#It is an important thing about the character design maybe it's an intuition

[ala-chrisgoods]

Menelaus must taller than Agamemnon, and Paris must shorter than Hector: I don't know why my mind tell me to design these siblings But this is how the story goes

[katapotato55]

how to make your writing be remembered forever and possibly be well loved.

(incredibly stupid and silly fanfiction line at the end of this post) I know that title is incredibly daunting but listen, its very simple. you ready?

MAKE STRONG CHARACTERS

"but kat! surely its not that simple! " nononono listen. bear with me. I want you to think of your favorite thing. Now ask: what do you remember the most about the thing you love? I will go first:

I love team fortress 2. and guess what: this game has been around since 2007, and was in development hell since before I was even born. The game has been around for 16 fucking years. And guess what? in the strong year of 2023 team fortress 2 Is STILL getting memed about. and do you want to know the crazy part? the character designs to the naked eye are not special at all. ok sure from a designer standpoint, these are very well designed characters made so that you can easily tell who they are based on their silhouette. but from the average joe.... tf2 is iconic but overall it looks ok. it doesn't seem special to a stranger to tf2. look at this completely random and arbitrary example of a game in the same genre:

I don't know shit about the characters in overwatch. Yeah i have a BASIC idea on what their personality is like based on voice lines and some videos i guess... but in-game they just exist. these characters are brightly colored, they have beautiful unique designs, hell they have even more diversity such as robots and people from other cultures! but i don't remember shit about these characters. Maybe I remember the ice lady and tracer, but nothing else. and yeah part of overwatch struggling right now is incompetant development, BUT: The characters in team fortress 2 are SO remember-able because the characters have such a vibrant personality. I am an orange box owner, its been a decade and a half and I am still remembering this game and enjoying art about it.

"but kat! that is a comedy game! Overwatch is a very serious game! are you saying comedy is needed to make a character more noticeable?" no. though I think allowing your characters to lighten up every now and then would humanize them. Not full on goofy, just give them something that makes them likeable. and if you cant do that, you can STILL make a compelling character even though they are mostly seriousness. I have an even more awfully thought out example:

kung fu panda is a masterclass in making a serious comedic movie somehow work. Master Oogway.... he isn't a comedic character at all. Yeah we made memes about him, but ignoring that, he is a wise and resourceful person. He is at calm and has faith in this intuition. there are a lot of characters like this. What makes Oogway stand out is that he is also a little bit kooky and sassy.

this youtube clip sums up what I mean. It is a funny line, it fits the character, and It doesn't ruin the seriousness of the moment. Some of the most successful series in history have something about them that has appealed to people. In my opinion: characters with strong personality and interesting traits is always a good way to ensure your writing is successful. The second most important is the characters bouncing off of each other in terms of their chemistry with each other. There is a reason why I spent years playing the first Destiny game and all of the DLC, but I remember fuck all about the characters. I think I maybe remember the bootleg star lord robot guy.

A writing exercise

here is an exercise to get you in the spirit of character making. step 1- get a random character from a random bit of media. In this case let me bring you master Oogway. Step 2- Get a completely different character from a completely unrelated series. I am going to give you Scout from team fortress 2. step 3- write a random ass thing about them interacting. Think about how the characters would react to each other and why. Think about each characters values in life and think about how they would bond and conflict with each other. Think about characters similar to the character they met in the past and how they reacted then, and if they have never interacted, make something interesting with it. Step 4- keep experimenting. Once you get into the spirit you can apply this to any new character you could want to make anyways thats it byeee- "arent you going to do that ?" do what? "make a writing thing about oogway and scout. " ........

Scout: let's go turtle you got nothing on my speed- Oogway: The one who first resorts to violence shows that he has no more arguments. Scout: that sounds like chicken talk! come on tough guy let me have it- Oogway then proceeds to make scout eat shit before vanishing in a cloud of cherry blossoms and dust from the desert. If this post isn't popular I want you to know my dignity was lost for nothing.

[prpfz]

🍓🥝 eighteen plus roleplay. twenty three & any prns. looking for fandomless, ocxoc, varied pairings. most plots are kidnapping/stockholm, stalking or 🕊️🪦 so if that’s not your thing, keep scrolling. long as fuck so bare with me.

semi-lit to literate (200-400 words // 1-2k characters) 3rd person pov. replies once a week, NOT once a month. chatting ooc is encouraged. discord only, i ask that you please let me take care of the server. i do not use tupperbot! smut:plot is 30:70. animated/manga faceclaims only. NO real person, picrew, sims (video game fc’s) or hand drawn faceclaims.

★ . . . a. (29) male. dom, top. older soft mafia guy. works as an arms dealer & tries to stay away from the dirtier parts of the mob. father is retired yakuza with heavy ties and many connections. he is loyal, being raised in a mob setting, loyalty is life or death; and also intuitive. his gut feelings usually tell something is wrong or about to happen. he is also possessive, growing up in a household where things weren’t given evenly; and controlling, almost a perfectionist, wanting to be in control of every moment, action and setting. in control of his own life ★ want to use him in a mafia, kidnapping & sort of stockholm plot, where your muse (ftm, switch or sub, bottom & pre op pls) who has a rough life (please no prostitution, stripping or sexual abuse background stories) maybe parents owe money to another mob or maybe they do, so my guy kidnaps them to save their life; and to y/c getting kidnapped is better than their current situation. i need someone who is calm and level headed, but also still suspicious and has a hard time trusting. someone who won’t cry because they miss home, nor someone who throws attitude because they were kidnapped. someone neutral to the ordeal. my guy doesn’t really know about trans people, so this romance will be a slow, learning experience. i have many side characters for this story and it may sound cheap but im serious about the whole background and world building. i’m very specific and picky with this one.

★ . . . a. (24) male. switch+dom, top. charming and cunning ex con. pyromaniac, got arrested for burning down a liquor store (it was closed, nobody was there) did time in prison for it and had to start his life over when he got out. he is optimistic, having the “glass half full” mindset, always rolling with the punches and making the best of whatever cards life has dealt; and independent. he’s never had anyone to rely on, nor anyone he could really trust, so he looks out for himself, and takes care of himself, always, making him a bit selfish and self centered as well ★ want to use him in a neighbors, stalking to lovers plot (weird ik) where your muse (m or f, switch, bottom) is a broke college student who rented a cheap apartment a few months ago, where the windows are like five feet apart and you can see in. my guy gets out of prison and rents an apartment there which happens to be across from y/c’s. he begins to watch through the window, whenever he can, entranced by your muse. looking for someone social, outgoing, relaxed, definitely not sleazy or a party animal. someone who is smart and in college ofc. someone who is sort of excited about having a stalker when notes start popping up and things go missing.

★ . . . c. (24) ftm, pre op. sub, bottom. trans fashion designer who has made a name for himself among celebrities and the queer community, having unique commissioned pieces. he is confident, and rather social. he likes to dress up and go out with friends. he’s disciplined, coming from a home where respect was extremely important. he is ambitious and determined, enjoying his work while also being a workaholic. he has a fear of failure and is a bit of a pessimist, thinking negatively of most situations but rarely speaks on it ★ want to use him in a kidnapping/stockholm plot as well. basic plot honestly, your muse (m, dom top) is rich and obsessed with my muse, wanting them all for himself. looking for someone coercive, someone charismatic, who will shower my muse with gifts and such to make him feel less like a hostage, eventually my muse grows used to it.

★ . . . l. (19) fem. sub, bottom. young, aspiring nurse. still in college, works overtime as much as possible at her families convenience store to pay for her schooling. she is trustworthy and very responsible, having three younger brothers. she’s good at keeping secrets and comes through on her promises. she’s determined, once she has her goal set she will do anything to get it done. she can be envious of others success, appearance or even materialistic items. she’s also insensitive, saying and doing things that only pertain to her and how she feels, disregarding others. she is a sub, bottom ★ want to use her in either A) a kidnapping/stockholm plot where she is in love with your muse (m, dom top) who she assumes doesn’t know her. so she stalks your muse and breaks into his home. while she’s there your muse gets home to find her, knocks her out and basically kidnaps her, keeping her in his basement. looking for someone soft but still psycho, not violent but willing to keep her at all costs. someone who seems like they have a fairly normal life. // B) the neighbor stalker to lovers sort of plot from above ^^ where my muse is the broke college student and yours is the ex con. looking for someone cunning, sly, charismatic.

