#Its important to note that its NOT a designation for each one of them individually. Its for them both as a PAIR

[deecotan]

Does lawlu have a kid too that plays with zosan kid?

In my opinion, Lawlu isn't a couple who are going to have kids... relatively, at the very least. Who knows if I can think of any setting or AU where they might have children, but in a modern domestic AU or canon/canon-compliant settings, I don't exactly see them as having kids. I see them as a couple whose idea of settling in begins and ends with each other. Don't get me wrong, they adore children, but they're not necessarily interested in having their own. Them playing uncles for their friends' kids is more than enough for them.

What I do see them having, in modern setting, are dogs. I totally see Law as a dog person and Luffy is just jolly enough to have any pet companion around. I think it paints a pretty funny picture to see Law trying to wrestle both of his overexcited dog AND boyfriend to take a bath after their 2-hour frolicking in the muddy grass.

A couple that I see having kids in modern AU is actually Frobin! My personal headcanon is that they adopted, and it has to do with how I love the idea of Robin, who was abandoned as a child but gradually found love and healing in her found family, would want to try to be a mother for children who went through the similar thing she did as a child. Robin canonically adores children, so I think it's not much of a stretch for her to want them regardless of how she acquires them. And Franky is just supportive all around - he'd be a great dad.

[markrosewater]

Elegance

Here’s my original article for Elegance.

 This is a topic I’ve wanted to write about for a long time.  Ironically, the words needed to explain the concept kept the column from being elegant. So I did what all artists do.  I found a way to say a lot in a little space.

 Enjoy,

 Mark Rosewater

 [NOTE: EACH OF THE ABOVE FIFTY WORDS IS HYPERLINKED.  BELOW IS THE FIFTY HYPER LINKS.  THE HEADERS SHOULDN’T BE ON THE LINKED PAGE.  I’M JUST INCLUDING THEM SO YOU KNOW WHAT EACH LINK IS.]

 ELEGANCE

 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary has five definitions for elegance:

 • refined grace or dignified propriety

• tasteful richness of design or ornamentation

• dignified, gracefulness or restrained beauty of style

• scientific precision, neatness and simplicity

• something that is elegant

 The common elements appear to be dignity, simplicity, and taste.

 THIS

 Elegance requires thinking, but it also requires feeling.  Elegant prose is judged by how it makes the reader feel. It needs to generate a sense of calm that puts the reader at ease.  Everything in your writing should feel as if it was carefully positioned to create the proper effect.

 IS

 Pound for pound, the writer’s greatest writing tool is the verb.  Nouns add substance and adjectives add flourish, but it’s the verb that drives the sentence.  Choose a strong, descriptive verb and the sentence has flair and purpose. Choose a weak one and the sentence lacks any sense of drama.

 A

 Here’s a little game to test an elegance relevant skill (based on an old game called Inklings).  Randomly choose a noun.  Try to convey that noun to the other players using the least number of letters possible. You’ll be surprised how much you can communicate in just a few letters.

 TOPIC

 One of the greatest stumbling blocks to elegance is the inability to choose a single focus.  Elegance requires simplicity.  Simplicity requires a single purpose of thought.  This means that elegance starts before you write a single word.  A good sculptor must know his image before he picks up his chisel.

 I’VE

 One of the common misconceptions of elegance is that it requires a writer to be fancy. Elegance though is more about familiarity than formality. You shouldn’t be afraid of friendlier language such as slang or contractions, assuming that such language adds an element of ease rather than one of laziness.

 WANTED

 An important element of elegance is a sense of passion.  Brevity does not mean pulling away emotionally from words, but rather the opposite.  When you find yourself limited to fewer words, you must pack each individual word with extra emotional punch.  You are not reducing your message, simply your messenger.

 TO

 A good tool in understanding elegance is studying poetry.  Poetry is the most concise of all written art forms.  It strives to maximize impact while minimizing expression.  Each word carries the burden of evoking some essence of the poet’s message. If it cannot carry its own weight, it is excised.

WRITE

 To be an elegant writer, you have to become a student of prose.  You have to study the mechanics of language to understand how it can be shaped.  Once you have learned how to transfer the feeling in your head into meaningful words, you are on the path to elegance.

 ABOUT

 Be careful not to fall in love with ambiguity.  While intoxicating in its beauty, it is the enemy of elegance. Remember, the goal is not to make the reader struggle for comprehension.  Rather it is to lead them to the obvious conclusion. Elegance should be used to illuminate, not confuse.

 FOR

 Elegant prose requires connecting with your reader.  To do this, you have to understand who that reader is.  Nothing should come before this task.  It needs to be done before writing can begin. I like to compare this to planning a trip.  Maps are useless until you know your destination.

 A

 Another major key to elegance is the understanding of the importance of the tiniest detail.  Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a piece of prose is only as tight as its messiest detail. A good writer doesn’t stop at the nouns, verbs and adjectives.

 LONG

 Don’t confuse elegance with brevity.  Elegant things are short not because they have to be but because the difficulty to craft an elegant piece of prose combined with the limitations of time forces writers to be brief.  Elegant novels, for example, do exist, but they are few and far between.

 TIME

 To quote Roman orator (and letter writer) Marcus T. Cicero, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”  

 Simplicity takes more time not less.  Anyone can get a point across with ten thousand words.  But a true artist can do it in ten (or possibly fifty).  

 IRONICALLY

 Irony is a potent tool for commentary.  Its genius lies in the fact that it comments not on what is, but rather on what isn’t.  Like all good humor, irony makes you laugh.  But like the best type of humor, it also makes you think.  It’s both funny and funny.

 THE

 Elegance in writing is about more than words. Equally important is how the words are woven together. Tempo, pacing, rhythm – these are the tools that set the mood for the piece.  Try reading aloud your text.  The natural beat of language is more suited for the ear than the eye.

 WORDS

 To realize the power of words, you must first understand how they work. Art is expressive; words are connotative.  That is, words draw their power from their ability to extract different ideas from different people.  A circle is a circle, but the concept of “scary” varies from person to person.

 NEEDED

 Elegance is not the result of any one attribute.  It is the combination of numerous factors coming together in harmony. This is why it’s such a hard skill to master.  Most people can pat their head or rub their tummy.  But put them together and it’s not quite so easy.

 TO

 An elegant piece of prose needs to hit the reader at a gut level.  Often they won’t know exactly why they like it, but they will recognize that something about the piece moves them.  There are many types of writing where subtlety is lost.  Elegant writing isn’t one of them.

 EXPLAIN

 There are many ways for you to explain an idea.  The most elegant one though is not through definition but by example. By connecting your idea to one already known by the reader, you’re leaving the work of teaching to someone in the past.  Education is hard.  Comparison is easy.

 THE

 If writing is like building a house, the structure is like the foundation. Its design will dictate how the house is built.  If it’s faulty, no amount of fancy brickwork will undo the damage.  So take the time to ensure your structure is building the kind of prose you want.

 CONCEPT

 Never underestimate the power of a concept.  An important part of elegance is condensing big ideas into little words. This is far from an easy task.  It often takes a genius an entire lifetime to create a truly innovative concept.  So take advantage of all their hard work and inspiration.  

 KEPT

 A common barrier to elegance is the belief that only one way will work. Often a writer is unable to abandon a beloved piece of prose even when evidence demonstrates otherwise.  If something doesn’t add to the larger sense of the piece, you have to learn to let it go.

 THE

 Readers notice things at a minute level far beyond their mind’s ability to interpret. This means that although they may not consciously notice many of your tiny details, they will do so unconsciously. Aesthetics teach us that it’s this unconscious structure that will determine whether or not it feels “right”.

 COLUMN

 All communicators, whether through speaking or print, need to find a voice. A voice provides familiarity and it teaches the listener or reader how to more quickly absorb the information. Elegance is all about the conservation of ideas.  Having a pre-learned voice to guide you is a very valuable tool.

 FROM

 I’ve spent some time talking about understanding your reader.  But there is one more person who is even more important to understand – yourself. Writing is about sharing your ideas with others.  If you haven’t spent the time to figure out what you think, how can you possibly communicate it?

 BEING

 “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

 Or so the saying goes.  What the cliché forgets to mention is how many words a single word is worth.  For example, take the word “being”. To capture the essence of what “being” represents is tens of thousands of words if not more.

 ELEGANT

 What is the value of being elegant? Why should you care? Elegance adds aesthetics. It evokes poetry.  It grants beauty.  Elegant prose draws the reader closer because it gives them something to not just learn but to admire.  Good prose stimulates the head, but elegant prose resonates in the heart.

 SO

 Who, what, where, when, how - all important questions.  But for a writer they pale next to why.  If you don’t understand the reasoning beneath the surface, the other details are irrelevant.  The act of elegance is cementing the why.  It’s taking the purpose and engraining it into the piece.

 I

 Elegance is a very personal thing.  If something doesn’t resonate with you, there’s no way for it to resonate with your reader.  Writing is an art, not a science.  There is no rulebook for how things must be done.  If your instincts are telling you that something isn’t working, listen.

 DID

 An important tool in your toolbox is time. Elegance cannot be rushed.  Mental ruts only get deeper the harder you focus on them.  Make sure to work time into your schedule so you are able to walk away from your writing. An hour next week is worth a day today.  

 WHAT

 Don’t let attention to detail pull you away from having a larger sense of what you’re writing.  Take this column as an example.  While I spent a lot of time fine tuning each entry I never lost sight of the effect they created when all the entries were put together.

 ALL

 Elegance requires taking a holistic view of writing.  Every word, every sentence, every paragraph is a piece in a larger puzzle. It’s not enough to understand the impact of a single element. You must understand how any two elements interact if you want to understand the potency of your text.

 ARTISTS

 Elegance and art are very intertwined.  Both seek to achieve a similar goal: to illuminate and inspire with a conservation of expression.  If you’re trying to be elegant, I think it helps to think of yourself as an artist. The instinct for the latter mirrors the needs of the former.

 DO

 An important part of any writing is understanding the feeling you’re trying to evoke.  And then realizing what mechanic tools you have available to evoke that feeling. Diction, verb tense, sentence length, alliteration, word flow, phonetic juxtaposition – each of these will control the mood and tone of your piece.

 I

 A writer’s life is the ultimate fodder.  Don’t be ashamed to plumb your own experiences.  You understand them deeper and more personally than anyone else.  No painter would refuse to use his finest paints. And, as a bonus, by using your own experiences, you will become better educated about yourself.

 FOUND

 Don’t forget that the act of revealing is also an act of exploration.  Don’t be afraid if you learn more than the reader you’re trying to educate.  Writing is not an exact science.  (Or even an exact art.)  Often you will find that the road to salvation has a fork.

 A

 Your future is paved with your past.  If you want to learn how to grow as a writer, you need to look back at what you’ve written. With time and a detached eye, your will find your mistakes become clearer.  Remember that it’s failure, not success, that bests drives education.

 WAY

 The problem with looking for a single solution is that you’ll never find more than one.  And the first one isn’t always the best.  But if you’re open to the possibility that every problem has an infinite number of answers, you’ll have the freedom of choosing the solution you want.  

 TO

 Sentences are filled with freeloaders.  Because writers seem to love overwriting. (I include myself in this camp.)  Make sure to create time for the editor side of you to prune unnecessary words.  If a word can be excised without any harm to the sentence, it has no right being there.

 SAY

 I’m spending my time today talking about elegance in prose, but most of what I’m saying is applicable in speech.  The key difference is that prose has less defining attributes like appearance or tone.  The key to elegant speech is making people focus on the words rather than everything else.

