#THE HERMIT SOCIAL LINK WE NEEDED

[windvexer]

Linking tarot cards as those water cycle diagrams from textbooks

Another attempt at explaining how I see card linking in tarot.

One way to view card linking in tarot is that it is explaining the flow of energy.

The metaphor of water works well.

diagram found on duckduckgo image search originating from circuitwiringhirsle77.z22.web.core.windows.net but the host website seems to be dead

The clouds precipitate rain; the rain collects on a mountain; the collected water forms a river; the river empties into a lake; the lake evaporates; evaporation condensates into clouds.

We have just linked the clouds, the mountain, the river, and the lake.

A cloud is high up and water mist. A mountain hugs the earth and is a lot of rocks. These two things seem unrelated. Yet we are able to explain them as if they exist organically together in the same ecosystem.

So it is with tarot.

Now we cam imagine: the clouds are the Hermit, the mountain is Knight/Pentacles, the lake is 10/Cups.

These 3 cards have nothing to do with each other. The Hermit is isolated, wandering who knows where. The Knight is sitting still, watching and unmoving. The 10/Cups is a joyous celebration.

How can we explain how these things relate to each other as if they organically exist in the same ecosystem?

To start, there must be a question. The question provides a foundation to link cards.

A link is a bridge. What kind of bridge will you build? Well that depends if you are building it across the sandy banks of a river, between two buildings to make a breezeway over traffic, or across a perilous and windy granite gorge.

Non-metaphorically: The question will help you determine which meanings are relevant. It's a game of deduction. Due to the question, some meanings are irrelevant and won't apply. Of the meanings left over, which ones are you able to link to other cards in a way that makes sense?

Specific questions are best for practice.

"What is my greatest fear" = you know to choose scary and unpleasant meanings

"Tell me something about my hidden true self" = ??? literally any meaning of the card could apply, very hard to narrow down

In our textbook diagram, the question is, "how does water cycle in this ecosystem?"

For our tarot reading, the question will be, "how will my 3 friends get along when they meet?"

We will crib the water diagram to form an example.

Start with how energy connects together.

[Meanings we get due to position in spread and flow of energy]

Hermit is still condensating. He isn't even in the reaching-out cycle yet. He needs time to reach back out with rain. When he does reach back out, his focus will primarily be on Knight/Pentacles. He will give attention to Knight/Pentacles.

Knight/Pentacles will collect the energy around herself and freely pour it out to others.

10/Cups sends a lot of energy directly to Hermit. Their focus on Hermit will be the closest connection in the group.

However, Hermit's focus is turned towards Knight/Pentacles and not back towards 10/Cups.

We have a flow of energy. None of this flow relates at all to the cards so far. Once you have a flow of energy, you have laid the groundwork to card linking.

Next, add in some book meanings from the card. Choose only meanings which A) are relevant to the question, and B) fit in with established energy flow.

[Meanings we get due to card value; book definitions, card pictures]

Hermit is still condensating. He isn't even in the reaching-out cycle yet. He needs time to reach back out with rain. This is normal, because Hermit is an introvert. Nothing is wrong with the time and space needed. When he does reach back out, his focus will primarily be on Knight/Pentacles. He will give attention to Knight/Pentacles. He may want to show Knight/Pentacles some cool philosophies or truths.

Knight/Pentacles will collect the energy around herself and freely pour it out to others. Knight/Pentacles is probably doing this because she feels responsible for maintaining balanced vibes in social situations.

10/Cups sends a lot of energy directly to Hermit. Their focus on Hermit will be the closest connection in the group. 10/Cups is a water card, and so is the Hermit. So, 10/Cups will probably be striving to create the kind of vibes that makes Hermit comfortable. 10/Cups isn't super hyper but it's the most energetic card in this spread, so 10/Cups will probably be driving the social interaction.

However, Hermit's focus is turned towards Knight/Pentacles and not back towards 10/Cups. We partially know this because Hermit is facing towards Knight/Pentacles. The other way we know this is true is based on the cloud/mountain/lake spread we used to give value to the cards.

One of the methods I use to practice tarot is to assign a map feature to each card.

Continue reading about this in part 2.

[crunchesloudly]

⭐️Worth it to be with you⭐️

A Hermit College Social Media au-

Part 4: Ethubs interlude

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The worms. They got to me. I had to write how the proposal went down or I was gonna lose my mind. So, enjoy this lol.

ao3 link

Part 5

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Bdubs hung up the phone with a huge grin plastered across his face.

He’d been offered a trial position at the garden center, bringing him one step closer to his dream job!

His immediate thought was to go and tell Etho of his good news but a chime of his phone reminded him that his boyfriend had left to run an errand about an hour ago. The incoming text one informing him he will be home in ten minutes.

Responding quickly Bdubs takes to twitter where he quotes his own tweet informing his chronically online friends about the update in his job status.

Unsurprisingly, his first comment is one from Etho telling him what he had already heard all week, that he would get the job no doubt. He smiled as he responded to his comment before closing his phone and going to relax on the couch.

All of the anxious energy that had been surrounding him the last seven days had left him in an instant upon receiving the good news. He is confident enough in his knowledge and skills to know he will ace this trial. It’s what he spent four years studying and working on, he’s got this!

