s a much shorter series and slightly more mature (more for teens than just straight up kids). I really liked the main guy, I think he’s funny and charismatic. He’s a pervert at times but Imma forgive that cuz of the 90′s. Idk it’s just a really fun anime that I don’t have to take seriously and can just watch and enjoy.

5. Mob Psycho 100 (season 1 AND 2)

Imma put season two as slightly better than season one. So season one would be like a 9 and season two is like a 9.25 for me. Super super funny anime and I like it SO much more than One Punch Man. I liked that there was a good balance of serious moments, but you can definitely still count this anime as a comedy. I’m typically not the type to watch “comedy” but this anime genuinely had me laughing out loud, while also crying and freaking out right alongside the main character. The main guy is super great because he’s just this shy and sweet middle schooler, and it’s really interesting watching him balance trynna have a normal life while also using his powers for good and such. Apparently the anime was decently faithful to the manga and there’s apparently enough material for a third season so I’d be pretty stoked for a season 3, but season 2 ended on a pretty good spot and was satisfying. TBH, if I had the time, I’d probably rewatch both seasons and bump it up to a 10/10.

6. Vinland Saga

This anime is just the first season of what I hopes to be a whole series that will be stay beautifully and faithfully adapted from the manga. As someone who read very far into the manga (but quit like years ago simply because I hate slow updates lol), I actually didn’t enjoy watching the anime at first. I was impatient and kept waiting for when like the “major” events would happen. So I watched like three episodes and quit. But when I had some free time, I decided to get stuck in and commit to watching the whole series and I was so pleasantly surprised with just how good it was. I was impatient but I needed to realize that there is no “filler” or like “wasted time” in the entire anime. I hadn’t read the manga in years, so so many things were only vaguely familiar but I think this helped me stay surprised and excited throughout the anime. I’m looking forward to the rest of the manga being adapted because it’s just a good Viking saga lolol. Major themes of stuff like growing up, violence vs. peace, what it means to be a good person, etc. Lots of blood and LOTS of violence like a LOT they are VIKINGS CMON but tbh not really any gore which I liked cuz gore makes me ughhhh. A very good watch and only a taste of an excellent story.

7. Demon Slayer

It’s just Demon Slayer duhhh. Of course this a 9/10 for me. I don’t wanna write much just cuz the show is so popular. Just read a REAL review of this anime somewhere else lmaoooo. Also yes I did watch the movie in theaters and yes I liked it a lot as well mmkay. I’m mad hype for season two. My S/O doesn’t like Demon Slayer as much as me, but also has Hunter x Hunter as their all time favorite anime. Do with that information what you will lolol.

8. Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

Same shit as Demon Slayer. Just go read someone else’s review about why it’s so good lol. Also, unlike Mob Psycho 100, I can’t include all of the seasons in this, because I have very various opinions about how good/bad the other seasons were. But this season 3 part 2, was just plain and simply amazing. While I might not like each season equally, as a whole Attack on Titan is also a modern masterpiece of storytelling. Read the manga if you can.

9. Great Pretender

I love this anime so much. Such a good and fun wild ride. The whole show is ridiculous but in a fun way. I’m a HUGE fan of heist films, so of course I absolutely enjoyed a heist anime. I’ve watched this show in sub AND dub, due to the fact that everyone is “technically” speaking English the entire time. If you’re a purist, just watch in sub OR dub cuz I did get confused here and there, especially when I would go back to compare language discrepancies.  Because basically I did this super high maintenance thing where I switched back to Japanese whenever the main character had flashbacks, since he’s ya know, Japanese. The dub also has this confusing thing where the first five minutes or so are still in Japanese, but switches to English when a little cue card on the screen goes “For the Viewers sake, everything from now on will be translated to Japanese.” It’s cuz in the sub, the inverse obviously happens where the characters are initially speaking broken English to each other, but for convenience sake, everything from that point on will be in Japanese. It’s confusing at first but I liked it cuz it just proved the whole international vibe of the show. It’s funny either sub or dub when they joke about how bad the main guy speaks English, cuz in the dub he’s speaking perfect English, while the sub has him not speaking English at all. But anyway, great anime that WOULD have gotten a 10/10 if not for the last episode. Like without spoiling ... WTF WAS THAT LMAOOOO. The anime as a whole is super wacky and zany but at least I could try to think it’s real life, but that last episode was just so unbelievable and bizarre and pulled my suspension of disbelief into the STRATOSPHERE that I just had to convince myself that this show takes place in some improbable alternate reality where something like what happened in the last episode is at least 5 percent possible CUZ HOW DID ANY OF THAT WORK LMAOOO??? Once again, great show, one of my absolute favorites, BUT THAT ENDING THOUGH WTF.

10. BNA

Good super underrated anime that I don’t hear people talk about at all. If Beastars is anime Zootopia, then BNA is Disney Beastars lmaooo does that make sense? It’s a lot more fun and zany than Beastars and I liked it way more. Made by the same people who made Kill la Kill. I really like that more classic, animated “cheap” art style that the anime has, and I also really liked the plot of the story. Not a 10/10 cuz the show does leave a few unanswered questions at the end of it, but this show was such a fun and interesting ride. When I finished the last episode, I was left with a big smile on my face because I just genuinely enjoyed this anime. Recommended if you wanna watch something a little unique and more on the silly and wack side. Talks about some serious stuff, but luckily the show never takes itself TOO seriously, and remains overall lighthearted for a fun action/sci-fi show.

[poisonedlovedarling]

My MLP Gen 5 movie review and hope for the future.

SPOILER WARNING!!!! Lol...

If you haven't seen the MLP Gen 5 movie please do so, and not just because there are spoilers ahead.

First off I can't tell you how much I love this movie. It's well made and written, the music is catchy, and the story speaks to the viewers without being preachy. Each character is relatable and loveable.

The movie was adorable, well animated and the voice actors amazing. Above all the animation was so amazing it alone carried the story where it sometimes faltered. The story was a bit generic and the plot twists weren't exactly hard to see coming. Yet it was thoughtful and each expression of each pony was carefully thought out. From the main 5 characters each having their very own mannerisms to unforgettable facial expressions.

I think they successfully brought MLP back by not only adding a male character who isn't toxic, i.e. Hitch. But by adding a girl character that isn't super feminine but also doesn't shy away from cute stuff, i.e. Zipp. A character whose love for flying is so pure it shines as bright as a rainbow.

This brings me to the characters and what I hope to see happen to each of them. As well as what Element of harmony I think each represents.

Starting with my fav and now spirit animal, Zipp!

Anyone who knows me knows I adore Rarity. She was always my fav, but I really identify with Zipp. This is amazing because my preconceptions going into this movie were that Zipp was going to be a Rainbow Dash copy, and she isn't!

We were comparing her to Rainbow dash, not only the cool style she has and her love of flying but honestly. Between Rainbow and Zipp, I like Zipp better because she's not like Rainbow. My favorite moments with Rainbow in OG series were when she wasn't all about flying, but instead, the episodes about her love of a book series were my favorite things about her.

Sure Rainbow loved flying, obnoxiously so at times which was her character. A confidant sometimes snarky character, and we love her for it. But Zipp, Zipp didn't grow up flying. Her love for it is almost pure compared to Rainbow's love.

Zipp had to learn other ways to glide, or imitate flying. Zipps pure joy at suddenly being able to fly is adorable. However with her character. I could see her spending days never touching the ground just because she'd be afraid she'd never get up again.

Zipp has insecurities that Rainbow doesn't have, and it's mostly because of how she was raised in the castle. Hiding the fact that she can't fly that she had to use wire. Her mother loved her but Zipp always comes second best to her sister. Rainbow didn't have that Rainbow was raised flying and told how good she was, that helped make her the confidant person she was.

In fact Zipps mother showed her love to her sister more than for Zipp. Who honestly seems fine with that because her joy in life is flying. Though it be nice to see in the future a mother daughter bonding about how she wants to be treated a bit better by her mother. To be listened to and not shut down. Like she had been in the movie.

Zipp knows everything about flying as shown on her calk board in the movie. Rainbow never really had that spark of passion. Zipp is more insecure in herself, so basically Zipp isn't Rainbow and I love her.

Now as for where her story may lead. The Wonderbolts! We know them we love them and Rainbow was one of them.

Zipp only knows about Wonderbolts from a photo and probably some of the history she's been told. In fact, I could see her wanting to be one just not in the same way Rainbow did. Rainbow wanted to be one to prove she was the best. Zipp doesn't have that kind of view.

Mostly because they don't exist anymore. They more than likely were disbanded or rebranded when no one could fly. I could see Zipp having a mission to start the team up herself, not because of the status or the idea that Wonderbolts are the best of the best. She'd more than likely start it make friends all in an effort to share the love of flying with everyone. I doubt all ponies who can fly will try to fly. Whether out of fear or lack of confidence in themselves. I can see Zipp using the Wonderbolts as a jumping-off point to help show what wonders the sky holds for ponies. To share her spark with them.

I hope they don't shoehorn her into just a pony that is a girl but doesn't like frills. I feel like Zipp isn't the holder of the element of Loyalty like Rainbow, but instead, she's honesty. She hated lying to people sure she'd never abandoned her new friends but she knows the value of honesty and the distrust lying can bring to a kingdom when the truth is revealed.

***

Now for our second Pony, we have the pony I think could be any of the elements of harmony but more than likely is the element of Loyalty. The ever-adorable Izzy who at first we thought would just be a mash of Rarity meets Pinky, to make up for the fact that there are only 5 mane characters. Her cutie mark being something crafty and her personality being very bubbly.

Honestly, she is adorable and you can't help but love her. If Zipp wasn't so amazing Izzy would be my fav. Although Izzy may have looked like she was going to be a fashionista or party pony. She was far from what we expected and we love her for being her own pony.

Her recycling is an amazing idea, being a crafty pony and making fun things. Is such a great idea and sets her far apart from the fashion ponies and party ponies. She is a loveable goof who is helpful without being pushy. Her pure joy in making things for friends is what we love about her.

In comparison, Rarity loved the praise her fashions got, a perfect dress for every pony, and to make them all shine was her goal. Pinky wanted to put smiles on people's faces with parties and jokes, she wanted to bring joy to every pony.

Izzy just wants to make friends and share her stuff with said friends. I could see her setting up a shop, she could sell her friendship stuff like the bracelets. But I think her joy in life will come more from sharing special moments with a small group that with love her for her. In all her shiny sparkle ways. I see her more like a pony who will start a business that will allow ponies to make their own memories rather than sell pieces already made.

Izzy is a ball of sparkles that I hope doesn't become a character that's just there for the giggles. I can see her being the element of Loyalty because once you're her friend you'll mean more to her than anything in the world.

***

Now we all love a good strong non-toxic character, big mac is a good example of this. Hitch is another. He's strong confident and yet kind in his own way. He is the ideal male character. Someone who will be the voice of reason without making others feel bad. He is compared to Fluttershy in most ways because of the animals and I do agree that he more than likely will be the holder of the element of kindness. Yet he isn't Fluttershy.

I think the fact that he loves every living thing and wants them to live happily and as equals, why he'll be the elements holder.

Hitch unlike Fluttershy isn't an animal caretaker, but a protector. He has a stronger voice than Fluttershy, he won't back down from a challenge if it means protecting anyone or any creature that is under his care. He is a welcome addition to the pony cast. Giving the little boys who love ponies a pony that isn't a girl, but also isn't just a background character.

Sure the stereotype of the Sherriff being a male pony is a little, overdone. Yet Hitch is a kind person who only wants to help and protect and he does things even if he knows may not look cool because it make a friend happy. Like the scene where he does the secret hand shake with Sunny. You just can't help but love Hitch and hope he isn't to be the only male in this group for the entire show. Perhaps getting a male friend probably a unicorn or another creature like a dragon to balance the main cast.

I hope in the future we get to see just how he protects not just his friends but every pony without being aggressive but by being kind. Showing people like Sprout that there is away to help without overdoing it or forcing it.

***

Then there is Princess Pipp who I think is the holder to element of generosity. She is a girly girl but also speaks to the Gen that she is aimed for. Always on social media and on her phone. She's a soft jab at how the real world is in a way. Sure she could be compared to Rarity, but her love for music and phone sets her apart. I can see her story being about who to make the world better. Showing how the effect of love and humor can altered those around her.

We know Zipp is next in line for the throne, so what does the future hold for Pipp. Perhaps a career in music or something about how no matter how famous and rich she becomes it doesn't help with her sense of completion. How her close friends are where she'll find true happiness while helping others find that same sense of belonging. Will she help those around her by giving them what they not just want but what they need. Weather they know what that was or not. That's what I hope to see in her story.

The good and the bad, the outcome of just handing people something like fame or a big break. Learning the lesson that you can fail at what you don't want and might as well take a chance at what you love. I can't wait to see what they do for our new princess.

***

Sunny...what to say about Sunny? First she's not Twilight, in any way shape of form. Sure she got an alicorn body at the end of the movie, but that doesn't make her a princess. She is a good example of the fact that this isn't gen 4.

On the subject of her new horn and wings. I doubt she'll keep that form. I wouldn't mind if she did because it's cute but it also doesn't seem fully deserved. Sure she brought magic back, but she played no more a bigger part than Izzy. If anything Izzy played a bigger part. Izzy ventured out while Sunny only took the time to change her corner of the world. Sure I love Sunny her story is amazing but I feel like she needs more fleshing out. Like the world she leaves us with so many unanswered questions.

Sure I love that she was an activist and protester, she went about trying to spread love without really being pushy. Which is nice she was amazing and you can't help but love her. Yet she seems too naïve, her gaining the abilities of someone equal to Twilight seems a bit much. In fact the only element of harmony I wouldn't give Sunny is, magic.