 A

 It’s ironic that something designed to be so simple can be so complex.  But that, my faithful readers, is the joy (and mystery) of elegance. Like an onion, elegance has numerous layers that reveal themselves as you slowly peel them away.  Oh yeah, and it can sometimes make you cry.

 LOT

 An interesting exercise is to look at each word you’re using and think about how much content is loaded in that word.  Then explore what other words exist that fulfill the same role but with added content.  Once you’ve found the word you can’t best, move onto the next word.

 IN

 A good way to get better at understanding elegance is to look for it in every day life. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised where and how often you find it.  Study each example carefully and try to see if you can put your finger on what makes it work.  

 A

 Writing is a shared endeavor.  No one owns the words.  If someone uses a technique that works, there’s no shame in borrowing it.  Like science, writing creates technology that’s brought back to the group to spur further advancements.  Elegance is hard enough to accomplish without refusing to use the toolbox.

 LITTLE

 How big should a piece of text be if you want it to be elegant?  The answer is as big as it needs to be – and not a word more. Just think of it as playing the game Jenga. Keep pulling words out of your prose until it collapses.  

 SPACE

 One of the most important lessons in art is learning the value of negative space, the idea that the eyes are equally drawn to what isn’t there.  Prose has a very similar quality.  When writing pay careful attention to what you aren’t saying. Often it will speak the loudest volume.

 ENJOY

 For some reason people tend to equate dignity with seriousness.  And as such they come to the false conclusion that elegance has no room for humor.  Ironic as humor is one of the most elegant of styles.  A good joke is no longer than is necessary to do its job.

 MARK

 As is always true when I head off the beaten path, I am curious to hear your feedback.  What did you think of this article?  Was it entertaining?  Was it educational? Did you actually read all fifty links?  And if not, why not?

 Tell me.  Inquiring mind wants to know.

 ROSEWATER

 I couldn’t end this week’s column without my trademark closing.  I mean, how inelegant would that be?

 Join me next week when  I go from being a letter man to a Letterman.

 Until then, may you learn to appreciate now just the “what” but the “how” and “why”.

 Mark Rosewater

[thewisecheerio]

Messmer's Insignia

This is Messmer's insignia, stamped all over his Keep, as well as his soldiers' shields and tents. This post is going to be a canon-compliant lore analysis, meaning that not all of this will be explicitly mentioned in canon but will attempt to be compliant with what we do know explicitly.

There are a few important elements coming together to make the insignia: 1. The left-hand flame 2. The right-hand woven ring 3. The outer ring 4. The overlaid, central spear

I'd like to pick these apart in the same way you might pick apart a heraldic coat of arms to look at what each piece might mean individually, as well as what the placement of some elements relative to others might symbolize.

The Left-Hand Flame

Along with the horizontal panel of flames, this is obviously symbolic of Messmer's flame. However, I do want to note that you can absolutely see a cute little winged serpent shape hidden in the flame's design with its head on the right, its tail on the left, and the central portion of the flame forming a wing. (Or maybe it's a dragon. Or maybe I need to seek help for my advanced brainrot, which is causing me to see things. You decide!) Given that Messmer's Phase 1 design—and his public persona—is a mixture of flame and specifically winged serpents, this seems an apt way to capture both ideas in one. A bit on the nose maybe, but hey, his day job is genocide, not graphic design (insert obligatory gRaPhIc dEsIgN iS mY pAsSiOn here).

The Right-Hand Ring

Many people have connected this to Marika's circlet, which I'm not sure I see. Her circlet is a lot more angularly braided, rather than the smooth coil shown here. Plus, I think that Marika's circlet is supposed to be similar to Miquella's Circlet of Light, in that it signifies a (fully) divine aspect of the wearer—something Messmer assuredly is not, since he is a demigod without grace (or, at least, with only the artificial grace bestowed by Marika's seal alone). But either way, none of what I'm about to say contradicts this interpretation, and you can have both be true at the same time.

Rather, I think a different interpretation might be that this is intertwined serpents, similar to the shape his own winged serpents make as they coil around his body. The winged serpent is typically a symbol of Caduceus in alchemical lore, of which Elden Ring is rife. The Caduceus is explicitly two intertwined snakes topped with wings. So that seems like the most straightforward interpretation for what this might be a nod to.

To learn more about Caduceus's role in alchemy, I highly recommend the two videos linked below by Max Derrat and Smoughtown. But the short of it is that the binding ritual that produces a rebis—a divine, single (merged) soul of masculine and feminine energies (e.g. Marika/Radagon)—requires some sort of binding material to happen properly. In alchemical lore, this binding material is the "prima materia", or the formless base of all matter in the universe associated with chaos and the void. The material is often referred to as Mercurius, named for the god Mercury who carries a Caduceus staff. Thus, we end up with binding/prima materia = Mercurius = Caduceus = 2 intertwined serpents.

(Side note: This is also an EXCELLENT reason to believe that Messmer is the son of Marika and Radagon. The White Queen and Red King of alchemy are often shown with the Caduceus between them, which would seem to fit well with the idea of Marika and Radagon having a child between them that is associated with dual serpents.)

I also think there is a connection to the (singular) base serpent by way of the alchemical Caduceus, however. Besides the prima materia/uniting matter, Caduceus is also often used as a symbol of duality. Namely, it is a symbol of the tension between "higher" and "base" desires, with the former being associated with wisdom and the latter being associated with chaos. We absolutely see this in Messmer's lore, as we learn from the Winged Serpent Helm that his winged serpents act as wise friends that keep his base serpent in check. As such, the duality of the Caduceus may also represent the duality of the winged and base serpents. So this coiled symbol involving two snakes might also represent the singular base serpent indirectly, making it function like an image-based palimpsest. When we peel back the layers of one, we find evidence of the other.

The Outer Ring

I mostly think this is just meant to be a uniting graphical element. However, it is cute that it kind of evokes the imagery of a Great Rune, all of which are rings. Messmer does not have a Great Rune, as he did not participate in the shattering. So instead of an actual Great Rune, he ends up with this imitation insignia instead. Adorable. Maybe this is why his otherwise heraldic-looking insignia was designed as a circle instead of the more classical forms that heraldic coats-of-arms tend to take.

The Central Spear

In the center of the insignia, we get a spear wrapped with a singular(?) serpent. The question mark is there because we do not actually see the serpent tail, so you would be reasonable to question whether this is truly a singular serpent, or something like an unending ouroboros. (Or, you know, both.) I'm going to go forward with the assumption that this is a singular serpent. Cutely, the head of the spear forms the serpent's head.

Obviously, the most straightforward part is that the spear is Messmer's spear, the Spear of the Impaler. I find it highly apt that the spear *overlays* the other elements of the insignia, almost dominating them. War is definitely the thing Messmer is most publicly known for, as a myriad of NPCs—both spirit and corporeal—curse him for the honorless war that he has wrought without mentioning much else about him. Meanwhile, his internal relationship with his flame and serpentine nature is something really only known privately. After all, the Fire Knight set tells us that it was only those few knights under his personal command that knew the truth of how he felt regarding his flame and his serpentine nature.

Armor of the Fire Knights under Messmer the Impaler's personal command. Distinguished by its red cape and twin golden snakes which adorn the neck, enhancing incantations of Messmer's flame. These were the only ones who truly knew Messmer. His flames, like serpents. The painful fate that accompanied his accursed form.

Building on this, the dominating nature of this graphical element is important in another way. The flame and other serpent imagery seems to be something intrinsic to Messmer: he was born with a serpentine nature, and was either born with or cursed with flame very early in his existence, too. Meanwhile, war is something that was *imposed upon him* as a request by his mother, as we learn from his armor set. He doesn't do genocide just because he enjoys fighting like Godfrey or Radahn; rather, he does it on behalf of Marika and ends up pretty sad, tired, and self-hating because of it. In this way, warfare ends up as an intrusive element in his life, similar to the way the spear almost seems to be a dominating, nearly intrusive element in the insignia's design.

The serpent coiled around the spear is also really interesting, because it appears to be a singular serpent in contrast to the dual coil on the right. The most straightforward interpretation is that this is a nod to his hidden inner nature as the (singular) base serpent.

Given what we learned above about the Caduceus itself symbolizing a tension between higher and base desires—and repeated in Messmer's story as tension between the wise winged serpents and base serpent—I find it apt that the snake more associated with base desires is the one wrapped around the tool of war. I enjoy the link between warfare and base desires, as it ties into Elden Ring's overall themes around cycles of violence, explicitly characterizing the desire for violence and war as base.

The Central Spear: An Alternative Interpretation

This next bit is unhinged brainrot territory and what I think is a weaker interpretation of the spear symbolism than the above, so be warned. But I also think something interesting can be said if you look at this as a nod to the Rod of Asclepius. Asclepius is the god of healing and medicine, and the Rod of Asclepius (containing a single serpent wrapped around it) is often used as a symbol of medicine both in real life hospitals as well as in alchemical lore. Messmer's most obvious connection to medicine is Marika, as the Blessing of Marika and Remembrance of the Impaler items tell us that she attempted to heal him before finally gouging out his eye to seal the base serpent away instead.

So if this is a nod to his mother's attempts to heal him, two things are true. First, this is an adorable nod to mom from Elden Ring's biggest momma's boy. Second, one might also read into it that these attempts to heal him of something he was naturally born with—and isn't intrinsically evil in and of itself, as far as I can tell—were actually intrusive.

Certainly from Marika's perspective, she worried that others would judge Messmer for his serpentine nature. In some sense, she was right, as Messmer's followers (like Black Knight Andreas) specifically rebelled against him after learning of it. But if your child is disabled or otherwise different in some way and people will judge them for it, is that actually a reason to seek a cure rather than an accommodation, especially if the cure comes with other costs? The answer is complex and varies by individual, of course. But in Messmer's case, we see signs of self-hatred and even neglect as a result of being taught that the base serpent is intrinsically evil. For evidence of this, see the linked post about how there are bits of shed skin on the base serpent, which is a symptom of neglect for snakes!

If Marika's cure resulted in self-hatred and neglect of a critical aspect of his being, can it really be said to be medicinal? Or is it just as intrusive an element in his life as warfare seems to be? I think if you believe the latter, this could be another reason to read this part of the design as intrusive and dominating over the other elements in the insignia that represent his natural self. That said, I think the base serpent interpretation is the more lore-accurate one, but it's fun to think about what it might mean as a symbol of Marika's attempted healing, anyway!

To Sum Up...

So overall while the design is maybe a slightly messy conglomeration of ideas and images, I think this insignia gives us so much. We get fire imagery, winged serpent imagery, base serpent symbolism, a graphic palimpsest of the winged and base serpents and the duality of man, warfare, warfare as a base desire, maybe a cute nod to Great Runes, and maybe even a cute nod to Momma and her attempts to heal. In this way, I think it functions in the same way as coats of arms do in heraldic design: they can also be pretty graphically messy, but it's on purpose to fit a lot of symbolism into a small space.

