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diznam · 2 years ago

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Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

Oh! Thank you for such a great and difficult question!

A looong text awaits heh (and I could certainly write even more!!)

I think I'll limit myself to only one character per fictional universe, and I'll only choose from internationally famous works to make it easier. I will surely forget someone and I will never be able to choose if I think it over for too long... So, without contemplating too much, and in no particular order (except for the first one), i'll go with this:

1. Dustfinger from Inkheart -- This man was probs my first fictional crush ever and my forever nostalgic number one. He's a morally gray character, deeply troubled, kind, selfish, painfully human, but also gorgeously magical. Oh, and fire loves him. Can’t beat it. Even though for children, Cornelia Funke writes and illustrates beautifully. If you haven’t read any books of hers, you should try one!

2. Fred and George Weasley (yes i'm sorry but I will write them as one unit) from Harry Potter -- Need I say more than that they make everyone laugh in times of darkness? As the youngest, and only daughter among numerous siblings, I relate a lot to Ginny, and really love these two - the ultimate big brothers.

3. Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece -- The perfect paradoxical mix of incredibly selfish but with a huge heart. Luffy just lifts everyones spirits, and he's so stupid, ambitious, and wholesome that you can’t not love him. As someone who has a hard time being impulsive and living in the now, I find him so terrific and almost inspiring.

4. Sokka from Avatar the Last Airbender -- Underrated character. I would've never claimed him as my favourite when I was little (especially since i was mad for Katara), but as an adult I’ve come to see just how fuckin awesome he really is. Like, he's funny, kind, relatable, smart, strong, brave and just an all around realistic character. Love. Also, I think I just automatically love all the kind big brothers that remind me of my own ones (♡)

5. Jace Herondale from The Mortal Instruments -- Could have just as well written Will Herondale here, but I’m not going to write two Herondales on the list (especially since they are VERY similar. Will is a book nerd tho, which is like the ultimate perk). Anyways, so, after Dustfinger, my second fictional love was Jace I think. Attractive, strong, sarcastic, troubled, kind, LOVING, and with such character development and ambition. Ya. Just so so good. I think I mostly focused on his hotness as a 13 y.o tho -.-

6. Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games -- Honestly, I just love him because he shows how truly important and helpful kindness is. Loyalty, kindness and bravery - this man has them all. Plus he's a friggin baker and an artist. Like, come on, how lovely can you get??

7. John Watson from BBC's Sherlock -- Another example of a profoundly realistic character. I thought first about writing Sherlock's name, but I think I might actually love John more. He’s just so complex, but at the same time real simple. And surprisingly funny. Much, I attribute to Martin Freeman's amazing acting skills, but yeah, John's awesome.

8. Katsuki Bakugou from Boku no hero academia -- Honestly, I'm questioning myself putting him on this list, but I think he deserves a spot simply for the fact that his character development is So. Fucking. Good. Almost as good as Zuko's from atla. And he deserves a spot purely because surely the amount of fanfics I've read starring him must be telling me something.

9. Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood -- Ah, okay, so once again an older sibling who is funny, strong, kind, brave, energetic, troubled, and who loves so painstakingly strongly (I'm starting to see a pattern here...). Idk, but I just really like him. And I felt like I had to include someone from Fmab because the show slaps.

10. Victoria Spring from Solitaire (and the Osemanverse in general) -- Honestly, Tori is just such a great character, because in all her melancholy, depression and numbness, you can still find so much to love about her when reading from her perspective. Also, shes an older sibling who adores and takes great care of her little siblings. I've struggled a lot with mental illness, and I can teally relate to both Tori and Charlie's problems. So finding that I can love these two characters so much despite all their issues, makes me realise that maybe I can like myself a little bit more too

THAT WAS TEN! I could easily write more, but I’m gonna stop myself now. Sorry if this was a lot longer than you expected, but I really liked this question.

Thank you for asking it! Hope you got what you wanted. Have a great day/night wherever you are :) <3

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missingn000 · 2 years ago

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what are your thoughts on mahito?

...oh boy.

i'm sorry, but i love him. it took me about a year and a half to reach this conclusion -- i once hated his guts too, and i don't at all blame anyone who loathes him. y'all are totally valid. he's so, so hateable.

defending myself below cut. i have good reasons, i promise.

so why did i change my mind? okay. he's just so interesting. he's one of the most well-written villains i've ever encountered in media. it's hard to write an "evil just for fun" villain and make them compelling, but with mahito, gege absolutely succeeded. there are layers to it, in a way i've never seen written before.

he truly united almost the entire fandom against him. he fucked up so much in the story: junpei, mechamaru, nanami, nobara. his impact was insane. even beyond named characters, no body count even scratches his. towards the end, he was so brokenly powerful. i don't think kenjaku could've hoped to take him in if he weren't basically on the brink of death. even his final words are lashing out at his own ally, saying he always knew the end. yet he still did everything anyway.

honestly, as always, i'll keep most of my negative opinions to myself, but i really think every other jjk villain since shibuya looks like a joke next to him. he's my favorite jjk villain by so much it's almost funny. even sukuna and kenjaku don't reach his level for me.

sure, their impact on the story has obviously been pivotal. i've definitely had some strong emotional reactions to things they've done, but i want to see more emotions from them. what have we seen from sukuna? pretty much just rage, annoyance, and cruelty? uh, okay. and kenjaku has never shown anything more than vaguely amused indifference. he just can't incite an emotional reaction from me with that. what are their motives? what are their ideals?

yeah, i'm sure i'm missing a lot of themes or whatever with them, but i really don't flip over sukuna (hopefully that'll change...) and i never want to think about kenjaku more than i absolutely have to.

in contrast, mahito's emotions are so human, so complex. he has the widest range of emotion of any jjk villain. mahito's ideals are concise and an incredible foil for yuuji's. take this speech of his in shibuya:

"I bet you thought you were gonna do some pest control! Or ghost exterminations like in some make-believe story! You came to Shibuya with half-assed determination didn‘t ya?! How naive, you stupid brat! This is war! Not a battle to fix what‘s wrong! But a clash of truths! You and your fragile justice! You are me, Yuuji Itadori! I kill without a second thought, just like you save people without a second thought! The instincts of a curse against the so-called dignity obtained by human reason! It‘s a battle to determine who will be left standing in a hundred years! How the hell did you think you were gonna beat me when you don‘t even realize that? Tell me, Yuuji Itadori, have you ever stopped to count how many curses you‘ve killed? No, right? Me neither, me neither!"

this is insane. are you kidding me? are you kidding me. this is so fucking metal. he studies humans because they fascinate him: he reads books, watches movies, familiarizes himself with folklore and religions. yet despite that, he still sees humans as having no worth. their lives mean nothing to him. but his fixation on yuuji, his cognizance of their nature as character foils, proves how much grasp he has on human emotional depth.

i wish there was a better word for it, but he cared about yuuji: obviously not in the traditional positive, warm, affectionate sense, but in that he viewed yuuji as important to himself, his own ideals, and his own growth. if given more time, i think his emotional range towards humans could have become even wider.

conversely, as it stands at the end, curses do have worth to him. he helps a wounded hanami back to the base. this incredible post talks about how jogo is almost a father figure to him (and it's great mahito meta, too). i wish what that meta writer talked about came true. he left the story far, far too soon. i miss him so goddamn much. there's a gaping hole in the cast now that no other character can hope to fill.

i honestly can't wait to write more of him. tpg mahito's arc is literally insane, and honestly one of my favorites in the entire story. i seriously can't wait. i'd never try to make anyone like or root for him -- he's a villain, and always will be. but i want people to feel compelled in the same way i do. i'm missing so much in this analysis; i feel like i've barely scratched the surface.

mahito. his name means true human, by the way. if you think i'm not going to explore every aspect of that, you're in for a wild ride.

#wow i really went off here. i just want yall to understand what i see #he's such a good villain it's fucking insane #anyway #tpg #i ended up talking about it somehow

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intimidating-fettuccine · 4 years ago

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Toby - Character Analysis

Today on Aubrie ranting about her version of the creeps~

Warnings: I did not hold back on Toby, I’ve never mentioned his past on my blog and well maybe we now know why, Psychological and physical torture, Self harm, Toby has an e x t r e m e amount of mental trauma, Unhealthy coping mechanisms tied into self harm

Name: Toby Rogers

Age: 22

Height: 5′8″

Weight: 164

Sexuality: Pansexual

Links to the mentioned songs, Poltergeist, 1/4

Again, I know this gets long, but if you want to truly see and understand his character the way I do on the blog, I fully recommend reading this.

If Jeff is my most complex character, Toby is very close behind him in that aspect. You know, I agree with a lot of people on one specific point with Toby- I HATE the Toby that is just portrayed as the happy-go-lucky good boy with no issues. He has issues, he has trauma, and he is not some sweet innocent little angel. My version of Toby tends to fluctuate, at least for me, quite frequently; because of that, I decided that it's not that I keep changing his character, but that he has a very flexible and unclear personality and border.

You wouldn't be able to tell if you just read my fanfiction, but I really don't view Toby as a sweet and innocent character, but I've never written him to his true caliber because nobody requests it, and I don't think it would be as popular, thus, I'll be using this to go through the explanation of how I truly see Toby, not just as a sweet boy, but as an incredibly traumatized and difficult person.