★ . . . g. (29) fem. switch+sub, vers+bottom older soft and motherly teacher (sometimes married sometimes not depending on the plot) works with middle and high school. she is patient and understanding, working with children one has to keep a calm demeanor and a level head. she is dependable, someone one can trust to be there for them, and she hates being late; so she’s always early. she is stubborn and hard headed, taking little to no outside advice, although is very dependent; not having been alone since she was a teen, always keeping a boyfriend, lover or a warm body in her bed for comfort. she is a switch++sub, soft dom, versatile with a bottom preference ★ i want to use her in some boy next door or teachers pet type plots with your (m, switch heavy dom++ vers heavy top++ very specific i know) also really looking for older 🍪 on this one. if you don’t know what that is, this isn’t the plot for you. looking for a muse that isn’t mouthy or bratty, but also not whiny and overly subby. really an obedient sub top. curious and eager to please, maybe really attached and sprightly possessive.

if interested in any of these muses (even if you’re not interested in the plot) feel free to reach out or leave a like.

like or dm

[remedyxtragedy]

Important conversation to be had up ahead--

There are plenty of absurd things in this world I've long since stopping caring about because it is my understanding that there is only so much that can come from fretting over things that are beyond our control, however still I must reiterate that there are equally as many absurd things even I absolutely have to recognize and address because too often do they just fly under the radar. Such things including the romanticization of murderers, serial killers, and literally any disgusting degenerate who we should unconditionally deplore and reject.

Why, why in good God's name is this even an issue? Why must people like this further taint my perceptions of humanity? Frequently, I try to remind myself that this world is still worth living in, that out there exists a vast sea of good, benevolent people who make the experience all the more tolerable and that I shouldn't let a few bad eggs ruin the joyride of life, but then...when I go on the internet and stumble upon yet another case of some fatherless disgrace sympathizing with, simping for, and sometimes even flat out idolizing a serial killer, whether they're real or fictional, instantly I want to leap out the nearest window because I just cannot fathom for the life of me how these people are even real and how on a daily basis, I am coexisting with them.

I don't know why some people think that just because they're folding over a fictional serial killer it's trivial next to the fans of real life shit stains on the cloth of humanity, but I will gladly take them by the hand, sit their ignorant asses down, and explain in vivid detail why that is an abhorrently unsound mindset. I can't help but glare at my own sister in disgust every time she goes on about how she like's Ghost Face; my scorn is not exclusive to people outside my family--I either hate or love everyone, no one is spared.

There's a stark contrast between admiring how these characters are written and incorporating them into your work innocuously, as I too can resonate with, and just straight up finding them attractive regardless of the profoundly disgusting things they've done. I don't know what the psychology behind this looks like, I'm obviously in so such way educated in that regard, but maybe It's really easy for me to not fall head over heels for legit menaces to law and order because in my time I've read a good few encyclopedias on these kinds of people and am now cursed with the knowledge of how life can, has, and always will be horrifically desecrated by these monsters. It's just one of the few things I just cannot stomach.

Confidently, I can declare that we as a species are regressing, and it's evident in the good-for-nothings who spew nothing but parochial, myopic bullshit and are ever so sneakily infiltrating the public scene. As I'm a Christian, I trust in Jesus's return and the rapture, but as an individually intuitive girl with a wild imagination and dark thoughts that ceaselessly loom over me no matter how badly I want them to go away, a funny thought I quite like entertaining is that every effort humans make to consolidate our presence here on Earth only brings us closer to our inevitable demise, at some point we will outstay our welcome in this world, try and bush barriers we were not mean to, and the outcome is gonna be ugly. It all starts with little oddities here and there, little creases and cracks being formed in our design, and those things amass into a bigger formidable issue composed of all the fissures we've failed to patch, and that happens over and over all gain until it balloons far out of our control into a permanent fracture that we're just gonna have to learn how to mold around and coexist with. Perhaps one day, and one day soon, they become too much for the scaffolds of our civilizations to bear, which at that point causes the creeds and views we've founded our homes, hospitals, economy, society, and government upon to come toppling over until finally we find ourselves descending into a downward incline towards total catastrophe. Let it be known, that Idiosyncratic is founded upon this random notion I threw together during a more darker period in my life. I never would've thought such misanthropic thinking would culminate into the best premise I've ever come up with, obviously in my personal person.

Imma be working on a series of artworks showcasing what the Whitman propaganda in my book is gonna look like, and an idea I have for one of them is a visual displaying the human evolution chart except after the Homo Sapien stage we start regressing all the way back to whatever the hell the first stage is, until again they continue to evolve but iat the end of this series instead of there being a human it's Whitman himself, who is by the by no way shape or form human. It's like, we rose, we fell, then rose again--but no longer are we what we were before. I probably sound mad right now, but I promise it'll make a lot more sense once I actually make it.

Anyways, that's all I got to say right now, but just as a final comment--why is it that people are so adamant that it's either science or religion? Why can't everything be perfectly and meticulously intertwined? The way I see it, faith is not founded upon having absolute definitive proof of a a higher omnipotent being, it's believing in them and trusting in them unconditionally and wholeheartedly, you needn't know that they're there to know that they're there, if that makes sense. For me, it was never a matter of whether or not God is real--that much is practically innate to my being--it was always, why does he work in such esoteric ways? When I was younger, the answer was far beyond me, but now I know better--and I am endlessly astounded by God's work. That's my take, though.

[snowydragon10]

Behold!! Benitoite Trayaurus!! One of the most important gems in Blue "Dan" Diamond's court

Info below, plus a bonus rebel Dantdm design

AU by @chrisrin Blue Diamond Dan concept from @ingapotejtoo

Pre-Rebellion, I imagine that Tray would be the head scientist in Dan's science gem team. He's in charge of making sure orders and procedures are followed, along with overseeing any experiments they would be conducting. He is also brimmed with curiosity and intuition, good qualities for scientists who want to learn answers to any questions the world throws at them.

Out of both him and Dan, Tray would be the one most likely to change and develop first, to realize that there is more to life than just the Gem Empire conquering other planets. Heck, maybe Tray even gives a helping hand in Dan changing his ways and views.

Tray would use a hand sized drill, gifted to him after he joined the rebellion. Though dangerous looking because you could easily shatter someone with it, Trayaurus is very, very careful with said weapon (it could be like Rose's sword even)

He's made to be a tough gem, kinda like Peridots, so it takes a lot to make him poof. Still at some point, his gem would be somewhat cracked, not dangerously thankfully, but he wouldn't be able to use his arms freely anymore. He can't really wield his drill that well anymore and so leaves the fighting to the others.

That isn't to say he won't help in other ways. He's still a scientist. Tray could probably help by maybe coming up with inventions that could help the rebels or help problem solve other things along the way.

Also, I'm leaning towards the idea of Dan being a morally ambigious Diamond who conducts unethical experiments at first, but maybe later on, something happens that causes Dan to character develop good strong morals and join the Rebellion. Thus, Rebel Dan deisgn!! (Who said that we had to follow every canon event and only Pink could rebel? XD)

He leans more towards his MC skin, with a little bit of punk added and some tattoo like patterns. A bit of symbolism about freedom and self-expression and no longer following the status quo of being a regal pure diamond. (Also, sorry if it's too small, but around his gem is the morse code for Family)

Dan and Tray rebelling would probably happen sometime after Pink Lizzie's disappearance. I'm talking months or years here, and it could go either of two ways

A) Dan just outright announces his change of loyalty to homeworld and leaves with Tray and any other gems who agree. He'd go to one of the rebellion planets currently in the system, though maybe not the one housing the Hermits/Empires squad.

The reason for this is because (1) Two Diamonds in the same group would cause a power inbalance and (2) if we're opening the possibility of other SMP's being brought in, it would make sense that Dan would be in a group that he's in, like Shady Oaks or even the QSMP crew

B) Dan could pretend to still side with homeworld and only have Tray escape and join the rebels. Dan could act like an undercover agent or Mole and help the rebels by leaking top secret info to them, though only Tray would know it's Dan as the mole for reasons.

(I think this could have a funny misunderstanding scenario where a rebel group sneaking around Homeworld for some reason would end up encountering Dan while he's giving off info, and both think that they've been caught, not realizing that they're both on the same side. It takes a little while, and some fighting for them to get on the same page LOL)

[katyspersonal]

Top Five Vilebloods, Katy. Humor me ☕️

Allrighty! It can be a bit hard since 'Cainhurst Noble' and 'Vileblood' are different things; one is just the aristocracy, another is clan bound through consanguineous contact... I will just pick more notable characters by intuition instead, it will just feel simpler, you know? Basically 'vampires and snobs and whatever: The List TM'

Five - King of Cainhurst!

We do not know anything about him besides the fact that he was killed by Logarius OOF, but I think he deserves much more attention and recognition. I just wish we knew MORE things than just cut content design and implications. I really lore to speculate and write for this character, though!