[jerreeeeeee]

actually its kind of crazy how little we actually see the starblaster crew interact with each other. like other than tres horny boys and each of the pairs in that trio, and like, arguably lucretia and thb, barry and lup, and lup and taako, most of the relationships between the crew are only a few lines, if anything? like obviously in-universe they're all really close and griffin says that (time enough to grow indescribably close), but there's a lot we don't see. like, taako & barry, for example, have a handful of moments, lines we can point to that show they are really close (you're my family, taako, can i speak frankly?), but as far as actual screentime, there's really very little.

and even those i mentioned before, like, lup has more screentime with barry and taako than with anyone else, there's the whole little legato monologue about her and barry's relationship and she has (comparatively) a lot of scenes with taako, but also, as a character, she's only around for maybe a sixth of the show, so there's just not a lot of time to work with?

and that's not to mention the relationships we can figure were probably present in-universe, but literally never see, like lup & davenport. and on that note, i actually can't think of any other pairs who don't interact at least once, but still, very rarely. like now i'm considering davenport & barry. who we hardly see but there is the fact that barry cast command on him to drink the ichor. it's one line in the show and the implications are never really mentioned but there's a lot of significance to be wrung out of this one tiny interaction. barry condemns lucretia's methods of stealing agency from their family in the service of the greater good, but when he thinks it's best for davenport, does the same on a smaller scale? barry doesn't have the time to try to convince him to drink, he needs davenport back to himself now, because davenport is someone dependable, a leader, someone who barry knows will be capable and decisive and relieve him of the responsibility he's been shouldering by himself? that barry knows davenport won't begrudge his use of the spell, because he'll see it as pragmatic, necessary, assistance, and forgive him for it? none of that is necessarily supported in canon but it can be extrapolated from, again, kind of a throwaway line.

the non-thb crew have presence and are important to the narrative, but most of that comes from thematic significance rather than them as individuals, you know? we hardly see lup and barry and davenport (maybe arguably lucretia too, though we see more of her than them), but we see the echoes of their decisions and their goals and their love for the rest of their family and the way they shape the story.

but actually, even that's not entirely accurate, because as significant as they are in that way, their presence isn't only due to that, they're full characters too. they have personalities and depth and connection, they're not only plot devices. like, maybe griffin needed to explain why lup was missing, and that's why she became a lich, and her needing to be a lich is why she and barry had their romance, but also, if that were all there was to it, the legato monologue wouldn't exist, the best day ever wouldn't exist. those are scenes designed to build lup as a character through her connections to other characters and to the central themes of balance, not to fix plot holes. it's just that all of that character building takes place in a pretty small fraction of the show compared to tres horny boys, who have the entire thing. idk its interesting and impressive how some of the deepest characters and most profound relationships were developed in a very short amount of time

[dissentersbedamned]

that charlie redesign wanted me to redesign some others so here are some others, i was going to do husk, nifty, and sir pentious but i didnt feel like doing that

are these designs easier to animate? probably not am i claiming to be a better character designer than viziepop? yes

i might do the others but probably not i dont want to be know for this

individual characters and design notes below

i wanted to give her this soft color palette, making her stick out from the rest of hell, like an "angel" in hell

gave her a pink suit like her pilot design

gave her gold accents to give that royalty feel

her hair is now more curly/swirly to giver her a sheep look, along with the ears, kind of like how lucifer is associated with goats charlie has sheep

i also gave her ears to maker her not look like just a human

the darker pink-red color is supposed to contrast with her softer colors but not that much, it's supposed to convey that she is still a demon, the horns were also added to give that feel

bigger cheek makeup (?) and those gold "chains" were added to giver her a circus clown/ring leader look because hell is supposed to be like a circus

gave her tap shoes to convey shes likes music or someshit

darker color to contrast with charlies, a sun and moon thing going on

made her more moth like by making her hair look like moth wings, fuzzy leg warmers, and antennas (are those even antennas do moths even have antennas)

added a silver like color in her design to match with charlies gold

gave back her stocking from her pilot design and made her hand warmers mirror them

wanted to giver her a hot topic employee look

made her more look like she died in 2014 by giving her the red and black stocking + hand warmer, leg warmers, and making her x asymmetrical

her worm out shorts are suppose to give a 2014 feel but also are like that because moths just eat clothes sometimes

gave her the ribbon on her waist to mimic one of her old designs

her red is the same red in charlies pallet, they match +]

made him purple because i think limiting the main colors to each character is nice also because i think purple is a much more lust full color and to look similar to his old design

made him more spider like by adding an extra pair of eyes, fangs, two more legs and a spider butt lol

made him more fluffy and rounder to giver him a more effeminate/gnc look

gave him eyelashes for the same reason above

gave him a scar on the side that he has the golden tooth and different eyes because i think it would be cool is that was from an injury he had when he was alive

the coat was added so that it looks similar to his suit but still different enough so that not everyone is wearing one

the design on his pider butt and coat are suppose to look like a stylized spiders web

the hearts at the end of his heels are suppose to replicate the end of spiders feet

still kept him relatively skinny because i think he would have one of those arcs were a character starts off skinny but gets fatter to show that they're happy with life

still kept his suit because its such an important part to his character tbh and also so he can mirror charlies pink soft light pink suit with his dark dulled down red suit

gave him a tie so he looks more professional compared to charlies cutie bow tie

dulled down his colors so make him see older and stuck in an era

made him looked aged by giving him grey hairs, stubble, and eye bags

made his deer features more obvious by making his antlers bigger, more deer like ears, giving him a nose pike charlie, and giving him hooves

why alastor got socks on in the pool those are his hooves you bitch

actually made him black

still kept him skinny to give off that sickly skinny look

[hongluboobs]

ok i was cooking up another hong lu analysis thing bc i noticed SEVERAL things in his base id art the other day and wanted to share with the class but they just dropped a new one in the canto V trailer and i have some stuff i wanna talk about that one:)

My Hong Lu knowledge and interpretation is very heavily influenced by reading Dream of the Red Chamber, which may not be the best because I don’t know how much Limbus will pull from the book because it’s Long as fuck but I think it’s given me a deeper knowledge of Hong Lu.

Keep in mind this ego is NOT out yet so i could be totally off base depending on what the full animation/corrosion/sin affinities are like and this is totally theorizing but I wanted to have a go at anyway!! And this got totally out of hand so reading is appreciated :)

One of the first things I noticed here is this Hong Lu seems VERY Bao-yu. We still don’t know for sure what Hong Lu is within the context of Red Chamber (i don’t think it’ll be straightforward considering how that book works) but it’s important to note!

He has this little hat on (this is the best pic i can get atm to show it’s not a fancy hair tie, unfortunately the footage we have rn is a little scuffed)

and Bao-yu is ALWAYS depicted with a hat like this.

This could just be because that’s the appropriate outfit for Chinese nobility (I unfortunately have little to no reference point here, feel free to correct me, but from some quick searches hats aren’t ubiquitous and ESPECIALLY not ones of this style.) I think it’s worth noting because it comes up in nearly all modern depictions of Bao-yu.

There’s also the pearl Hong Lu is wearing on his neck/chest area, which is where Bao-yu wears the magic jade he was born with. His jade is translated into Limbus as Hong Lu’s jade eye, but this plus his hat and the abno’s themes REALLY makes me think we are dealing with some Bao-Yu stuff here.

Speaking of the Abno’s themes, now i can actually go over them! All we have for Walking Pearl right now is the MD event (as well as general observation), but there’s a few things that are relevant.

Just based off design, the abnormality seems to be mostly about the precious (the pearl) and the filth (the muck) intermixing. which makes sense with the EGO being named “Effervescent Corrosion” and our holders being Hong Lu and Rodya.

There’s some symbolism around greed/wealth (the offspring filled muck desiring the pearl and fighting for which one will earn it? the muck tarnishing the pearl? ) and I think we should read into that because it’s Hong Lu and Rodya who have this one and they’re both very tied to their financial status. Those two sharing an ego makes me insane for a bunch of reasons but that’s probably for another analysis piece! But duality is REALLY important for those guys and that’s a theme they’re emphasizing here with both the pearl and muck within the clam.

There’s also some elements of shelter/protection/potentially entrapment with the clam’s shell which are HUGE for Hong Lu, especially with his egos so I think those may come up.

But mostly it’s about the mixing of the precious (likely “wealth” here) and the unsavory, which works very well with what we know of the Jia family. The design likely referencing Bao-yu and thematically dealing with the Jia family makes me think each of those individual readings are more likely because they’re deeply tied together!

And now onto the MD event! I did not write this in order so I may repeat stuff here but. I realized I had to cover the design first so here we are!

First thing that stuck out of me is this portion when you choose to sample some of the clam’s slime.

Sibling/family infighting is very Jia family. It reminds me a lot of this line base Hong Lu says.

You could take this a step further because the clam is something that would typically offer shelter from the rest of the world, and even though it protects, its offspring continue to kill and eat each other.

It seems fine, the offspring have this lovely shell for protection, and they have the precious pearl held within, but even as they are sheltered and wealthy. They are still getting killed and eaten by one another! Reminds me of someone I know:)

It reminds me of some bits in the later half of Red Chamber, where family members more obviously start acting behind each other’s backs or turning on each other, some even killing other family members.

Another part of the MD event that I got something out of was the beginning portion.

using specifically jade as the color for the seawater is a Hong Lu thing. I may be reaching with this bc it’s more than likely just flavor text BUT when taking this color with the fact that there’s nothing in the water it makes me think of an important scene in Red Chamber where Bao-Yu is described as an empty shell, so I wanted to mention it. We know Hong Lu has TONS of water motifs, especially when relating to his family (see his base ego)

The main reason I brought up this section of the MD event is because of the question brought up by the last portion.

If you take one thing from Dream Of The Red Chamber into your perception of Hong Lu as a character, it should be the themes of ambiguity, duality, and being between binaries. Because he sure as hell does that a lot!!! (and i’m not just talking about his gender) He is both genuinely curious and sheltered with an urge to learn as much as he can, but he also plays dumb frequently, backpedals and asks a lot of stupid questions on purpose to maintain others’ perceptions of him. He is CONSTANTLY walking the line between truth and illusion and it can be hard to tell which is which and precisely how much is fake or real, which is why I find him such an interesting character to think about.

Tangent about Hong Lu's characterization aside, it's really easy to read this line as about his family's perceptions of him.

Hong Lu (or rather, Bao-yu) can be read as being the source of the contamination in that he is the heir of the Jia family who is just an absolute fucking failure of everything you’d want in an heir for that time period.

The clam containing the filth can be read as Hong Lu’s lies (whether conscious lies or otherwise) to himself and others about the true “filth” of his family. Really good example of this is with another bit of window dialogue, but these lies and half truths come up quite a bit if you know where to look. (what happened to cohort of kin looking to stab each other in the back at every turn???)

We already have Hong Lu’s assorted water motifs (his feet make ripples on the water in his base id, land of illusion has so much water theming and shows the Jia mansion is surrounded by water) so I think this is a reasonable analysis to make :)

There’s some other sections to the MD event, but there’s nothing of note that triggered the Hong Lu sleeper agent in my brain & also this has gone on long enough that I wanna talk about predicting some stuff for the ego!

I am manifesting Gluttony/Gloom/Wrath for this ego!!

Gluttony and gloom are in the MD event’s skill check already and I think tie in nicely with the themes. Gluttony works with the offspring in the muck killing and eating each other and themes of greed with the pearl (plus the ego is primarily green and that’s a pretty good clue) and then gloom comes up a LOT with Hong Lu’s family (Liu Hong Lu, the only one that remarks on his jade eye, is also the only Hong Lu with gloom. land of illusion requires 5 gloom resources and also relates a lot to red chamber/his family) Gloom’s also generally a stand-in for water which exists here.

Wrath in Hong Lu generally manifests in him going “yeah, maybe my family was a little fucked up actually” internally, instead of manifesting as taking direct action about the fucked up things like it works for most other sinners, and acknowledging that his family was at least partially filth and killing and eating eachother (metaphorically. maybe literally) works for that

i am not an expert on sin analysis but i wanted to take a prediction bc it’s fun :)

I have a couple of predictions for corrosion and i’ll be real they are the main reason i wrote this thing because i LOVE when bad things happen to Hong Lu!!