I spent a lot of time putting this off partly because I couldn't find a song that I thought really fit Toby, but I think I found two that I believe have lyrics that mesh with him well, and I had to go back to my Vocaloid roots to find them because "real" music (by real singers) just haven't clicked for him for me.

The first song, "Poltergeist" by CircusP fits him with these lyrics:

'Living in fantasy, in apathy, isn't the cure. You're out of time'

'Every step you think you take reveals new ways to break'

'Wilted roses and trampled dreams, breathing in and out, make sure you don't lose count. Stitching thread to mend the seams, in a feeling of absolutely nothing'

'Living in agony, in tragedy is like a curse brought upon yourself, 'cuz as you're calling out and falling down, you can't be recovered, and it hurts like hell'

A large amount of the song fits him in my opinion, as Toby, as the singer states, IS the poltergeist, he is his own ghost haunting himself. Toby is fully and completely haunted by his trauma, and while he's improved a bit, his progress is extremely slow, and out of all the creeps, I think that Toby would be the slowest to recover. He is fully and completely immersed in his trauma, and it's gonna take a shit ton of work to get him out of there. He keeps himself in there, haunting himself, convincing himself he's meant to be this broken and shattered person, that it's how he's meant to live, it's repayment for everything he's done.

The second song is also by CircusP, "1/4", although I won't be picking out specific lyrics, as I feel the complete entirety of it fits him.

Toby is an incredibly sad character for me, definitely a tragic character. I've never fully written down and fleshed out my backstory for Toby or actually even told anyone that his backstory HAS differences on my blog, mostly because Toby is one of the most beloved characters, and I was worried that if I changed him too much that people would get upset or that they wouldn't like him, but I suppose if I can do it with a crowd favorite like Jeff, I can do it with Toby as well, even if it means you guys get upset at me.

If I'm being honest, I don't even remember much of the Toby OG story, nor do I care to since I don't follow canon lore, but there are a few things that are consistent from his original story and how I view him, those being that his dad was abusive and that Lyra dies. I can't remember if his mother was kind in the OG, but Toby's mom has ALWAYS been kind and caring to him in my canon, just as Lyra was a kind and caring sister to him when she was still living.

Toby's abuse probably started around the age of 5 or 6, around the time I think he started developing his Tourettes. To be clear, Toby's dad was never "nice", however, once Toby started showing signs of illness, "imperfections" as his father called them, that definitely ruined Toby in the eyes of his father. He needed his children to look and act perfect at all times, to behave and act in a certain way. Toby was put through strict schooling, had to follow strict rules, and was expected to behave perfectly at all times. However, with Tourettes, perfect behavior isn't always something that happens with his tics added in, and from all the stress he was feeling about trying to be this perfect person, Toby was never perfect, especially not in his father's eyes.

Toby's father was always a big fan of corporal punishment, and Toby was always a victim of this fact. While Toby couldn't feel the pain, it served as a reminder that he was being punished, that he had done wrong, and that he wouldn't receive any rewards or kindness until he did right. Some of the deeper scars from his father's beatings still remain on his body to this day, a constant reminder to Toby in his mind that he'll never be perfect, he'll never be the good person he was supposed to be.

When Toby's father would eventually grow bored of the physical punishments, irritated from the lack of reaction from Toby as he couldn't feel the pain, he would find other ways to bring distress to Toby. One of the best ways was to instead discipline Lyra, forcing Toby to watch, as there was nothing that affected Toby more than seeing his sister in pain, the sounds of her screams absolutely destroying the younger male, and as it was the most used form of torture by his dad due to the effect on Toby, it ended up leaving the most severe effects of trauma in Toby.

Toby was made to endure many other forms of psychological torment, including but not limited to, mock execution, sleep deprivation, forced isolation, starvation, sensory deprivation usually followed by sensory assault, and degradation. If it had even the smallest chance of leaving lasting trauma upon Toby, his father would force him into it, taking great joy in all of this. Lyra, Toby, and his mother all had to endure these things under his father's control, all of them too scared to act out and defend themselves. The three of them were a tight-knit bunch, helping each other to try and cope and take care of themselves, even if it meant taking a punishment for helping another.

The final straw that snapped Toby happened purely by accident, ironically, considering the amount of control that Toby's father normally had. His father was doing one of his punishments, a mock execution done on Lyra in front of Toby, except; instead of the gun being empty as he assumed, it happened to be loaded, and he had actually killed Lyra. Of course, he saw no problem in that, only distressed that he could no longer use her to cause Toby pain; at least, until Toby snapped to his senses, losing it, and finally fighting back against his father. At the young age of 14, Toby had finally gained the confidence he needed, leaping at his father and fighting with him until he'd gotten the gun, killing him without a second thought.

Of course, Toby and his mom panicked once she had arrived and realized what had happened, but they came up with an escape plan that, lucky for them, worked. Toby packed up a few bags, filled with food and clothes. He had decided he was going to run away, no way to trace him, and his mom was going to say she had discovered the scene and Toby had been gone by the time she'd gotten there, saying it likely happened in self defense in a domestic abuse dispute. Of course, with the wounds on her own body, it wasn't hard to buy.

All of the family's assets went to Mrs. Rogers, and she in secret continued assisting Toby as he was hunted down and searched for. Even to this day, 8 years later, she still assists him and helps him out, alongside the other creeps. However, that doesn't mean it's all sunshine and roses for Toby. In fact, he's only the happy-go-lucky boy I write him as about 30% of the time.

Toby is very damaged, the trauma having lasting effects on him. Sometimes, when he thinks he's done wrong, he punishes himself, harming himself in any way he can even though he can't feel the pain, just trying to leave a scar of some kind on his body as a reminder that he's done wrong. Slender and Tim have to be very careful when Toby does wrong, trying to bridge the gap of punishments lightly, as they don't want to scare Toby, making him think they'll punish him in the same way his father would, or sending him into an episode.

Toby is also extremely childish at times. He never had the freedom of a normal childhood, and so sometimes he acts out and gets heavily involved in "childish" things to try and relive his childhood as an adult, using some of it as one of the few healthy ways he copes. The other flip side is that he also has extreme anger issues, which is a negative in many ways. He has his father's temper, a very short one, and he can go from happy smiles to screaming in rage in a matter of seconds. This is unfortunate because he hates upsetting other people and yelling at them, and the yelling triggers his own anxiety and sensory issues, causing him to affect himself as well.

Toby is most days, however, overall very emotionally distant. He sits by himself, quiet and unspeaking, staring off into space, occasionally fidgeting or shifting position. It's best to leave him alone during these times as he either gets angry or distressed when disturbed, so the creeps will leave him be until he's ready to speak and interact with people. Toby has a lot of things to think about, a lot of things to work through, and he prefers to keep those things to himself, although he will talk about them with Slender and Tim on good days. Everyone is well aware that Toby suffered an extreme amount, although only Tim and Slender know about 80% of it, and BEN is the next closest, knowing about 50% of the trauma.

Toby has also started using collecting things as a coping mechanism, as he was never allowed to have his own things growing up. He collects pins and buttons, butterflies, books, and movies. Another way to cope he thoroughly engages in is art, the thing he most often uses to cope. He usually draws out all of the horrible memories he has and his nightmares, that being the only way to get them out of his mind, a way to make him stop fixating on them.

Toby also always does his best to stay on people’s good sides. He fears that if he messes up and does wrong that they’ll no longer show him affection or kindness, that they’ll abandon him. While Toby is extremely touch starved for love and affection, sometimes the kindness does get overwhelming to him, unfortunately. One minute he’ll be begging to be hugged, and the next the touch is too overwhelming, his touch repulsion kicking in.

I've never discussed these things before because I wasn't sure how well received it would be, but it is very refreshing to talk about it and get it out there, mostly because nobody had ever really questioned me on my past for Toby before. Current present Toby has probably only worked through about 20% of his trauma, and he knows that's not a lot, but he is working on improving. Toby is unfortunately attached to his trauma, the conditioning from his father running strongly through him even now, and it's going to take a long time before he can really escape the clutches of his father.

If I were to say the type of partner Toby needs, he definitely needs someone understanding, someone patient, someone that will stand by him. He has a lot of baggage, a lot of issues, and he needs someone that can accept him and stand by him, no matter how many times he gets angry, no matter how many night terrors and hallucinations he has, no matter how distant he may get. Patience and understanding are the biggest key points for him.

#creepypasta #creepypasta headcanon #creepypasta headcanons #ticci toby #ticci toby headcanon #ticci toby headcanons #self harm cw #self harm tw #slender mansion mayhem

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enchantedscribblings · 2 years ago

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I recently finished reading Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria and let me tell you it was a ride

Spoilers and thoughts under the cut. My thoughts are very scattered and I apologize

For one my favorite character didn't die which is weird. Kudos to you, Newt. You made it. RIP to Cassa tho. It was hard being sad over her death because I was too in shock that it wasn't Newt

For context my favorite character always dies. Always. If anyone dies its gonna be my favorite one. This is probably the first time that rule was broken, ever. I have a post on my main blog talking about this for a show I watched recently.