As he surfs the tv for something to watch the telltale jingle of keys alerts him of his boyfriends return to their apartment. Smiling to himself, he rises from the couch and goes to greet Etho.

The second the door is open Etho is dropping a bag on the counter and scooping Bdubs into a hug, lifting his feet off the ground and spinning them around a few times, he deposits him back on his feet before taking his face in his hands.

“I told you they’d love you! I told you they’d want to have you! I'm so proud of you baby!”

Before Bdubs can respond he is brought into a soft kiss. He kisses back immediately, their lips move in a slow pace for a few seconds before Etho pulls back, hands still firmly on Bdubs cheeks.

“I’m so happy. I can’t believe it!”

They smile at each other before Etho moves his hands, running them down the length of Bdubs arms, ending at his hands which he grasps within his own.

“Why don’t we go out and celebrate? Nothing crazy, just a nice dinner in town?”

He is touched by his boyfriends thoughtfulness, he hasn’t even officially got the job yet he wants to celebrate like he did. Bdubs loves him so much.

“I would like that very much. Where were you thinking exactly?”

Etho, still with his hands clasped within his, brings them over to the couch, they sit down and Bdubs immediately snuggles into his side, Etho brings his arm around Bdubs shoulders, squeezing him just that little bit closer.

“What about that new place down by the pier? I heard good things about it from my coworker.”

Bdubs hums and agrees, Etho grabs his phone from his pocket and checks the restaurant's availability. Luckily, they have room for them at 7pm, leaving them with five hours before they need to be there.

They settle in for a bit, simply relaxing in each other's presence, speaking idly about whatever comes to mind, the low hum of whatever reality show Bdubs landed on earlier in the background.

Eventually, after getting ready and heading out they arrive in time for their reservation.

The meal is wonderful and Bdubs is sure they will be back, as they leave the restaurant Etho suggests they walk down the beach and then the length of the pier. Bdubs of course agrees and they make their way down.

Etho takes a few pictures, mostly of his boyfriend, at the end, Bdubs makes fun of him for being such a sappy romantic and Etho doesn’t deny the taunts.

They decide to walk back and towards the nearby park, one they frequented often during college.

With the stress and hectic workloads of their college years, trips to the park were sacred and theirs to share. They would spend nights lying together under the stars, talking about their future and what life would potentially look like after they graduate.

Now here they are, one year post graduation and still just as in love as they were back then.

Etho leads them towards the place they would always end up, the big oak tree towards the back entrance of the park. It is up a small hill and gives a great view of the park's beautiful flower gardens.

Bdubs can’t wait to start working with plants again.

He hadn’t spent a lot of time, outside of his house plants, in a garden since senior year. Admittedly, finding work within his field isn’t the easiest thing to do, so when the current job vacancy opened up in the garden center Bdubs jumped on the opportunity.

Ever the gentleman, Etho lays his jacket on the ground so they don’t get their pants wet from the grass.

They sit side by side, squished together on the small space of the jacket and look out at the flower beds.

Comfortable silence isn’t rare with them despite what their friends might say, Bdubs can be quiet when he wants to be. With Etho, sometimes actions speak louder than words and that’s exactly what this moment is. Hands clasped together resting on Etho's knee, Bdubs head leaning on his boyfriend's shoulder, everything about this screams “I love you” without either of them saying the words aloud.

After a while, Etho shifts and Bdubs raises his head from its perch. He watches, slightly confused as his boyfriend turns to face him.

Etho speaks before he can ask what’s up.

“Bdubs. I have to tell you something.”

Bdubs is on edge immediately, his mind races briefly but he stops himself from spiraling.

“You can tell me anything. You know that.”

His boyfriend smiles at him before he proceeds.

“While tonight was definitely about celebrating you and your accomplishments, I'll admit I had ulterior motives.”

Bdubs watches as Etho reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box.

A ring box.

He gasps, his hand flying up to his mouth. Tears begin welling in his eyes and as he looks into Ethos, mismatched red and brown, he sees that they too are misty.

Etho continues.

“This box has been burning a hole in my pocket for months. I have been wanting to give this to you for so long baby it’s made me slightly crazy. I confided in Scar of all people, that alone should tell you how much I was losing it.”

Bdubs chuckles at his boyfriend's words.

Etho opens the box and laid carefully inside is a thin silver band, as Bdubs looks closer he sees a small daisy engraving. The flowers Etho got him on their first date.

“I knew from the moment I met you that you were the one for me. That one day, I would get down on one knee and ask you to spend the rest of our lives together. You are everything to me baby. I can’t imagine ever spending a day without you by my side.”

He is fully crying now, tears roll down his face and he frantically wipes them away as he listens to Ethos speech.

Etho shifts once again, changing his position to be kneeling. He holds out the box to Bdubs and asks the fateful question.

“BdoubleO will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

He lets out a sob then, throwing himself at his boyfriend, no, his fiancé. Etho startles a laugh at the sudden attack, quickly wrapping his arms around the babbling man on top of him.

“Yes yes yes yes yes of course I’ll marry you!”