Since this ego seems to be referencing Bao-yu so much i can pull stuff from Red Chamber too which makes it more fun :)

First one I came up with is Hong Lu taking the place of the pearl within the clam and getting locked in there! A bunch of his egos have to do with being controlled/trapped so i think it works and it also can work as a parallel for Bao-yu’s treatment by his family. Bao-yu’s name means precious jade, and he’s often treated more like his namesake than a person, heavily controlled and never allowed to leave the Jia mansion (or, in this case, the clam.) I just think it’d be fun!

My other concept has to do with more Red Chamber stuff, notably what happens when Bao-yu loses his jade. I’m not quite there yet in the text, but from what i’ve heard he becomes incredibly unstable and essentially loses his mind. This sets the Jia family’s downfall into even faster motion and from that point things get REALLY fucked up. Since the pearl here parallels Bao-yu’s jade, I think having a reference to that part of the book would be really fucking crazy for all 5 people who have read 1800+ pages of red chanber to get to chapter 94 where he loses that thing. Also i just want to see Hong Lu lose his mind i KNOW it would be terrifying and chilling. but they may be saving that for his distortion (manifesting)

In my skimming Red Chamber table of contents to find when Bao-yu loses his jade i just found a chapter where Bao-yu’s father admires a pearl but we will just ignore that for now bc this has taken long enough to type already and that is several chapters off. but there may be more analysis when this thing actually comes out!

Thank you for reading this far!! I hope you enjoyed me looking far too deep into an unreleased ego we know next to nothing about for fun! this took WAY longer than expected to type out but i’m glad I did because I loveee telling people about Hong Lu!

There is a very real chance very little of my analysis and prediction is reflected in canon BUT please remember that truth becomes fiction when the fiction’s true and even if this doesn’t turn out to be correct now u know a little more about Hong Lu and the themes he plays with :)

[kybercrystals94]

I Miss You

By KyberCrystals94

Read on Ao3 here!

Whumptober 2023|Day 5|Alternative Prompt: Playing Cards

Bad Things Happen Bingo|Prompt: Crying Themselves to Sleep

Rating: G

Words: 785

Summary: Echo discovers a message from a brother.

“Those look so old!” Wrecker declares, leaning on the upper bunk to scrutinize the playing cards Echo is sorting through.

Echo smiles. “That’s because they are old. I pilfered them off a graduated trooper when I was a cadet.”

“You stole them?” Wrecker sounds as impressed as he is surprised. “I thought you never broke a rule in your life.”

“With the right motivation, I’ve been persuaded to bend a few.” Echo chuckles. “Technically, they were contraband for the guy I stole them from. So, really, I was doing him a favor.”

Wrecker grins. “That’s neat you still have them even after they thought you were blown up.”

Echo’s smile falls slightly as he continues to set the cards out, dividing them into suits. “Yeah, when they thought I died, they went to my old batch mate, Fives. After Fives, they went to Rex, and then Rex gave them back to me when I-"

"Came back to life?” Wrecker offers.

“Sure,” Echo says. “When that happened.”

“I don’t think you could even shuffle them if you tried.” Wrecker laughs.

“They’ve definitely seen better days.”

The cards are dogeared, and every one of them has been folded into quarters because of the time Cutup tried to cheat at Sabaac. He folded a few of them so he could identify them in someone’s hand. When the other Dominos found out, they had painstakingly copied the folds on every single card so they all matched. Echo had been so angry at his squad mate, but he desperately wishes he could take back the harsh words that came out of his mouth. After all, they were just cards. A toy. Nowhere near as important as the individuals that played with them.

Echo finds the card he is looking for, the one that had made this deck obsolete. He had accidentally dropped the card in his cup of caf, discoloring it. Fives had suggested they stain all the cards in caf to match; however, Echo decided to retire the deck and get a new one. The old deck was tucked away in his storage bin in the barracks on Kamino, carrying too many memories in its deteriorated fibers to throw away.

Echo holds up the stained card for Wrecker's inspection. “I dropped it in my caf. It’s the reason we didn’t play with this deck anymore,” he explains.

“What does it say?” Wrecker asks.

“What does what say?”

Wrecker points to the back of the card. “On the back. There’s writing.”

Echo flips the card around, squinting to make out the ink of a pen on the intricately designed backing.

I miss you.

Echo feels like the air has been stolen from his lungs.

Fives wrote those words. There is no doubt in Echo’s mind. Not before the Citadel mission. After. After Echo died. After Fives went back to Kamino. Echo can see him. Sitting in their barracks, sorting through Echo’s meager collection of personal effects. He’s searching for a playing card stained in caf. He writes the three words, handwriting ragged by a trembling hand. A note for the brother he lost. That he'd never get back. I miss you.

“Echo!”

Echo blinks and finds that Wrecker has half climbed into the bunk with him, a hand on each of his shoulders. “You with me, buddy?” Wrecker asks.

“Yeah,” Echo croaks. He clears his throat. “Yeah. Sorry.”

Wrecker’s good eye searches Echo’s face, trying to understand. “You scared me there for a second. You sorta zoned out, and then your breathing got weird.”

“Sorry,” Echo says again. Emotions bubble up, threaten to burst out of him, card still gripped in his flesh hand. Dark, inky, familiar script carving into his mind. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you.

“Did I do something?” Wrecker asks, climbing down from his precarious perch.

Echo shakes his head and tries to reassure the man with a thin smile. “No, you didn’t do anything. It’s just…” Echo holds up the card. “The writing. It’s a note from my batch mate, Fives.”

He leaves it at that, and Wrecker doesn’t ask for more. Instead, he offers Echo a kind smile. “I'm gonna go start my watch but let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Wreck, I will,” Echo says, and he means it.

Wrecker leaves the bunk room, and Echo gathers up the cards, tucking them in their tin. He keeps the caf stained card out. He lies down, back to the room, facing the wall, and holds the note in front of him. The last words his oldest brother ever gave him blurs in his watery vision.

“I miss you too,” Echo whispers, and silently cries until sleep claims him.

END

Read the prequel, You Promised, here!

[neouime]

Love Wins All: An Analysis

Here are my notes for the music video. I have more to say, but it's already two in the morning where I live, and I have been sitting here admiring and contemplating IU's artistry since four hours ago. My butt hurts. I will come here later once I let my thoughts marinate.

There's a cube object chasing after them. - The cube is obviously the antagonist of the story. I have no idea why they chose a cube rather than any other creature or shape. Maybe because the design is simple? I think a cube is a smart choice. It looks like human technology, something man-made. The cube may be an invention that was once intended for the benefit of humankind but ended up becoming an instrument for control. The shape of the cube with its equal sides can represent a system that demands conformity.

IU is mute/deaf (she uses sign language), and Taehyung is blind in one eye. - There is one reading by a Korean UAENA about how they represent people with disabilities. There is one cube targeting IU and Taehyung. No other people are shown, but by the end of the music video, we can see several floating cubes outside the building. We can deduce how the cubes may be specifically searching for individuals like them who are marginalized and in hiding.

There is a scene where IU performs on stage, and black figures point their fingers at her. - IU explicitly declared that the song is dedicated to her loved ones, including her fans. We can interpret the black figures as representing people who spread unnecessary hate (혐오) against artists like IU. (Regardless of context, pointing your fingers in Korean culture is considered rude. It is associated with assigning blame or picking out flaws.)

Both the cube and the people in black are forces that persecute and discriminate, respectively. - This reading stems from the fact that IU is a well-known personality in real life and that her character in the story has disabilities.

While there is a male and female lead, the story and the song are not exclusively romantic. LWA is a fan song. Taehyung represents UAENAs. 

While IU sings on stage, he gives her flowers and looks at her adoringly. - They are able to spend moments both happy and sad by each other's side. At the end of the story, Taehyung stands in front of IU to defend her from the cube and destroy it, while IU comforts him and covers his eyes as they're killed.

The camera and the pile of clothes are details prompting an intertextual reading. - This will be familiar to ARMY, but the pile of clothes is an installation by Christian Boltanski. This does not require further explanation since we can infer what it symbolizes from the story's outcome. On the other hand, the camera is something that is more important to the plot than it seems. It captures only the beautiful and healthy appearance of IU and Taehyung. The Korean UAENA I mentioned earlier said that the camera shows an existence where people with disabilities can live happily. 

The camera shuts down by the end of the music video. - Nothing is recorded, and the memories are lost. But then, how does "love win all?" Okay, we'll look at the lyrics. "찬찬히 너를 두 눈에 담아 한 번 더 편안히 웃어주렴 (With my eyes, I memorize you thoroughly. Let's laugh in peace once more.)

Artists like IU come and go. - For every single and album she releases, IU writes an introduction. For LWA, she sums up the story as a promise to "fade away together splendidly." Also, the lyrics "필연에게서 도망쳐 Run on" appear, which both mean to run away from (도망쳐, to escape) and to run towards the "inevitable." (Korean is not my first language so pardon me if I'm wrong, but I think there's a mistake with the translation provided in the music video. There, the lyrics say "run away from necessity, run on." They use the word necessity, but she's referring to an event that is certain to occur.)

Memories [of their music and their moments with fans] are all lost to history; what matters is to live in the moment. (You don't need a camera to prove that you existed and lived your life.) This aligns with her values as an artist. In her interviews, IU says her goal is to perform (creation rather than chart success).

You may say that the story is tragic because they both die in the end, but they were at peace since they were together. "일부러 나란히 길 잃은 우리 두 사람" (The two of us, side by side, gone astray on purpose). **Edit: IU Team StarCandy on Twitter translated the phrase 길 잃은 우리 as "[we] who took the road less travelled."

I love the lines "너와 슬퍼지고 싶어 My lover" (I want to be sad with you) and "부서지도록 나를 꼭 안아" (Crush me, wrap me tightly in your arms). It illustrates the relationship between IU as an artist and her fans. The song is a declaration of her intention to cherish the good and bad with us. She does not mind even if the pressure of our love sometimes feels intense. She believes love has the power to break you down, but instead, it builds you up. 

Additionally, the line "나와 함께 겁 없이," which is translated as "Will you courageously set with me?" actually more literally translates to "together with me, without fear." There is trust between IU and her lover. In other words, they may not know where the journey leads them, but they consciously choose to walk to it together.

A few more details from the music video that I loved are as follows. I like that the food (the macaron) is connected to memory and joy. It's the end of the world, but they haven't lost their imagination, hope, and ability to delight in each other's presence. In a way, food is crucial to survival in terms of sustenance and because it brings simple pleasure.

After taking a bite, they are transported to a less dreary setting. Their clothes are the same, but they're no longer tattered. Of course, things aren't perfect because while things are more clean, the people themselves remain evil. IU and Taehyung maintain their cheerful disposition even as the black figures appear and surround them.

IU and Taehyung choose to be happy. They dress up and dance around the room despite the reality that everything is still in ruins. (The photo booth is lit in bright, warm colors, while the room outside is cold and blue. Another piece of evidence for this interpretation is that while they're blissfully taking pictures, the strips come out showing Taehyung's milky eyes.)

I also like the alternative explanation for why IU is deaf, and Taehyung is partially blind. - IU performs happily in front of the crowd of black figures. It may mean that she either cannot hear or will not listen to their words of hate. As for Taehyung, he is partially blind to IU's faults. IU (the idol/artist) is the one leading them as they run while Taehyung (their fan) follows, their hands clasped in each other.

Moreover, neither of them speaks throughout the story. Whether IU is deaf or she signs to avoid making noise and risk their capture, I think it's beautiful that they can communicate through gestures. The relationship between fan and artist goes beyond the need for words (which is ironic, too, since we become fans of IU's music before the artist herself. Through her lyrics, we learn of her personality and how she sees the world).