Anyway so this book's concept of prophecies running your life is very good. I don't know why I referred to it as a concept. It's already a thing on real life. Just consider christianity and the contents of the book of revelation. They have cryptic stuff talking about a 7 headed dragon and the antichrist which have been used to jump to horrible conclusions. The concept of people in power hoarding those who have the capability to divine such futures is a fantastic display of the lengths that corrupt people will go to in order to remain in power.

I also kind of love that the heroes didn't get their full victory in the end. Sure, they managed to get rid of the council, but it wasn't in the badass rebellion way they were trying for. Instead they killed the last seer and got the council abolished in a legal way. Ansel Dane killed it with his little coup. They definitely completed their goal, but it wasn't in a way that I expected, and I really appreciate the deviation from the norm there.

I really enjoyed the characters. I've already said that my favorite is Newt, but I haven't talked about the rest of them. Usually when I like characters I can't really voice into words why I like them, but I'll try my best here.

First we have Evander. He's simultaneously confident and cautious. He's the most likely to follow Cassa's leadership, but he's not reckless with it. He follows because he believes in what they're doing. I truly believe if he didn't that he wouldn't be with them, even though people he cares about are doing the stupid things. I relate to his independence and his desire to help his friends and city.

Next we have Alys. She's clever and level headed even though she doesn't have a lot of faith in her abilities. She believes in her cause because, like her brother, she's seen first hand what the council will do to quell any and all rebellion. Every group needs the brains and she fills that role beautifully. I envy her wits. Additionally she's the ace representation that was the reason I initially considered reading this book, and she was so well written.

Third, we have Vesper. I love that she's not afraid to do what she thinks is right, even if it might hurt the people she loves the most. She cares so much that she is willing to walk alone to help her friends and the city she's called home since she was a child. Vesper wasn't portrayed as the smart person in the group but she's so incredibly intelligent. She managed to keep her powers secret while working for the council for fucks sake. If you don't think she's smart and unbelievably cool then you're wrong. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules. (Also she gave me vibes that she should have gotten with/had a past with Cassa, and I'm sad it didn't happen). Vesper is probably my second favorite from this story

Fourth is Chancellor Ansel Dane. His tragic backstory is part of what made me like him so much. He comes off as curt and uncaring, but then you get to see what his past looks like and you understand that he's putting on a front of sorts with the council. That he took his own bad experiences and let them open his eyes to problems around him. I genuinely believe he's a very caring person, who was hindered by the council. If he didn't have them (like what he set up at the end) then I believe he wouldn't have ordered the massacre of the rebellion and that he would've put a stop to Solan Tavish much sooner.

Fifth is Solan Tavish. He's an excellent example of what happens when you have someone with power with no one to answer to. Luckily for the characters he never got to unleash his power, but they knew what he would do if that happened.

Coming in sixth we have Newt. He's sweet, clever, and he has a desire to help the people of his city and free them from the council, even if it means going against his own father. He gave me blorbo vibes from the second he was introduced and his desire to be better for the rebellion and Eldra than his father was resonated with me. I also find his flexibility and ability to pop his joints out to be pretty cool.

Last but not least comes Cassa. Full disclosure here, I found her annoying in the beginning. I found her cockiness and 'im the leader' mindset kind of annoying at the beginning of the book. As the story progressed, she began to think a little more for herself rather than following her parents' ideals blindly. She began to actually believe in the prophecies and the power of those with the blood of the Slain God, even though she still didn't believe in the deity. By the end of the book Cassa became a character that I grew to like.

I really enjoyed the world building that went into the religion of Eldra and the background on why certain people had abilities. I loved the skepticism from some people on whether or not the Slain God was ever real. However, I wish that we got to know more about the world that Eldra was a part of. It was mentioned briefly a few times when we were told that Eldra was isolated from them, but I wish we knew some stuff about it. Where has the best drinks? What's the weather like everywhere else? What are the people like? Do they have their own religion now that they've turned their back on the religion of the Slain God? I have so many curiosities about the people out there.

If Destiny Soria ever wrote a sequel to the book, or even another book that takes place in the same world, I'd love to read it. Especially if it features the world outside of Eldra.

I'm rating this book 8/10. The world building and the characters were fantastic (I especially enjoyed the queer characters and the poc representation), but it wasn't as action packed in the climax as it could have been. Overall this was a fantastic book, and I'm adding Destiny Soria's other book, Iron Cast, to my reading list.

#beneath the citadel #beneath the citadel spoilers #enchanted book club #cassa valera #solan tavish #ansel dane #evander sera #alys sera #newt #i cant remember his last name for the life of me and i dont have the book with me to search it #or vespers last name #vesper #ig #lgbtq+ books #queer books #bookblr #beneath the citadel destiny soria #books #book review

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mattdcblog · 3 years ago

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For the send a character thing, Ted Kord!

Favorite thing about the character:

A lot of these are gonna have multiple answers soz lol, but I genuinely really like his kooky sense of humor. While JLI is where most of my knowledge of the character comes from, theres even stuff from his 80s and Charlton runs that make me laugh, like this:

[Image ID: A panel from the Charlton Blue Beetle comics. Blue beetle fights a clay statue come to life. He thinks, "I'll keep pressing him...try to set him up so I can knock him off balance!" The statue thinks, "Why does he keep fighting me! He should run! He can't win!" In the midst of this, Beetle says, "I hate to tell you your business, but you're missing a lot. /End ID. ]

And the second thing I enjoy greatly about him is how he's portrayed with an incredible sense of humanity, and everything that entails. Like, he isn't the blue beetle because he's been gifted with some kind of incredible power. He doesn't helm the mantle willingly. He's presented with the responsibility and CHOOSES to shoulder that weight. Its like an inversion of the whole "with great power" line - he takes on the responsibility, and in that lies the power. Everything about that really drives home that he really is just a guy (albeit an incredibly technologically smart one) who wakes up every morning and chooses to put on blue spandex and fly around in a big bug airship. There's no divine prophecy, no freak accident, no sudden revelation. The one person in his life whom he trusted the most asks him, in his final moments, to take it on in his memory. When someone you're close to and greatly respect asks you that, in Ted's own words (Blue Beetle 1967 #2): "How can I refuse?"

Least favorite:

Theres really not too much about him that I don't like, honestly. Character flaws are really important things, and yeah he's got a few lol! But outside of that, one thing I don't like with him is more specifically how he sometimes gets written as either "the smart one," or "the guy with a weight problem." Don't get me wrong, these are both true things about the character, but having those be his ONLY traits really, Really hurts his portrayals, because he is So much more than that! He's a goofball sometimes! He can be a total asshole! He's also really funny, and observant, and nice at times! Infinite Crisis wanted so badly to make him this serious, hyper-intelligent guy that was Never Wrong and Everybody Liked Him and Respected Him. Completely ignoring that hes not a God, he's not batman, and he was a human being, yknow? Sometimes there are just gonna be people that you Do Not get along with. And also interesting to consider that Tora did not realy get the same treatment...

Favorite line:

[Image ID: A partially cut-off panel from JLI #21. As the JLI returns from Apokalyps, Captain Atom asks, "Beetle, what's been going--" He's cut off by Blue Beetle responding, "I don't know! I don't care! And if you ever ask me again, I'll shoot off your kneecaps!" /End ID.]

brOTP:

I can't choose just one lol, him and pretty much every member of the JLI (including booster) I would probably agree with having as a brotp, Scott and Bea especially. Barbara is also really interesting friendship, and hell throw Ray in there too why not. Honestly I could see him getting along well with mostly everybody.

OTP:

To the surprise of no one I have to say Booster. These guys are just doomed to be associated with each other until the end of time. If you've got a team name its already too late. I know it says "one true pairing," but truthfully I could see Barbara as well. A few of my friends convinced me of it (giorgia if you're out there...hehe), but honestly my view of ships is just like...if the writer can make the characters work together and interact believably, that's all I'm looking for.

nOTP:

Reiterating what I just said above, but also...I could see ways to pair him with Fire or Ice, but like, I don't want either to happen. Thats just another pair that are kind of intertwined forever in my mind.

Random HC:

I bet he really enjoys making models.

Unpopular opinion:

The rebirth storyline was really weird to me because aside from retconning the scarab to be magic again (which like. Why. Jaimes 2006 run was amazing and there's textual evidence to support why going the alien tech route made SENSE and Keith you fucking WROTE SOME OF THAT ROUTE YOURSELF WHAT WAS THE REASON??!?!?!?!), it didn't really feel like Ted and jaime gelled as a team, and Dan getting completely shafted from the story entirely and just being "Ted's neighbor who shows him a cool artifact" was certainly...A Choice. I get that dan has not had the amount of retooling or development the other two have had, but shouldn't that be More of a reason to make him fit more concretely into the story? Having him just be Ted's neighbor COMPLETELY destroys his entire basis for putting on the suit. This turned into just more of a general opinion oops so ANYWAY

Song:

certain things (read: fan fiction and select comic panels) have assigned Love Shack by the B-52s as Ted Kords Song in my mind. Nothing about it describes his character very much, but every time I hear it I go "this is his favorite song."