She's funny but the element of Laughter isn't her goal. She wants everyone to be happy but laughter isn't what she's after...lol...She's kind but Hitch is more suited for that element, just like Loyalty is Izzy.

Sure Sunny would never leave a friend behind, and Loyalty is rather close to being the element for her but she also understands after years of bullying that not everyone is her friend.

As for generosity, she isn't exactly someone to just hand things to people without thinking. She'd happily give someone a cupcake but I doubt no matter what would happen she'd never hand over her note book or father necklace to just anyone because it make them happy. As for honesty she lied to Hitch her friend without remorse, enough said about that.

Now that leaves only magic, sure her pure hope for friendship and to find a place among her kind is likely to be equal to magic. I don't think the element suits her. I think if anything Sunny is the seventh element the lost element of harmony.

The element of Acceptance.

(Also seen in MLP Equestira girls being Sunset shimmer.)

I think in the future I want to see Sunny spend her time uniting the world, making friends and helping everyone learn the new world that she has set in motion. How she will show the world that their is a value in friendship. I also hope she seeks out the truth about the past and answer the many questions movie gave us.

(Sorry for the long pose... But why don't you tell me what you think in the comments. What would you like to see in the upcoming show and what element you think each character might be.)

[lettrespromises]

> LettresPromises informs you : You have one notification.

💌.anon sent a letter:

❝hi there!:) do you think that i can request a headcannon with nishinoya and akaashi(separated) and how they would react when they find out the reader can sing? i’m sorry if i requested incorrectly!❞

💌.the author’s letter:

❝dear anon,

thank you for both requesting correctly and for trusting me with that wonderful idea of yours— i hope these letter will meet your expectations. take care of yourself!

sealed with a kiss,

nikki.❞

> Akaashi Keiji sent you a letter, would you like to read it?

I do believe that Akaashi has some sense of connection to arts whether it’s literature, music or paintings. He just appreciates various forms of arts as it matches his calm nature and he seeks comfort in art whenever he wants to take a mental break from school and relax.

So, naturally, Akaashi entertains a certain liking for music in particular. He also likes to create links between the emotions weighing on his heart and the musics he’s bound to choose. For instance, his musical genre of predilection when he’s studying is either classical music or lofi music. He just believes that studying whilst listening to music with lyrics will distract him from the dull alignements of sentences inked in his textbook.

It’s one of these moments— when Akaashi is at your place studying with you because you’re a firm believer that group studying motivates you as you’re under Akaashi’s watch. On the other one hand, Keiji doesn’t miss this chance to spend time with you, even if you’re studying.

You just can’t seem to concentrate, Akaashi does regularly use music to focus as his memory offers him the ability to remember things better when he associates informations to sounds but you unfortunately don’t share that.

So you’re just staring at the ceiling, hoping that in a way or another, you will miraculously be able to retain all the information at once.

Spoiler : it never works.

Akaashi, on the other one hand, is living his best life— the lofi music is echoing in the room, he can feel your presence, he has the sentiment that he’s actually remembering what’s on his notes, he even smiles at himself for doing so.

So eventually, you just decide to leave your bedroom with the excuse of saying that you’re going to take a break and have a snack but truthfully, you know you can’t stay in there any longer and need a distraction from this. 

As soon as you reach the kitchen and take a mug whilst the water is boiling, you hum to yourself the lyrics of a song you heard on the radio while your fingers tap the surface of the counter to set a tempo. 

You don’t know why this song in particular, it probably has the ideal rhythm to be stuck in your head subconsciously. 

But soon enough, as the boiling machine rivals the level of sound of your hums, you take it a bit further and apply more pressure on your vocal cords and find yourself actually singing in the middle of your kitchen. 

The words leave your lips in a magical manner, as if they were dripping in honey, and the soft sounds of your fingers tapping against the counter and the spoon hitting your mug give you the perfect musical set to continue.

Eventually, you become lost in harmony and continue doing so as you pour the scorching hot water in your mug as the bag of tea infuse and colors the transparent liquid. 

And you reach the extent where you become so lost that you don’t even hear the steps hitting the steps of the stairs, one must admit that your voice is covering the noise.

 Akaashi stops for a moment, truthfully, he wanted to come down to check on you and perhaps to give himself a little break as well as a form of guilty pleasure. But his orbs grow a gleam in their irises which reflects all the love he has for you and he’s wondering if you can feel how much he loves you just from that stare alone. 

He doesn’t dare to interrupt you, he just wants to bask in your glory and soak in the beauty of this instant as he finds his eardrums being blessed by your voice sent from heaven. He finds himself using his palm to rest is head on whilst his forelimb is laying on the ramp of the stairs to enjoy even further the moment.

But oh, as you turn around to put the assortment of teas right where it belonged, your eyes widen in surprise and the melody leaving your lips fades to allow the appearance of a sound of surprise instead. The grip. on the assortment tightens, the tip of your fingers turn white due to the pressure, it’s the sole way you found to evacuate how shameful you were.

“Why did you stop singing all of a sudden, love? I thought you sang beautifully.” Akaashi states and you could tell truth predominated his tone, he tilts his head ever so slightly to the side to emphasize his interrogation. 

“Keiji, um-... You weren’t exactly supposed to hear all of this.” You stutter and the words almost die on your lips due to how embarrassed you’re feeling and the rosy tone coloring your cheeks emphasizes that.

“I don’t see anything to feel ashamed of.” He continues as he’s reducing the space between the two of you ever so calmly not to startle you because you look like a deer caught in the headlights. “You have the sound of an angel, has anyone ever told you that?” Akaashi concludes his sentence with a smile, but you don’t fail to miss the genuine love showing through the corner of his smile.

You mirror the same smile in return but felt obligated to hide your face, now burnt by the compliments, in Akaashi’s chest. He considers each time he manages to successfully fluster you as a secret victory.

Akaashi lets his fingertips run through the roots of your hair and delivers a soft peck upon the crown of your hair, it was so light, you thought you had missed it for a second. 

“Will you sing for me more often, love? Call me selfish, but I just can’t get enough of your voice.” He asks as he is kissing his interrogation into your skin, and you just hum against his chest in response.

And ever since that day, Akaashi stopped listening to classical or lofi music, he only swears by your voice to study.

> Nishinoya Yuu sent you a letter, would you like to read it?

Now, now, this one is... Less calm than Akaashi.

Out of the two of you, he’s always the one who’s singing his lungs out until reaching the limits of his vocals cords: you can’t count the days where you had to nurse him by showering him in honey and warm milk to soothe his martyr of a throat.

Nishinoya will and can sing anywhere : training, in the hallways of school, at Tanaka’s place, in the shower. His... singing talents know no limit and he feels like he has the duty to share his “talents” with the rest of the world to make this world a better place.

You, on the other one hand, feel a bit more reserved to sing in front of him and always find the excuse that you don’t want to outshine his vocal abilities, something Noya will first pout at then grin in satisfaction. 

(He knows he’s a star, it’s just a matter of time until he sells out concert venues.)

So picture this— you’re coming back from practice with Noya, and like every Friday nights, the tradition states that the both of you spend the night together and watch movies while snacking and cuddling, a dreamy program, right?

And like every Friday night, you always take your shower before the movie starts because, deep down, you know you’re bound to pass out as you reach the first half of the movie (and Noya has to carry you back to your room, every, single, time.)

Anyone can agree on the fact that taking a shower equals being alone in the world and pure serenity enveloping you. In other words, the shower is the best stage you could have asked for to reveal your talents in singing. 

Your fingertips brush the tip of the shampoo bottle before firmly grasping it, and magically, the plain shampoo bottle turnt into the most sophisticate of microphones. 

And thus the concert begins, it’s a medley of all your favorite songs and the purity of your voice embraces perfectly the lyrics as they flow freely out of your mouth, as if you had written the songs yourself. 

Your grip tightens on the shampoo bottle until your fingertips turn white, but the passion running through this pseudo microphone echoes to the passion coursing through your vocal cords as you apply specific attention to match the higher tones of certain notes.

However, high notes, especially when they come from a room where the sound is muffled by the sound of the water hitting the tiles, may or may not sound like a scream of distress to a certain someone... 

... And by a certain someone, I mean none other than Nishinoya.

The latter slams the door open, the fantasy of being the brave knight in shiny armor and help his significant other is vivid in his head and truthfully, it added more fuel to the motivation of his deeds.

“Babe? I heard you screaming! Are you alr-...!” Noya trails off before being mesmerized by the sound of your voice enveloping his eardrums in pure bliss. 

But, that’s when you scream in surprise.

So Nishinoya also screams back in surprise. 

“Noya?! What are you doing here? I’m clearly taking a shower!” 

“You were screaming and I thought you hurt yourself or something so I came to check up on you, my beautiful significant other for whom I worship the floor you walk on!” 

“I was not screaming, I was singing!” And that’s how you threw yourself to the wolves, you secretly thanked the presence of the shower curtain to hide your embarrassment and the growing blush on your cheeks which was certainly not due to the heat of the water.

“Alright then! You take your shower and I’ll sit here while listening to the voices of the angels.” 

“Noya, you’re too much...”

And that’s how you spent the rest of your evening by organizing karaokes in the living room, and throwing aside the usual movie night, singing your lungs out until you both reached exhaustion. 

Needless to say, Noya was upset you hid this from him, but now he’s so glad he has a singing buddy.

[81scorp]

21 tips for writing humor

 This was not written by me. It was written and uploaded to deviantart  Jan 13, 2017 by DesdemonaDeBlake.

All credit goes to her. I just copied and pasted it here.

There are many theories as to the nature, science, and reason for humor. It's an element of human behavior that seems objective in the skill that is required to execute it successfully, and yet just as subjective for how unpredictably it can hit every individual audience member. Today, I'm going to talk about the various forms that humor takes, and give you some tips for making your humorous story a success. To start with, lets look at what I will call the “five scales of comedy”. (Please note that the following is not intended as definitive list of the only sources and scales of humor in the world, only the ones that I have been able to identify within my own life, time, limited understanding, and culture. Also note that I will use the word “Humor” instead of the word “Comedy,” simply because I do not want this discussion on genres to be confused for the type of story that is opposite of Tragedy.)

The Five Scales of Comedy

A story or other source of humor can usually be found along the lines of five different scales. These are: High Humor vs Low Humor, Sweet Humor vs Acidic Humor, Distanced Humor vs Close Humor, Predatory Humor vs Reflective Humor, and Clever vs Ridiculous Humor. These scales stand apart from the sub-genres of humor (dark, slapstick, dry, etc...), and have to do with how the humor affects the audience. Note that there is no “best” type of humor; there is only humor that works in different ways and which impacts different sorts of people. So wherever you find your story in the scales, know that there is no need to change it unless you want to. Also, the names of the scales are just that—names. Just because your story falls into the category of “low” humor, doesn't mean that it is any less valuable than “high” humor.

Range 1: High Humor

Within the range of High vs Low humor, what we are discussing is the how large an audience we are trying to reach. High humor involves jokes and comical situations that are only understood by a very select group of people. An example might be a comedy series that focuses its humor on the experience of working in a corporate office (like … The Office), or perhaps political commentary. These are only funny to those people who have shared the experience or the political knowledge of the person generating the humor. Basically, the higher the humor, the more the entire set-up begins to resemble an inside joke. This type of humor is excellent for gaining the interest of select demographics who you may want to address. For example, if you only want to talk to nerds (I say non-insultingly because I am one and am proud of it), you might have lots of references to science fiction and fantasy.

Range 1: Low Humor

On the opposite side of the range, you have Low Humor. Low Humor deals with topics, jokes, and situations that are more universal to the human experience. An easy example of this is a fart joke. Everyone in the world farts, and most people are in touch enough with their inner child to think that it is funny if the joke is skillfully set up. Again, there is nothing wrong with low humor; and in certain situations it is even preferable. The lower your humor, the larger your potential audience can be. Other examples of low humor might be family life, slapstick, and situational comedy based on everyday experience. Shows like Spongebob Squarepants, for example, involve such a low degree of comedy that people of all ages, demographics, and locations across the world are able to find delight in it.  

 Range 2: Sweet Humor

The next range of humor, Sweet vs Acidic, deals with the intensity of the humor itself. Sweet Humor involves jokes, situations, and characters that require less pain and cynicism to appreciate. For example, a story that involves simple characters bumbling around, making mistakes, overcoming, and becoming better people for it would generally fall into the range of Sweet. We don't laugh at their misfortune (or if we do, its lighthearted and with limited consequences, like slipping on a banana peel), we laugh because their situations are joyfully amusing.  

An example of this are the sort of jokes and humor found in Youtube “Lets Plays,” like those of Markiplier and Jacksepticeye. We don't laugh because of anything bad happening to these people (or the characters that they play); we laugh because they are eccentric, silly, and joyful in a way that also makes us feel joyful. This form of humor can be tremendously encouraging and uplifting to the types of readers who enjoy it.

Range 2: Acidic Humor

On the other hand, we have Acidic humor. Much like with food, most people have strong preferences and limits to how acidic (spicy, sour, or bitter) they like their humor. Acidic humor deals with laughing at topics that are increasingly serious or even tragic, such as death, illness, social injustice, etc... A popular example of acidic humor is South Park. Those of us who enjoy acidic humor will find ourselves laughing at topics that would otherwise likely bring us to tears. The power of acidic humor is that it helps its appreciators to cope with the difficult truths of life, and also to acknowledge problems that we are otherwise tempted to ignore because they are too hard to think about.  

An example of an issue addressed in South Park is the elderly, their treatment, and our fear that we will face the same. Sure, when we watch an episode we laugh when the younger characters mistreat and abuse the elderly in the community. However, a conscientious viewer will then begin the chew on the issue, once the episode is over. We'll look at our own actions, and begin to wonder if our treatment of the elderly is just as bad. Because of the acidic humor, these difficult truths come to the forefront of our minds, we gain the courage to actually think about them, and we can even bring them up in discussion with others. This discussion can then lead to people changing the world for the better.