I LOVE their acting. It's almost scarily good how IU can convey her love through her gaze. The smallest details too!! Her softly tapping Taehyung's shoulder to calm him while he tightly grips her hand as they face death? Chills.

Okay, I'm back. I just want to add this:

I said that the song is not exclusively romantic. However, the element of romance is indeed important to the plot. It elevates the story by depicting people (including those with disabilities) finding love even in the middle of hardship. - Their hardship is not the disability itself but rather the prejudices in the world that limit the possibilities they can enjoy.

IU and Taehyung know that the "end" is "inevitable" (she uses both words in her lyrics), and they know that they can only steal these short moments of happiness, but they still try to "look for the opposite of loneliness" (오랜 외로움 그 반대말을 찾아서).

Trivia: IU says that whenever she's stuck with writing a song, she uses the suggestion of a peer (Kim Eana) to look up the meaning of a word in the dictionary. Thus, giving birth to the idea love = opposite of feeling/being alone.

Love as an act of resistance - Viewing a brighter world through the camera, IU wearing the veil, and the pair teasing the black figures (IU sings on the stage despite their jeering and they run around the room) are acts of resistance. They may have a poor imagination (가난한 상상력), wherein they still desire to become "normal" and without their disabilities, but it is also thanks to their imagination that they are able to endure.

Note: The translations are mine. It's always difficult to think of how to word sentences that fully preserve the sentiment of the source, especially since they're song lyrics.

[randomfoggytiger]

Kibbe Body Types and Celebrities: a Beginner's Guide

(Credit to: Aly Art)

David Kibbe, author of Metamorphosis, drew upon previous fashion systems to create his own Kibbe Body System, homing in on the yin-yang balance of the body and boiling his method down to the bare bones-- literally-- of the overall frame: length, width, height, and softness. Then, he divided each feature into two main categories:  the yin softness or the yang structure. The more “structure” a frame had, the more “visual weight” it presented; and the more “softness” it had, the less “visual weight” it presented. 

At first, Kibbe sorted each frame into five main types with two additional subtypes. However, his system recently caught on fire with popularity, leading to vast misinterpretations or reinterpretations through over analysis and hyper fixation. Because of this, David updated his system (and is reworking on an updated version of his book), resifting his old designs into a simpler order.  

This analysis will be working from the information I've gleaned mostly from Aly Art's channel here. She is incredible at stripping down each concept to its basics-- highly recommend. I also used Merriam Style’s channel for her body type test (here), which is an even more stripped version of Kibbe’s original body type quiz. (Aly's version of the quiz is here.)

**Note**: Kibbe Body Types are separate from the actual weight of an individual; and do not change with bodily fluctuations, changes, or even age. Example: Romantics will always appear softer compared to other body types their height or weight because of the “flesh” (natural padding of fat) over their muscles and bones, whereas Naturals will always appear more “mature” compared to older Gamines because of the visual weight of the bones (cheekbone, jawbone, etc.) in their face. 

KIBBE BODY TYPES

(Credit to: Aly Art)

**Note**: The Kibbe Body System is a complete overview of the entire frame, not just the face: two different people can share strikingly similar facial features yet have completely different bodies. It’s important to assess more than one facet.

If we were to place the Kibbe Body Types on a left to right scale, Dramatics have the most yang-- sharpness, length, elongation, structure-- and Romantics have the most yin-- shortness, roundness, softness. In the middle would sit the Classics-- a balanced mixture of yang structure and yin softness; mid-left would be Naturals (yang elongation with blunted width); and mid-right would be Gamines (an uneven mixture of yin and yang.)

DRAMATIC TYPES

Dramatics

Dramatic Types have longer, angular, more narrow bones-- a vertical column, if you will-- that curve into points instead of “blunt” edges. They are moderate to tall (5’9"/173cm and up), and have prominent, straight, sleek features. If plus sized, they accumulate weight in their hips and upper thighs. 

Benedict Cumberbatch, Sean Connery, Charlton Heston, Ricardo Montalban, Errol Flyn, Daniel Craig

Katherine Hepburn, Cate Blanchett, Angelica Huston,  Diane Carol, Faye Dunaway, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristen Wig, Maggie Smith, Taylor Swift

Soft Dramatics

Soft Dramatic Types have more softness in their bust and hips, giving them a powerful voluptuousness (as opposed to the Romantic Types delicate pure yin.) They are moderate to tall (5’7”/170cm and up), with a moderate waist and fleshier facial features, arms, and hips. If plus sized, they get heavier on the fleshiest parts of the body: bust, hips, waist, thighs, upper arms, and the face.

Dean Martin, Christian Bale, Matthew McConoughy, John Travolta, Nicholas Cage, Clark Gable

Adele, Ann Bancroft, Ava Gardiner, Barbara Streisand, Kim Novak, Maria Callas, Mae West, Rachel Weiz, Rita Heyworth, Sofia Vergara, Sofia Loren

NATURAL TYPES

Naturals have longer, blunted, wider bones-- a T-shape, if you will-- that curve into blunts instead of angular or softened edges. 

David Kibbe no longer believes in the pure Natural Type, placing clients or celebrities into either Flamboyant or Soft Natural.

Flamboyant Naturals

Flamboyant Natural Types have a touch more structure: blunt, long, wide bones; wide, T-shaped shoulders; and a figure that narrows in a flat, straight line down their waist, hips, and legs. They are moderate to tall (5’11”/180cm and up), with features that are broad and angular, but not sharp. If plus sized, the body tends to become squarer. 

Calvin Klein, Dick Van Dyke, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, Tom Sellack (maybe), Michael Landon (maybe), Joe Biden  

Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway (had work done to disguise), Bea Arthur, Brooke Shields, Cameron Diaz, Carly Simon, Cindy Crawford (quintessential, imo), Emma Stone, Farah Faucett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ingrid Bergma, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Lucille Ball, Linda Carter, Michelle Obama, Nicole Kidman, Katie Homes (probably), Princess Diana Spencer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tracey Ellis Ross, Uma Therman, LOTS of supermodels (broad shoulders, long and straight waist)

Soft Naturals

Soft Natural have a softness to their long, blunt, wide bones, narrow hips. They are moderate to tall (5’5”/165cm and up), with smaller, rounder softness to their blunt facial features and frame. Their T-shape is less pronounced because of their more proportionate shoulders (in comparison to Flamboyant Naturals, at least.) If plus sized, SNs thicken in their upper arms, thighs, and hips.  

Alan Alda, OJ Simpson, John Wayne, Robert Redford, Robert Conrad, Bing Crosby, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Gene Kelly, Brad Pit, Gene Hackman

Bette Grable, Carol Lombard, Chloe Sevigny, Doris Day (icon), Goldie Hahn, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Lopez, Julie Andrews, Kamala Harris, Kat Dennings, Katy Perry, Kim Bassinger, Marisa Tomay, Renee Zellweger, Sandra Bullock, Scarlet Johanson (had work done), Sissy Spacek 

CLASSIC TYPES

Classics are an even mixture of both skeletal structures: their frames are mid-height or tallish-- symmetrical angles or edges-- with a “balanced” appearance: their arms, waists, and legs are proportionate in length and width to their overall frame (not too angular, curved, or blunt); and can handle more visual weight than Romantics but less so than Dramatics or Naturals. They appear naturally polished; and often are dragged down by elements in their wardrobes that skew too much in any direction (appearing overwhelmed or overdone.) 

Kibbe no longer promotes pure Classic Types, insisting that no person can be a perfect mixture and discouraging his clients or followers from trying to fit themselves into an impossible mold. 

Dramatic Classics

Dramatic Classic Types are an even mixture of yin and yang with just a touch more of yang’s structure, giving them either slightly sharper features, slightly longer limbs, or a bit less softness overall. Their height is moderate (5’5”-5’8”/166-172cm or thereabouts); and their figure and features are symmetrically squarish (more rectangular compared to Dramatics’ long and narrow vertical column and Naturals’ long and wide T-shape.) If plus sized, they gain weight in the hips and thighs (rarely around the bustline), becoming more pear-shaped overall.  

Carey Grant, John Ham

Diana Rig, Gina Rollins, Jackie Kennedy-Onassis, Jill Biden, Lana Turner, Olivia Munn, Phylicia Rashad

Soft Classics

Soft Classic Types are a symmetrical mixture with just a touch more of yin’s softness, giving them either slightly softened features, slightly shorter and wider limbs, or slightly more “fleshiness” overall. Their height is moderate (5’5"-5'6”/164-169cm); and their features are slightly small and wide. If plus sized, SCs lose their waist definition and become fuller in the face.  

John Slattery, John Glenn, Gregory Peck, Bryant Gumbel

Barbara Walters, Carolina Herrera, Donna Reed, Emma Thompson, Grace Kelly, Joan Fontaine, Kirsten Dunst (maybe), Marion Cotillard 

GAMINE TYPES

Gamines are an uneven mixture of both skeletal structures: their frames are usually short or rarely tall-- unsymmetrical angles or edges-- with a “youthful” appearance; and the mismatch of their skeletons give them an appearance of eternal youth instead of “womanly” or “mature” beauty. The endless combinations of their features-- long arms, short arms, long legs, short legs, long torso, short torsos, visual weight in the face, no visual weight in the face, etc. etc.-- thrive in the chaos of mismatching, color blocking, differing clothing silhouettes; and are often dragged down by too much polish or restriction. 

David Kibbe no longer stands by the pure Gamine type, filtering people into either Theatrical or Soft Gamine.

Theatrical Gamines

Theatrical Gamine Types tip the scales in a more yang than yin direction, giving them a broadly angular frame composed of shorter lines (compared to the Dramatics’ and Naturals’ long, angular, and broad lines.) They are moderate to short height (5’6”/168cm) with square, slightly wide features. Structure gives them very defined musculature-- ala Dramatics and Naturals-- and a longer, “leggier” look. If plus sized, TGs collect weight from the waist down, turning squarer or “stocky.” 

Jimmy Kimmel, Frank Sinatra, Neil Patrick Harris

Audrey Hepburn, Coco Chanel, Debbie Allen, Gloria Vanderbilt, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Kelly Osborne, Liza Minelli, Lucy Liu, Penelope Cruz, Tina Turner, Twiggy, Zoey Deschenel 

Soft Gamines

Soft Gamine Types tip the scales in a more yin than yang direction. They are the short Gamines (5’2”/157cm or thereabouts): delicately broad-- a combination of delicate and small, broad and angular-- with width dominated by an overall “fleshy” softness in their arms, hips, and thighs. SGs often have “doll" like features: rounded face shape, fleshy cheeks and big eyes. If plus sized, their figure becomes more rounded, mainly in the bust, hips, arms, and face area. (Soft Gamines often think they are overweight-- when more often they’re not-- because of their natural roundness and lack of pronounced hips and waist.)

Fred Astaire, Robert Downy Jr. 

Bette Davis, Susan Hayward, Claudette Colbert, Debbie Reynolds, Eartha Kitt, Halle Berry, Judy Garland, Leslie Caron, Mary Kate and Ashley Olson, Octavia Spencer, Natalie Wood, Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Winona Ryder 

ROMANTIC TYPES

Romantics

Romantics are dominated by yin softness; and, therefore, have the least visual “weight” to them. Their frames are mid-height or shorter (5’5"/166cm and under) with “rounded” and curved angles or edges-- sloped or petite shoulders, rounded facial features, and “fleshy”, shorter arms, waists, and legs. If plus sized, Romantics keep their waist definition while their body and face become more rounded and “full.” 