Favorite pic:

[Image ID: A lineup of the core members of the JLI. From left to right: Max, Guy, Tora, J'onn, L-Ron, Bea, Ted, Booster. Bea is sticking her tongue out, Ted is wearing a pair of beaglepuss glasses, and Booster is whistling and holding a sign pointing to Ted that reads, "I'm with stupid. " From Who's Who Update '88. /End ID.]

#thabks for the ask!

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the-blind-assassin-12 · 4 years ago

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Lonely Stranger

Word Count: 1,340 (+ lyrics- in bold italics) Character: Ryan Brenner A/N: This was a real damn treat for me to write, as well as an agonizing experience. I’ll explain a little more. Title of this drabble and lyrics used belong to Eric Clapton, not Ryan Brenner or I... and if you haven’t heard the song, please listen before, during or after you read this.

(ARTIST APPRECIATION SUBMISSION)

Happy Sunday everyone! I am so pumped to share this next submission for the fanart appreciation event, for many reasons. First of all, the art itself is literally breathtaking. The incredible attention to the smallest of details in this not only show how badass this artist is, but perfectly mirror Ryan’s attention to the little things. The moment that I got this submission from @something-tofightfor to write for the piece that @gollyderek did that was inspired by Neon Lights, I just about exploded with excitement. First of all, Neon Lights is my favorite piece of fanfiction on this or any plane of existence. If you haven’t read it you absolutely have to. Secondly, Laura’s artwork for it was and still is my happy place because it so perfectly depicts the magic of the moment that reader first sees Ryan. In fact, it makes lots of people’s days better, Laura. When she submitted this request, Rachael told me that this artwork makes her happy even on bad days.

So the chance to write about not only a beautiful work of art, but one inspired by a beautiful work of fiction was sort of fricking amazing! I decided (with @something-tofightfor ‘s blessing, of course- Thanks for trusting me, Rachael!) to write this from Ryan’s POV.

Anyway! I could continue to gush about how talented both of these ladies are and how much both of their works mean to me, but let’s get on with it. Laura, from Rachael (and I) to you: THANK YOU FOR GIFTING US ALL WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ART. YOU ARE TALENTED. YOU ARE APPRECIATED. YOU ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. Keep fuckin shit up in the best way.

(Can you hear him singing? I can. Good Lord, I can.)

Lonely Stranger

Once his fingers began to work at the strings, the guitar in Ryan’s lap stopped being separate from him. Hunched over the body and curved around the neck, he let the faces in the small crowd that had gathered disappear and gave all of his focus to the song he was playing. While he enjoyed playing for people, even taking requests to ensure that he played things that they actually knew and wanted to hear, what he enjoyed the most about music was the way that it didn’t begin and end with just his voice or his guitar. It required more than that. Soul and memory. Joy and mistakes. Got plenty’a both.

Making music was about feeling all of these things and using them to say something through song, regardless of whether or not it was one he’d written. It was his chance to talk to people he might otherwise not get the opportunity to. Just as they slipped beneath the notes he played and the lyrics he sang, he felt himself become invisible to them. His dusty boots, stained jeans, roughly inked digits and all of the preconceived notions that they carried became muted details that mattered less and less with every pluck and pass of his fingers and thumbs, every line he belted out. Ryan became invisible enough to connect with these strangers, just enough to make them smile and keep him believing that people were better on the whole than the worst of their parts.

They didn’t mind that they’d never see him again, and the older he got and the more he traveled, he realized that he didn't either. Ryan had a few people in his life that he knew would always be a part of it- Georgie and a couple of the friends that they played with together, Virginia, even if every day it got closer to too long since he’d seen her. Cowboy, even though he was gone. Ryan’s closed eyelids wrinkled as he connected that loss to the story he was telling with his song.

I must be invisible No one knows me. I have crawled down dead-end streets On my hands and knees.

The people who knew him weren’t the ones standing in front of him as he sat perched on a milk crate suspended over the Strip. Those people were scattered elsewhere, acting as anchors for him to return to when needed, as he was to them- people who understood him, accepted him beyond what they could see and without trying to change him. Those people were few and far between, both figuratively and in miles, and Ryan had recently decided that that was for the best. He hadn’t left his home looking for someplace to settle into a new one, he’d done it to live on his own terms. It had been years since he’d met someone who had seen him beneath what they guessed about him, those guesses more often than not being wrong, so he’d stopped hoping for it.

'cause I'm a lonely stranger here, Well beyond my day. And I don't know what's goin' on, So I'll be on my way.

It was easier to just make these little connections through music, to focus on the details of the city he was in. The skyline, the way clouds gathered and the colors that they cast over the landscape, cobbled streets and gravel roads, highways and bright lights and everything that made each place he visited different from the one before. That’s why he’d chosen the life he had, regardless of what people thought, and it was easier to enjoy those things than it was to try to find another person who saw them the way that he did, saw his lifestyle as a series of intentional choices and not one of circumstantial consequence.

The desert heat hadn’t left with the sunlight, and though sweat ran in beads between his shoulder blades and left salty trails from his forehead and temples that dried on his skin before reaching his beard, he hardly noticed. He opened his eyes briefly as he played between lyrics, a few more people stepping up to join the audience, their featureless faces reflecting the colors of the neon lights that brought the city to life. Just people on vacation, checking “watch a street performer” off of their Vegas to-do list. Crinkled dollar bills and a small cache of coins littered the lining of the guitar case at his feet, and he was grateful for every cent of it because it allowed him to continue to live the life he wanted, even if it meant becoming a small detail in the scrapbooks of other people’s lives.

He blinked as a drop of sweat rolled into his eye, and shook his head to clear it without missing a beat. Opening both eyes again, Ryan expected to be met with the same cluster of strangers that he’d just seen, but where before when his eyes had been able to skim across the crowd with ease, this time they found a sticking point- a young woman standing off to the side in a simple black dress, a soft pink glow illuminating her from behind. What? Ryan’s brow wrinkled, and he gave another small shake of his head as though trying to clear a mirage from his mind.

But you were still there, your eyes wide and your mouth slightly open, body entirely still. But she’s… listening. Ryan closed his eyes, tight, and sunk himself back into the song. Doesn’t matter.

Some will say that I'm no good; Maybe I agree. Take a look then walk away. That's alright with me.

But you hadn’t heeded the warning in the song. You’d stuck around as most of the crowd dispersed, continuing on to the destinations that his presence on the bridge had delayed them from. Why? He looked down as you tossed a bill into the case, the green paper landing on the small pile of other bills but standing out starkly due to the number in the corner being much higher than any that it sat atop. Oh. That’s…

“That’s too much, you don’t have to-” he said aloud, assuming that you’d meant to slip something smaller into the case. Bringing his eyes up to yours, they locked onto something there that surprised him. Lips suddenly dry, his tongue darted out to wet them. “Please, that’s not-”

But you wouldn’t let it go, insisting that he take the tip and the praise that came along with it. You didn’t run off, having checked a box and eager to check another, but stepped aside as he briefly thanked those that did have somewhere else to be. You stayed through another song- one he’d written- watching and listening with the same look on your face, closer now, the curve of your cheek and the tip of your nose highlighted by the yellow orange glow of a different set of lights. She’s… he thanked the couple in front of him, giving them a genuine smile and telling them to have a nice evening, but he was still stuck on your eyes. She’s stunning but I...it... When you’d overheard him answer someone else’s question of what his name was, you hadn’t waited for him to introduce himself to you before using it yourself, and when you did he could feel the way that his own eyes lightened, smiling from the unexpected way you’d maintained the connection that others so easily dropped the second the last note faded.

Close enough now to see even more than he’d been able to before, Ryan realized what had made you different, even if he couldn’t fathom how he knew it. She’s been lonely, too. Knows it's not all bad, bein’ alone. It wasn’t sadness in your eyes that gave that away, it was clarity. Damn. But instead of looking for a way to cut it off, Ryan held onto the connection that the two of you shared, offering to play a song of your choosing.

To him, your choice had only confirmed what he didn’t know how he knew about you. The odd comfort and jarring change of being seen, even if just for the length of a few songs adding to the list of things he’d add to the guitar, to his voice: Soul and memory. Joy and mistakes.

And this… no matter what category tonight falls into.

And now I am going to go cry about how much I love Ryan Brenner and this perfectly frozen moment in time that @gollyderek captured from @something-tofightfor ‘s beautiful words. SWOON and SIGH. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it even if it made me nervous AF and choosing a song for Ryan to be singing was more difficult than it should have been. Thank you a million times to all of you fabulous artists! If you are an artist in the Ben Barnes fandom, or you want to surprise an artist with a quick drabble based on their art, send me a message and link me to the posted artwork. Let’s show these talented folks how much we appreciate them and the things that they create!

#ben barnes fanart appreciation #ben barnes fanart #ben barnes character fanart #gollyderek #something tofightfor #neon lights #ryan brenner #ryan brenner fanart

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harry-leroy · 5 years ago

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OK. I've got to ask--Henry VI? I think you're the first person I've met who claims those as their favorite Shakespeare. I'll admit that I've read and seen a fair bit of Shakespeare, but I'm not familiar with them at all. What's the appeal? Why do you love them? Sell them to me. ;)

Oh boy, here we go :))))) (Thank you for giving me permission to scream - I also think I’m the only person I’ve ever met who has those as their favorite Shakespeare plays). Also, as we’ve talked opera - I think these plays could make a great Wagnerian style opera cycle.