Four - Imposter Iosefka

And maybe her sister. Again, not to downvote Iosefka in any way, but I am just focusing on something more apparent. The Imposter knows Cainhurst's secret potion recipe, is the second character in the setting to mention 'moon scent' (another is Annalise), there is a Cainhurst invitation in the room where she invaded from, and she does get pregnant like Arianna, said to be picked for "dirty" blood.

I feel like the trope of a goddamn deserter is very appropriate here! The girl abandoned her roots and switched sides to pursue something else, perhaps she resented the "dirty" blood of their nobles and that bought her into Church's propaganda. She feels on the similar page as Maria and Adeline... Really complicated and interesting character, much deeper than what meets the eye. And Miyazaki considers her "heroic" for some reason! I think he means the fact she turns people into Kin so they physically can't become beasts instead. (He seems to honor the concept of sacrificing moral principles for what you BELIEVE is better for humanity a LOT... x) It is a consistent quirk...)

Three - Arianna!

She is precious and deserves a much better fate. She is the secret legitimate heir to Cainhurst's throne (had Annalise not locked it by immortality flex heheh) and I will DIE on this headcanon. I love her displaying concern for female Hunter, that uhhhh... "rewarding" her would be dishonuorable and filthy. She feels inferior to other women because of what she has to do, which is heart-breaking... I love seeing portrayals of her being alive and raising her eldrich baby, usually with someone helping her.

Two - Maria!

Some of the most beautiful designs, very elegant, and the most fun boss battle in the game. A character with a lot going on with her, she sure has big sword but she ALSO has a big heart, and this is very important. Without much words and lore (because that's Soulsborne, come ooooon), Maria feels incredibly well-written and complex, she is a warrior fell in her own eyes by threading the dark path. She rejected one affiliation she distasted... only to end up with another. Bloody clan or blood-hungry ruthless hunters, which is worse?

And in both cases, it doesn't seem like she can truly hate either. The design of Cainhurst is still in her clothes and sword, and in the cut content she asks for respect for old hunter Gehrman despite now resenting him for "madness of his curiosity". I feel like this is just the person that she is - she could not truly turn on someone. Even disliking Blood Saints and maybe Church altogether, Maria chose to at least support patients that believed in its success rather than "dismantle the oppressive establishment board by board". She is not weak, but she is tender, to a fault. I love complex warrior characters like this more than ones strictly powerful that never feel fear, doubt and never hold connections dear even if they are destructive ones. She reminds me of Yamamura a lot, in terms of a warrior that was strong and great but.. ended up taking more than they could handle.

One - Annalise!

Ahhhh, shit, wrong picture!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heeeere you go!

I know, it could be strange to put her first after my emotional rant about Maria just now, but... This top is for Vilebloods, is it not? She is, indeed, THE most Vileblood character ever. She is LITEALLY vampire queen!!!

I adore her demeanor and her minimalistic yet so original design. It is easier seen in Japanese original script rather than English, but she tends to drop the royal 'we' in personal moments. She doesn't let the first person that was nice to her in a LONG while to endanger themselves with the ritual, even if that means conceiving another child of blood. She probably let the Church get to her mind too with how she speaks of her own clan as depraved and corrupt, however, for someone who lost her entire castle and nobles, she keeps a VERY brave face. haha... face... xd You see what I am saying. She radiates incredible pride (the good kind of it) and self-confidence for someone in her situation, she is a TRUE Queen not just in status, but in spirit too.

___________________________

(Dis)honorable mention: Bloody Crow of Cainhurst!!!! He is not even IN this list because he is BELOW 5th place! I had to grind god knows how long to finally beat his ass!!!! He is so strong that he needs a boss healthbar ffs, why this DEMON is so stupidly overpowered?? No, 'git gud' is not a good advice on how to beat him AAAAAAAAAAAA

Thanks for the ask!

[cj-the-random-works-in-progress]

Introduction Post

Hello, my name is CJ Nightingale, and this is my blog dedicated to my OCs, their story, and the development of said story!! I'm making this blog for the sake of having a designated place to talk about my OCs, and so that I have some people to hold me accountable for actually making story progress, since I've been struggling a bit to actually sit down and make progress on getting the comic going. I think having a blog about it will help me stay motivated. Hopefully. Lol

A little bit of story related information:

This story has over 36 very important characters, not including antagonists and "true" side characters. This story takes place over the course of about 7 or 8 years, in 5 acts, taking the characters from middle school into early college. It's based in what I believe would be described as an "urban fantasy" setting, which looks similar to our world but is quite different. The story is meant to be mostly lighthearted, but there will be very intense moments and emotional damage (and a little blood sometimes too, as there will be fantasy violence).

I will make proper posts describing things in more detail as I go, but for the time being here's a brief introduction to each of the main characters:

Skylar: Acts 1-5, sarcastic, takes no BS, a bit of an enigma, Lukas' twin

Jesse: Acts 1-5, scatterbrained, just out here doing his best

Rin: Acts 1-5, mischievous, enjoys trying new things

Zander: Acts 1-5, smart, unbothered, designated "responsible dude"

Tabitha: Acts 1-5, bubbly, arguably too much faith in humanity

Lukas: Acts 1-5, looks more chill than he actually is, emotionally intelligent (most of the time), Skylar's twin

Lydia: Acts 1-5, too smart for her own good, very good with power tools

Marcus: Acts 1-5, quiet, listens a lot and knows more than he should, arguably drinks too much caffeine

Jules: Acts 2-5, highly approachable and talkative, likes poofy dresses

Dillon: Acts 2-5, skeptical of people, likes roller derby, hates group projects

Takuma: Acts 2-5, Ambitious, sarcastic, has doodled on every piece of clothing they own

Mariah Mae: (Kind of a side character) Acts 2-5, wildly peppy, a bit of a nerd, highly authentic person

Rea: Acts 2-5, perpetually has her head in the clouds, bewildered by humans

Dani: Acts 2-5, highly intuitive, knows all the things, likes music and their service dog

Booker: Acts 2-5, tends to accidentally run his mouth, likes basketball, bass guitar, and his friends

Ollie: Acts (1) 3-5, a little bit reactive, closed off, terrifyingly good at sleight of hand and at lying (do not play poker with him)

Meklit: Acts (1) 3-5, levelheaded, blunt, likes people and dislikes shoes

Gavin: Acts 3-5, both lawyer smart and a bit naïve, cellist, keeps putting himself in situations by accident

Goldie: Acts (1) 3-5, a bit shy, puts a lot of pressure on himself but looks really really chill at all times, chronic doodler

Blake: Acts 1-5, very antsy, very tired, very full of nervous energy, makes some poor decisions

Zaahira: Acts 4-5, genuinely nice person, cares about people, prefers plants

Wulf: Acts (3???) 4-5, impulsive, giggly, just happy to be here, on the run from the government

Akachi: Acts (1) 3-5, extremely ambitious, aesthetically inclined, color coordinated at all times

Selene: Acts 4-5, high tolerance for shenanigans, very bubbly, just out here having a good time

Sakura: Acts 4-5, detail oriented, loves stickers, can borderline read minds/hj

Remi: Acts 4-5 (probably??? gonna have to figure that out a bit more), very smart, very sarcastic, very giggly, very happy to be here

Leah: Acts 1-5, insomniac, a bit pretentious, makes some poor decisions

Sylvi: Acts (1) 3-5, borderline annoying theatre kid in the best way possible, very good singer

Karim: (Arguably a side character) Acts 4-5 (maybe idk), arguably too much faith in humanity, enjoys puns

Jono: Acts (3) 5, loves music, loses his train of thought frequently, looks more nervous than he is

Ivanna: Acts (3) 5, tough, good at water polo, believes in doing the right thing

Sovanna: Acts (3) 4-5, super chill, loves stickers, loves travelling, detail oriented

Ash: Act 5, under a ton of pressure, a bit reactive, out here trying his best

Coral: Act 5, can be hard to talk to, big listener, takes herself very seriously

Sib: (arguably a side character) Act 5, way too much energy at all times, good sense of humor, Ari's twin

Ari: (arguably a side character) Act 5, tired, quiet, talks more to animals than he does people

So that's a brief introduction to the non-antagonist characters, I'll make actual introduction posts for them later, but also if y'all want to ask questions about any of them before I get to that lmk!! Also feel free to ask questions about anything related to this story, I'd be happy to talk about it, and it might motivate me to help get stuff done.