Colin Firth, Leonardo DiCaprio, Elijah Wood, Simon Baker, Richard Gere, Michael Jackson, Omar Shereef, Billy Dee Williams, Elvis Presely

Kate Winslet, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, Arlene Dahl, Bernadette Peters, Beyonce, Dolly Parton, Elizabeth Taylor, Gina Lollobrigida, Helena Bonham Carter, H. E. R. Gabbie Wilson, Gene Simmons, Madonna, Maryln Monroe, Susan Sarandon

Theatrical Romantics

Theatrical Romantic Types differ from pure Romantic Types in their width: while both are delicate, the touch of yang to a TR’s frame gives it a narrower waist, slightly sharper features, and a bit less flesh over their arms, hips, or even hands. Their moderate to petite height (5’2”/157cm or thereabouts) is voluptuous, but small and narrow as opposed to wide and “bulky.” If plus sized, their figure retains its defined waist while the arms, thighs, and face become quite “fleshy.” 

David and Susan Kibbe, Orlando Bloom, Prince, Johnny Depp 

Ann Margret, Heidi Lamar, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jane Seymor, Jean Harlowe, Mila Kunis, Morgan Fairchild, Salma Hayek, Selena Gomez, Vivian Leigh

COMPARING THE CELEBRITY BODY TYPES

There's a great vid on Aly Art's channel (here) comparing female celebrities to each other, highlighting the differences of each individual type.

Dramatic, left; Soft Natural, right.

Soft Classic, left; Flamboyant Natural, right.

Soft Gamine, left; Dramatic, right.

Romantic, left; Theatrical Romantic, middle; Soft Natural, right.

CONCLUSION

Not much at present-- just needed this primer written down so I can start my David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson Kibbe posts.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[the-insomniac-emporium]

SWORDTEMBER '24, DAY 7: FLOW

{Late because I got a terrible migraine out of the blue yesterday. Very happy with this one, and it references not only one of my main OCs, but the overarching plot of one of my original stories. Please enjoy!} -----

Item ID: 6O-2407 Item Name: Timekeeper’s Cutlass Category: ERROR://CLASSIFICATION INVALID://MANUAL USER INPUT: ARTIFACT Origin Point: Time Immemorial, Voided Owner: ■■■ ■■■■■■■■ (C), Triampheus ■■■■■■■■ (O) Description: A blade of a traditional Earthen design, reminiscent of the age of pirates. Approximately ■■ cm length, with a ■■ cm handle, ■■ cm at the widest point. Samples taken from the blade, hilt, and the guard overloaded the analysis unit. Scans were inconclusive upon repeated testing. Visual assessment indicates the item is most likely made from seaglass and driftwood. In place of a central fuller, there is a hollow middle filled with grains of sand, endlessly shifting from one end to the other, chased by a slow moving strand of water. An hourglass is carved into the bottom of the hilt. If alone with the item, one will hear the sound of rushing water (this sound is not picked up by any recording devices). Touching the item with bare skin induces hallucinations based on whoever previously touched it, regardless of whether or not one has met the previous individual. Cataloger’s Notes: I’m not bothering with any pretenses today. Truth of the matter is that we never should have gotten hold of this, I want nothing to do with it, and nobody is ever going to read this file other than myself (and even then, it will only be as a reminder to myself). As soon as I’m done recording these notes, this item is getting handed off to people far more qualified than myself. Every other record of this item will be wiped from FPA systems, even the backup servers. Nobody needs to know we had our hands on an artifact of this importance… nor do they need to know we unwittingly used it. May the Ancients forgive my sins, and the sins of my partner. We did not know. ERROR://FILE NOT UPLOADED TO PRIMARY SERVER://ERROR://PLEASE SYNC LOCAL FILES WITH CLOUD://ERROR://FILE SYNC CANCELED BY USER C.DELA://

-----

Cynthia should have known better. By now, she’s catalogued over a thousand items in the span of a decade, from weapons to ancient art, from contraband pharmaceuticals to exotic pets. On three occasions she has encountered items known as artifacts: Relics, both old and new, infused with terrible power. Each one has only briefly been held by the FPA, before being swiftly taken to those with higher authority. But even a minute in the presence of an artifact can change one’s life.

The Timekeeper’s Cutlass is not as obvious of an artifact as most. Whoever tried to mail it must not have known what it was, and those who handled it in between must have worn gloves. As soon as Cynthia was alone with the item, she felt its power, and heard the sea-song in the air. She knew, then, what thing lay on her desk. It was the first time she had ever been this close to an artifact, and her heart raced at the prospect of cataloging such a find. Who could blame her?

She did not forsake her duties, did not set out to play with it. Immediately, she made the proper phone calls, arranged the item’s retrieval first. Only then did she set out to log the details, knowing sooner or later Naomi would be stopping by to take her out for dinner. That was her excuse, maybe, that she’d only work until being interrupted. A foolish thought.

Artifacts set the time of all who touch them.

It only takes a single touch of her bare skin against the seaglass to “activate” the item. An accidental brush of her wrist against the material, a microsecond of contact, and Cynthia is no longer in her office. Now she is falling, falling, flying until she is in another body entirely, seeing through another’s eyes. Feeling what they feel. Voices whisper in her ears, overlapping until one word becomes clear: Triampheus. A Goddess, for one, but a common enough name among worshippers. Once the voices cut off, suddenly, Cynthia is free to witness glimpses into the life of another.

There is war. Long did it brew, across countless planets, at last stirred up by the atrocities of a few madmen. Flashes of combat, of death, a mentor laid to rest when a truce is broken. Rage. Sorrow. Desperation in the hearts of the viewpoint. It has to end. They will end it. Threats are made, are ignored, a display of power is taken too far. An entire planet held between their hands. One last warning, time for innocents to evacuate. Finally they are taken seriously.

But their control is not strong enough. They never wanted it to end this way. Blood from their eyes, their nose, their ears. Too much power- a Goddess channeled in mortal flesh. Either they break or the planet does, there is no letting go. The choice is made for them… and an entire world collapses in on itself. There is no more war, not anymore.

There is only a manhunt.

“Cynthia, please, please wake up,” Naomi’s voice cuts through the end of the vision, breaks away from what might be the future, draws her back into her body. Instantly she’s all but throwing herself into her girlfriend’s arms, pressing her face against Naomi’s neck and sobbing. There are no words to describe what she has seen.

“Don’t- don’t touch the sword,” Cynthia chokes out between sobs. For a moment there’s no sound other than her crying, Naomi going stiff. Was it too early in their relationship for this level of intensity? A few months was hardly enough time for Naomi to grow accustomed to the sort of things Cynthia has to inspect, but surely- her anxious thoughts are cut off by a gentle kiss to the forehead.

“I… I touched it. And I think- I hope- that we didn’t see the same thing. Because I… I really liked what I saw,” Naomi admits, in a reassuring whisper. One hand rubs gentle circles into Cynthia’s back as they sit together, and soon enough the crying slows, then stops. Finally, the archivist pulls back just far enough to look up with questioning eyes. Her curiosity overwhelms. “Telling you what I saw… I’m worried that it might change things. If… if that is the future. So, please, let me say no more than that there will be boundless joy. You will be safe, and happy, and you won’t be alone.”

Nothing could fully soothe Cynthia, not yet, but the words bring her a sense of hope. She may have dreamed of a stranger’s war, but Naomi had dreamed of the life that would come after. A life that would be shared with her.

[that-ari-blogger]

The Power Of Adora

Episode 4 of She-Ra, Flowers For She-Ra is the first war story in the series. It depicts the cost of war on people and places, and if it wasn't for how obnoxiously lovable the citizens of Plumeria are, it might be genuinely harrowing to watch (Let me know how it went for you if you didn't find the Plumerians endearing)

But I would like to focus on something else. Adora herself. Up until this point, the series has been showing off how powerful She-Ra is and how she is so useful and so strong and bla bla bla. But this episode focuses in on Adora herself, and what she can do.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

"Can Adora do this?"

I would like to examine how Adora reacts to danger. She runs towards it, she is determined to be useful, and she sees She-Ra as her way of helping. What I'd like to focus on is her vernacular. She refers to the form she is not in as a separate person, and how she refers to each facet of herself is pretty obvious. She-Ra can do things, Adora cannot.

So what happens when She-Ra can't fix the problem? That's what this episode explores.

In this episode, we see Adora's experience of the Horde in full effect. Turns out, having someone who understands the enemy on your side is useful. Who knew?

In this episode alone, we see Adora's understanding of the Horde's tactics used to predict the use of the poison and her knowledge of their routines used to effectively infiltrate the base. There isn't much analysis to do here other than to contrast that with how She-Ra is represented in the stories. She-Ra is a warrior where Adora is a tactician.

It's also worth noting that She-Ra's healing would only have been treating the symptoms of the poison, where Adora went to the source of the problem.

Hope. This is an episode about hope.

Adora's defining skillset isn't She-Ra, and it isn't her background, it's her resilience and perseverance. Adora rarely gives up, she instead seeks a new way to fix a problem. And that has an effect on people.

This is a shot from The Batman (2022) and I promise you its relevant. It's important here that Batman isn't carrying people to safety one by one, he's leading them to a better place. He's helping them to help themselves. This is one of the reasons this is the best live action Batman, because it's not about punching the bad guy, it's about saving people. And the way that is done, isn't by solving all of their problems for them, it's by shining a light and inspiring them to do better and to fix their own lives.

This is the effect that Adora has on people. She inspires people to help themselves. What's interesting is that hope is very much associated with the She-Ra personality. She-Ra is a symbol. Maybe there isn't so much of a difference between She-Ra and Adora after all.

Yes, I just linked She-Ra and Batman. No, I am not sorry.

But there is another effect that Adora has on people, and that isn't any effect that she can see. This episode makes a point of showing the effect of Adora's defection on the Horde itself.

"I know you're lying. You have to be lying. What did you do?"

I don't need to explain how bad this is. Not from a writing perspective, but as something for a mother figure to say to her prodigy.

In any case this little scene displays what Adora defecting has cost these two individuals. Shadow Weaver covets power, she seeks to control every piece on the board, and her most influential has just left her side.

Meanwhile Catra gives this line:

"What did I do? She left us, she left me."

Here we see Catra's abandonment issues coming out. She has taken Adora's leaving personally.

There's a neat little trick with her character design that I want to highlight here. Catra is mostly symmetrical, her mask, her hair, her costume (with a couple of flourishes). Even the marks on her arms match each other. The exception to this is her eyes. One blue, one yellow. Eyes that she can't cover up. Everything about Catra is perfectly even, but it's a facade, and the imbalance in her creeps out through the way she sees the world.

In 1810 Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe wrote that yellow and blue are the two primary colours that are in the greatest opposition to each other.

"Yellow is a light which has been dampened by darkness; blue is a darkness weakened by light."

Once again, this is the influence Adora has had on Catra, and the influence the horde has had. Notice how the hoard bears a green that, in this specific shot, is very similar to Catra's yellow eye. The Horde corrupts. And notice how much the blue stands out. Notice how it is the closest to Shadow Weaver, almost protecting Catra from her. Adora weakens the darkness so that in the end, Catra can be free. I'm definitely clutching at straws here, but it's a neat little rabbit hole.

I'd try and summarise my points here, but I think Glimmer says it best.

"Adora, She-Ra isn't the reason we like you. We like you because you're our friend."

She-Ra is a story about purpose, and acceptance. And Adora's journey is about realising that she doesn't need to fit one single purpose for people. She can live her own way.

The two personalities, Adora and She-Ra, represent the sides of Adora as powerful and Adora as herself. In this episode, we learn who exactly that self is, and what effect that has on the world of this story.