First off, little disclaimer: I’m not a medievalist, so I can’t say that I’ve definitely got the best interpretation of the Wars of the Roses and the history that the H6 cycle covers. I know I do not - so you may read these plays and have totally different interpretations, and that’s great! This will kind of be how I came to love the plays and why they were (and still are) exciting for me to read.

I will admit, these plays are a bit of a minefield (as my Shakespeare professor said during a lecture on the histories and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that descriptor). Some of these scenes are not as well written, and many of them are almost irrelevant to telling a tight-knit story, so things get cut. Sometimes 1H6 is just cut entirely from productions, and I might venture to say that it is probably the least performed Shakespeare play. We get lines like “O, were mine eyeballs into bullets turn’d, / That I in a rage might shoot them at your faces” (1H6.4.4.79-80), which I might say is nearly on par with “a little touch of Harry in the night” from Henry V. But despite the unevenness, there is so much from these plays that are meaningful, heartbreaking, and that continue to fascinate me. There’s so much about power and leadership that we can learn from these plays - and perhaps that’s why I took an interest in 1990s British politics because there are actually some very interesting similarities happening - but also a lot we can learn about empathy, hope, and love.

These plays have a lot of fascinating key players - it would honestly be a privilege to play any of them - and most (if not all) of these key players have some claim to power, just in the family lines they were born into. And this conflict is one that’s been building up since Richard II. With the Wars of the Roses we have a man who is unwilling, and sometimes unable to lead because of various circumstances, some of which having to do with his mental health, which was generally poor, and some of which have to do with the various times he was dethroned, captured, etc. - and I say unable for lack of a better word. Essentially, politics in these plays are caving in, and at a very rapid pace. There’s a hole at the center of government and people are ambitious to fill it. We also have a lot of people who could potentially fill that role, people who on principle, have a lot of political enemies. The nobles in these plays are having to assure that they themselves are in power or that their ally is in power, otherwise it is their livelihood at stake.

We have Henry VI, who was made king at nine months old after the untimely death of his father, the famous Henry V, and basically has people swarming him since birth claiming that they’re working in his best interest. He’s a bit of a self-preservationist to start, but by the end we see a man completely transformed by the horrors of war and ruthless politics. I also think he might be the only Shakespeare character who gets his entire life played out on stage. We see him at every stage of his life, which makes his descent all the more bitter. (One cannot help but see the broken man he is at forty-nine and be forced to remember the spritely, kind boy he was at ten). He’s a man who clings closely to God in an environment where God seems to be absent. He desires peace, if nothing else, and he wants to achieve this by talking things through. He’s an excellent orator (one only needs to look at the “Ay Margaret; my heart is drown’d with grief” monologue from 2H6, but there are countless other examples), but there’s a point where even he realizes that his talking will achieve nothing, and his alternative is heartbreaking.

We have his wife, Queen Margaret, otherwise known as Margaret of Anjou, or the “she-wolf of France”. I advertise her as “if you like Lady Macbeth, you’ll love Margaret of Anjou”. Sometimes Shakespeare can portray her as wanting power for herself, but I genuinely think she wanted a good life for her husband and her child, otherwise the alternative is begging at her uncle’s feet for protection in France (her uncle was Charles VII of France) while separated from her husband, having her or a member of her immediate family be killed, or worse. I think it’s important to remember with Margaret that historically she came from a family where women took power if their husbands were unable to. Her assumption of power in these plays is something that’s natural to her, even if it’s not reflected very well in Shakespeare’s language. You also see some fantastically thrilling monologues from Margaret as well, especially her molehill speech (one of two molehill speeches in 3H6, totally different in nature - the other one is from a heartbroken and forlorn Henry after the Battle of Towton) - Margaret’s monologue has got the energy of a hungry cat holding a mouse by the tail.

Also Henry and Margaret have a fascinating relationship. Because they’re so different in how they resolve conflicts, they grow somewhat disenchanted with each other at times, and can actually be mean to one another, despite their love. My favorite scene might be at the start of 3H6, where Margaret has come in with their seven year old son, Edward, and starts berating Henry for giving the line of succession to the Yorkists. What strikes me there is that we have a little boy having to choose between staying with his mom, or going with his dad - it’s something very domestic, and I think the emotional accessibility of that scene is what makes it memorable. It’s not about politics for me at that moment, it’s about a boy having to choose between his very estranged parents. Here’s a little taste from 1.1. in 3H6 - lines 255-261:

QUEEN MARGARET: Come son, let’s away. / Our army is ready; come, we’ll after them.

KING HENRY: Stay, gentle Margaret, and hear me speak.

QUEEN MARGARET: Thou hast spoke too much already. Get thee gone.

KING HENRY: Gentle son Edward, thou wilt stay with me?

QUEEN MARGARET: Ay, to be murdered by his enemies.

We also have Richard, Duke of York, who is Henry’s cousin and leader of the Yorkist faction. If you’re at all familiar with 1990s British politics, as I have grown close to over the past month, York reminds me very much of Michael Heseltine (filthy rich and constantly vying for power) - and I would love to stage some kind of modern H6 cycle production just so I could make that connection. York’s father is one of the three traitors executed by Henry V at the start of H5, leaving him an orphan at four years old (historically). He is also Aumerle’s (from R2) nephew, and so when Aumerle dies at the Battle of Agincourt, little four year old Richard inherits both his father’s money and titles, and his uncle’s money and titles, making him the second richest nobleman in England behind the King. All this information is historical and doesn’t really show up in the play, but I think that kind of background would give a man some entitlement. He’s also next in line for the throne if something were to happen to Henry (until Henry has a son), so he feels it is his duty as heir to the throne to protect Henry (or in better words, he feels that he should be running the show) - Margaret feels that it is her duty to protect Henry as she is his wife and mother of Edward of Westminster, the Lancastrian heir, and so you can see where these two are going to disagree.

More fascinating are York’s sons, Edward, George, and Richard. Edward is this (for lack of better words) “hip” eighteen year old who comes and shreds things up at the Battle of Towton - becoming Edward IV in the process and chasing Henry off the throne. He is incredibly problematic, but I might venture to say that he’s the least problematic of the trio of York brothers. George of Clarence is (also for lack of better words) “a hot mess” and feels entitled to power, even though he may not readily give his motivations for it. I think he just wants it, and so he actually ends up switching sides mid-3H6 because he would actually be in a better position in government with those new allies. And finally, we have Richard of Gloucester (future Richard III), and in 3H6, you just get to see him sparkle. It puzzles me a bit how people can just jump into Richard III without getting any of the lead up that Shakespeare gave in the H6 cycle, and I think 3H6 is the perfect play to see that. I think it clears up a lot of his motivation, which Shakespeare didn’t get perfectly either, because there are some ableist things going on with these plays. He’s just as bloodthirsty, just as cynical, but in this play, he wins out the day.

These are just a few of the main characters. We’ve also got Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (known to history as “The Kingmaker”), who is this incredibly powerful nobleman who is wicked skilled in battle and seems to have a lot of luck in that area (until he doesn’t). We’ve got Clifford, who is just as bloodthirsty as Richard III (if not more so). We’ve also got Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester - Henry’s uncle and quite unpopular with his fellow noblemen, and Eleanor Cobham, his wife who gets caught in the act of witchcraft. (Talk to my lovely friend @nuingiliath if you want to hear about Humphrey or Eleanor). Joan of Arc also makes an appearance in 1H6, and often she’s the only reason that 1H6 gets performed.

There are so many ways to latch onto this cycle, and it can be for the huge arcs that these characters go on, or it can be for the very small reasons, like in the first scene of 3H6, like I mentioned earlier. It’s very much akin to Titus Andronicus in the language (I did a bit of research a while ago about the use of animal-focused language in Shakespeare’s plays, and the H6 cycle and Titus Andronicus lead the charts just in terms of frequency of people being referred to metaphorically as animals- they’re also chronological neighbors, all written very early in Shakespeare’s career). Also, these plays held a huge amount of weight at the time they were written - the effects of the Wars of the Roses were still pressing over the political climate of the 1590s.

I think these plays are great to read just in being able to contextualize the histories as a whole - you get to know how things fared after Henry V (spoiler: not well), and you also get the lead up to Richard III. The ghosts in Richard’s dream make sense after reading the H6 cycle - because those ghosts lived in the H6 cycle, and (spoiler: Richard wronged them in the H6 cycle). They were also the first of Shakespeare’s history plays, so you read subsequent histories plays that make subtle references to the H6 cycle, and I think you can take so much more out of the rest of the histories plays once you’ve read these.

I hope this was a little informative, and perhaps persuaded you to check them out!

Productions I recommend (you can click on the bold titles and it’ll take you to where you can access these productions):

Shakespeare’s Globe at Barnet (2013) // Graham Butler (Henry VI), Mary Doherty (Margaret of Anjou), Brendan O’Hea (Richard, Duke of York), Simon Harrison (Richard of Gloucester) - filmed at Barnet, location of the Battle of Barnet, where Warwick was killed in 1471.