If you found this blog just randomly and not from my fanart page, you can find that at @cj-the-random-artist , and you can find my website which has more art of my OCs at the link down here:

If / when I start uploading this story as a comic, I'll update this post with that information as well. That's all for this long introductory post, and I hope y'all enjoy this long winded thing and enjoy this little blog here!! Have good day lovelies :D

[dennydraws]

I'm unsure to get Unicorn Overlord since I like Fire Emblem but generally dislike other strategy RPG games (I didn't enjoy Triangle Strategy). Would you recommend it?

Oh boy... I'd want to say absolutely but I will try to describe pros and cons as best as I can without any spoilers first :D

First off, you have to know what makes you like FE as a game?

Second well, I too didn't really like Triangle Strategy even though I did my share of fan arts... okay I only drew Dragan a lot lol....

Gameplay

Overlord Unicorn uses gambit system (it was my first time hearing that!) so you don't move individual characters, you assign the characters into a unit and the whole fight is automatic (though it still has some rng involved.)

You assign skills and can tweak conditions to them, which can be a lot of fun if you are into min maxing or want to experiment and optimize. I did some tweaking and played on medium difficulty (?) and had no issues, if anything it started to feel too easy after a while.

It is real time movement and not like with how FE has turns. It can seem scary or maybe overwheling if you're not used to such systems. I adapted very, very fast. I didn't feel any weird difficult curves and everything flowed very nicely.

The menu may seem very overwhelming at first because it is very busy ...but after an hour or two of gameplay, the menu and the whole UI felt like some well designed work of art and became very intuitive.

Open world

Unlike FE, here you can roam and explore and do side quests and find treasures, restore areas you liberated... it has a lot of small activities which I loved to do between battles. So the game felt a lot more relaxing and fun to me because it wasn't just cutscene > battle > cutscene battle. You can tackle regions out of order and pretty much can go into the final battle right away if you really want to!

Story!

Hokaaay so... A lot of people do say TS had better story and I think yes, but UO felt way more satisfying to me. At the end of a game, I want to feel satisfied not conflicted or bittersweet or feel like "ah if only this or that happened". But if you are more into realistic outcomes and an idealistic finale doesn't vibe with you then you may cringe at some parts.... or you can of course just execute everyone you see if you rather do that!

You do get very basic beat bad guy, liberate area, reclaim your home kingdom so it's not anything over dramatic or gut punching. If you like a character, chances are you will recruit them. Nearly every enemy you bump at you end up recruiting (as long as you don't execute or jail) so at least no surprise your favorite died I guess? :D;;;;

I don't want to spoil but you do get some nifty lore and explanation on why bad guys do the bad things and while simple, I really enjoyed it.

The romance in the air! (or not)

Okay I will be a little blunt, that's not the kinda game for that xD;

It's heavily biased towards hetero couples and the male options are like none. Nearly all if not all of the female ones end up romantic and become Alain's queen. It's obvious what the target is here. Nothing that can stop the power of fanfiction or fan art though!

Other characters than Alain don't really get affected by the amount of rapport conversations so you don't really ship other characters like in FE games and their endings don't get affected by how much their rapport developed.

Personally, I saw the maiden ring as fancy status accessory and just slapped it on my favorite character and moved on. Lore wise, it is important and you do get 2 variations of the ending where your chosen maiden ring bearer plays a bigger role.

About the jiggly wigglies

I don't know how you feel about fan service but it sure has some of them jiggle mechanics on some female character! It's not too bad and it doesn't feel out of place given how...everything kinda jiggles. (the food especially!) so it didn't personally bother me but I know some people may side glance it so I thought to bring it up.

Final thoughts?

I am not sure... If you pick it with more open mind without trying to compare it to FE, I think you may enjoy it.

My final thoughts on UO is that I felt extremely valued as a player. Again, I try to avoid spoilers but I could see where they thought "lets add this" or "lets give that" to make the experience more fun/smooth/enjoyable. My perception is slightly wrapped as someone who has experience working in game development, I can tell when a dev team put thought and tested things and when a dev team just wanted to meet a deadline and publish something. This game is not the later.

I read it took 10 years to make this game and it kinda shows with the amount of polish it has. But I also don't want to set some extremely high expectations just because I had so much fun. xD;

Maybe download the demo, see how it is and if you think it's your cup o tea, grab it on sale!

I hope this helped some! ^o^7

[borrelia]

okay here are my combined takeaways from the director/producer commentary on robots (2005):

production designer william joyce was also a creative lead on rolie polie olie (started in 1998). so you may connect some stylistic similarities there lol

he and director chris wedge knew each other for quite a while before this and had been dreaming up this movie since, if I heard them correctly, they were teenagers?

the movie started from the setting, then characters and story were developed for it.

they took a Lot of pride in the setting, in figuring out how a world of metal people would function. artists would design Cool Things In The World and they would scramble to figure out where they could put it in the movie. they knew that including lots of background details would give the world life, and they were very happy to see it

if you don't remember the 3d animation scene in the early 2000s, you might not intuit that they were constantly amazed by what they were able to do. the technology was in a rapid stage of development, so there is physics and rendering in the complete movie that they simply could not have done at the start of production. these two were in constant awe of how good the movie looked

on that note, lighting was a big priority for them. they talked a lot about trying to find ways to texture and light metal so that it could look friendly, or so that the main characters would pop in a crowd.

the dominoes thing wasn't initially intentional. they were pretty late in production when they figured out that the way they would approach bigweld's reclusiveness would be Big Dominoes.

oh right, they were writing the story like As it was being animated. this was not a very linear production. the script was Not finished when they moved to the next steps.

they both liked to point out the Function of scenes. like "ok here's where we had to put in more exposition, here's where we had to introduce the stakes, this scene is important for letting the movie Breathe after all that action" etc etc. as part of that, they also liked to point out scenes that Didn't have a function, they were just extended gags or maybe at best helped to flesh out (hah) the world. they liked these scenes tho :) they took a lot of inspiration from buster keaton gags

there was originally a lot more stuff about cappy and from her pov :( her whole deal was that she was Also, like rodney, a small-town bot, but she upgraded herself in order to succeed in the industry. so that was like, her motivation to sympathy and to help the heroes. also that was the connection point between her and rodney from which they built their romance, which, was also, largely cut.

the voice actors never recorded together. at all. but would come back and do retakes when they heard the others' line reads.

they point out that robots is Almost a musical. which, yeah! it does feel like that! there are musical moments, or moments that feel like they Belong in a musical. but besides fender's singing in the oil song (which robin williams just. made. unprompted. bc of course he did) there's no actual singing.

bigweld has two designs, i never noticed! between the time the children's show was shot and the next time we see him, he got upgrades. apparently most other people didn't notice either so I'm glad I'm not alone lol

robots fun movie with a lot of love in it and these two seemed exceptionally proud of the result :)

[filmmakingwithgg]

American Cinematography- Thirteen Lives

In this article, it was really interesting reading about the troubles of shooting on such a large location with such a large cast of people. When it comes to cinematography there's always concerns that it will not be put up to schedule, but in this production it was something they were focused on since they one to make sure everything ran smoothly as they couldn't waste so many people's times.

They did a 3 camera set up. I found it really interesting the way in which the cinematographer talked about his camera operators:

“The best thing was to have a camera in Sayombhu’s hand as much as possible, but to tell him very little,” Howard says. “I would design the other two shots with him and the operators, and then say, ‘Maybe there’s something interesting over there.’ If he agreed, he’d take the camera over and always find something interesting. It’s all intuition for him, [along with] his connection to the characters and story — which was perfect, because I did not want this movie to look staged. I wanted that feeling of spontaneity.”

This level of confidence on your operators certainly gives the film its own special flare.

Lighting was another really important part of the production since the majority of the film took place in caves. Illuminating the darkness was a challenge the camera team had throughout.

The practical work lights used by the SEAL team provided much of the cave illumination. At the mouth of the cave where Stanton and Volanthen join the rescue mission, practical bulbs were strung across the rock walls, and the art department added a balloon light and standing lights of various shapes and sizes, following specifics from the actual operation. “We could prepare the overhead lamps, but we would wait for the art department for the practical lighting,” Mukdeeprom says.