Range 3: Distanced Humor  

This range has to deal with the necessary emotional distance we need in order to be able to appreciate a certain level of humor. Even with lighthearted humor like slapstick, which has very low acidity, the audience needs to be distanced in order to laugh. For example, if I watch Bugs Bunny wallop Elmer Fudd on the head with a mallet, it's generally pretty damn funny. I know that these characters are both flat cartoons with limited depth to their character, and that as non-beings they don't really feel pain. Therefore, I don't have empathy to Elmer's pain (because it is really non-existent), and I can laugh. However, if the show were to show me Elmer's life, how he's been a vegan but famine has caused him to need to find meat to feed his family, and how he struggles to even shoot at a rabbit because it makes him feel like he's betraying himself; then I'm not going to laugh if Bugs hit him with a hammer. I'm too close, and need emotional distance in order for my empathy to not get in the way of my humor.

Range 3: Close Humor

We do not need distance in order to find something funny. With close humor, the jokes and situations actually rely on how well we know the characters and how much we empathize with them. An example of Close Humor is Scrubs. In the show actually find ourselves within the mind of the protagonist, JD, and seeing the entire world through his eyes. He tells us about his insecurities, his genuine pain, his fears, and we actually really care about him as a character. Yet, we find humor in his minor misfortunes and even in his silly victories. The closeness of our perspective amplifies the events that happen in his life in a way that distanced humor cannot achieve. For example, when he stutters and says something embarrassing in front of someone he idolizes, we find ourselves giggling. If Elmer Fudd were to stutter in front of someone he idolized, we wouldn't laugh nearly so hard because we can't possibly understand the stakes of the moment or why meeting this person is so important to him. We need to be close to a character for Close Humor to work.

Range 4: Predatory Humor

With the range of Predatory Humor vs Reflective humor, we are discussing who will be the “butt” or target of the joke. (Note that a joke does not necessarily need a butt, as we will discuss later.) While often used in a negative way, in order to bully and shame others, predatory humor is not a bad thing in and of itself. Predatory humor can be used to tackle and harm negative constructs and ideas in our society. For example, Fairly Odd Parents used to frequently attack neglectful and abusive parenting. Note that the while Timmy's (the protagonist of the show) Parents were frequently the butt of jokes, they were also not the real target (just like parents in general were not the target). The targets were their selfish and non-reflective actions that had damaging effects on their son. We can use predatory humor to attack ideas, and point out the evils that are so often overlooked in society. The trick is to always keep vigilance of your own mind, actions, and motives to makes sure that you do not become a bully who targets the people themselves. Because even if someone acts in an evil way, bullying them will never cause that to change.

Range 4: Reflective Humor

On the other side of this range we have Reflective Humor, which serves to make fun of itself. Again using South Park as an example, the creators would often make their own beliefs and ideals the target of their ridicule. For example, it's fairly clear that the show speaks in favor of LGBT rights and for their being accepted as equals in society. However, they also go as far as to mock people who are so over-enthusiastic and pro-LGBT (to the point of hypocrisy). Another example is when the show begins to teach a moral lesson, the writers will often make fun of themselves through the character of Kyle for being so preachy. The effect of the show making fun of itself is two-fold. First, those of us whose beliefs South Park mocks feel like the show is being fair. Thus, we continue to listen to and respect the views of the creators, even if we don't always agree. Second, we trust the messages of a story more when it has the integrity to point out its own failings. Note that unlike with other scales, Reflective and Predatory Humor can actually be interwoven so that a joke or story makes fun of itself just as much as its target.

Range 5: Clever Humor

The last range of humor that we'll discuss is that of Clever vs Ridiculous. This range is fairly self-explanatory, but the core of its nature is what sort of punchline is delivered at the end of a humorous situation. Clever humor takes the audience expectation and amplifies or twists it to an unexpected place. You can see this in the work of comedians such as Louis CK and Demetri Martin. Martin, for example, has a humorous bit about doorways that say “Exit Only.” The joke then involves his compulsive desire to tell store workers that they underestimate the potential of those doors by about 50%. The delivery of the punchline is true and logical, but it such a way that it humorously exceeds audience expectation.

Range 5: Ridiculous Humor

Opposite of Clever Humor, we have ridiculous humor. This is when the punchline of a humorous situation is so absurd that we can't help but laugh. And example of this is the Spongebob Squarepants episode where he and Squidward get lost while delivering a pizza. They become lost in the wilderness and spend the episode becoming more and more so. Then, right at the end, Spongebob exclaims that they are saved because he's found a big beautiful boulder, the likes of which the pioneers used to ride for miles. And, to make matters even more ridiculous, the boulder works—driving just like a car. We find humor because the punchline is simply so grandiosely absurd that we can't help but enjoy it. Note that both Clever and Ridiculous humor require a great amount of skill and thought to pull off successfully, it's just a matter of your preference and your target audience.  

The Five Sources of Humor

Once we identify what type of humor we are employing by using the scales, the next thing to consider is what makes our stories funny. This is something of a challenge, because we don't generally put much thought into why humor makes us feel the way it does. The humor either hits or misses, and we laugh or we don't. Making matters even more complicated is that there are so many theories as to why and how humor works—with everyone from Aristotle to Freud interjecting an opinion. But if we look at the particular sorts of things that make people laugh, we can improve how we use humor in our stories.

Source 1: Misfortune  

Whether a cartoon character is slipping on a banana peel, or a character in a romantic comedy finds themselves in an embarrassing situation, the misfortune of others seems to be the most popular form of humor. This is why slapstick and funny home videos have been so prevalent in modern humor. Plato and Aristotle seemed to believe that this was because such humor made the audience feel superior to the characters being ridiculed (Superiority Theory). This seems especially true when we see unlikable characters (like the villain in a children's cartoon) experience misfortune in a comical way.  

Though Superiority Theory has its place, I would assert that there is an alternative way that people enjoy misfortune. Perhaps the experience of slipping on a banana peel or being in an embarrassing situation is funny because of our own memories of experiencing the same thing or something similar. Freud and others theorized that humor was a release of energy (Relief Theory). Maybe our camaraderie with the character, mixed with emotional distance from the scene we are watching, creates a safe space to release our own stored feelings of pain or embarrassment. Thus laughter really does become a healing force.

Source 2: Absurdity

In his essay “The Myth of Sisyphus”, Albert Camus defines and explains the absurd.

“It's absurd” means “It's impossible” but also “It's contradictory.” If I see a man armed with only a sword attack a group of machine guns, I shall consider his act to be absurd. But it is so solely by virtue of the disproportion between his interaction and the reality he will encounter. […] Likewise we shall deem a verdict absurd when we contrast it with the verdict the facts apparently dictated. (29)

Though Camus is not talking about humor (rather the existentialist question), I think that the absurd is a source of humor. Audiences are often entertained by the absurdity of a situation. And by looking at Camus' explanation, we can hypothesize that this form of humor comes from the disproportionate contrast of action and situation. An example of this might be one of the last battle-scenes in Braveheart. In this scene, victory looks unlikely, the dramatic tension is high, and it seems to be the most serious moment imaginable. Then, upon being signaled, the protagonist's soldiers pull up their kilts and reveal their bare asses to the enemy. It's so unexpected and so absurd, that many people cannot help but to keel over laughing.

This scene is completely disproportionate to what we would expect to see in this dramatic a moment. The action does not suit the situation, but in a strange way it also kind of does—with the action juxtaposing itself against the situation. Perhaps, just like with misfortune, absurd humor creates a needed release of energy, connected to our own sense of existentialist absurdism. The absurd could then serve to release our feelings of despair in a positive light. The show, Rick and Morty, seems to be built on this connection between absurd humor blended with existentialism and nihilism. Of course, this is just a theory. What you'll want to focus on when writing absurd humor is the relationship of your characters' actions to the situations that they find themselves in. Are they lost in the desert? Have them climb a boulder and ride it home. The stronger the contrast between action and situation, the higher you'll make the potential for absurdity.

Source 3: Wit

Wit is the essence of Clever Humor; its the pithy intelligence that makes us laugh because of all the thought put into a situation. When we hear a witty joke or are part of a witty situation, we find ourselves moving in a forward humorous momentum, instead of the backwards and diagonal momentum of the absurd. But we don't stop at the expected location. For example my mother called me a few months ago, asking me if I was going to wish my brother a happy birthday. The expected response for this sort of set-up/situation is to answer “Yes” or “No”. But I went forward and beyond “No” by asking why she wanted me to congratulate my brother for being one year closer to death (I have an acidic sense of humor sometimes). This reply was much more thoughtful than what my mother expected, and pointlessly taken beyond the realm of reason. Therefore, she found it funny.

Perhaps there is an element of the absurd in any given amount of witty humor. It's as if we are taking extra steps to be as intelligent and rational as possible—ending with us standing somewhere close to the absurd. Using Camus' illustration of absurdity, the soldier with a sword wouldn't necessarily attack the machine guns, but instead go home, refusing to sacrifice his life to be a metaphor. You can see this sort of humor in Youtube series such as How it Should Have Ended. In this series, animators take a closer look at popular movies and then make efforts to enforce logic in worlds and characters that didn't have them. This includes having Severus Snape use his time-travel gizmo to go back in time and kill Voldemort before he became a problem—an action that is so logical that it erases the need for any of the Harry Potter stories to even happen. So when you create witty humor, look to take things beyond the realm of expectation—aiming for the absurdly reasonable.

Source 4: Anti-humor  

Anti-humor is when something is so unfunny that it becomes funny, sort of like puns. As we find delight in the absurd and the unexpected, humor and jokes can begin to feel predictable. We begin to look for the solution in jokes, and we're usually smart enough to begin to be able to predict it. In this case, the expected becomes surprising. An example is the classic: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.” If you haven't heard it before, this anti-humor joke is actually kind of funny. A great example of this are the great collection anti-jokes found online.  

You can take anti-jokes to the next level using extremely acidic humor. This is where you take serious, grievous, or tragic topics and use them as the punchline for your joke. For example, a joke about a fatal illness is not funny because the person making the joke finds that topic amusing (otherwise that person needs some counseling). A joke about fatal illness can be funny to some people for the exact opposite reason—because of how dark and unfunny it is. Again, I believe this ties into a release of negative energy while in a safe space, and the processing of difficult emotions. If you plan to use the extreme form of anti-humor, please note that many people have very legitimate reasons for not enjoying it. So be careful, and give your audience some sort of forewarning so that you do not spring something so emotionally charged on them without their consent.

Source 5: Familiarity and Value

When I was taking university writing classes, I had an extremely eccentric professor who had all sorts of mannerisms that were unique to him. In the moments when he was particularly eccentric and acting out of his true nature (which he was quite comfortable with), I would find myself laughing, even if the situation wasn't funny. I think others can relate to this, as we all love to talk about fun people that we used to know, and find ourselves laughing even when what we are remembering isn't particularly funny. We laugh because those people acting happily out of their own nature gave us joy, and so anything they do creates a laughter that feels akin to humor.  

This mirth through familiarity can be accomplished in stories as well. In Bob's Burgers, for example, we really don't even begin to understand the humor until we develop an attachment and feelings for each individual character. Sure the situations are mildly amusing, but true laughter and humor doesn't begin until we know the characters, their likes, their dislikes, and who they are deep down inside. Once we know that, we laugh as each character acts out of their nature. When we see Louise (one of the protagonists) act with mischievous intent, we laugh even before we know what she's doing because we are happy that she is about to act out of who she really is. Note that this is a rather difficult sort of humor to pull off because you have to create a relationship between the characters and the audience before the humor will be possible.

General Tips for Humor

Tip 1: Create a patterned and uniform blend of humor for your story.

When you choose what sort of humor you plan to use in your story, the best way of maintaining audience enjoyment is to keep it constant. Just like when we watch a stand-up comedian, we begin to develop a taste and sense of expectation for whatever we are watching or reading. Over time, your audience will begin to really appreciate the flavor of your humor, and that appreciation will make your jokes increasingly funny (so long as they are creative and continue to be intelligently crafted). The pattern will also make all of your jokes seem, feel, and become purposeful. Your audience will enjoy this much more than if you seem like you are desperately trying to milk the humor from anything you can get your hands on (you perv).  

I recommend you begin by analyzing the origins of humor in your story's world. Is the world simply absurd, with unseen gods of chaos just dropping coconuts on people's heads for pure amusement? Does the humor come from a specific character? A group of funny people living in a serious world that they must learn to cope with through humor? A funny narrator with a unique perspective on life? Once you figure out the origins, determine where your humor will fit on the scales (it doesn't have to be on any extreme, you can stay in the middle of the scales and still be hilarious); and then figure out the source.

Tip 2: Create a genuine story with genuine characters, in order for humor to gain the most power.

If we value stories in terms of how much people enjoy and remember them, the best humor stories are those with good plots and characters. This may seem counter-intuitive when your intent is to make your audience laugh, but think of it this way. If an audience wants just concentrated jokes, they will read a joke-book. Your audience is choosing to dredge through the murky waters of story in order to find the humor with more difficulty because they want a blend of story and humor.  

An example of this is the movie,“Austin Powers.” Many people, myself included, watched these movies before we ever watched the James Bond movies that they were making fun of. And we enjoyed them greatly, and laughed the entire way through. Why? Because the characters and story, ridiculous as they were, were good enough that we actually invested our interest and emotions into them. As an added bonus, the story has become timeless and respected in its own right. Even if we face a future where nobody knows who James Bond is, the Austin Powers movies will be able to stand on their own merit because they are more than just jokes.  

Tip 3: Be careful about dating yourself.