Previous - Next

[zarvasace]

Here's my silly Linkverse title and timeline! :D say hello to Hearts Linked Together, a Linkverse that won't ever have much content besides character designs!

Character post

Okay a description under the cut. It might get long, I'm unsure how to go about explaining. The four vertical lines are locations, not parallel timelines. I don't take absolutely everything into account (you'll notice a lack of direct Triforce and Ganon stuff) but I like what I ended up with!

PS: I've made a few edits to this and the picture since I first edited. BotW and TotK aren't different Links that was my b. I also added more blue lines to the Gods of the Sky spot to illustrate them moving around.

Important thing to note: the only time travel/time shenanigans in this 'verse is with Hyrule Warriors and Ocarina of Time. And Tears of the Kingdom that too.

THIS BEGINS with aliens. The Zonai and the Minish were the same alien species that settled on the planet of Hyrule to escape civil war on their own. They separated early on and adapted to their environments differently. They both lived in the sky for a while, because Hyrule has naturally occuring skylands, and some of the natural fauna were intimidating. (Monsters, dragons, fey, gods.) The Hylians come from the moon. A small group settled on the planet and struggle to adapt. They lost their technology in the turbulent transition.

The Minish remained pastoral and went to the surface to help the emerging Hylian race. The Minish Cap happens. That Link forges the Picori blade and gathers the elements. (His four copies are spectral.) Shortly after him, Four Swords happens, with the most attention on the cryptid four sword kid who came out to save the world and then disappeared back into the woods. (His four copies are independent but not individuals.)

The settlement prospers, the Minish population decreases, and Hylians spread across the world, into 4 distinct geographic areas. The Zonai, also dying out, descend and intermarry with Hylians, in a different geographic area. The beginning of TotK happens, including the massive Imprisoning War. The consequences of this war are far-reaching and devastating.

The Land of Light and Shadow: this area emerges from the war somewhat unscathed, being on the other side of the world. They continue to build their kingdom. This land is named for the parallel plane that is in close contact with the area, being farthest from the planet's moon's orbital path. Things like Light and Force are also strong here, unknowable forces that occasionally grant powers.

The Land of the Gods: this land is named for the gods that have dogged its history and heroes, and is closest to the moon, which is where these extraordinary individuals get their powers and godhood. The Imprisoning War hit them pretty hard, and one of these moon-touched aliens (Hylia) raised settlements into the air. The First Hero is part of this.

The Land of the Fey is where the Zonai chose to descend, and is hit the hardest by the Imprisoning War. Their small colonies are absolutely decimated and the land is salted. Fey are natural creatures, but aren't always friendly. The Zonai technology and settlements remain high in the air, unreachable and usually invisible. Most non-Hylian or non-Hylian-derived species come from this area.

The Great Sea is a series of islands. They barely hear of the Imprisoning War, and only have a small population of Hylians that grows a bit through the islands.

After the war, all of these areas and kingdoms are cut off from each other. Their histories proceed separately for a time.

The Land of Light and Shadow: a group of people move permanently into the Dark World. Link to the Past, Link's Awakening. The kingdom grows. Link Between Worlds reveals the budding kingdom in the Dark World. Twilight Princess deals more with them. Four Swords Adventures (+manga in case you were worried) unlocks more of the Dark World's secrets. (These copies are individuals, and remain so after their adventure.) The kingdom prospers and begins to explore, eventually resulting in another near-globalization. Hyrule Warriors happens, doing a little time traveling.

The Land of the Gods: after rising into the sky, Skyward Sword happens. Hylia is the strongest goddess of the time, and manages to send copies of the Master Sword to the three other lands. People settle on the surface, isolated from any other places. Ocarina of Time happens, but does not create alternate timelines. Hylia takes the people and places displaced by the time shift and plunks them at the beginning of the Great Sea's time. This kingdom expands and fractures, and Hylia's time shenanigans weaken her, so she goes to the fey land to recover. (coughcough was bullied away because people didn't agree with her coughcough) And then Majora’s Mask. Din, Farore, and Nayru rise as the land's patron goddesses instead, instigating the Oracle games. Triforce Heroes happens to a Hylian passing by Hytopia (The copies are simply doppels.) These kingdoms remain small but grow strong. They have the occasional battle. They participate in the globalization efforts.

The Land of the Fey: this land struggles to rebuild. They are plagued by monsters. The fey (fairies, great fairies, satori, dragons) understand it's a problem, but they do not have mortal minds. Eventually they call a hero of their own. Hyrule Fantasy (aka LoZ 1) and Adventure of Link happen. This land is geographically isolated and doesn't really run into anyone else, until the migration from the Great Sea brings technology. Spirit Tracks happens. The great kingdom is built, they build the Divine Beasts and the Guardians, and drive back the Calamity for the first time. Hylia rises again, older and wiser and less powerful. Then Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom happen. Only after that does this land reconnect with those outside of it.

The Great Sea: this area is mostly empty until Hylia places the time-displaced Hyrule on one of the larger islands (called antidiluvian, or before the flood). It wasn't a stable island, though, and most of the kingdom fell under the ocean in a great big wave. People rebuild and make their own cultures. Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass happen. They find the shores of the Land of the Fey, and facilitate a migration to that land.

Each of the yellow stars (and the colorful ones in terms of FSA) represents a different Hero.

[hermajestytak]

Her Majesty, Our Almighty Tallest Lady Miyuki

She was a lost character that never made it to the show proper because The Trial was never finished and never adapted post cancelation. She was voiced elegantly on the spot by Melissa Fawn in The Trial's Invadercon script reading, but was never officially voice acted, animated, or even colored.

Yet...despite never making it to the show, more than many other cancelled characters, something about Miyuki resonates with the Invader Zim fandom. Take a look throughout the fandom and you'll see her time and time again. In fanart, she's romanticized and illustrated as elegantly as possible. In fanfiction, she's a crucial character to the backstories many Irken fan characters.

There's many reasons why this is. For one, her name is gorgeous. One of the few facts we have about her is she was named and created after storyboard artist Miyuki Hoshikawa.

The name Miyuki itself holds different meanings depending on which kanji its spelled in: 美幸 means "beautiful fortune/happiness," 深雪 means "deep snow," 美雪 means "beautiful snow, and 美由紀 means "beautiful reason for history"

The association of Miyuki with snow has lead to some depicting her lead color as snow white. However, the most common color to depict her in within the fandom is blue, usually a cereulean blue. Other colors she's been drawn with include yellow and green, but the popular blue depiction arguibly makes her even more loved by the fandom because it makes her stand out from the usual green/red/violet color palette of the Irken Empire and, quite frankly, it makes her look gorgous.

Speaking of standing out, another reason for Miyuki's popularity is her gender. Female Irkens are much rarer characters in the series than Male Irkens (most likely because they take 1-2 more steps to design than their masc counterparts). Of the 50 named, individual Irkens on the series, only 7 are female (a whopping 14%), so Irken girlies are a rare treat for the fandom and of them, Miyuki is by far the most powerful.

In fact, Miyuki was most likely the most powerful Irken in history (that we know of). Red and Purple have to split their power between each other and Spork was only Tallest for a very short time. However, Miyuki was both a solo Tallest and one implied to be Tallest for a while.

Speaking of the tallest, Miyuki is one of only four that we know. Of them, her reign is the oldest. We don't know how long she was tallest, but she perished when Zim was over 10 years old. In the fandom, she's often depicted as being the tallest since before Zim was even born, so she likely reigned while our most important Irkens (Zim, Skoodge, Red, and Purple) were smeets that would have been taught to look up to whoever was tallest.

One interesting, debatable note about Miyuki's character is how much better of a tallest she supposedly was. She openly worked with the Vortians that Red and Purple went on to betray during their reign, so we know she was a more strategic and responsible tallest at least. However, some fan depictions take this a step further and headcanon Miyuki as "the rightful tallest" so to speak: a more merciful, kind, and virtuous planetary leader to contrast Red and Purple's cruelty. In other words, the fandom has a bad habit of really romanticizing her.

What these depictions tend to forget is that Miyuki was proud of her Empire. The very nature of an Empire, especially the Irken Empire, is to expand their rule. The Massive was designed during her reign to expand this rule by conquering nearby planets. She may have been a more competent Tallest, but a Tallest nonetheless and in the Irken Empire, intergalactic colonization and war is extremely glorified no matter who the leader is.

So I personally headcanon Miyuki as not a merciful, benevolent Tallest that the entire universe loved, but rather a Queen of England type figure whose adoration, regalness, and acts of kindness within her empire serve as a distraction from her and the control brains' cruel, empirical nature; she's beloved by her kind, but despised by everyone who sees the Irken Empire for what it really is: an intergalactic colony of genocidal ants.

[fairylandblog]

Faerie Illusionists

One of the most fascinating aspects of the magical realm is the presence of faerie illusionists, who are frequently portrayed in literature and mythology. The power of these ethereal entities to create illusions that people find bewildering and enchanting is one of their most well-known accomplishments. As a result of their profound connection to the natural world, they are able to weave spells that modify perception and reality by pulling inspiration from the elements that surround them. Not only does the art of illusion among faeries involve deception, but it also involves imagination and a sense of amusement from its practitioners. It is well known that faerie illusionists are capable of creating mirages that allow ordinary landscapes to be transformed into stunning panoramas, or vice versa. Those who happen onto their magical domains are enchanted by their ability to magically transform the mundane into something remarkable. Faeries are able to shift perception, which shows their connection to the beauty and mystery of nature. Faeries frequently utilize their abilities to preserve their habitats from human invasion, which is a demonstration of their connection to nature.

There are numerous stories in which faerie illusionists utilize their abilities to test or instruct human beings. Their illusions have the potential to act as a type of guidance, illuminating facts that are not obviously visible at first glance. An example of this would be a tourist who found themselves lost in the woods and was led to a safe path by the illusions of a faerie. Along the process, the traveler would learn a lesson about trust and humility. Within the context of these narratives, the faerie's magic serves as a driving force for personal development, compelling the characters to confront their anxieties and goals. It is important to note, however, that the illusions that these faeries create can also be manipulative or even malicious. There are certain faerie illusionists who take great pleasure in misguiding humans by concocting complex hoaxes that are designed to bewilder and confuse them. The unpredictability of the faerie realm and the significance of respecting its borders are frequently brought to mind by these pranks, which act as a reminder of each other. The complexity of these beings, who are said to represent the wilder sides of nature, is reflected in the fact that faerie magic can be both kind and mischievous at the same time. The faeries' ability to create illusions is inextricably linked to the place in which they live. The transformation of the seasons, the interplay of light and shadow, and the noises of the forest all serve as sources of inspiration for them. Because of this link, they are able to generate illusions that are vivid and immersive, so blurring the border between reality and fantasy. People frequently use the term "ephemeral" to describe their magic, comparing it to a brief dream that leaves a lasting effect even after it has already passed.

Faerie illusionists also have a vital part in the cultural imagination, serving as a symbol of the power of creativity and the significance of seeing deeper than what is immediately apparent. Through the use of their illusions, they inspire individuals to challenge their own perceptions and investigate the unknown, so expanding the bounds of what is supposed to be possible. Consequently, faerie illusionists are able to evoke feelings of awe and curiosity in humans, thereby encouraging people to acknowledge and appreciate the magic that exists in the world around them. In the end, faerie illusionists are a demonstration of the entrancing and unpredictability that characterizes the realm of faeries. Their magic serves as a reminder of the beauty and mystery that exist beyond the everyday, and it challenges humans to open their minds and hearts to the beauties that are hidden from view. The faerie beings continue to captivate and inspire people via the illusions that they create, weaving stories of enchantment that are passed down from generation to generation and across countries.