ESC Production (1990) // Paul Brennen (Henry VI), June Watson (Margaret of Anjou), Barry Stanton (Richard, Duke of York), Andrew Jarvis (Richard of Gloucester) - a more modern production, one cast put together all seven major Plantagenet history plays (1H6 and 2H6 are combined into one play - a normal practice). Sometimes this footage can be a bit fuzzy, but I loved this production.

The Hollow Crown Season 2 // Tom Sturridge (Henry VI), Sophie Okonedo (Margaret of Anjou), Adrian Dunbar (Richard, Duke of York), Benedict Cumberbatch (Richard of Gloucester) - done in a film-like style, also with some pretty big name actors as you can see. Season 1 stars Ben Whishaw as Richard II, Jeremy Irons as Henry IV, Simon Russell Beale as Falstaff, and Tom Hiddleston as Hal/Henry V. (also available on iTunes)

RSC Wars of the Roses (1965) // David Warner (Henry VI), Peggy Ashcroft (Margaret of Anjou), Donald Sinden (Richard, Duke of York), Ian Holm (Richard of Gloucester) - black and white film, done in parts on YouTube.

BBC Henry VI Plays (1983) // Peter Benson (Henry VI), Julia Foster (Margaret of Anjou), Bernard Hill (Richard, Duke of York), Ron Cook (Richard of Gloucester) - features my favorite filmed performance of Edward IV (played by Brian Protheroe), and my favorite filmed performance of Warwick (played by Mark Wing-Davey).

Also if you ever get to see Rosa Joshi’s production of an all female H6 cycle... *like every time I see photos my immediate reaction is *heart eyes* I haven’t seen it yet, but my amazing friend and fellow Shakespearean @princess-of-france has - I’m sure she’d love to talk more about it sometime! I’ll leave a picture I found on the internet...

Also tagging @suits-of-woe because we could cry about these plays all day.

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embryon-heartbreaker · 5 years ago

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Finally getting around to this! Sorry about the delay! My phone doesn't have all of the emojis, so sorry about that. I'll add them in if I have them.

🎥 Do you have any favorite scenes from your hyperfixation?

Since my current hyperfixation is Digital Devil Saga and Quantum Devil Saga, I'll do an answer for both!

DDS: One of my favorite scenes that comes to mind from the first game has to be Heat interrogating Harley about Sera. Specifically, you can hear the build up in his voice. The desperation, the frustration, and just sheer emotion welling up as it practically explodes as his irises flash red. It's amazingly well delivered, and his voice actor did an amazing job! Haven't heard this scene in Japanese yet, though. I really want to! This, and the entire balcony scene at the end of the Amusement Park dungeon. You know what, I loved that entire dungeon tbh. Also, almost all of the scenes in dds2 were great, and I can't pick just one!

QDS: Part of me wants to say "Every part where Serph describes Heat", but I honestly feel like it'd be a bit cliche(even though those parts are GREAT!).

Although, I'd have to narrow it down to the parts where you can really see Gale's personality and mental state shining through his programming and conditioning, and almost any time Cielo and Sera are together. Those two are so adorable! So many books and shows feel the need that if a boy and a girl are close that they need to be romantically involved! It's absolutely refreshing to see those two being as close as a pair of siblings, and their relationship honestly reflects that. Also Cielo's line of "Your smile is better than any medicine!"(or something along those lines) just kills me from cuteness every time!

💕 Tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!

Out of both pieces of media, I honestly can't pick just one character. I might end up picking two, honestly. XD

DDS: Heat is definitely a high candidate for "favorite character". No, this isn't because of "hurhur big hot beefy man me likey!" Legitimately, I find his character incredibly interesting and compelling. He goes from this angry and aggressive man who probably caused at least 1 character to have anxiety problems, to someone who quite honestly cares a lot about those under his care. During the return to the Maribel's base, he is the ONLY PERSON to voice concern about the fact that the only person with a High Atma who could protect Sera was Cielo. He was worried about the kids back at their base, and after you fight Bat, HE is the only one who immediately makes a b-line straight back to base. I'm not even going to get into the whole "Destiny Castle" deal, and everything that happens in dds2, because we'd be here all day otherwise.

Second favorite character in DDS would probably be Cielo. He starts out as the happy-go-lucky comic relief, but from the start, even before his emotions fully awaken, he shows signs of worrying and caring about everyone. He voices concerns when Heat suggests going to the Vanguards' base, and he's even still very close to Gale after the guy went berserk and tried to eat him! Let's not forget how he and Sera still have a brother/sister relationship in the games as well!

Although, I feel like his character fully blossoms during the second game, where one of the minor villains not only causes him to actually snap, but he still finds it in him to smile, laugh, and joke, despite his world almost literally crumbling around him.(Also, not trying to spoil this for anyone else, but the first time I watched through dds2, and I made it to the part where Cielo dances and jokes about showing God his "Latin Rhythms", the context of what had happened just prior, and what was going to happen… Seeing him do that fucking broke me. I was actually curled up on my bed under fuzzy blankets, my box of tissues next to me, crying. Bless you, funky little Cielo.)

QDS: GALE. 100%, one of my favorite characters by far in the books(besides still Heat and Cielo), would be Gale. Why, you might ask?

Gale in the books is shown to be exceptionally intelligent, but has a hard time comprehending his own emotions and expressing them. He tries to bury his own inner turmoils and anxieties under his own work, although he still cares a lot about the well being of his teammates, especially Serph, and that's beyond his programming as a Bishop. He is also shown to be very creative with his planning, and is able to relatively accurately judge how people may react to certain situations, despite not understanding himself. Also, he has some slight nervous fidgets(tapping his fingers on desks, rubbing his temples, etc), and he is shown to, despite having Sera's calming presence and the effects of her blood(long story) nearby, he does visibly have a lot of anxiety at having his whole world and environment changed, as well as his careful routine, and has a tendency to hyperfocus on things, and he spirals into a loop of repeating thoughts when Serph ends up causing Gale to question if his loyalty lies with Serph or with the Tribe.

Gale. Is. AUTISTIC.

I, myself, am Autistic. I have ADD, and a severe anxiety disorder on top of this. QDS is probably one of the best written autistic/neuroatypical characters I have ever come across, and he's not played off as "comic relief", "childish", or even bordline sociopathic! He CARES! He cares A LOT! He even ends up in a healthy and stable relationship in the end! Also, he's the team's designated driver, holder of the braincells, and the team mom!

(Also, I like all of the characters in the books one way or another. They're all wonderfully written, and I enjoy them all a lot!! 8D)

🍀 Do you have any kins or comfort characters from your hyperfixation?

Hm… I'm not entirely sure how to respond to this. I'm guessing this means whichever characters give me the most happy feelies?

DDS: Almost all of the Embryon squad+Roland. Characters that give me the most happy feelies would probably actually be Cielo, Sera, Heat, Gale...I'm probably gonna end up listing all of them. XD Also, O'Brien. Part Irish people unite!!!!

QDS: Gale for obvious reasons(I need to post/reblog my drawing of him later), Sera for being the physical embodiment of "babey", Cielo for being something similar, any time Serph and Heat are together and Heat's not being angry, and Argilla around Jinana.

Noticing that this is more situational, but this is the best way I can describe this.

This was really fun to to do! Everyone is free to ask me whatever they want! 8D

#;angel lookalike #ask meme #this was really fun to do! 8D

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jadekitty777 · 6 years ago

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Are you waiting to be asked about Team STRQ? I'll bite. Team STRQ for the character ask meme.

You know it! Although I’mhaving a lot of fun with all of them.

Unsurprisingly doing four of my top favorites all at oncegot long, so I’m putting it under a read more.

Taiyang Xiao Long(YEAH BABY THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!)

· Favorite thingabout them: Everything. Alright,alright – anyone who has spent five seconds with me knows he’s my ultimatefavorite, I’ll try not to be TOO biased. I think what I like the most about Taiis that, while he has a bit of a fiery nature to him, overall, he seems like sucha gentle soul. He’s not afraid to be a little cheesy when it comes to praisinghis girls. He loves doting on them if the opportunity arrives (breakfast in bedfor Ruby, anyone?). He’s also not afraid to push them, yet still tries to be kindin his methods.

· Least favoritething about them: To be honest, while it’s absolutely understandable and realisticto how many parents do act in these situations, I wish Tai had been moreforthcoming about Raven when it came to talking to Yang about her (granted ifhe was, it would certainly lessen the impact of Yang’s own character arc, but Idigress). Keeping her completely in the dark is part of what leads his eldestinto her obsession with knowing more.

When the conversation finallydoes happen, I do like that Tai does his best to not badmouth Raven, which willallow for Yang to make her own decisions on what she thinks of Raven as aperson when she ultimately finds her – as he knows she will.

· Favorite line: Oooh Taiyang’skind of a walking Chinese proverb, so it’s a little hard to pick. I’m going togo with: “You’re right, it’s not coming back… but that doesn’t have to stop youfrom becoming who you want to be.” The message basically comes down to ‘don’tlet it be you who holds yourself back’. I’m sure all of us have faced being ourown worst enemies at times, wherein we never even try because we’re too focusedon saying “I can’t”.

Honorable shout-out to RWBY chibiand “I make a home for this family, that’s what I do all day! And it wouldn’tkill you to show a little APPRECIATION”.