Speaking of parody and humor losing its ability to be funny, let's talk about references that date our stories. Humor at the expense of popular culture (movies, politicians, celebrities) is a fun ploy of high-humor. It's especially useful for nighttime comedy shows that will be lost to time anyways, within a couple years. When you are writing a novel, however, you are trying to create something that will last a bit longer than that. Additionally, novels take a lot longer to write than an episode of a late night comedy show. This means that by the time you publish and people begin to discover your book, they may not know who the vapid pop star you're making fun of is. Your humor will be lost to time, and your book quite possibly forgotten. Of course, I'm not telling you that you can't use this sort of humor, just that you should be aware of the risks it holds.

Tip 4: Mark every line that is supposed to be funny, and make sure that it is.

Nothing detracts from a story or from a spirit of jovial humor so much as an obvious joke that falls flat. It's like watching an acrobatics show. If the acrobat falls on their face too many times you'll either be embarrassed for them or you'll empathize and start worrying for their safety. Either way, you won't find the situation amusing. In your own personal copy of the manuscript, mark every joke for analysis of whether it actually succeeds and whether it serves to empower the story. Then, ask your editors, test-readers, and writing partner to circle every point that they genuinely found funny. Be sure to pick test-readers who fall into the niche you are writing for, as well as those who do not. If nobody but you marked a specific joke, then you need to either get feedback for how to make it funnier, or else cut it.

Tip 5: Write within your own expertise and authority.

This does not mean that you can't laugh at things, and poke fun at things that are outside your realm of expertise, so long as you have done your research. But consider the power of an insider making a joke about something that you are a part of vs an outsider doing the same. It would be like the difference between me calling most writers narcissists (as I am one, and know that it is pretty true in most instances) and a politician making a joke and calling writers narcissists. I mean, what right does that asshole have to judge us, even if it is true? The point is that your jokes gain power when you can tell them with the confidence of an insider. Not only that, but your audience who is a part of the group at the butt of the joke, will be much more gracious and feel far less attacked when the joke comes from one of their own.  

Tip 6: Humor is personal  

Humor is something that is highly individual to specific groups and people. For example, I do not understand, nor am I really able to appreciate most British or Spanish comedies. This is not because they aren't funny; they are just as valid and hilarious as every form of comedy that I do enjoy. The reason is simply that because of either how I was raised, my life experiences or because of who I am by nature, I can't enjoy them any more than I can enjoy olives on my pizza (seriously, I hate them). It doesn't matter how artfully these types of humor are composed, there is simply no effect akin to joy, amusement, or laughter when I come across them. In other words, the problem is me and not them.  

All this is to make three points. First, it may be more difficult to find test-readers and worthwhile criticism for humorous work. Even if I'm really good at critiquing stories, I will not be able to give you any helpful feedback if your humor doesn't match with mine. And that isn't your fault any more than it's my fault. It's just a difference in taste. Second, humor is as personal and close to the heart as any other story or craft. When you create a joke, you are channeling whatever emotions and mixes of experiences have led you to the type of humor you have. So recognize the emotional bond between yourself and your humor.  

The third piece of advice is for those on the other end of the spectrum, those experiencing the humor of others and perhaps trying to give advice. Please recognize that others' sense of humor is just as valid as yours. Whether their sense of humor is simple, complex, dry, witty, dark, acidic, sweet, or anything in between, it is their sense of humor and not yours. Be careful in how you voice any attempts at criticism, as there are few ways to break your friends' trust and confidence as completely as when you tell them, “That's not funny.” You might as well be telling them that their heart sucks, and they are a sucky person.  

Instead, acknowledge the differences in people's humor, value it even if that humor makes you uncomfortable, and voice your criticisms accordingly. Try: “This joke wasn't successful with me, and might be perceived as racist/bullying/insensitive to some readers; so seek other feedback to see if it's just me.” You will voicing just as honest an opinion, without formulating a direct attack against the person who has trusted you with something so delicate to them.  

Weekly Recommended Watching: Doraleous and Associates by Hank and Jed. (A free animated fantasy Youtube series that manages to successfully mesh several humor types with an over-arching plot. Examine how even there are plot elements that are serious and even sad, the series maintains its humor through well-balanced distance and wit. And if this form of humor does not amuse you, that is perfectly valid and your own unique sense of humor is still a valuable thing.)

[bigskydreaming]

I saw you're old post on JayKyle and like I had a quick question: Ignoring that Jason's love life is embarrassingly bad, do you ever think that he'd might swallow his pride and go to Dick for advice? Because Jason focused on revenge for so long, his social skills (especially when romance is involved) are a little rusty when he's trying to be honest, and he would remember Dick being in a relationship before he died and stuff (also what advice do you think Dick would give to him?)

Absolutely.

See, this is one of those things where I think its key to remember that these characters - no matter how well established or fleshed out they might be - are ultimately still just fictional characters. The choices they make will never be anything other than the choices they’re assigned to make by the writer.

Which means that ultimately, execution always matters more in individual character choices than premise.

Because people are complicated, and good characters are too. People do contradictory things, they do inexplicable things, there’s very rarely anything where there’s just NO situation that could result in characters doing a certain thing. And so yeah, in premise, as I’ve talked about “oh Dick goes around killing people without a care in the world”.....not really plausible. Doesn’t really fit his character. But in execution, “the murderer of Dick’s brother taunts him with his brother’s death and Dick kills him”....not only plausible, it happened and was completely in character.

There’s very very little that can’t be done with just about any character....but you gotta do the math. Put the work in to explain WHY its not out of character, what about THIS specific scenario and execution of character choices and actions adds up to something that’s believable....even if nine out of ten times, it wouldn’t be, just on the surface. 

To bring all this back to your question....I think its not really an issue of WOULD Jason ever go to Dick for romantic advice, but rather....could a case be made for Jason plausibly ever going to Dick for romantic advice.

And before getting into that, I wanna raise a question of my own:

If not Dick....who WOULD Jason ever go to for romantic advice? Bruce? Not likely, just as like, even if they are on good terms at the time, how often do people usually go to their parents for romantic advice as their first choice...especially if that parent doesn’t exactly have much in the way of longterm relationships themselves? Alfred? Ditto - Alfred’s like Jason’s grandfather, and do you usually think “oh, I’ll go ask Grandpa” when thinking hey who is the best person to ask for dating advice? Especially when you’ve never seen them in a relationship either? 

Or how about Tim.....is it really at all MORE likely for someone like Jason to go to a YOUNGER sibling for romantic advice than an older one, even IF we were to ignore (as fandom usually does) that its actually Tim that Jason’s canon issues most commonly crop up with, rather than Dick the way fanon likes to invert that just to enable The Jason and Tim Show? (Sorry, letting my bitterness leak in there, lol, I’m just never not gonna be annoyed that so many fics handwave away the literal bad blood between Jason and Tim - which hey, everyone’s more than welcome to do, especially in the name of family unity - but WHILE at the exact same time inventing bad blood between Dick and Jason where it literally didn’t exist, just to have DISHARMONY in the family, but that’s specifically the fault of one person and one person only, that Dick. But where was I...)

I mean, that basically leaves Babs, which again, you certainly can go with, but the reality is they were never all that close in canon, and if Dick and Jason didn’t have a ton of in-canon bonding moments, he and Babs had even less, so again....

The question is: Given that Jason is mostly associated with just the Batfam, particularly pre-Reboot (and with his Reboot associations usually as often BEING his romantic counterparts as being someone he might feasibly go to for advice with romantic counterparts)....

Who else, other than Dick, really even EXISTS as a MORE plausible option for Jason to go to for dating tips?

(With again, the reality being that just as you can make a case for Dick being someone Jason goes to, you CAN make a case for him going to others.....with the point here being just that there’s really no one else out there that’s somehow MORE plausible for him to turn to here, and thus no reason Dick should be seen as a particularly IMplausible option here).

Whereas, if you strip away the fanon interference between Dick and Jason having any kind of decent sibling relationship, certain actual canon truths start to become more evident....

Like the fact that Jason was excited, in canon, to be Robin SPECIFICALLY. Not Robin as in Batman’s partner, but Robin as in ROBIN. Jason, contrary to popular opinion, looked up to Dick. He respected the older man. He was HONORED to walk in his shoes. Its why despite the machismo he’s usually written with, he never once in canon (okay at least pre-Reboot) talked shit about the Robin costume or wanted to change it. Its why in all of his ACTUAL canon interactions with Dick, he clearly wanted to impress him. He valued Dick’s opinion and insights. He always has.

Or the fact that compared to the relative lack of longterm relationships among the other significant figures in Jason’s life, pre his death, Dick was in a happy, committed relationship with Kory for the literal entire time Jason was Robin and knew him. Like, despite the fanon that Dick is a disaster in relationships, or that he’s had a billion of them, or that they always end because he doesn’t know how to actually be in one....none of this could be further from the truth, all his relationships end as much due to external plot wtf-ery as having ANYTHING to do with his inability to handle intimacy or romantic entanglements, and he’s literally the one and only major figure in Jason’s life that Jason can look at and cite memories of seeing him actually SUCCESSFULLY in a happy romantic relationship....which is again, something you tend to look for in a person you ask for romantic advice.

And so on along similar lines, with the point being....this, like so much else to do with Dick and Jason’s dynamic and even just Jason’s character individually.....is actually FAR more plausible than kneejerk fanon or fanfic impressions I think would make it out to be....and in fact, this is a far more plausible dynamic to exist between Jason and Dick in specific, than Jason and anyone else. Like, I really don’t know who else you would have him turn to for this specific issue, without having to invent the reasoning for that wholesale, having to put even MORE work into making credible than just building upon the idea that Jason goes to his older brother for advice in this department (even if he only does so with a lot of reluctance and awkwardness and “you better not laugh about this” threats, like......again, its all about the execution, and I’m not saying Jason would be GRACEFUL about going to Dick for help here, just that there’s waaaaaaaaaay more groundwork to build off of here than there is anywhere else).

And in conclusion, this also brings me back to my popular refrain of how - due to the fact that Dick is linked and pivotal to SO much of the Batfam’s interpersonal history and dynamics - the more you reduce even just him to one note, the more you constrain his dynamics with his family members to being just one thing and one thing only, and so often that one thing being a negative - the more you actually hurt and limit all the characters around him too, inadvertently. 

Such as Jason. Who innately becomes limited in how well and how believably he can engage in romantic storylines in general, due to not just to his own relative lack of history and experience there....but because the ONE character who is actually MOST ideally situated to be the best person for Jason to turn to for help there, for advice, to fill in the gaps where his lack of history and experience makes him reticent to even TRY dating.....that one person is automatically discounted as not a possibility simply because so many people don’t WANT him to be a possibility. Because they’d rather Dick be the villain of Jason’s stories than an actual positive, supportive older brother helping him to have nice things.

But when you take away those kneejerk assumptions as to why Jason would NEVER go to Dick for help here, with almost all of them stemming from fanon assumptions that Jason neither respects Dick or trusts or values his opinion, nor is he willing to allow himself to ever be vulnerable around Dick......or else stemming from fanon assumptions that Dick doesn’t like, trust or value Jason enough to be helpful or encouraging, or to not take advantage of his vulnerability or fail to respect the effort being vulnerable asks of Jason......

Suddenly, without those largely fan-formed obstacles in the way.....there’s little to no ACTUAL reasons why Jason wouldn’t or couldn’t ever go to Dick for help or advice with dating or romantic relationships.

[aspoonofsugar]

Hewwo! I read Chapter 83 of Bungou Stray dogs, and I have no words. I'm rather surprised by the identity of the mastermind and I wonder what's going to happen now. So I was wondering, with the reveal of the mastermind, what's your opinion on chapter 83? :)). Thank you and stay safe!

Hello anon!

I am very happy about the reveal! It actually makes the whole arc and especially the last couple of chapters even more enjoyable!

As a matter of fact, even if I liked the latest chapters, it seemed to me as if the arc was becoming a little bit too fragmented. By this I mean that the arc had been mostly driven by the conflict not only with the Decay of Angels, but also with the Hunting Dogs. However, the latest twists seemed to suggest the dogs would have become allies of the ADA. Even if I am not against it per se, I would have liked for it to happen after the conflict between the two organizations had been settled in a meaningful way. In particular, I want the arc to make full use of the Hunting Dogs thematically. I have discussed here some ideas about this group:

In short,  the HD are imperfect humans just like everybody else and they have  found a reason of living in their organization just like the members of  the ADA and of the mafia did.

This is also why they are so easily  manipulated. It is because in order to truly think about “right” and  “wrong” in a constructive way, they should let go of the labels they use  to read the world. However, they can’t because if they did they could  very well lose themselves.

In the end the HD are foils of the detectives just like the mafiosi, but they are so in a different way.

The  mafiosi are who the detectives could become if they were to completely  lose themselves in their most violent and darkest parts, while the HD are who the detectives could become if they were to embrace simplicistic  ideals over people. This is also why this arc has been particularly  hard on Kunikida since among the members of the ADA he is the one who  risks to do so the most.

In short, having the HD simply work with the ADA after all the time they spent after the protagonists and after they have almost killed them would have been a little cheap. To be more specific, it would not have led to any growth in the HD whose  modus operandi (follow the rules and Fukichi’s orders) would not have been challenged at all. Thanks to Fukichi being the mastermind, instead, all the themes introduced since the beginning of the arc are strengthened and all the characters can be challenged.

-Fukuzawa will be forced to face his old friend. What is more, this whole ordeal marks another step in Ranpo’s growth. As a matter of fact, as I have written here, the arc starts with Ranpo disagreeing with Fukuzawa. Facts proved him right. What is more, in chapter 80:

I  think that Ranpo’s behaviour in chapter 80 might tie to what is satetd  above. On one hand, in the past, Fukuzawa used to be the one protecting  and saving Ranpo. On the other hand we have seen Ranpo trying to save  Fukuzawa at all costs in Cannibalism. However, in that arc, Ranpo  ultimaley fails. What is more, his wish to save Fukuzawa in that  situation puts the whole Yokohama in danger adn goes against what Fukuzawa himself wants.