[leagueofgardens]

Rare Skills

Funada Kiito using Lunatic Trancer

I hope you like long lists.

What are Rare Skills?

In Assault Lily, Rare Skills are potent abilities which each Lily has one and only one of. Lilies tend to awaken to them during their years at which their magie is at its peak (i.e. high school, or close to it.) For example, Miriam Hildegard von Gropius awakened her Rare Skill just before entering high school, and Hitotsuyanagi Riri and Kawabata Hotaru awakened theirs during their first year.

Not all Lilies have a Rare Skill, though it's quite rare—no pun intended—for any Lily featured in an Assault Lily story to not have one. Some of the only examples are Hitotsuyanagi Riri (at the very beginning of Bouquet and League of Gardens) and Kondo Misaka.

Rare Skills are said to reflect each individual Lily's personality, with this being the reason that every Lily only has a single one, and there are vague "stereotypes" associated with some of them. Lilies with Phantasm are often said to be daydreamers, and those with Heliosphere tend to be dependable people who balance rationality with emotion.

Some Lilies' Rare Skills are more powerful than those of others, and Lilies are ranked C, B, A and S depending on the power of their Rare Skill, though generally only Rank S is considered especially worthy of note. Rank S Rare Skills often have unique powers that lesser users of the skills cannot manifest at all, such as Heliosphere's "beam coat".

Lilies also have "subskills", which are lesser versions of Rare Skills that have about 70% of their power at most. Even so, subskills are almost as important as Rare Skills in combat, because Lilies can have several of them (as many as seven.) All subskills correspond to a Rare Skill, but some Rare Skills have no known subskill equivalent. They have different names from their Rare Skill versions.

The Long List

Brave

Notable Users: Hatsukano Yo (Last Bullet), Hasegawa Gabriella Tsugumi (stage plays), Nagasawa Yuki (stage plays) Subskill: None known

Brave users are able to purify negative magie within those Lilies who the user touches. This makes then the ideal partners for Lunatic Trancer users, as Yo demonstrates with Ran and Tsugumi demonstrates with Kayo. However, it consumes quite a bit of the user's own magie, so it has to be used judiciously.

At Rank S, Brave can be used to affect a wide area, creating an effect similar to that of Regista (but less powerful.)

Circlet Bless

Notable Users: Banshoya Ena, Rokkaku Shiori, Fukuyama Jeanne Sachie (stage plays) Subskill: None known

Circlet Bless is real simple. If you have it, you can wield a different CHARM in both hands. If you don't, you're stuck with one CHARM (or you have to get a fancy, expensive CHARM like the Triglav that's specifically designed to be dual-wieldable without Circlet Bless.)

Circlet Bless only began to appear recently. Banshoya Ena and Tiuccia Paumgartner were the first known Circlet Bless users, and they both awakened to it during the Koshu Withdrawal, two years ago. It makes Lilies with it much more powerful, so it's quickly become an important Rare Skill.

Despite the picture above hinting that "circlets" are involved in some way, we have no idea why it's called Circlet Bless.

Hawk's Eye

Notable Users: Futagawa Fumi, Takashima Yakumo (Last Bullet) Subskill: Clairvoyance

Hawk's Eye gives its users a birds-eye view of the battlefield over a large area. This comes bundled for free with the mental ability to easily process that much information, as if one were playing a board game (aside from in some unusual circumstances, demonstrated in episode 10 of Bouquet.)

Though within the setting itself, it has never been stated to be an uncommon RS, Hawk's Eye is one of the least frequent ones for named Lilies to have; it's possessed by only 6 of them, out of over 200 Lilies that we know of.

Heaven's Measure

Notable Users: Wang Yujia, Tanba Akari (Last Bullet) Subskill: Magic Eye

Heaven's Measure (also known as The Scales of Heaven) allows its users to manifest a series of mystical scopes in front of their eye and reckon the distance to the target down to the centimeter, as well as enhancing their eyesight in general. Needless to say, this skill is a major asset to snipers.

At Rank S, Heaven's Measure grants another ability called "Dead Eye Motion", which slows the user's subjective perception of time.

Like Hawk's Eye, Heaven's Measure is an uncommon RS from a meta perspective and is possessed by only 9 named Lilies.

Heliosphere

Notable Users: Amano Soraha, Serizawa Chikaru (Last Bullet), Seto Veronica Ichika (stage plays) Subskill: Consecration

One can think of Heliosphere as the opposite of Regista: instead of creating a field that makes Lilies stronger, it creates a field that makes the Huge weaker. While it doesn't come with the nice extras that Regista does, even a low-ranked user of the skill is a major asset to their team.

At Rank S, Heliosphere users can surround themselves with a "beam coat" that shields them against negative magie and weak attacks.

Laplace

Notable Users: Hitotsuyanagi Riri (...probably), Shiba Tomoshibi (stage plays) Subskill: Charisma

Laplace is a new and mysterious Rare Skill, and in Assault Lily Bouquet, no one seems to have been quite sure what it did yet.

However, all indications since are that it's a souped-up version of its subskill, Charisma. It creates a field that shields Lilies from negative magie, supposedly via the user actually absorbing it from the nearby Huge and inverting its polarity, then radiating it again as usable magie. For unclear reasons, this seems to allow more (sometimes far more) than nine Lilies to take part in the Neunwelt Tactic.

Laplace is unique among Rare Skills in that it typically appears first in Lilies as its subskill version, Charisma, and over time evolves into Laplace.

It isn't 100% confirmed that Riri has Laplace, but as a playable character in Last Bullet she does, so… she probably does.

Lunatic Trancer

Notable Users: Shirai Yuyu, Sasaki Ran (Last Bullet), Funada Kiito & Ui (stage plays) Subskill: Threshold of Madness

Lunatic Trancer is said to balance a Lily upon the threshold of madness (hey, that's also what its subskill is called.) This lets her go well beyond her physical limits, ignore gravity, and even continue fighting if her heart stops beating. But it also makes her build up negative magie like crazy, which can have major consequences for her later.

Despite statements to the contrary in some Assault Lily stories, Lunatic Trancer by itself does not normally cause Lilies to attack their fellow Lilies. More on that later.

Phantasm

Notable Users: Ando Tazusa, Egawa Kusumi, Hanaoka Angela Moe (stage plays) Subskill: Rainbow Path

Phantasm users can simulate a vast number of illusionary futures, near-instantaneously within their mind, and choose their desired outcome. They can then telepathically transmit the actions necessary to produce that outcome to nearby Lilies.

However, the Lily needs to trust their allies to do as they're directed in order to make good use of this Rare Skill.

This RS is canonically one of the rarest ones there is, but from a meta perspective it's not as uncommon as many others are, with 26 Lilies known to have it.

Phase Transcendence

Notable Users: Miriam Hildegard von Gropius, Endo Araya, Iijima Renka (Last Bullet) Subskill: Awakening

Phase Transcendence users can channel a huge amount of magie into a single powerful attack, capable of taking out stronger Huge like large-types in one blow. This often leaves them completely incapacitated afterwards, as Miriam has demonstrated more than once. Without good teamwork, it's quite dangerous for the user.

In contrast to Miriam, higher-ranked Phase Transcendence users like Araya tend not to be left completely unable to move after using the RS.

Regista

Notable Users: Kaede Johan Nouvel, Aizawa Kazuha (Last Bullet), Kon Kanaho (Last Bullet) Subskill: War God's Protection

This skill does a lot. The most important thing Regista does is create a field that improves the purity of magie, increasing the offensive power of nearby Lilies. It also shields those Lilies from harm, and includes the ability to see the battlefield from above similar to Hawk's Eye (though it's less powerful than Hawk's Eye and comparable to its subskill version.)

Having at least one Regista user is considered virtually mandatory for performing the Neunwelt Tactic, and thus, for forming a legion at all.

Shukuchi

Notable Users: Yoshimura Thi Mai, Sano Matilda Kokoro (stage plays) Subskill: Invisible One

This skill lets a Lily move incredibly fast. That's it. Normally they can move only virtually instantaneously, but at Rank S, Shukuchi users can create wormholes known as "gates."

Shukuchi is another of the least common RSes from a meta perspective. Only 6 named Lilies have it.

Testament

Notable Users: Kuo Shenlin, Toki Kureha (Last Bullet), Kawamura Yuzuriha (stage plays) Subskill: Promised Land

This Rare Skill allows Lilies to boost the area of effect of other Lilies' powers. But it also consumes a great deal of the user's magie, weakening their defenses. Testament users are at risk of injury or death whenever they use it, and often wield specialized CHARMs focused on personal defense. Teamwork is especially important for them.

Canonically (but not from a meta perspective), Testament is one of the most uncommon RSes.

Übersein

Notable Users: Li Christina Susu (stage plays) Subskill: Stealth

Übersein (also known as Ubersign) allows a Lily to become invisible and completely erase her presence from both friends and enemies. She can also make other objects seem to be her in order to lure the Huge in. Übersein is considered a very helpful skill when performing the Neunwelt Tactic, as it can help clear the way for passes.

Rank S Übersein users can do something that's a massive spoiler for the stage play Assault Lily: Lost Memories. Maybe I should make a post about that play with a spoiler warning...

From a meta perspective, Übersein is the least common RS. Only three Lilies are known to have it.

The Way of the World

Notable Users: Mashima Moyu, Sadamori Himeka (Last Bullet), Amamiya Sophia Seren (stage plays) Subskill: Whole Order

This RS (also known as World's Reason) lets its users anticipate the direction in which Lilies, the Huge, and other things will continue to move. It greatly increases one's personal evasive ability and can also be used to warn allies of danger.

The Way of the World can also be used offensively in order to hit many enemies with a single attack or flurry of attacks.

Z

Notable Users: Amatsu Marei (stage plays), Kosaka Anastasia Ryoko (stage plays) Subskill: None known, but it's rumored that Yamanashi Hibari might be the first Lily to have it

Z, also known as Control-Z and Last Letter, lets a Lily rewind time within an area about the breadth of her armspan. It can save the lives of critically injured Lilies, and also do things like repair CHARMs that overheat or break in the midst of battle.

Z is an incredibly uncommon RS both within the canon and outside it. Five named Lilies are known to have it.

Zenon Paradoxa

Notable Users: Hata Matsuri, Miyagawa Takane (Last Bullet), Hishida Haru (stage plays) Subskill: None known

Zenon Paradoxa is often considered to be a fusion of Shukuchi and The Way of the World, and allows its users to make swift and powerful attacks. It's a straightforward RS that is prized when choosing Lilies to go on the offense.

Things That Aren't Rare Skills

Earlier I wrote "Lunatic Trancer by itself does not normally cause Lilies to attack their fellow Lilies," so why did Yuyu do it? I'll just direct you to the wiki article on Divine Possession. This isn't a phenomenon associated with Lunatic Trancer in specific; Hishida Haru, a Zenon Paradoxa user, is also susceptible to it.

There are also Boosted Skills. I described some of them in my blog post on Boosted Lilies.

Aside from those, some Lilies have powers that, for whatever reason (perhaps because they're often incredibly rare and have only been observed in a single Lily, and because those Lilies already have Rare Skills) aren't themselves considered Rare Skills. A well-known example is Mori Tatsuki's ability to hear what the Huge are "saying" to one another. Another Lily at Yurigaoka, Hara Midori of Legion Reginleif, can somehow sense the presence of nearby Huge or Caves through her skin.

GEHENA has recently been experimenting with two abilities of this sort, "Sacred Eye" and "Evil Eye," that are possible to implant into Lilies in the manner of Boosted Skills. It is not yet fully clear what these abilities do...

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