[rainbowgothdisaster]

important note: this could all be very assumptionous, but botw i fell in love with right away. it broke away from typical zelda games which was fun bcuz i only played the 3ds remake of ocarina of time and never finished it. totk feels like it tried to be more zelda game in the worst ways. so the disappointment is hitting hard and since my brother didnt finish botw i cant discuss it with him.

so glad i didnt buy totk

im borrowing my brothers. its............... fine. i guess. not

the music is worse, the story is too intrusive, switching some controls is irritating for someone who played botw at least 5 times in the last 2-3 years, i forget about these abilities more than i forgot about cyonis, idk why but travelling feels more irritating? why would i need my horse or walk when its just. idk. is it slower than before?, i feel like im losing health and stamina more but maybe im just too used to knowing how to manage it, i feel like i dont naturally make rupees and pick up materials as much as before like i have to go out of my way doing that, i dont find the zonai archetecture interesting in anyway its so bland, i feel like basic things that i used my eyes and brain for are being explained which. shut up., im not as sticky as i used to be im so demotivated from climbing

if it can import my horses why cant it know i know how to do stuff in the previous game? or why not have an option to turn off like parry and archery tutorials? if theres one way to make me put down a game its treat me like an idiot.

maybe im not far enough but i do not care for the new characters ive seen so far, theyre endearing in the basic way of "this is a child and has a cute design" but not very much in actual personality. its a cluttered cast, before i was here for zelda and made friends along the way and reconnected with old ones. this time i already have friends that would be fun to work with more closely but instead they pointed me to who im working with.

i dont feel as strong a connection with these sages as i did the champions. the champions i was heart broken bcuz imagine your friends all die you fail your mission and then you fucking die and wake up 100yrs later everyone youve ever known dead (and tbh anyone you cared about died just before you, except for The Person and you were fighting the odds with a tooth pick and white girl in a nightdress there is no way he actually thought hed get away), a faint memory in history, and you can barely remember them but are one of less than a handful of ppl that know them as a person instead of an ancient hero. 100 years is just 1-3 generations and yet its all so distant. i had reason to care for them from the get go. ive met the sage of wind and was just kinda. bored. these ppl are ancient and not mine and my connection is on a new person who i cant actually make memories with to make boss fights more dramatic.

maybe im just salty bcuz i thought teba and his friend was hot (i spent so much time in rito village guys, everyone liked sidon i was on teba (and the champions i thirsted for them so so much esp daruk and revali)) and they just pointed at tulin like "take this, it could help you on your adventure"

the puzzels are more intuitive and interesting, theres more characterization for previous characters and voice acting, everyone is so much hotter, uh zonai are sexy as hell???, zelda. babygirl. what are you trying to do to me with this makeup?, ive only come across two but i like taking the koroks to where they need to go :3 he go camping wit fwiend :3, i love the foreboding shadow child, fun boss fight, im not motion sick during the dungeons

[mariposakitten]

WOW.

Okay, so - the thing is, yes, I do broadly agree with the general thesis of the ask. The "idk this character" option is detrimental to data, for three very good reasons:

1) Relevance. For polls like these, the only opinions that matter are those of people who are actually familiar with the characters; it's not unreasonable to expect people unfamiliar with a character to sit out that character’s poll. Including an "idk them" option introduces an unnecessary second variable. Especially since that result is null data that's just going to be ignored anyway, it would be better to leave it out and focus on the variable that matters.

2) Ease of Readability. Yes, of course, obviously you can still look at the second-highest category to see what "really" won, but a) you... shouldn't have to do that, and b) knowing the "winner" isn't the only important data. If you're trying to get a feel for how divided the fandom is, for example, that's easier to do when the results aren't being artificially deflated. If 85% of respondents don't know the character, is a 2% spread between the remaining results a significant difference, or are the results basically even? Without the "idk" button, understanding things like that is more intuitive; with it, it's a lot harder, especially for the more niche characters.

3) Numbers. It makes the results harder to talk about using numbers, because the results don't actually reflect the percentage of respondents who actually know the character (and whose opinion, presumably, people care about.) As an example: if a friend was feeling down because they were seeing a lot of hate for their favorite blorbo lately, it's a lot more effective to be able to say "hey, I know you're seeing a lot of negativity, but it’s really just coming from a few people - statistically, 80% of people don't think they deserve to be hated like this" than to say "statistically, 10% of people don't think they deserve this, but what you need to understand about that number is-" Like. It just muddies the waters. (Could I, in theory, do the math myself? Yes. Does the thought of doing the math myself make me want to cry? Also yes. Please don't make me do math.)

So yeah. I agree that the polls would be stronger without that option. Like, objectively, per the principles of statistics, that would be a better poll design.

BUT.

HOWEVER.

THAT BEING SAID.

I've thought this for a while, yet you notice I wasn't the one who sent in an ask about it? Because it's not my poll, it's not my call how to design it, and I'm giving OP the courtesy of assuming they are a grown-ass adult who considered these factors and decided, for their own reasons (which I do not have to agree with! Because it's not my blog!) that including the option is more important to them than those factors. And that's their call to make!

But even if I did feel strongly enough about it to say something to them, WOW WOW WOWEE-GEE would the ask above be the absolute fucking wrong way to do it!!! Like! The rudeness! The audacity! Opening by saying "your blog is useless"?? Ordering them to change how they set up their own polls? No explanations given, not even a "please," just a high-handed demand? That is not how we talk to people! Who raised you?

Understand the person making these polls is doing it for free. They're not beholden to you. They are under no obligation to change anything for you, and if you want to ask them to do so anyway you need to understand it is a request, nothing more, and maybe be a little more humble and polite about it.

Me personally? I enjoy taking the polls. I enjoy looking at the results, even if it's sometimes a little frustrating, even if they don't do everything I wish they did. If I didn't, if it bugged me so badly I didn't want to see it? I'd unfollow or block. You can do those things too, anon!

But under no circumstances is it okay to treat someone - who is doing a lot of work, for free, to give people something fun - like this. You're not having fun? Go play with something else.

your blog is so useless. the “idk i just like clicking buttons” options consistently win. stop including them, it’s not helpful for data

if you are incapable of looking at the results and seeing which option got the second-most votes outside of "idk this character", then I truly do not know what to tell you.

[ink-splotch]

So I have just finished playing More a haunting than a history (which is delightful and I’m planning to do it again) and thus how would you sort the cast ?

Oh, I hadn't even done this exercise yet myself. Hm.

For those new to this game, @sortinghatchats is a personality typing system that I & @improbabledragon built out. It's defines two levels: primaries & secondaries.

One of the best ways to get to "know" the system is to sort yourself or a character using our interactive sortinghatchats quiz here: https://ejadelomax.itch.io/sortinghatchats -- it's more like a "chat" than a quiz, so please explore all the options it gives you!

PRIMARY: Morals, motivations, drives -- WHY does this character do what they do?

LION PRIMARY - Internal & Intuitive & Idealist - Lions trust themselves and listen to their instincts; they tend to care immensely about doing the right thing. A Lion’s watchword: Some things are just wrong, no matter what pretty words you use to excuse them.

BIRD PRIMARY - External & Decided & Idealist - A Bird avoiding a choice that they think is right, but that feels wrong, will feel immoral. Consistency & integrity are key.

BADGER PRIMARY - External & Intuitive & Loyalist - A Badger prioritizes the people who need them the most. Concrete & practical in their morality, the "white tower" thinking of idealists (Lion & Bird) can frustrate them.

SNAKE PRIMARY - Internal & Decided & Loyalist - A Snake prioritizes the people who they personally value the most.

Burned Primaries have lost their comfort in, faith in, or surety in their moral desires -- they may no longer pursue them, or think of them as idealistic or naive -- but the desire remains.

SECONDARY: Methods, means, designs -- HOW does this character do what they do?

LION SECONDARY - Solid & Inspirational & Improvisational - A Lion Secondary hates to misrepresent themself. Their directness and honesty can capture the respect or allegiance of comrades.

BIRD SECONDARY - Solid & Situational & Constructed - Birds collect things-- skills, knowledge, tools-- and excel in the situations where those things particularly apply.

BADGER SECONDARY - Fluid & Inspirational & Constructed - Badgers work. They don't give up or take the easy way. They fit the space they're in, the need they're meeting, and they just keep going.

SNAKE SECONDARY - Fluid & Situational & Improvisational - Snakes adapt. Flexible, fluid, and clever, they can wear any face without feeling untrue to themselves. As long as they know who they are at heart, what does the rest matter?

Burned Secondaries do not defer or default to any particular method; they use whatever is at hand, somewhat like a flexible Snake or Badger secondary. However, there is no joy or satisfaction in that indifference, and they tend to have a general lack of faith in their own abilities or in their right to the luxury of choosing between methods or taking their own preference or comfort into account.

(We don't mean to imply that WHY (primaries) matters more than the HOW (secondaries) -- that's just the ordering of the sorting. A "Badger/Lion" is a Badger Primary, Lion Secondary).

For MAHTAH, though... let's sort some kids!

Chris - Burned Lion Primary, but he looks like a Bird. He’s not happy enough though to be a true Bird. He’s disillusioned and exhausted. It’s important to him to be a “good person” but he doesn’t trust his own feelings to help guide him in what that should look like. Instead, he makes pro/con lists and tries to calculate cost and benefit.