However, in chapter 80 we see Ranpo   successfully saving Fukuzawa and the other ADA’s members. He does so by taking action by himself with the help of a connection he himself made (Poe). At the beginning of the arc, he showed to have a better grasping  of the situation when compared to Fukuzawa and in chapter 80 he manages  to save his father-figure on his own. To me, it seems that Ranpo might  have already reached a point where he does not need Fukusawa’s guidance  anymore. However, he still chooses to depend on him, as seen when he  asks for Fukuzawa’s order as if Ranpo himself doesn’t perfectly know  what is better to do.

Despite all of this, once Ranpo takes Fukuzawa back, he immediately goes back to completely rely on him and on his judgement. If Ranpo had immediately used his analytical skills to deduce who Kamui is, he would have avoided finding himself in the current pinch. However, Ranpo preferred to follow Fukuzawa’s orders and to trust the person Fukuzawa trusted. This dependence led to the current situation.

-The Hunting Dogs will have to face their shortcomings. As I have written in the meta linked above:

The HD are proud because they see themselves as heroes of  justice. They are not stray dogs, but dogs selected and adopted by a  master (aka the governement) and this makes them better than others. At  least, this is probably what they force themselves to believe.

The ironic thing is of course that all of them are portrayed with attributes society would consider problematic.

Teruko  is sadistic and violent, while Jouno enjoys psychologically torturing people. Finally Tachihara is in the HD simply because he wants to find a  place to belong.

All in all, among the four subordinates, Tecchou  is the one who probably genuinely believes in justice, but his idea is  simplicistic and naive as it was explained in point one.

The Hunting Dogs are basically Stray Dogs who are made feel “special” by the government. They work for the government and for Fukichi who is the greatest hero of the world, so they are heroes as well, right? They wil soon have to face that their leader is not only the leader of a bunch of policemen, but also the leader of a terrorist group.

It will be especially interesting to see how Teruko and Tecchou will react. As a matter of fact both have shown to genuinely believe in “justice” even if they are cruel in their pursue of it. That said, there might be a difference between the two of them and the current twist might make it more obvious. As a matter of fact, among the dogs, Teruko is the one who believes in Fukichi the most. She is fond of him and is never shown to dislike anything about him (differently from the others who are annoyed by Fukichi’s behaviours). So I think that it will be especially challenging for her to face the truth. Tecchou is instead the person who, among the dogs, seems to me to embody justice the most, so I wonder how he will react when he discovers he has been helping terrorists all along.

When it comes to Jouno, he is the one who has always fitted the least among the HD to the point that I wonder if he knows about his boss’s real identity or not. Whatever the case his reaction is bound to be interesting.

Finally there is Tachihara who has already started to move past his role as a HD thanks to his experiences in the mafia:

Tachihara being able to break the book’s spell because of his ties with the members of the mafia is symbolic of how he has managed to develop more empathy for criminals because of his relationships with some of them. Tachihara is different from the other HD who do not see criminals as people because he got to personally know and to grow closer to some of them.

-This leads us to the fact that I expect the mafia to get involved pretty soon. After all, Tanizaki and Kenji are still under the mafia’s protection and the mafia is the shadow of the detective agency:

All in all, BSD is a story which deals with the concept of jungian shadow a lot. The abilities of the characters are nothing, but repressed parts of them and the the same can be said of the mafia as a group. This is why Dazai and Atsushi are both escaping from what the mafia represents for them. For Dazai the mafia is proof of his criminal past, while for Atsushi it is a reminder of who he could have become. The strong link between these two organizations is why they are often fighting, but also why they are so strong when they unite. It is because the ADA can’t let its shadow take over (so it can’t let itself be destroyed by the mafia and must criticize their violent methods), but at the same time the agency can’t ignore the mafia or that the people in there are similar to them under many aspects. Because of this, now that an alliance with the HD seems more difficult to realize, I wonder if we will soon see the mafia or not. In particular, it has been a while since we have seen Akutagawa, so I wonder if he will once again team up with Atsushi towards the end of the arc.

Finally, this reveal makes Fukichi himself much more interesting as a character. In a sense, it is as if he embodies the dychotomy explored in this arc between justice and terrorism, laws and anarchy. Apparently, the two enemy organizations represent these two opposite concepts. The HD are justice and enforcers of the law, while the DoA are terrorists who want to destroy all laws and to rewrite the world. However, the reveal shows that the leader of both organizations is the same person. So Fukichi comes to embody both concepts. He embodies “justice”, but also the that feeling that justice is deep down unfair. Hence why it is necessary to act outside of it. In a sense, it is as if Fukichi, as a person, is prisoner between two roles. On one hand there is the legendary general (Fukichi’s persona aka the image he projects of himself and what others see about him). On the other hand there is Kamui (Fukichi’s shadow aka his hidden desires to act outside the law and in an unheroic way). However, the person “Fukichi Ochi” is kind of lost between these two big characters:

Fukuzawa mentions how Fukichi was jealous because he had found his path in life before Fukichi himself. This means that his career as a soldier is not something which gives happiness to Fukichi. He probably feels that he lacks something and his current actions are very likely an attempt to fill this sense of void. At the same time, I would not be surprised if he has targeted the Agency because of the envy he feels for Fukuzawa who has become happy.

In conclusion, the fact that “Kamui” means God reminds me of this:

If the world is chaos and unjust, then I will become the God who fixes it. I wonder if Fukichi’s line of thought is similar to Fyodor’s. If that is the case, then it will become obvious why the symbol of justice has also become a terrorist. It would not just be a contradiction, but a natural evolution of an ideal which twists itself in its pursue of righteousness. After all, when ideals forget about people, they often become rigid ideologies and end up embodying what they were fighting. I wonder if something similar happened with Fukichi as well.

Thank you for the ask!

[foundouthatdabiistouyatodoroki]

Explaining Dabi’s Bio

To be honest  I wasn’t actually expecting anything relating to Dabi to come I thought was Horikoshi is going to skip Dabi like he does with the other times when ever Dabi appeared in the manga. But when volume 25 came around we got his bio, I was completely ecstatic to receive Dabi’s profile though there was little info on his bio It didn’t disappoint. Finding out even a little bit about Dabi helps to learn about his character.

We didn’t get to learn Dabi’s age and real name we didn’t learn anything about Dabi other than his birthday and height. My hunch on this is this can all harken back to him being Touya Todoroki. His age and real name would reveal Dabi being Touya, the older brother of Shoto and the oldest Todoroki sibling.

I am going to go over Dabi’s profile and what it has to do with him in this post.

Dabi’s birthday is January 18, Dabi is born seven days away from Shoto. This puts a damper to the entire twin theory but wait! Look!

The 18th in Japanese is written 十八日 If broken apart in japanese it goes like this “To,(十)” being 10 and “ya,(八)”  being 8. If you read the kanji with the same kun spelling its written like this

When read like this it's pronounced “Touya.” This is a possible hint to his true identity being Touya.

Another thing to mention: Dabi born in the month of January which makes him a Capricorn. Despite knowing very little about Dabi (since his motives are left in the air), he has several traits relating to Capricorns. If you take an in-depth analysis of the Capricorn in Dabi’s character, there's a lot that matches Dabi’s personality.

Let’s go over with the star sign Capricorn and what it has to do with Dabi:

Capricorns are winter signs. They are... cold, serious, practical, grounded with unbreakable convictions. Capricorns are the most level headed of the star signs. They keep their cool in a crisis they rarely panic in drastic situations. Capricorns are traditional. They care more about the rules, have a set of values and principles they follow and are intolerant to others when they don’t. They are patient and plan things step by step very carefully. Capricorns plan long term goals and wait. Capricorns are cautious not reckless are careful and won’t take risks unless they know the pros and cons before they take action. Capricorns are focused individuals and really serious out all the signs are ambitiousness and completely passionate to reach their ambition when it comes to their convictions. Capricorns do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. They don’t care about the means on how they do it as long as it gets them closer to the success of achieving it. Capricorns will not share their true thoughts easily unless they have to. They are closed mouth when it comes to sharing info and withheld important information to themselves from others for their own gain. They are very resourceful. They work with the tools that are given to them. They are hardworking when it comes to reach that ambition to the point. They're considered workaholics which caused them to be detached from their surroundings. Capricorns keep their distance from others to complete their convictions. Though they appear cold on the surface that is merely an image they project: deep down they have a tender sentimental heart kept hidden under a harsh exterior. Capricorns put up walls around themselves to guard their tender hearts from other people. They may seem unemotional on the surface, but underneath they are driven and determined to set out to complete their goals. They are introverts seen as a wallflower in larger groups, in which they feel that they are out of their element. One thing Capricorns are is that they are loyal. Capricorns are family-oriented: they love being around people they love and are incredibly loyal to them they are willing to happily bend over backwards for the people they love this trait  is what makes them great friends and family members. They will distance themselves from said family if a member is perceived to be violent and harmful. A negative trait a Capricorn has its that they are unforgiving. They are serious about grudges to the point of vengeance. If you cross one you would never make it back to a Cawpricorn’s good side. They will hold grudges on others behalf (this part shows just how loyal they are to their loved ones). There’s no changing a Capricorn's mind once it’s made up.

Dabi is cool,serious and aloof. He’s the most serious minded out of all of the LOV, as seen in his deamanor in the missions that are given and the LOV activities in Smash. He’s grounded when he’s dealing with the LOV shenanigans and gets exasperated at their antics in Smash. Dabi may not have ambitions, but he has unbendable convictions. He's very determined to set out to complete his goals no matter the cost; he's so focused on completing his objectives that he has detached from other people to complete his goals.

That's something I noticed in Dabi’s character: that he has a conviction that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to achieve. Dabi working for a villain organization is proof of that the didn’t care about what the means are as long as he completed his objective.

Dabi’s cool headed whenever he’s in drastic situations you can argue that he’s indifferent to his surroundings but he’s acutely really calm whenever there's a crisis. You rarely see him panic in a given situation.

Dabi looks indifferent and crude however he follows a set of principles and values the LOV don’t. Dabi uses Stain’s ideals as a foundation he follows to bring down false heroes and wielding power with conviction.

Dabi is incredibly intolerant of other people: he insults those who don’t have any principles or values. Dabi insults Himiko, questions if the LOV follow a just cause, and wonders why the LOV don’t have any principles in the game Ones justice Dabi burns the back alley thugs calls them trash just because they wield power have no ambition in their bodies.

Dabi’s patient and preserving he plans things accordingly and waits for the next move. He was put in charge of the Vanguard action squad by Tomura himself. Dabi is cautious and doesn’t act too recklessly. In the beginning of the raid he tells the members to wait not act just yet. He uses his flames to hide the location of the meeting place when they complete their objectives; despite three casualties he successfully completed the mission in capturing Katsuki. Hawks and Dabi planned the High-End Nomu attack on the city After Endeavor defeated High End, he appeared and said “this isn’t what I planned,” which meant he didn’t think endeavor would defeat High End.

Dabi is careful when he uses his quirk. He knows its weaknesses fairly well and is careful in how he uses it the reason why he was absent in the LOV fight with Gigiatitinmachina for a month is because he’s well aware of the weakness his quirk processes and knows if he uses it too long his flames burn the skin off his body.

Dabi is cautious when it comes to people, as seen when he doubts whether the LOV follow the cause after Himiko’s introduction and didn’t trust Hawks during their partnership.

Dabi is detached to anything in his surroundings to focus on himself and his goals. Dabi is closed mouthed when it comes to sharing info especially details about himself. Capricorns are known for putting a lid on their feelings from others; Dabi keeps things to himself most of the time. He’s tight lipped whenever it comes to details about himself, he brushes off Tomura’s question about his real name, he didn’t share other details about the Nomu to Hawks.

Dabi’s rude and derisive demeanor keeps others at a distance so he would focus on his objective but also puts walls around himself from other people to guard his heart with his cold unemotional sarcastic and detached facade; underneath all that he hides his sentimental side. Dabi’s emotional side that keeps hidden by heavily guarding his heart is seen when he never opens up to the LOV even after he joined. Dabi still put up a distance with them and doesn’t share his true thoughts that easily he keeps himself.

When Dabi remembers Snatch’s words regarding family, he laughs about it while wiping blood from his seam below his eye says with this line “overthought things and kinda snapped there!” When he thinks about Snatch’s words on family some of his emotions flooded out this is where you see a glimpse on his tender heart. We see a personal side of Dabi that he usually keeps hidden.

Even after he joined the LOV, Dabi is seen in the background quietly observing his surroundings with empty eyes though it may seem like he is still being distant with them actually like a capricorn he's not into large groups of people he feels that it’s out of his element he has more a wallflower persona he not someone who prefers large groups of people his introverted nature shows through here.

One thing I read about Capricorns is that their loyalty: but what does loyalty half to do with Dabi?

Dabi might seem loyal to the LOV’s motives but if you look at it differently Dabi uses the LOV for his own gain to complete his goals, much like he does with Hawks. He's loyal to his own interests. Dabi wouldn’t work unless there's something in it for him based on his cooperation is based on those self interests alone. I mentioned before he's using the LOV and Hawks to achieve his own ends even says so to Tomura in Ujiko’s lab that he’s looking out for himself.

Though Dabi has a set of principles based around Stain that he uses in his own set of values. Saying that he's loyal to Stain’s ideals sound no more than an excuse to hide his personal motives. His actions are more personal than what he seems to do.