· brOTP: No one gasps insurprise when I tell you it is Qrow. When it comes to actual canon, I like tothink these two are best friends that are as close as brothers in everythingexcept blood. They’ll always be there for each other when the worst of timeshits (Emotion-numbing depression vs. Blackout Binge Drinking).

…They’ll also pants one anotherin the middle of broad daylight for a cheap laugh (Cargo shorts really are easyto get down. One of these days, Tai might just go commando just so he cantraumatize Qrow once and for all).

…And argue over stupid shit likewhose turn it was to do the dishes (Hint: It’s always Qrow’s turn).

…And do irritating shit justbecause they know it annoys the other (Qrow has a really obnoxious singingvoice, so he makes sure to sing EXTRA loud when he knows Tai’s trying to gradepapers).

And yes, Qrow is absolutely theyounger brother.

-On a smaller, but no lessimportant note, I absolutely believe Taiyang had close friendships with Summerand Raven as well.

· OTP: As with all myfavorites, I will multi-ship the hell out of Tai, especially any that can fallunder the friends-to-lovers requirement.

Absolute top OTP will always beTaiqrow (A true shocker, I’m sure). The biggest drive I have for these two hasalways been the amount of emotional support available between them. There’s somuch potential simply on the lengths Qrow may have had to go through helpingout at the house after Summer’s passing or Tai’s rigorous efforts to try andpull Qrow away from his drinking habits. They’re also just… really sexytogether. Like hot damn.

I do remain rather fond of bothof Tai’s canon ships too though. Oh yeah and I will also polyship the hell outof Tai and you will have to tear STR-Crossed out of my cold, dead hands.

I’m also happy to throw him inthe ring with James and really enjoyed my little writing session withJames/Qrow/Tai.

· nOTP: Other thananything that puts him with one of his children, nothing that tends to botherme too much? Even Ozpin/Taiyang, while a little out of nowhere, is still prettysexy to read.

· Randomheadcanon: *Holds up 20* Which one do you want?

-Contrary topopular belief, it’s actually Tai thatRuby and Yang get their daredevil behavior from. Though he’s mellowed out overthe years and as he’s gained wisdom, when he was the girls’ age he could bejust as reckless. Many times, that had gotten him into trouble and, not wantingthe girls to make the same mistakes, tries to ward them from the same flaw hehimself had. (He’s secretly a little proud about it too).

-The sunflowers are either torepresent Summer Rose or they were originally tended to by her and Taicontinues caring for them to keep the memory of her alive. He always cuts freshflowers for the girls whenever they’re sick or hurt, so that their mother canwatch over them.

-Taiyang is either estranged fromhis family or lost it at a young age. He spent most of his childhood inisolation or feeling like he didn’t belong anywhere. When he became apart ofteam STRQ, he finally felt like he’d found a new family and it was one he neverwanted to give up – that was why losing Raven and Summer eventually crushed himand led to his mental breakdown.

-True to his name, Tai fucking loves dragons and if he ever gets luckyenough to see the Gods’ true forms, he’s going to flip out.

· Unpopularopinion: So maybe it’s just the generation I grew up in, but the ‘joke’Tai gives Yang about her arm? Yeahthat one didn’t even hit on my Richter scale as bad. These kinds of ‘off-color’jokes were pretty common place when I was a kid. I think it goes back to what Isaid about the Sun and ‘stalking’ thing. Intent is extremely important, and Taimeant nothing by it… except to make his daughter laugh.

Could it have backfired? Oh yeah,and he would have probably tripped over himself to apologize. But that wasn’twhat happened – nor was it what the writers’ intended to make that happen. Otherwise, they would have led Yang’sresponse in another direction or gave the animation team a specific expressioncue to work in.

· Song Iassociate with them: Going to continue picking random songs, because this isdefinitely not my strong suit. I probably went through all my playlists, but I’mgoing with Chris Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over”. If you read the verses as stages ofTai’s life with those important in it, it lines up fairly perfectly.

-The first twoversus are for Raven and their failed love (“You’ve taken away everything/And Ican’t do without, I try to see the good in life… This love is killing me”)

-Then the next two verses are forSummer and the loss of her (“I cannot wait/We’re wasting too much time… My lifewith you means everything/So I won’t give up that easily”)

-Finally the last verses are forQrow’s losing battle against his alcoholism and depression (“We can’t let thisget away/Let it out/Don’t get caught up in yourself”) and Tai’s own resolve to getback up and start again for his girls (“It’s not over, let’s start over!”)

· Favoritepicture of them:

Never been so attracted to a picturebefore.

Summer Rose

(Our dearestflower, born white and bled red in her final hour)

· Favorite thingabout them: For now, simply that it’s implied she was both a kickasshuntress and an incredible mom. Now, if only we could SEE that in action.

· Least favoritething about them: Well. Being dead’s kind of a drag,ain’t it? I feel my least favorite thing about her is the same thing we’re allkind of feeling at this point – that we know virtually nothing about her. I washoping she’d be brought up when the whole ‘Silver-eyed’ thing got addressed –BUT NO. I’M STILL STARVING RT, GIVE ME SOME CONTENT PLEASE.

· Favorite line: *Saves thisspace for when we get any*

· brOTP: I particularlyenjoy the dynamic Summer and Raven may have had. Like Qrow and Tai, I often seethe girls growing close during their years at Beacon, the two eventuallydeveloping a mutual respect for one another that turns into friendship. Theyboth start to realize just how much they care about each other when Raveninadvertently makes a portal to Summer to save her life. Summer is secretlyhappy whenever she manages to get Raven to confide secrets to her – one ofwhich was her growing feelings for Taiyang.

· OTP: Speaking of Tai,of course I rather enjoy that Summer and he had fallen in love. Just like with Taiqrow,the emotional support factor really drives this one in deep for me. I know thisone gets a lot of flack as a ‘rebound’ on Tai’s part (And equally should getflack on Summer for being a ‘Hero’s complex’, since she’s literally swooping into ‘fix’ what Raven broke), but I personally feel like their love was genuine, simplybecause of how significant an impact losing her had on Taiyang. Just because ithappened quickly after one loss does not immediately discredit it from beingtrue and powerful.

· nOTP: Absolutely herand Qrow. And yes, I know someone is going to call me out for this one because ‘I’vewritten it before’ – AND YES, I KNOW. It’s not that I don’t see the potential inthe ship because I absolutely do. It’s that I’ve come across it just one timetoo many that to put them together, it’s often done at the expense of villainizingTai, Raven, or both, which has soured my ability to enjoy it – one person inparticular does this so well that seeing her work actually turns my stomach. Ialso really think it weakens in-canon Qrow as a character, since I can’t fathomhim lying about being Ruby’s dad and most arguments that try to explain why hewould feel flimsy at best. Also, just, this: “Don’t lie to him Ruby, we’rebetter than that.”

(I will however accept PolyQrow/Summer/Tai in which neither of them know who impregnated Summer and Qrowjust goes by uncle because it was easier for the kids to understand).

· Randomheadcanon: -Summer Rose was first attempted to be killed by then lateractually killed by Marcus Black. The first encounter I see happening sometimein her school years, in which on a mission he comes after her. Taiyang has tointervene, maybe at the cost of his own semblance, and eventually they’re both savedby Raven and Qrow who portal to them just before either are killed. In thesecond, Summer is alone and is being hunted down both by Marcus and his wife.Though she calls Qrow for back-up, he never gets there in time. In the last fewminutes, she manages to kill Marcus’ wife, but is in turn killed by him. I particularlylike this because this would make Qrow and Marcus foils, both who startdrinking heavily from loss but have different responses to those around them.

-HAVE I EVERTOLD Y’ALL ABOUT MY EVIL SUMMER IDEA? I have said it once and I will say it again:black magic and curses are criminally unused in this fairytale inspired show.The idea that Summer was ‘brought back to life’ by Salem to use for her ownpurposes is deliciously fun – or, seeing as we don’t know what it can do yet,being brought back by the relic of creation. In ether scenario, it brings backthe body but not the heart. Her reveal would be devastating to _TRQ, especiallyif they are forced to fight her. If they did I see the scenario going inmultiple directions –

A. In a team fight: Either theyare all killed by her or they kill her

B. In single fights:

+Raven is killed by Summer or theykill each other. I see Summer giving out a lot of passive-aggressive quips overRaven running off and maybe even goads her about her powers and her fears.

+For Qrow, I never see him dyingto her in a one-on-one fight. Getting heavily injured, yes, but never dying. Ido see them being fairly evenly matched, actually. And maybe even Summergetting super offended if he uses his scythe on her.

+Tai fights her, but spends themajority of the battle on the defensive, trying to remind her of who she reallyis. Just as he’s got her hesitating, another villain either injures him orstrikes him down.

That’s not even touching on whatit would mean for Ruby and Yang to encounter her.

· Unpopularopinion: While I do think she probablyhad a habit of being socially withdrawn, I really don’t see Summer as painfullyshy-mannered as some of the fandom portray her as – at least not to a debilitatingextent. I don’t think it’s a bad character trait for her, per say, and it worksin some contexts especially when it’s balanced well. It’s just hard to see hermanaging to survive as team leader with such a submissive personality traitwithout the twins or Tai completely eclipsing her.