That’s a fine way to make decisions, and satisfying to some— but not Chris. He’s just hollowing out his own chest trying to satisfy some need to be good enough. Maybe if he thinks about it long enough, he can do it right, he hopes.

Certain choices in the game will help you move Chris down a path to “unburning.”

For secondary... Badger. He just keeps showing up. When you need him, he's there. When anyone needs him, he's there-- quiet, helpful, exhausted.

Gwyn - Gwyn is either an Idealist (Lion or Bird) or a burned Snake Primary. While she's friendly and bright, and she does love her friends, she's got that "coldness" that you can get from a smiling Idealist or a burned Snake. She loves her friends, but that love has little to do with why or how she lives her life. She, as she will tell you, is willing and ready to leave and never look back, because it's something she needs.

To sift her out between an Idealist (Lion or Bird) and a burned Snake, we'll look at two things:

How "okay" is she?

What was she like before, in your memories? What has changed? What were her motivations back then?

If you read Gwyn as pretty okay-- healthy, happy, satisfied -- then Idealist is more likely. She's got a lot of space in her heart. I do read her as pretty well adjusted, but I think there’s room in the prose to see her as a lot more damaged. So I’d probably call her an Idealist primary, probably a Lion (she totally makes moral calls based on “vibe”)— but I wouldn’t argue with anyone who reads her as a burned Snake instead.

For secondary, she’s a Snake. A warm, wholesome, friendly Snake who shifts and adapts to help and comfort her friends. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks or assumes about her, based on her methods, except for the people who she thinks truly “know” her (ex. Chris, Bec). Plenty of folks think she’s silly or flighty and mostly she just thinks that’s funny. At the end of the day, she still gets what she wants.

Bec - The angriest Badger Primary. Lion Secondary. Also angry there.

Daisy - Daisy is gloriously unburned, whatever her sorting is. They and Tam are likely the healthiest, happiest kids here.

For secondary, I think Bird. Daisy excels in particular skill sets— food, fancy coffee making, knowing everyone in town— but also is one of the best NPCs for answering questions and describing the world. (This is why they’re my wife’s favorite). They know a lot of things, not all of them useful, and it gives them joy.

For primary, their community-oriented priorities and interests make me err towards Badger, but I think an argument could be made for the other sortings.

Tam -

Lion primary. Bird secondary. They're a straightforward young person. They go with their gut -- it's important to them that things feel right, and they're driven to go seek their truth in an intuitive, exploratory way.

That sense of exploration and discovery ties in as well with their secondary -- a magpie's Bird Secondary, with a constant need to seek and build knowledge and experiences. They fear a cage or a void more than anything; they seek (and find) wider horizons.

Original you - somewhat spoilery, but only I think in terms of "vibe." If I had to sort the younger version of the player character, I'd go with a Snake Primary / Lion Secondary (this is why they jammed with Bec so well) that burned hard.

If you want to play MAHTAH, you can do so (for free) in your browser here:

[miekasa]

speaking of college boys, what do the college au aot babies study??

Okay, okay, I think I’ve talked about this in an ask before but I can’t find it 😭😭 but it’s okay, I love college aus, so I’ll talk about it again! Plus, now I’ve got more thoughts for more characters, so here we go

Levi — neuroscience and psychology of human behavior

He started out on track to do a bachelor of arts in psychology, but when they touched on the anatomy and biological parts of it during his first year lecture, he switched to a bachelor of science.

The focus is still psychology, but through a more clinical lens. Essentially, he gets the best of both worlds this way. He’s intuitive and analytical, so clinical and mental diagnosis is easy to dissect for him. He’s also canonically good at math, so the calculus and stats parts aren’t too bad, either.

This major also leaves him with a few options post-grad, which is a nice bonus for him. He’s likely going to medical school, but that’s not the only route open to him: law school, therapy, lab work, medicine and pharmacy, even teaching are all viable options without going to grad school.

Do not talk to him about Freud unless you wanna get punted off a building.

Be careful with him, because with a single glance he’s already got scarily accurate predictions about your parental and emotional attachment styles, your behavior in social settings, and the onset (or seemingly lack thereof) of your frontal lobe development.

He thinks he’s so smart making comments like, “I see those synaptic connections aren’t working so well for you today,” like mf come here let me lobotomize you and see how well your synaptic connects are working after that🙄

Eren — general health sciences

He’s interested in science and the discovery aspects of it, but picking a specific field of focus right now feels too final. He likes it this way, because his schedule and requirements are less restrictive, and he has more room to find out what really interests him.

He does best when he’s doing something he loves, so picking a major with a bunch of reqs that he couldn’t care less about would have sucked big time for him. It also would have affected his grades. There are still some classes he has to take that he’s not fond of (see: chemistry), but that’s to be expected. Science in general is cool to him and he hopes to make his own discovery some day, even if it’s microscopic.

He also plays a lot of sports, keeping his schedule flexible is important. The sports end up helping him excel academically, which is a nice bonus. Honestly, Eren uses his time at university to learn more about himself than anything, so having control and freedom to do what he likes the majority of the time was important to him. 

He uses his elective credits to take philosophy or history courses of his interest, or maybe even a course that you’re in just to spend time with you. He also uses you as a live model for his homework bye, congrats on being patient number one to him.

Armin — astronomy and physics

He’s still interested in marine biology, but unless he attended a school near a coast, or with a specialized integrated program for that, it’s unlikely he’d major in it during undergrad.

Space and ocean exploration aren’t all that different. Both are vast, largely unexplored domains that reel-in Armin’s interest for discovery. So, while studying astronomy, he still gets to study evolution and make his own predictions about what could be out there because there’s so much to know.

Physics comes with the territory of learning about planetary science, and he’s mathematically inclined, so it works out for him. Learning about the different physical properties of other planets and space masses is honestly pretty sick to him. Because math isn’t a struggle, he actually considered aeronautical engineering, but he didn’t want to be a part of the college to military pipeline; that is, he didn’t want any potential design of his to be weaponized. 

He still gets to study animal biology through his elective courses, and might even find a few focused on marine animals to satiate him. Plant and cell biology are also of interest to him, and are just further applications of his primary study anyway, so he’s got plenty of room to work with.

This boy is interning at NASA and still, with his whole chest out is like, “I don’t need to discover a new planet, you’re my whole world.” Armin, go check on the Mars rover or something please.

Mikasa — anthropology + minor in japanese language studies

Anthropology is virtually interdisciplinary in nature, and Mikasa is a pretty well rounded student, so she’s able to excel in a program like this. She gets to study history, science, cultural studies, and even a bit of art all at once.

She’s still debating between going to law school vs med school, so anthro this is a good in-betweener. She gets a taste of science through her anatomy and kin courses; and lots of practice with reading and dissecting texts through the historical and cultural lectures. So, when the time comes to decide, she’ll have some experience with both.

Don’t know whether it’s confirmed that she’s (part) Japanese or not, but either way I headcanon that she speaks/spoke some second language at home. She wanted to delve more into it, and courses were offered at the university so why not?

Cultural studies courses end up being her favorite. She likes learning about the history of people and their cultures, and it encourages her to learn more about her own family history and culture. It also propels her to apply for a study abroad opportunity, so she spends at least one semester doing an exchange program and absolutely loves it.

She would also encourage you to apply and go, too. You guys might not be in the same program, but if there’s an applicable program in the same country she’s going to, then she’d definitely want you to apply. Spending the semester away with you would be a dream come true.

Hange — bioengineering + minor in political philosophy and law

It’s almost self-sabotage to be in an engineering program and have a minor; the coursework for engineering alone is backbreaking, and bioengineering has the added weight of human intricacies, but of course Hange makes it possible. 

They’re nothing short of a genius, so of course they have time to work a completely unrelated minor into their schedule. It doesn’t surprise anyone that they go on to complete an MD-PhD after undergrad. Insane. 

Bioengineering is essentially the synthesis of chemical engineering and health sciences; Hange spends their time exploring biological sciences and applies the engineering aspects of their coursework to their understanding of (and interest in creating) medicine. Truly a one of a kind mind. 

They also have an interest in philosophy and justice, so when they found out they only needed a measly nine or ten courses to minor in, they went for it, of course. In honesty, they don’t find the studies all that opposing: both law making and medicine making both have some kind of philosophy or method to them in their eyes. 

Hange has... little to no free time pls. They don’t mind it, because they love their coursework, but this means you are essentially ducking into their labs or scrambling to find them in-between their classes during your time in undergrad. They appreciate every second spent with you tho, and will gladly rope you into long discussions about their work. 