I believe the part about loyalty has a lot to do with family. If Dabi is Touya this might have more to do with his goal since its related to family. Capricorns are family oriented signs: you can see this similar trait in Ochaco and Shoto, both of whom have motives in becoming  heroes linked to their own families. Ochaco wants to become a hero to financially support her parents ; Shoto’s mother is one of his driving forces in becoming a hero during an All Might interview he watched. Just like Ochaco and Shoto, Dabi’s motives are driven by family. Dabi caring about his family is seen as Touya, he played with his siblings and he was close to Natsuo when he was younger.

Capricorns are unforgiving when someone has wronged them. Once you get on their bad side it's impossible to make it back in their favor this will go to the point of vengefulness. Capricorns will hold grudges on others behalf showing how loyal they are to their loved ones. As I previously talked about, Dabi’s own actions are stemmed from hatred which meant that Dabi’s real objective is to get revenge on Endeavor for abusing him and the rest of his family. Dabi is Touya getting revenge on Endeavor would go hand in hand with the vengeful aspect of the Capricorn. Dabi if Touya doesn’t just only want to get revenge on Endeavor for his suffering but the suffering he put the rest of his family through.  

Capricorns are winter signs, which  might hint that Dabi if Touya has a fire quirk but an ice body.

Another thing I noticed when I was reaching is that this star sign is very complex and contradictory this part would reference Dabi’s entire character in the series. The capricorn having the goat’s torso and the fish tale being both emotional and rational, which says all about Dabi’s character in a nutshell. He claims he is going to fulfill the hero killers will but in reality it's the more in it for himself. Dabi acts cold and logical at the surface but deep down he is emotional and driven. That is what Dabi’s star sign, Capricorn, represents.

Next is Dabi’s height being 176cm. His height bears a striking resemblance to Shoto’s height in his bio.

Dabi and Shoto are foils seen in their bios: their birthdays in the same month with both being capricorn’s, similar height

All this info references Dabi being Shoto’s a villainess parallel, and further hinting at the connection between them.

Last but certainly not least Dabi’s favorite thing is put under as unknown. In MHA, the characters likes in their bios say something about their personality, quirk, and role in the story. Shoto for example his favorite thing is Soba noodles (the kind that aren’t hot).

Soba noodles comes in both hot and cold reference to his quirk half hot half cold. Shoto only liking them it cold referenced on how he favors using the ice side of his quirk, and soba being a traditional Japanese food also refers to Shoto being a traditional Japanese character in design.

Dabi’s favorite things are put under as unknown this further exemplified the mystery of Dabi’s character and further correlates to the mystery he has and his essence being hard to grasp for the audience.

What do you think of Dabi bio does it match with his character? Is there anything I left out?Something I forgot to mention in this post? If you think feel free to put here in the post.

[stimtoybox]

Hi!I'm 22 years old and have had my aspie diagnosis for 6 years now.I'm a university student,and always masking my autism related behaviors.Any tips and advice on how to stop doing that and start stimming proudly in public when I need to? Also when I blurt out stupid things because of autism my mom tells me to stop and think about what I'm saying.What to do when the thinking goes off in my head in the wrong direction or otherwise doesn't help?I want to stop masking my autism behaviors.

Unfortunately, I am so much less good on the art of thinking before speaking–oh, if it were only that easy. I can usually manage when not upset or distressed, simply because Not Saying What I Am Thinking is a survival tactic in my family, usually resulting in Not Saying Anything At All. (For obvious reasons, this isn’t something I’d encourage in anyone else, because it’s born of a toxic dynamic.) When upset, though, there is no filter between my mouth and my brain–and often limited ability to even get words out–and it’s something I’ve never been able to improve myself. Perhaps other autistics have some ideas, or posting in the #actuallyautistic tag?This is one subject where I really don’t have advice to give and I fear anything I’d say would be spectacularly less than helpful.

As someone who has had to relearn/reclaiming stimming as an adult after my diagnosis and who had fairly successfully lost the ability, though, this part of your ask is comfortable territory for me. So I will talk your ear off about this! For context, I went from being afraid to pace in a therapy session with an allistic psychologist who knew about my diagnosis and was supportive of it to being someone who can obviously stim in a department store without caring. It took me about three years, but it can be done!

Please recognise that you’ve spent so long suppressing your need to stim from the world and from yourself, so this relearning will take a while and that’s okay. I mean, you’ve spent more than a decade without a diagnosis or perhaps even context for how you behave and move, engaging in the suppression of what is natural to you. That’s so much training about allistic-appropriate movement and behaviour you have to undo and unravel, and it’s not going to happen overnight, as much as we wish it. It’ll take time.

The first step, if you haven’t already, is exploring and developing your stim kit and your bodily stims. Figure out the toys and stims you like and how you like to use them. Make sure your kit includes toys that are quiet, don’t contain flickering lights, are low-odor and won’t draw too much attention–toys, in other words, ideal for public stimming. Consider mermaid sequin bags/pencil cases, fidget jewellery pieces like necklace pendants and spinner rings, keychain fidgets that can be attached to your bag, etc. You might also wish to consider toys that have become popular, like squishies, as they’ll draw less negative attention through their normalised use. Have more standard toys too, like Fidget Cubes and spinners and Tangles, but make sure you have a selection of stealth toys ready to go for your first ventures into public stimming.

Beginning with toys where I less feared any kind of reaction from others helped a lot in reducing my anxiety that people would say something about my stimming. In all honesty, few people say anything if I fidget with a necklace pendant or a bracelet. Neurotypical people do this sort of thing all the time.

The next step is to work on being comfortable with stimming in private–really comfortable. If you’re in your room with the door closed, stim. If you’re in bed at night in the dark, stim (with toys safe for this purpose). First thing in the morning after waking up, before you’ve interacted with anyone–stim. Make stimming part of your private life, a daily habit, part of your routine. Stim in the shower or bath–plastic toys like Tangles or hedge balls are fine for bathroom use and nobody else will see you do it! Keep toys on your desk and in your pockets so they’re right there, and when you’re alone and you see them, use them, even if only for a moment or two. The more you stim generally, even when you don’t need it, the more unconscious it will become and the easier it will be to stim when you do.

More steps under the cut because long post is long:

This step is not easy. Even with my door closed, at times I felt so desperately uncomfortable (and afraid of people barging in, because that happens at my house). Start with the most subtle/unobtrusive toys even in private, if you’re anxious about this. Just spin a spinner ring while watching TV or stroke a textured pendant. Do these smaller stims until you’re comfortable with them. I will say that keeping other toys within reach made it easy for me to progress from more subtle toys to less subtle ones, so I’d recommend that–starting with a spinner ring but having a Tangle within sight and reach. You might find, as I did, that you reach for the toy before you recognise that you’re ready for it, so have it there, waiting.

Stimming in private is for experimenting--for trying toys out, for trying movements out, for letting yourself move and sway without caring about other people. The more you can do this, and the more you can gain confidence to further experiment with bodily stims and toys, the more you can grow the habit of stimming generally, so I do recommend looking at every opportunity you can find for even short stim sessions.

Third, once you’re starting to feel comfortable with private stimming, look at what situations relating to public stimming might cause more anxiety or discomfort. There’s stimming on a bus, where people look more at their phones than at other people, versus stimming in a shopping centre or on the street. There’s stimming in front of strangers versus stimming in front of friends and family. Stimming in the library might be easier for you than stimming in the classroom during a tutorial–and stimming inside a lecture theatre, with nobody paying attention to you, might be easier than both. Figure out what seems hardest and what seems easiest, even if only in theory, and then write out a list of those situations from easiest to hardest. Take the easiest five from the top, tear them off and throw away the rest of the list, because it’ll feel overwhelming now and you don’t need it. Just keep the five easiest ones and put it aside.

Fourth, make another list with circumstances, right now, in which you think you can easily and safely stim outside the house/bedroom. The cinema was one of mine, so dark nobody can see my hands move, and it’s easy to shove my toy in a bag or pocket when the lights come up. This is just to get you thinking about circumstances where you can, with no risk of anxiety or ableism, stim, to continue the habit-building of your private stimming. If you don’t think about it, you won’t know that you can try it, so I do recommend making this list. You won’t always remember to stim in these situations when you’re in them, and that’s fine and normal, but if you think of it once or twice, it’s worth the effort.

While doing all this, keep stimming in private! Keep cultivating an interest in stimming and stim toys! Add to your kit so you don’t get bored of one toy; get your favourite toy in a couple of different colours; talk to other stimmers; admire toy collection posts, enjoy bodily stimming GIFs--do whatever you can to connect to your stims so stimming has a positive association for you. You don’t have to stim all day long, just make it a habit to pick up a toy or perform a bodily stim once or twice a day, for a little a while, and over time you’ll unconsciously do this more often and for longer. Let your body point you towards where it wants to go and roll with it, because your body does know–you’ve just got to get used to understanding and allowing it again.

Once you are comfortable with both stimming in private and stimming in situations that are theoretically public but are safe (like said cinema), pull out your list of five. You may have written it months ago by now, but see if you still feel like you want to attempt these or if–now you are more used to thinking about stimming and places in which you can stim–you can think of easier ones. Pick the easiest one, with your most subtle toys, and start to make a habit of stimming there, too. When that space becomes comfortable, look at other locations. By this stage, stimming should be becoming more of a habit that it becomes natural to start unconsciously reaching for a fidget pendant. I know that you can’t imagine it now, and neither could I when I began, but it will happen.

In the meantime, in private, introduce less-subtle toys into your stimming, and begin to get comfortable with these where nobody can observe you.

Slowly, over time, you introduce subtle stims into more and more locations/situations, and then you start to introduce less-subtle stims into these locations. You’ll build up both the habit and the confidence over time--and then one day you’ll find yourself rocking on your feet in front of your aunt and don’t realise until later that you were being so damn autistic in front of your most ableist of relatives and you don’t even care. It took me three years to get there, but I did, and you will too.

(I will say, that for me, using stim toys gradually brought me more comfort with unconscious bodily stims, too. I do still stim more with toys, but I’ve regained a lot of natural movement in all sorts of ways through my toys.)

Just be patient and slowly, gradually work your way up from safe/private spaces with subtle toys wherever possible for you. Take your time, don’t push yourself into anything scary until you feel ready for it and just quietly build up the habit, and before you quite know it you will be stimming when you need to. You just have to get your body used to looking toward stimming as the answer.

[littlerose13writes]

The Owl-Mouse by LittleRose13

Day 3, The 12 Days of Shipmas - Baby’s first Christmas👶🏼

In which Draco considers whether a newborn and a ponytail are really the best combination. 

Words: 1,673  Pairings: Draco/Astoria

25th December, 2005

Everybody says that the world looks different once you become a parent. That what was once small and insignificant evolves into the most relevant and important part of one’s life. This was true for Draco Malfoy. Scorpius rocked his world in the very best way, making everything easier but at the same time so much more complicated.

The only problem was that Draco really couldn’t buy into the whole baby thing. He thought it was stupid to talk to his son in a silly voice all the time like everybody else seemed to want to do. He refused to pull stupid faces at his baby when he seemed perfectly happy with Draco’s normal smile. Draco loved Scorpius so much, more than he’d ever loved anything in his life, and he didn’t see why he needed to demonstrate this fact by making a complete fool out of himself.

Astoria told him to try to sound less sarcastic when he read to Scorpius, but he argued that it seemed to make Scorpius laugh more than when she read to him, and anyway, he was only two months old. Scorpius certainly didn’t seem to be unhappy with his dad’s cynical approach to fatherhood.

The one thing Draco wasn’t counting on though, was how much more of a big deal he was supposed to make over every tiny thing that happened to Scorpius. Since the twenty-fourth of October, everything was so much more meaningful because it was Scorpius’ first of everything.

Scorpius’ first night at home, Scorpius’ first bath, Scorpius’ first outing, Scorpius’ first Friday, Scorpius’ first rain. The most mundane things became important when they were Scorpius’ first time experiencing them.

Astoria wanted Scorpius’ first Christmas to be perfect. It didn’t matter that he was only two months old and wouldn’t remember it one bit, which Draco refrained from pointing out. He found himself quite powerless to protest against anything if it was something Astoria wanted.

They decorated the manor more meticulously than they had for any of the other three Christmases they’d lived there as a married couple, even though it would only be the three of them there to enjoy it after they managed to get out of hosting Draco’s parents, who were actually staying with the Greengrass family while they were in England.

Draco thought maybe he should be offended by this, but it was quite perfect that their families got on so well, better in fact that than their families got on with them. Astoria’s parents were of similar ideals to his own, and they’d bonded over a shared dislike of how Draco and Astoria had chosen to raise their son outside of the traditional pureblood realms. They avoided spending time with each other usually, but Christmas forced them together.

They’d endured a stiff and awkward, painfully formal Christmas dinner at Astoria’s family home, during which Scorpius had been appraised judgingly by everybody. Astoria’s father claimed he seemed too small and Lucius curled his lip at the pale yellow outfit Draco had dressed him in.“It should be green, he’s a Malfoy heir. Do you want him to end up in Hufflepuff?” Astoria opened her mouth to politely dispute this and Narcissa quickly jumped in with a loud comment about how much Scorpius looked like Draco did as a baby to diffuse the moment.

Eventually, finally, five painful courses later - and no fewer than four suggestions from Lucius that they leave Scorpius upstairs where a house-elf could look after him, instead of having him at the table with them (He’s two months old, Lucius, and he’s our baby.) - it was over. They were back at the manor, at home as a family.

The living room was a winter wonderland and beside the large Christmas tree, Scorpius was lying on his back in a bassinet, his tiny amount of white-blond hair, like the fuzzy seeds of a dandelion, sticking up from his head where he’d been sleeping. He was gazing with interest at his parents, making tiny snuffling noises and wriggling around.

“And this one is from Auntie Daphne,” Astoria told their son, holding a present up in front of him as if he could understand. “Would you like to open it?”