· Song Iassociate with them: Mostly because I once envisioned an entire fight scene leadingto her death to this song, I’m going to go with “Heroes” by Zayde Wolf.Surprisingly though, it fits fairly well. Being a ‘hero in the darkest of times’really does exemplify what a huntress is and what Summer herself is meant torepresent.

· Favoritepicture of them: *Saves this space because she stubbornly refuses to put up theteam STRQ photo we’ve all seen ten thousand times*

Raven Branwen

(The sexiestpsychobitch you ever will meet)

· Favorite thingabout them: Her character potential. With the end of volume 5, it feels likeshe’s been left at a crossroads, in which she can choose to continue to lookout for herself like the coward she’s been, or choose to attempt to redeemherself when her daughter gets into trouble again. The fact that we haven’t quiteseen the result of her visit to Tai (or if it ended up being a visit at all)tells me the team is holding back on that decision for now; but, I have absolutelyno doubts that we will be seeing her again.

· Least favoritething about them: Can anyone say manipulative bitch bordering on total sociopath? Thatfirst conversation Raven has with Yang made me jerk back a bit and go ‘Whoa,crazy alert’. It’s definitely a trait that is um… a little hard to like. It hasmassive amounts of writing potential though.

· Favorite line: “Two childrenyou’ve tricked into following you, a disgraced Atleasian scientist, and a FallMaiden with a surname so appropriate, she probably picked it herself. Thatabout right?” Vol 5. Chapter 9 gets a lot of flack for not being veryinteresting, but I could not get enough of Raven’s snark throughout theconversation.

· brOTP: How about withher literal brother? I’m a total sucker for inseparable twins and I’ve alwaysliked the idea that, growing up, the two of them were extremely close. Raven’sa teeter-totter of opposites for me, so I can also see that relationship goingin the exact other direction – BUT FOR NOW…

· OTP: Speaking of teeter-totters,how about that relationship with Tai, huh? Was it toxic as hell or did they trulylove each other and just had an awful falling out, wherein the bitterness wouldsettle in much later on? Who knows! I don’t! But I love exploring both anglesto their fullest extent. I’ll also drive the pain all the way in: If Taiyangends up dying in canon, the break of their bond is powerful enough it causesRaven to cry.

In AUs, I ship the hell out ofSummer and Raven. In-canon, I’ll always go the STR-Crossed route in which allthree of them are just hopelessly in love with one another and in which Ravenpretends she doesn’t regret leaving them behind.

· nOTP: Honestly, beyondthe obvious incest ships (like with her daughter, wtf?), there’s not really anyships with Raven that make me squelch. Even a crackship like Cinder/Raven hasthis weird, sexy angle to it.

· Randomheadcanon: -Like everyone else, Raven used to have a copy of the team STRQphoto. Much like her brother, she kept it on her, even after she left. But shortlyafter Summer died, she burned the photo in the camp’s firepit, cutting off herfinal ties to them.

-Qrow and Ravenwere never sent to Beacon to ‘become huntsman and return with their skills’. Itwas what they were told but they were sent there because the leader at the timehoped they’d die in the process – in Raven’s case, to eliminate her dangerouslyambitious nature. Qrow always knew this was the real reason, but Raven didn’t acceptthis until much later. Upon her return to the tribe, she eventually confrontedand ultimately killed the former leader for that act.

-Though it relies on help fromone of her teammates, Raven can cut things in half with her portals if shecloses it when it’s only halfway through, and has done so on multiple occasionsto cut right through Grimm.

-Raven is either going to die acoward… or a hero.

· Unpopularopinion: I don’t really think Raven left because she got pregnant; ifRaven was so intent on abandoning her, I don’t feel like the show would tell usthat she visits her daughter enough that Yang is able to recognize her birdform. I think it’s an interesting angle, but I think her fear of Salem is thegenuine reason she left but she only really knew one other home: The Tribe. Herdecision to leave Yang behind either was forced from her by the rest of her teamor was her own choice at the time, knowing her daughter would be more at risk ifshe came along.

· Song Iassociate with them: Alright, I scoured around for a bit for this one. I’m going tosettle on “Heaven’s a Lie” by Lacuna Coil. Though there’s not much to actually workwith, it rather matches well with how she feels she was given false promises byOzpin (“Destiny of a lie/Set me free, your heaven’s a lie”) and how sheultimately left her team behind and returned a life of corruption (“I need toknow when I’ll fall into decay… I need to know why did I choose to betray you?Something wrong with all the plans of my life”)

· Favoritepicture of them:

God damn she’s hot when she’sabout to wreck people’s shit.

Qrow Branwen

(The man whowas Emo before it was cool)

· Favorite thingabout them: There’s a lot to love, from his dashing good looks to hisendless sass, but I especially like his emotional vulnerability. I think it’s thesadist in me, but I get endless amounts of joy from him letting down his wallsand being more open: talking about his semblance, panicking whenever Ruby is indanger, his fury and sorrow over Ozpin’s half-truths – yeah, I live for thisshit. If he cries in the show, it will almost definitely become my new favoritemoment.

· Least favoritething about them: So, fun fact: I hatedQrow at first and simply because of this fact -he’s a drunk. Now, this is superpersonal, but I grew up with addiction in my family, so characters like Qrowalmost never make it high up on my list, if they make it on at all. It’ll alwaysremain my least favorite thing about him, but I do like how the show isexploring the issue and, in fact, have enjoyed exploring it myself in mywriting. It’s therapeutic.

· Favorite line: As far as linedelivery goes, got to give it to “Look, this has nothing to do with trust. I- …It’s a long story, okay?” The amount of emotion put into those simple words is frankly,just beautiful. Got to also give proper appreciation to “I DID IT!” and “Well…that’s unfortunate.”

I’ll always be most fond of “Youtwo? You’re gonna go far. But only if you keep learning. If you never stopmoving forward.” Not only as it’s a homage to Monty, but it really shows Qrow’skinder, more loving side when it comes to his nieces.

· brOTP: So whileshipping them is generally off the table, Summer and Qrow being best friends isalways my jam. I can see these two having little drinking sessions together or gettingcompetitive over two-player video games. Perhaps they even geeked out togetherwhen they both realized they loved the tale of the Grimm Reaper. I also stronglybelieve that it was Qrow who encouraged Summer to admit her feelings to Tai, advisingher that to wait could mean to lose her chance entirely. And then, when sheactually did, teased her endlesslyabout it.

· OTP: Can I just fillout a second paragraph about how much I love Taiqrow? Because, I really love Taiqrow.I can see it happening entirely on accident. One night, Taiyang and Qrow aresaying good night and, without thinking, Taiyang just dips down and gives him akiss. He freaks out, not because of the action insomuch that he was afraid hejust ruined their friendship until Qrow just rolls his eyes and drags him infor another one.

On a side note, I’m really startingto get a soft spot for OzQrow and I blame the rest of the fandom for this. Ironic,that I ship them now that Ozpin has technically died and it’s TOO LATE.

As for James/Qrow, I see thehighlights of it, and in small measures like it myself, but it’s not very highup on my list.

Winter and Qrow is a total guiltypleasure ship and I’m not sorry.

· nOTP: Again, beyondthe obvious choices? Eh, I’ve noticed Tyrian/Qrow is gaining some traction and,while it definitely doesn’t give me the heebie-jeebies some ships do, that oneis definitely not my cup of tea.

· Randomheadcanon: -Qrow likes to bestow nicknames to people he likes, as nicknamesare terms of endearment to him. For people like James or Oz, who are Jimmy andWizard respectively, he uses them sparingly; whereas, for family, he tends touse them much more frequently. Especially with his nieces. They often can tell whenhe’s being serious or when they are in trouble if he starts using their actual names.When he was a teacher, almost all of his students got nicknames, since he wasterrible at remembering them by their actual names.

-Qrow’ssemblance caused him to be sent to Ozpin’s office. A lot. It gave everyone,except for the very few who actually knew what his semblance was, theimpression that he was nothing but a troublemaker. Eventually, Qrow started paying Glynda on theside to use her own semblance to fix whatever his would break.

-Qrow’s drinking actually startedin school. He’s generally a happy, reckless drunk, and people tended to likehis company more and, craving both that feeling and the attention, he continuedto seek out social events for an excuse to drink. When he was young, he wasalso extremely choosey on the brew he would have, as a bad mixture often hadthe effect of making his mood plummet instead. As he grew more dependent on thealcohol, he stopped caring as much.

-Qrow isabsolutely bisexual and no one can convince me otherwise.

· Unpopularopinion: I really don’t think Qrow sleeps around as much as the generalfandom believes he does. I get why the archetype is there, especially with how flirtatioushe can be, but with how insecure Qrow actually is, I feel like he’d actually bepretty hesitant when it comes to getting intimate, especially with strangers. Accidentalpregnancies, anyone?

· Song Iassociate with them: Okay this one was actually an easy choice: “Breaking the Habit”by Linkin Park. It really highlights the current struggle Qrow’s going throughin this volume (not knowing what is worth fighting for) while it also can relateback to his addiction and self-worth/depression issues (Not feeling all rightand hurting a lot more than ever before).

· Favoritepicture of them:

Just your resident bird man, looking badass as shit.

#taiyang xiao long #qrow branwen #raven branwen #Summer Rose #rwby #strq #team strq

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