Jean — biochemistry + minor in art sustainability

He was undeclared his first year, and took a little bit of everything: art, science, history, anthropology, english. Basically, anything that fit into his schedule. It was hard for him to pick one thing—he liked the science and lab applications of STEM courses, but not the math; and the obvious painting and creativity of art, but hated the pretentious air about art history.

What he wants to do is make a difference, which is how he ends up knowing that he wants to go to med school after, so he picks a science-heavy major, but uses his elective spaces to take art courses. When he mixes the two, he ends up on sustainability—and the complexities about it that are applicable to both science and art are what really reels him in.

Interdisciplinary studies end up being his forte. He can approach sustainability from a science perspective which impacts his art style and materials; and tuning into his creative side allows him to think about science not just from a purely clinical perspective, but from a human one, too—patients are people after all.

He believes that everything is connected somehow, even things as seemingly opposite as art and biochemistry. And he works towards finding the unique intersection where everything overlaps. His studies are pretty cool, and he’s very passionate about them, so ask him about it 😌

The art he makes is pretty sick, too, and often commentary about science; he’s proving they’re not so opposite. You also heavily influence his studies in both areas: caring about you so much inspires him to take the healthcare focus seriously, and your very nature is inspiration to his art. 

Sasha — nursing

She’s friendly and good at working with people, so nursing was an easy choice for her. She accredits most of her motivation to being around her younger family members, and learns that she finds a simple kind of joy in helping to take care of others.

She struggles a bit her first year when it’s mostly all grades and standardized testing, but when she starts getting clinical experience and working in the hospital on campus, things round out for her.

Patient care is her strongest point. A lot of people often forget that knowing everything isn’t everything; if you don’t know how to calm or even just talk to your patient, you’re not that great of a healthcare professional.

Pretty certain that she wants to work with kids in the future, but she’s open to public health and even being a travel nurse if she finds opportunity there!

Of course, she’s pretty doting when it comes to you and all her friends. She might want to go into pediatrics, but the basics of nursing and health care extend to everyone, so you’re guaranteed to be well taken care of with Sasha around. You might even have to switch roles and take care of her sometimes, because her coursework can get pretty out of hand.

Connie — computer engineering with a focus on game design

He might not look it, but Connie has a brain under that shaved head of his. Computer engineering is cool to him because he basically learns about how simple things he uses every day (ie: phone, computer, microwave) works.

Systems and coding are actually the easy part for him, especially when they get into the application of it and aren’t just stuck looking at examples. That’s how he gets into game design.

The part about math and electricity and magnetic fields… well let’s just say he needed to make friends with someone who likes math and hardware his first year to get through it. But the struggle was worth it, because by his junior year he’s found a professor willing to mentor/supervise him as he works on his game and other projects, so life is good.

His school work is definitely hard, which is why the lives by the mantra of “work hard, party harder.” It’s only fair. 

He makes you a little avatar so you can test out his games for him <33 best boyfriend things <33 He’d also… build a game about your relationship. Every level is a different date you guys went on, and he definitely includes something cheesy, like “There are unlimited lives because I love you forever babe <3”

Porco — kinesiology + maybe mechanical engineering

He’s pretty into athletics and working out, but didn’t wanna go down the sports psychology route; he wanted something that left him with a few more options, so he ended up in kinesiology.

He was surprisingly pretty good at biology in high school, so something stem-oriented works out in his favor, and it turns out he’s pretty damn good at anatomy, too. He’ll probably end up in physical therapy after graduation.

He’s also got a knack for cars, which is where the engineering comes in, but he doesn’t care so much for the math part of it (he doesn’t care for it at all actually, fuck that); he just wants the hands on experience of building/fixing things and working with his hands. So, if he can get a minor in it and not struggle through 4 years of math, then he’d do that. If not, he’d take a few workshop-like classes.

Because he wants to go into physical therapy, you are essentially his practice patient. Your back hurts? Not a problem, he’s basically a professional masseuse. Muscle aches? He’s got a remedy and understanding of why it’s happening. Don’t let him catch you hunting over your desk grinding away at your homework, because he will poke your neck and correct your posture (he’ll also massage your shoulders, but after the scolding).

Pieck — classics + minor in philosophy

Ancient studies interest her, but more than that, the language of ancient Greek and Roman culture fascinates her, so classics is the way to go.

Because her focus within Classics ends up being Greek and Latin language studies, she is essentially learning both languages at the same time. She gets farther with Latin that she does with Greek. For whatever reason, the former comes almost naturally to her, so her written and translated work is more complex in Latin.

However, she finds cultural studies relation to Greece more interesting than that of Rome, so it’s a give and take with both; better at languages for Roman studies, better at culture and history for Greek studies.

Her minor is a natural evolution from her primary coursework. Ancient Romans and Greeks set the foundation for a lot of modern day philosophy, so it comes up in her major classes, but she wanted to delve further into the philosophy, and not just look at it historically, so she takes more courses to fulfill the minor.

Can be found laying on a blanket in the quad on a hot day, with her books spread out all around her, highlighter in hand as she works through her reading. You’re always invited to sit with her, and more often than not, it ends up with Pieck’s head in your lap, a book in her hands, and your own schoolwork in yours as you both read in each other’s company.

Bertholdt — computer science and coding

He’s level headed, good at planning, and above all, patient, so he’s cut out for this. He doesn’t consider himself to be particularly creative, which is why he doesn’t pick a speciality with lots of design; but he’s good at streamlining and ideas to life.

The patience really comes in when his code doesn’t run. It’s frustrating to scroll for two hours just to find out that the issue is a missing semi-colon in line 273 that he overlooked, but Berty will sit there until he finds it.

He’s also good at fixing issues. That’s not limited to issues in the code itself; it can mean finding shorter ways to produce the same function or loop, or integrating new aspects into existing code.

Also, he’d just be so cute, coding away on his computer. Just imagine: Berty working on his homework in the library, he’s got his signature crewneck + collared shirt look going for him, his blue-light glasses, a cup of coffee nearly as tall as him sitting at the corner of his desk. Adorable.

He’d make little codes/programs for you, too, even if it’s silly. A simple code that helps you decide what to eat for dinner or where to go on a date, one that shuffles different reminders for you, hell he’ll even forgo the torture of design engineering just to build you a little robot that says “I love you” to you.

Reiner — english + minor in justice & political philosophy

Everyone expects Reiner, star quarterback of the university’s rugby team, to be a business student or communications student; but no, he’s an English major, and he loves it.

Just imagine a guy as huge as Reiner absolutely manhandling someone on the field, just to show up in his lectures with a tiny paperback of The Great Gatsby tucked between his fingers with his reading glasses on. It’s so precious.

He’s always running a bit late to class—either coming from the gym, or practice, or oversleeping from exhaustion—but he’s so sweet to his professors and genuinely interested in the literature that they don’t give him a hard time about it. They can tell that balancing school and sports is difficult, and they just appreciate that he takes his studies seriously.

Yeah he’s in a book club and he dog-ears his books. What about it. They’re doing poetry this month and Reiner actually likes Edgar Allen Poe. Who said jocks can’t be sentimental.

He also reads a lot outside of his classes, and has a soft spot for coming of age stories. He usually empathizes with the main character somehow. His ideal weekend plans after a week of grueling games and essays is taking a long, relaxing shower at your place, while you both share a bottle of wine, and maybe even get you to read a chapter or two of his current book out loud to him.

Annie — clinical psychology/neuroscience

Almost scarily analytical and methodic, so this major was calling her name. Localizing brain legions is… insanely intuitive to her it’s incredible. She’ll be an insanely impressive doctor someday, even if she doesn’t end up working with patients directly. 

She doesn’t care too much for the more philosophical/reading heavy parts of psychology. Even experiments and research closer to the social end of the spectrum aren’t all that interesting to her; but the brain science behind it it.

Nobody should be good at cellular biology. Nobody should be able to ace cell bio and neuro and calc and work towards their thesis proposal in the same semester, but Annie proves it’s possible.

Ends up working in one of her professor’s labs by her junior year. She was offered three TA positions working with first year students, but she swiftly turned them down. Teaching isn’t her thing.

She doesn’t bring up her studies to you unprompted, but if you ask her about them she’ll explain it to you. Her notes are color coded and it’s super neat, and very cute; coloring them is somewhat relaxing for her. She usually saves the coloring part for when you guys study together; there’s extra comfort in doing it with you around.

[julianottheastrologer]

Hello, how can you bond with your tarot deck?

Hello dear anon,

As you know, or should know, I didn't create intelligence out of thin air and started doing all my "witchy" stuff on my own. So there's information I use for myself from my tutors Wayner and Diana.So some parts are things I learned from them. You can also check more tips here and here.