“That looks means yes Mummy but unfortunately I’ve not developed full use of my thumbs yet,” Draco explained and Astoria laughed at him.

“Shall we ask Daddy to open it for you?” she continued, handing Draco the present, picking Scorpius up gently and cradling him in her arms. He kicked his legs and arms in excitement. “That look means hurry up and open it, Daddy.”

Draco rolled his eyes and undid the wrapping paper, removing a grey, stuffed animal and holding it up in front of Scorpius. He stared at it with his clear, grey-blue eyes.

Astoria took it from him and inspected it. “Oh, it’s an owl, how sweet.”

Draco looked at her like she was mad. “I thought it was a mouse? Look at its ears.”

“It has wings, honey. See?” Astoria turned the creature round, still holding Scorpius in one arm, and indicated what vaguely resembled wings.

Draco shook his head. “No owl has paws.”

“It has a beak!”

“It has whiskers!”

“What in Merlin’s name is it?”

They were stopped by a sudden gurgle from their baby. He was staring at the toy, eyes wide, and his hand extended out towards it. Astoria moved it closer to his outreached hand and he grasped at thin air a couple of times before successfully gripping onto the toy and pulling it towards him, where he promptly stuffed it into his mouth.

“Apparently Scorpius likes ambiguous crossover owl-mouse creatures,” said Draco dryly.

“He reached out for it! He’s never reached out for anything before.” Astoria sounded overjoyed.

“I’ll alert the minister at once,” Draco said sarcastically.

“You’re so clever Scorpius, reaching out and grabbing onto things all by yourself.” She tickled him and he squealed in delight.

“He grabs onto my hair all the time,” Draco muttered, massaging the back of his head where Scorpius had previously wrenched at his ponytail.

“I told you that would happen before he was born,” his wife said to him, although she was looking at Scorpius as she spoke and tickling him under the chin with the owl-mouse.

Draco watched her with a smile. “Yes, but you still wouldn’t let me cut it off.”

Astoria looked up, offended. “Never! I love it too much.”

She adjusted Scorpius so he was upright and leaning against her chest, where he attempted to gnaw on her shoulder. The hand that wasn’t holding their baby in place came up to smooth Draco’s hair back from his forehead and towards his immaculate ponytail, which she curled around her fingertips. He wrapped an arm around her waist and she rested her head on his shoulder, Scorpius gurgled happily between them.

“This is the part of Christmas I was looking forward to the most,” Draco murmured and kissed the top of her head.

“Just us, our family,” she whispered back.

“I have one more present for you.” As Draco spoke, Astoria lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him in question.

“You do?”

Draco nodded. “It’s in here.”

He lead her into the hallway where they had a second, smaller Christmas tree in the alcove beneath the grand staircase. Under the tree was one, small gift, wrapped in silver paper. Draco gently took Scorpius from her, tucking him into his chest and kissing his fluffy head.

Astoria curiously picked up the present, giving Draco a look of confusion. After all, they’d exchanged presents hours ago over breakfast.

“I probably should have given it to you sooner,” Draco said apologetically, even though this meant nothing to Astoria because she hadn’t opened it yet. “Go on, open it.”

Scorpius was babbling excitedly over Draco’s shoulder as if he knew what was inside the present. Astoria unwrapped it carefully and removed a tree ornament by its silver ribbon. She examined the ornament and looked up at Draco, clutching the present to her heart.

“You didn’t?” she gasped and Draco nodded at her. “I thought you hated things like this.”

Draco raised his eyebrows. “I don’t hate things like that. We’ve never even discussed getting one of those.”

“Because I knew you would think it was stupid,” she said, a huge grin on her face.

Draco shook his head. “It’s not stupid. Do you like it?”

“Draco, I love it.” She caught his face in her hands and kissed him sweetly. He hugged her to him, one arm supporting Scorpius and the other around his wife.

“I love you,” he said softly.

“And I love you,” she breathed into his shoulder before suddenly pulling away. “Scorpius, no baby. Don’t eat Daddy’s hair.”

Somewhere behind his head, Astoria was dislodging a section of his ponytail from Scorpius’ grip (which was surprisingly strong) and patting it back into place.

When his hair was free, Draco lifted Scorpius up and held him in front of his face. The baby kicked his legs out with a smile. “Why do you always have to go for the hair?”

He kissed Scorpius on the nose, making him laugh, and turned him around, holding him against his stomach with one hand underneath him so he could watch his mother place the ornament on the tree. She smiled at Draco and their baby and hung it carefully on an empty branch, tapping it with her finger so it gently span. Draco watched it slowly revolve, as did Astoria, and Scorpius waved his arms about, his fists clenched.

The ornament caught the light of the fairies sat all over the tree. It was a simple crisp white circle, with a tiny handprint indented into the front, enchanted to glow softly. Underneath the handprint, written in a tiny version of Draco’s handwriting, were the words Scorpius’ First Christmas 2005.

[trans-luana-nebula]

I’m doing this here because I am unable to @ you, so here ya go! This is all I have written at this point, so feel free (to ANYONE) to give me ideas! @sandpaperandcookies 

Preservenotruin: So… what do you do for fun? Anything interesting?

*StrudelCutie2247 is typing*

…

……

………

*StrudelCutie2247 is typing*

Preservenotruin: Sorry if it bothers you.

StrudelCutie2247: No, it is just a question that if I respond… welllll, my answer my concern or disturb you. So here is my question for you: Safe (and censored version) or Truth (and not so censored version)?

*Preservenotruin is typing*

Preservenotruin: I’d prefer the uncensored version, if you don’t mind too much.

*StrudelCutie2247 is typing*

…

*StrudelCutie2247 is typing*

……

*StrudelCutie2247 is typing*

………

Deceit is now mildly worried, as Strudel has never taken this long to respond before. He hopes he hasn’t said something wrong. 

Doof is worried he might scare off what seems to be this amazing man, in his eyes…

StrudelCutie2247: So… I kind of have a mostly non-paying job of trying to take over the tri-state area where I live. However, my plans are often foiled by a Platypus, named Perry. I mainly build my Inators, that do things. I try to cause chaos, but often inadvertently induce others' success, which is the opposite of my goal, and can be disappointing. On the side, I do have some beneficial inventions, most of them an attempt to make my daughter like me. Most of those fail.

StrudelCutie2247: She encouraged me for a while to actually put a patent on some of my inventions, but I was soon discouraged by my brother showing me up to our parents once more. But that’s why I was hesitant. I will leave you to process now.

*StrudelCutie2247 is offline*

Deceit can successfully say he is in shock from this. No wonder this guy’s photos were depressing. And also really bad angles. Dee thinks he might have his work cut out for him.

He didn’t think it was possible for someone to have a worse self-esteem than he has, but here we are! 

Preservenotruin: ...I’d say you sound crazy, but somehow, I think we will get along nicely. I figure that since you braved telling me the truth about you, I would do the same, if you don’t mind?

*Preservenotruin is offline*

*StrudelCutie2247 is online*

StrudelCutie2247: Go ahead I guess? I wasn’t expecting that calm of a reaction if I am honest with you…

*Preservenotruin is online*

*Preservenotruin is typing*

Preservenotruin: Well, you see, my life is made-up. I am technically a creation of someone’s mind. Though I do have my own thoughts, emotions, and ideals, as well as a slightly different profile, we are virtually the same. My ‘stepbrothers’ are actually the other “sides”, as we are called, that the man I referred to as my brother, has created. We each have roles in making sure he is functioning correctly. There’s Logan, or Logic, as his function is named, Virgil, or Anxiety, Roman and Remus, two separate parts of Thomas’ creativity, Imagination and Intrusive Thoughts respectively, Patton, or Morality, and me. Deceit.

*Preservenotruin is offline*

StrudelCutie2247: Surprisingly, that is not as crazy as it could have been. And I am chased by a teal platypus on a semi-daily basis.

StrudelCutie2247: Does this mean I can call you D? Or Dee? My friends call me Doof. Or they would if I had any. My first name is Heinz, but I like the alliteration.

*Preservenotruin is online*

Preservenotruin: Yes, that’s fine. I will give you my name at a later point in time, because when I revealed my name to the others, Roman laughed. As such, I am uncomfortable with risking that reaction again, even if I don’t know you personally. So, Doof and Dee it is, yes?

StrudelCutie2247: Doof and Dee, sounds nice. I like it.

StrudelCutie2247: I have to say, I have no clue as to what we should talk about next. As I said, I don’t have any friends, so this is new to me.

Preservenotruin: As I am a figment, I’m not sure how leaving the mindscape or Thomas’ house would go. Or, at least, leaving without him. I could ask someone, Logan, about how he does it. He’s left before, and I think is considering leaving for good. (Sorry this is just me referencing another AU fic I have going. Not posted yet, but I might post the first chapter at some point.) However, I would like to meet, and get any crazy murderer potentialities out of the way.

Preservenotruin: Are you agreeable to this?

*StrudelCutie2247 is typing*

StrudelCutie2247: Sounds good to me! When and where?

Please give us more Deceit × Doofenshmirtz headcanons plz, I didn't know I needed this until I saw that long post

CAN YOU FIND THE POST AGAIN AND SEND IT TO ME??? BC I CAN'T FIND IT AND I HAVE MORE, FINALLY

[sbextra]

Persona 5: Ascertaining Purpose in the Face of Expectations

Spoilers for all of Persona 5,other Persona games, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Also rambley as fuck 

This is gonna serve more as a subjective review of my engagement with Persona 5, and why I’ve come out really enjoying this game, for reasons outside of what is probably the more standard fare in this discussion. 

One of the things that I found kept hitting home for me in Persona 5 was that there’s this introspective self-reflection that’s near omni-present in the game. Social links seem to rely very heavily on mediations of identity, while those cast in the light of villainy seem to be the few of the primary cast that uncritically seek hedonistic desires, an idea that only further gets reinforced by the implementation of these villains succumbing to *The Seven Deadly Sins*. Structurally, within the social links I played at least, confidants are presented as donning a mask , acting out a role successfully be it as a professional shogi player, a pr0 gam3r, store clerk, teacher, etc etc, pretty much anything. 

Things go pretty well until you start getting a glimpse into their life, where they’re struck with immense role strain, pulling the validity of their perceived identity into question, leaving characters at a point where they feel they’ve lost everything. We see this with Shinya realizing the personification of strength he strived to be falling into conflict with his heroic aspirations, Hifumi’s role as a Shogi enthusiast conflicting with a prescribed idol career, Takemi’s aspirations to break new ground medically vs set institutions, and Kawakami’s teaching ideals being repressed by public expectations due to previous happenstance. Characters wane and wax between these roles, until they’re forced against a wall of obligation that causes them to ultimately forgo their truest desires. This is where the protagonist steps in, and through changing the context for these characters, and changing how they’re seen by those reinforcing these societal obligations, they find the confidence to seek their own emotional liberation, and claim their emancipation. These characters themselves don’t really change that much, they’re just given a medium, through player autonomy, to really explore who they are, instead of who just who they’re told to be, or seen to be. They then have a cathartic moment of realization, understanding that just maybe, by forgoing who they were perceived to be, they can strive closer towards their truest self, even at the cost of losing who they were seen as before.

Persona 5 consistently places it’s characters in situations where they feel they’ve lost everything, but through re-contextualization and an abandonment of their fears, they find new bold meanings and forge paths towards their happiness and fulfillment. 

In my run, I chose Kawakami as my romantic route, and the idea of fighting role strain is something that stays very present. There’s the obvious issue that she’s a teacher, and you’re a student, which is a reality that never fades away during the run of the game. Even on the very last in-game date, it’s an issue and a strain that’s present in her mind, but she ultimately goes against social norms for something far more valuable to her. It’s this harrowingly relatable sense of indecisiveness and anxiety that’s ultimately pushed aside for the pursuit of this cathartic happiness that I find so compelling. Previously, P3 and P4 felt a little empty on the back-end of social links because once you hit your rank 10, you kinda just never talk to the characters again. Having an arc like Kawakami’s, that continues past the streamlined route of an SLink was a wildly welcome improvement to me. It’s something that I felt really reinforced the human flaw and nuance of these characters, because ultimately Kawakami is running into a similar problem as she had before. It’s wildly relatable to feel as if you’re just another human caught in the throes of making the same mistakes over and over, but seeing the process of making these mistakes as the route to removing the mask and becoming the happiest self you can be feels like a truly romantic outlook on life. In a world where it’s easy to become obsessed with success, and stricken with anxiety for not living up to expectations, Persona 5 tells us that maybe we need to focus on what will make us the happiest first, and that seeking our own emancipation from expectation is the path to this happiness. The pursuit of the true self is a theme that is far from new to the Persona series, but I really feel that Persona 5 takes a ton of extra steps to really sell this idea further than Persona 4. Persona 5 capitalizes on the fears and anxieties of the process, and that even in the face of being seen as the lowest, we can still ascertain our emancipation and reach true happiness.

One great parallel to draw from Persona 5 to it’s contemporaries is how unwelcoming the setting is. Persona 5 is flat out oppressive in comparison to it’s brother-sister-games. You aren’t greeted with a friendly uncle once you move into your new town. You’re greeted with a “fuck you” and a terrible reputation. You’re immediately surrounded with whispers, rumors, and flat out shit-talking from those with more influence than you. Despite being labeled immediately as a terrible person and a problem child, you slowly but surely claim emancipation and find happiness that really matters, by defiantly sticking to your ideals, no matter how terrible the situation gets. Eventually you reach your highest high, and you’re more successful than ever before, but that looming pressure of role strain is still present in your MCs life, even if small. It’s a progression that almost mirrors the progression of the social links, but I really feel like that provides an emotional unity amongst the cast, despite how different their subjective struggles are. Persona 5 dabbles in explaining this through the usage of “aesthetics”, an admittedly poorly chosen term given how hot the fuckin’ meme climate around that term is. 