Bonding with Tarot

❀ Introduce yourself properly

I have my own method, but the important is to it's you presenting yourself as the person who will use the cards from that moment on. Don't expect a magical instrument to respect you just because it doesn't have a mouth.

❀ Don't clean it

You don't tell your friend it's dirty and go give them a bath. You don't tell your friend that it's loaded and make them stay inside a circle of candles to get that bad energy out. More important, you don't ask your friend to forget everything that happened to them so that it can finally be your friend. You don't want your tarot to forget its history, here one way to call the cards is "blades", you as a reader and your tarot as a magical instrument should not fear evil, but overcome it, without ever forgetting its marks .

❀ Use it

Try talking to your kindergarten friend again now like it was before, like nothing happened. Wow, you guys look weird now don't you? Why do you think the same wouldn't happen with the tarot you left in the drawer for 3 years? The connection is not the same, it just doesn't work. You're going to start from 0 and so that doesn't happen, don't leave it out.

❀ Spend time with it

Tarot is not just for reading, it also serves for other functions. You can do spells as well as studies, even character creation is possible. If you communicate with it in advance about what will be done, even a moment of sleep will be considered a moment of bonding.

❀ Recognize it personality and respect it

As I said before, different types of oracle have different personalities, that is, the way they transfer their message is different from each other. But within the same system, which is the tarot, there will also be a difference in their personality, some will have a more serious reading aspect, while the other may seem more prone to love. This is already something more intuitive, but if you notice this, respect their language and don't try to use Lenormand in a more therapist way, for example, it will not be a gentle reading if you don't have your head in the right place.

❀ Read the tarot

But what do you mean? Along with the above that the tarot has personality, the tarot has different designs, if for you The Fool seems more liar than The Magician because of the design, then it is. Don't fool yourself and think about another answer with another tarot while have one in front of you. Is like you're thinking about a ex with your current.

❀ Learn tarot

When you learn tarot you gain authority. Don't be an idiot to think that everything is intuition and everything will work out in the end because eventually it won't.There are times when it's going to be technical and down to earth, there's a suit of swords and coins to remind you of that, isn't there? So study. Your authority on the subject of tarot gives security to you and your cards with your readings.

❀ Don't try to confirm it message

Ask a serious question to a friend and then ask the same question to another just to confirm what the previous of it... Even though we have to understand that it was a time of need, you know that if it were with you, you would feel hurt with such action. You gave your best advice and yet the person went to ask the other...Your tarot has given its best message, don't belittle it.

❀ Sincerely accept the cards that was given to you

When we have people who know we use cards, they sometimes give us a deck as a gift. It wasn't chosen, you often don't understand the symbolism very well, or by chance he gave you the Thoth tarot and you always used Waite's.. Don't belittle it, it came to you for a reason, maybe it's for study, perhaps as a decoration.

❀ Shuffle correctly

Sometimes the cards jump, you can't control everything, but don't shuffle your tarot cards like the poker ones.

❀ Be respectful

When you ask your question, do it with respect, you don't have to be talking to a queen, not even the way you talk to a deity, but talk to it as if you were someone you respect as a parent, it can be more relaxed, but respectful . Also, don't use it in places that are inappropriate, you don't want to have a serious conversation in the middle of noise and in a dirty place. Try to step back and have at least one cloth for your readings.

❀ Don't watch other people's lives

Imagine one more scene with me. You're talking to your friend but it can only talk about someone else... Even when it's just the two of you, super intimate moment... The subject is always other people's lives... Boring as fuck. Nobody likes it, or if they like it, it's for bad reasons. It's not a pleasant subject to read, besides, it's very dangerous. If you live reading about your boyfriend's love life you will always be worried if he is cheating on you, if you always want to see what the person likes, you will never be able to find out on your own and it will be impossible to communicate with them. Is problematic, problems you don't need, run from them.

❀ Don't talk bad about them

The tarot is not from the devil, it has The Devil, it doesn't mean it was created by him. Your tarot didn't misspell the message, you who didn't understand it or wanted to make a fool of yourself. Don't go off talking bad about your teammates behind their backs, ever.

❀ Use when emotional

It is not often that we read tarot when we are certainly concreted, almost reaching nirvana of such perfection. Sometimes we are just too happy with something that has occurred to us, or weeping sobbing over a nasty comment on the internet. No matter the reason, if you want to use the tarot to ask something, take a moment and think if you need to, take that breath, then ask it. Tarot is there to understand emotions too and you are the best example of it, they will absorb your memories as example to future readings. Magic is emotion, not reason, it's the best time to use it.

❀ Trust it

You did a reading, ok. You managed to understand everything, ok. Even what you didn't want came out... ok, right. So after all this you won't believe what you read why? It's as if the teacher had explained the test before it, question by question, and when it delivers you, you want to do it differently. "Ah, but there may be a catch"... your teacher will be pissed off at you, your tarot too. You asked a question, so now trust.

❀ Trust you

Have you ever stopped to think that if you follow all the above steps you are someone to be respected and that maybe your tarot is grateful for being with you and not for anyone else? It could have fallen into the hands of someone who leaves them in a drawer, someone else who only tells lies when reading... and so many other reasons that only make the person lose their respect. So respect yourself and trust that the your cards are also blessed to be in your hands.

Kisses,

Madam Saturn 💋

[ilikekidsshows]

2part anon here, thanks for the great answer, I'm glad you could make sense of it in the end. Tikki is really interesting to me coz I don't get her at all, so I appreciate that you could shed some light here. Since you've got a bit of a reputation as the kwami guru, would you mind elaborating on the Fuu Wyazz dynamic a bit more, maybe even in conrast to our other guardian, Marinette? You touched on it briefly and it picked my interest.

Thanks! I'm glad you liked the essay.

I have said it earlier that the human/kwami pairs in Miraculous are designed to be compatible. The human in the equation has to be actively making all the worst decisions for it to go south. Because of this, out of all the kwami in the Miracle Box under Fu's care, Wayzz is the most suited for him. Naturally, as Marinette's partner is Tikki, the same doesn't hold true for Marinette and Wayzz, although Tikki and Wayzz share some similarities in their temperament and how they interact with their holders.

Fu has a more even temperament than Marinette, but he is also more paranoid. To match and balance these aspects, Wayzz is also calm but, in addition, he’s trusting. Wayzz is even implied to have some ability with intuition in 'Origins', when he can sense Nooroo's activation. Fu tries to stick to what he can remember of the Guardians' rules to the best of his ability, because those are all he has to land back on, while Wayzz is more willing to bend the rules and be deceptive for the sake of the greater good, as we see in 'Sandboy'. Fu is afraid of rocking the boat in case the new status quo ends up worse, while Wayzz is willing to try something risky, like opening a telepathic link to a kwami who might be mentally connected to their enemy at that time, because he believes in the good that can result from it.

Basically, Fu is a pessimist while Wayzz is a cautious optimist. When Fu's trauma paralyzes him into inactivity, Wayzz urges him to act with different suggestions. When Fu's paranoia leads to him trying to solve a problem alone, Wayzz urges him to have more faith in the heroes he chose. Wayzz's function in his bond with Fu is to question things, since Fu's biggest character flaw is not questioning the instructions he was given in the past.

Meanwhile, Marinette has a very volatile temperament, so Tikki also isn't entirely even. Even so, Tikki's detachment from humanity is visible in how her emotions are more muted in comparison with Marinette. Marinette can panic, get in a tizzy and sink into despair and, while Tikki can fret and get huffy, she is not the type to expect the worst. Any situation, no matter how bad, has the potential to be worked out, to create something new. Tikki is the kwami of Creation, so it makes sense that she'd never think a situation is entirely hopeless, even when she doesn't know how to solve a problem. Meanwhile Marinette can feel hopeless, but is also very capable of coming up with solutions and turning losses into victories.

Basically, the main role Tikki serves to Marinette's thought processes is to be a more hopeful voice to combat Marinette's tendency to despair, while also not giving Marinette ready solutions so that Marinette can figure out how to proceed herself. Tikki's purpose is to get Marinette to act, because Marinette's own worst enemy is her hesitation. Tikki believes in Marinette, and Marinette needs that belief to bolster her own self confidence.

Neither Wayzz nor Tikki serve as their human partner's opposite, instead, they have similarities that make them capable of understanding their partner, while also having differences that are meant to shake up Fu's and Marinette's instincts. The best way to weigh the value in a certain course of action is to have someone voice a dissenting opinion. Even if Wayzz and Tikki aren't infallible, it's still important that the question of "what if?" gets brought up. That's the similarity between the kwami, although they go about it in different ways.