Characters find unity in Persona 5 through “aesthetics”, or their world view. Through your autonomy as a player, they affirm the belief that fighting for their happiness is worthwhile, directly in the face of society that demands they act as a small piece of a larger predetermined identity. The MC is thrown straight into the depths of this process, being seen as the biggest shitbag, but over the course of the game’s calendar, you change the world, just a little, by changing how you and those close to you see it. The moody oppressive atmosphere of a Japan that doesn’t want anything to do with you is reclaimed. It becomes the city where you foster a small army to fight the same fight you do. While Persona 4 and 3 have more of the impression of falling into a friend group,  it’s this sense of reclaimation that makes Persona 5 feel so much more emotionally intimate to me. To give an incredibly subjective example, a lot of Persona 5 and it’s imagery of being just one of thousands in a crowd reminds me a lot of the feelings I get when I listen to shoegaze. There’s this powerful sense of intimacy, amongst an overwhelming dissonance. It’s a contrast that makes these relationships feel more important to me. It gives them a distinct, weighted, and honest value, which I feel it helps escape any notion that these character relationships are contrived.

It’s this sense of intimacy that scales across characters of all calibers in Persona 5 that I find really brings this thematic unity. The route to ascertaining our purpose, and more importantly happiness, is by rebelling against  expectations and exploring our identities in hopes of realizing what we actually find most important. No matter how grand our aspirations are, all that matters is that we’re special to those we love and respect, and most importantly, to ourselves. Even at your lowest of lows, don’t forget that life goes on.

cons: Everyone says prolly, mechanics are an improvement but not as good as SMT IV yet, Boss fights are mechanically underwhelming, you can’t date the boys (who are weirdly written better as romances than most of the females), cant disable animations making the gameplay loop a lot longer than it needs to be during grinding, this song is dogshit that seems to only serve to ruin and trivialize emotional punchlines as a “safe” route around contrived, hammy writing at times, That cat seriously needs to not tell you to sleep as much

Kawakami best, Ryuji and Yusuke best, I AM SHAPSHIFTER. THAT OST IS SICK , 8.5-9/10

[callmemoprah]

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Fruits By Regina Jacques.

I performed certainly not devote my summertime holiday season serving exquisite tidbits to appealing visitors and floating about in gold sandals as well as a robe dress. In a planet along with improving recognition on psychological health and also its own significance, I'm somewhat surprised that Western couldn't care less concerning aiming to assist the stress and anxiety costs from the trainees with a breather. You will become more relaxed using this body weight move technique to deliver more electrical power to your rest movement. In addition going on a fast isn't really a brain surgery; for countless years, mostly all lifestyles have actually utilized that in order to help clear the body of poisonous substances, provide our digestive organs the opportunity to invigorate as well as bring back optimal functionality. The graph would then signify which bones seemed to be to become the best and also the very least probably to break. Reviewing these delighted quotes is only the first step on becoming a true idealist. Creating buddies along with your ex does not mean anything, it is actually merely great to understand that you will excel buddies after the break up; you can head out as close friends without being awkward along with one another up until such time you each think that you need to have 2nd possibility. You should not need to break in your shoe, they should prepare to utilize straightaway. The appeal for meals as well as to crack swift and also begin across again was actually very real for me. I consistently felt appetite pains and my thoughts only maintained getting on images of my beloved foods items. Possibly you view variety tied markets and business just along with a rupture from equilibrium, or even profession only on the second try at such a break. The type of magic where someone would certainly give me a rest that would obtain me on a better road. CANISTER NEVER STOP SPEAKING ABOUT YOU MAM HIS SITE HANDLE is CALL HIM NOW FOR ANSWER TO ALL OF YOUR COMPLICATIONS. She later on informed me she sensed that I was mosting likely to damage up along with her as well as she presently had actually gotten an anticipate exactly what she should do if I performed. Provide yourself time today to check out, to go within, to walk in nature and feel the visibility from all those that are actually supporting you off one moment to the upcoming. In a globe along with increasing understanding on psychological wellness as well as its own relevance, I am actually somewhat stunned that Western could care less about trying to help the stress rates of the trainees with a rest. You will definitely become more comfy using this body weight transmission approach to carry additional electrical power to your rest stroke. At that point having a much better perspective is going to quickly come normally, if you border yourself along with motivating happy quotes like the ones written above. Barnen loggar in på Offer Me a Rest där de väljer ett användarnamn och en character som de använder för att förflytta sig och kommunicera i appen. Happy quotes relocate our company to take time to appreciate the globe that our experts remain in just before it's late. TripAdvisor is actually glad to partner along with thus you could schedule your Offer Me a Breather Bedroom & Morning meal appointments along with assurance. The tax breather will certainly not put on you if you obtained a THDA (Tennessee Property Development Firm) car loan because the thought process is you're actually ahead off acquiring perk of utilization of proceeds off a tax-exempt revenue connect. Do not hurry over points, as you provide each other room; prepare an approach on effective ways to acquire your ex-boyfriend boyfriend back. If you are actually disappointing your lover that they is actually special to you at that point you leave the door broad open for not merely frustration as well as uneasiness, for someone else to provide the focus they yearn for. An important part from Stand out or even Rock-and-roll is actually referred to as the bridge, which offers audiences a break from the verse-chorus, verse-chorus framework. Ideally a break every 60 minutes is good, however just if learners adhere to merely five-ish minutes. To conclude I would certainly say that in your pursuit to cease smoking make sure this is what YOU prefer at a time that is right for YOU. If only my hubby would-, so my daughter will have longer snoozes, if only my clients would- Cease fretting about what other people carry out, it's what you carry out that matters. I want to thank the fantastic streak caster that had the capacity to rejuvenate my lover within the time frame from 2 Days, This is no other individual than Dr.Zabaza who email is actually zabazalogan @ or you may provide him a get in touch with +2348182620374. Here's more information regarding mountains of mourne (http://losalimentosquehablar.info/ecoslim/) have a look at our own web site. Eager as to exactly what you fall to, who you're observing currently, as well as the cause you seem to have actually gotten over the separate without difficulty. In training for bodybuilding, I may not acquire up on phase as well as inform the judges to provide me a breather given that I have had a leg changed. You have to know what you must carry out as well as what you should not carry out, especially quickly after the split. You don't would like to create the blunders very most women will certainly create just after the separate. Errors that might destroy any possibilities of getting fella back. I projektet arbetar agerar Digitala Dependence projektledare och arbetar med implementeringen av Provide Me a Split. Any of these circumstances are enough to only make you howl 'PROVIDE ME A BREAK.' Only provide me an opportunity to catch my breathing spell. Just the extremely tip of the breather - the knowledge that this's approaching - stimulates you to concentrate far better and also operate successfully so as to fully enjoy that breather. All of us in the ward were woken coming from our snooze to hear Homer loudly rebuking Registered nurse Lee due to the fact that she wouldn't provide him a lot more pain-killers. Certainly, the better the vehicle driver is actually the lesser the plan will definitely cost eventually yet Photo monitors the amount of times that the break was hit hard, how many miles total the scuba diver took a trip to along with the number of times the driver lagged the wheel while between midnight and also 4 A.M. There are actually a lot of these analysis firms searching for individuals like you to offer your point of view, as well as they are going to spend you pay for this. Most importantly, this does not set you back a thing to sign up with. It is actually unethical that you were the only person to place the blame on the separate. Consider additionally your partner. The urge for food items and to crack quick as well as begin throughout once again was actually really actual for me. I continuously felt hunger pangs and my mind only kept getting on pictures of my favorite foods items. Maybe you view selection tied markets and also trade only with a break from equilibrium, or business simply on the second effort at such a breather. The sort of miracle where a person would give me a rest that will acquire me on a far better course. CANISTER NEVER QUIT SPEAKING ABOUT YOU HIS SITE DEAL WITH is actually CONNECT WITH HIM NOW FOR SOLUTION TO ALL OF YOUR COMPLICATIONS.

[kathleengage696]

New Post has been published on Power Up for Profits

New Post has been published on http://www.powerupforprofits.com/2017/07/work-the-plan-be-consistent-do-something-every-day.html

Marketing Your Book Every Day Doesn't Mean Marketing ALL Day

If you’re serious about selling books, you have to accept that marketing is a must do.

Daily marketing is ideal.

Keep in mind, marketing every day is not marketing all day.

Objections Abound

In a recent blog post, I talked about using speaking as a way to sell books. I did receive a few objections regarding speaking.

“I don’t like to speak in front of others,” is a common frustration people have when I recommend speaking to sell books.

Here’s the deal,  you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’m simply sharing what has worked for me and countless other authors.

I do not believe in a cookie cutter approach, but I do know fear can definitely hold one back from accomplishing all they are meant to accomplish.

In the case of Martha, whose vocal chords were affected by a stroke in 2009, it makes perfect sense to find other, more conducive ways to get her message out.

When you don’t do something because you just don’t want to, or fear is rearing its ugly head, you may want to step back and rethink your objections. IMHO.

There are many, many ways to market. You don’t need to do them all. You just need to decide what works best for you, your market and your goals.

One Day It All Changed

In a recent interview, I was asked what’s changed in the way I market my books today compared to when I marketed my first book years ago.

Simply put…a clear plan. Over the years, I’ve become realistic about what it takes to sell lots of books.

Most authors want to sell books, but many never will. At least not more than a handful.

That was my own story with my first book. I had no plan. I believed I would somehow get discovered. I was incredibly naive.

Today, I know it takes effort to get my books in the hands of readers. Here are a few things you should do to get your books sold.

Identify your ideal reader

Determine where they hang out

Have a plan of how you will become visible to your potential readers

Work the plan

Be consistent

Do something every day

Identify your ideal reader

The more you know about your reader, the better.  One things for sure, “everyone” is not your market/reader. There are those who will devour your words while others will care less about what you write. The more you know who will eagerly consume your words, the easier it is to reach them.

Understanding who your reader is, is the first step in knowing where they hang out.

Where do they hang out?

You can have a “throw it at the wall and home something sticks” marketing approach or you can be laser focused. When you know the type of blogs they read, what social networks they frequent, what magazines they read, radio and podcast shows they listen to and even what television shows they enjoy, the easier it is to reach them.

Create a plan

What is the end result you want to accomplish with your books? Is it simply to sell books  or is it to use the books to create other opportunities such as speaking, consulting, coaching or having them attend your live events?

When you know what you ultimately want to accomplish, this gives you the foundation for a plan that is likely to be more successful.

With my book, Power Up For Profits, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Online Marketing, my goal was to have book buyers attend a three day event. At the event, I introduced a year-long coaching program. I successfully enrolled several clients into the program.

Had I not had a clear vision and plan, I would not have generated the type of sales I did. Simple as that.

Work the plan

Putting the plan together is only as good as how well you work the plan. To not take action is a huge mistake.

Be Consistent

Consistency is another essential aspect of your success. Which leads into the next point…

Do something every day

A common reaction I get from authors who are resistant to marketing is, “When will I have time to write if I have to market every day?”

Marketing every day is NOT marketing all day. It simply means you put a specific amount of time to market each day. As little as 30 minutes a day will get you a greater result that 99% of authors. Why? Because most authors do minimal marketing thus resulting in minimal sales and back-end oppopportunities.

For more ideas on how to market your books, access my FREE report – Hit #1 on Amazon at www.oneonamazon.com

Stand Out

The #1 way to sell books is to do whatever you can to have your book stand out from the millions of others that are out there.

7 very easy to implement “stand out” ideas.

1.  Article marketing One of the oldest online marketing strategies is still one of the most effective. Writing articles should be very easy. After all, you are a writer.

Even if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, you can create several articles from the content of your book.

At the end of the article add in a free offer that drives readers back to your blog, website or landing page to opt in for something of value. Yes, ethical bribes still work.

Once you have people on your list, you can drive them to your Amazon book page.

2.  Tell people You need to let your friends, family, colleagues, clients, peers and just about anybody know that your book is published. After all, if you’re not willing to talk about your book, others may not be either.

3.  Reviews from happy readers Third party endorsements (verbal or written) are a great way to have your book stand out. Ask readers to leave reviews on Amazon. Often, readers don’t think about writing a review unless asked to do so.

Never pay for reviews.

4.  Facebook Start a Facebook group. Groups are a great way to build a community of raving fans.

Once you start the group, let people know about it.  Be actively involved with those who joined the group. Otherwise, the group is stagnant and a huge waste of time to members.

A powerful way to get the most out of your Facebook efforts is to build a community of raving fans. This is one of the most important things you can do on Facebook.

Ready to learn how to do this? Join me on July 31st as Denise Wakeman, digital marketing strategist extraordinaire, will share exactly how to do this with members of Book Accelerator group.

This is open to current members. To join Book Accelerator go to www.anatomyofabooklaunch.com

5.  LinkedIn groups A fantastic way to build a loyal following of potential buyers of your book(s) is to start a LinkedIn group that is specific to the theme or genre of your book.

Does a group take work? Yes. But so do all the other methods outlined in this post.

The fact is, anything you do is going to take effort.

6.  Blogging By far one of the best things you can do to build visibility, credibility, market reach and SEO is blogging.

You can also guest blog. This gives you even more reach. One thing blog owners seem to like is to host someone who has content already published. This is one reason you should post on your own blog as frequently as possible.

7.  Videos Without a doubt video is one of the most powerful marketing tools you can use to promote your book.  You can do book trailers, short readings, or simply share stories as they relate to your book. Be sure to be animated during your shooting and use keywords both in the spoken part of the video and the title and description.

Want to learn more about video creation and marketing? Join me on September 12th for an intimate gathering in Portland, Oregon for Visibility and Video One Day Workshop. Go to www.powerupthinktank.com for full details.