Bdubs brings their lips together in a frenzied kiss. Etho kisses him back with the same ferocity.

Eventually, they pull back and the ring makes it onto Bdubs finger. Etho tells him that he had a matching one for himself back home and Bdubs can’t wait to put it on him.

On the way home, they stop at a small stand selling bouquets. As if it is fate one of the few remaining is entirely made of daisies.

Bouquet in hand they continue their walk back to their apartment.

They spend the rest of the night in each other's arms, trading kisses and whispering words of love and adoration.

The next day comes and as always Etho is up before Bdubs.

Sitting up in bed Etho looks down at where Bdubs is sleeping.

His hand is resting on the mattress, ring on full display, bringing his own adorned hand down, Etho runs his fingers through his fiancés hair, smoothing it back from where it fell over his forehead.

He retreats to the kitchen to make coffee for the two of them.

Once he returns to their bedroom, Bdubs has woken up.

With a barely concealed yawn Bdubs sits up, Etho hands him his mug before sitting next to him.

“Good morning fiance.”

Bdubs grins at the greeting facing Etho before leaning forward to kiss his cheek.

“Morning fiance.”

It’s Etho’s turn to kiss his cheek and they sit together and enjoy their morning coffee.

Bdubs phone pings on the nightstand where he tossed it the night before, he grabs it and checks the notification.

Meanwhile, Etho has turned, placing his mug on his own nightstand, he looks out the window of their cozy apartment.

Unaware of Bdubs having finished his response he hears the sound of a camera's shutter and turns back around to see Bdubs with his phone held up, clearly having taken a picture of him.

He glares at him slightly before making the split second decision to tackle him against the sheets.

“ETHO!”

His fiancé yells in protest but laughter is evident in his voice, Etho smothers his face in quick kisses, reducing Bdubs to a pile of giggling goo underneath him.

“And you called me the sap last night for taking pictures of you. I seem to have found myself betrothed to a hypocrite.”

“Well what can I say, you’re just too beautiful. Someone had to capture it.”

Etho kisses him then. They get lost in each other for the rest of the morning. Rising from bed in the early afternoon, they eat a late breakfast or rather an early lunch.

Eventually, they decide that they should share their happy news with their closest friends. Etho decides the best way to do this is with a vague tweet. A picture of their clasped hands, rings on full display.

Bdubs agrees, finding it rather humorous.

If their phones blow up within seconds well, neither of them care. They will respond later.

Right now, they are young and in love.

And isn’t that just the absolute best thing ever.

-

Hope you enjoyed !!

[kaythefloppa]

Wild Kratts - Fish Out of Water Review [Spoilers]

April is finally here, and with it, three new episodes have been released on the PBS Kids Video App ahead of their release. At the time I'm posting this, it is midnight and the one hour special "Our Blue and Green World" is yet to air on televison and streaming, so I will get to that when I get to that. Given that I have already reviewed No Name Dream and Backpack the Camel, I'll give a review to this episode as well. Spoiler warning and opinions ahead under the cut

First New York, then Hawaii, and now a goddamn University on the list of areas I would never expect these guys to film. Bros are everywhere.

As someone who is about to graduate high school, I feel IMMENSELY jealous of the college students who saw the motherfucking Kratt Brothers filming an episode on campus. I can already begin to see the floods of social media posts bragging about this on Tumblr and Twitter threads.

Ok I feel bad for being a bit salty earlier, I actually think it's really sweet how these people outside of the show can share their interests and expertise in biology and physics to help children educate. The entire live-action opening where they study the locomotion of mudskippers is honestly really sweet, and we haven't even gotten to our main animal yet!

God these are such cute animals. But beyond that, the term "fish out of water" could not be a more fitting title. They have joints like we do, can adapt to different environments, and can swim and climb like we can. This is probably my favorite live action segment because of how well structured the clips and movements are and just how fun it is seeing these little blorbs move around the place.

I should talk about how it took us half a decade to see a mudskipper on the show, and 13 years overall to get a focus episode, but so far, up to a great start and definitely worth waiting (for the most part).

Oh so is it like the Hermit Crab episode where in all of the official releases they leave out the determiner but in the actual episode it's there? This has no overall bearing on the episode but I just felt the need to point it out.

I should check off on my S7 bingo card about seeing the old inventions again because holy shit it's been almost a decade since we saw the Butterflier XT

Also can anyone identify those butterflies? I know for a FACT that those motherfuckers aren't monarchs because of their patterns (the only pattern variation in butterflies is sex-linked, and while I'm aware they live in Asia, this again, does not look like a match) but they also aren't viceroys because they lack the line around their wings. I only ask this to bring up my next point.

I thought the Butterfly Disc we saw in Season 1 was specifically programmed based off of Monarch Butterflies. But as established (until proven wrong), these are not monarch butterflies. So unless Aviva retrofitted or reprogrammed the disc to be multi-familial, as in they can touch any butterfly regardless of classification and activate accordingly (like with the Crocodile, Dragonfly, and Gecko Discs), the activation should not work. I only ask this because while it seems miniscule, Chris' decision to bring out the disc is what sets off the plot - It's what causes him to loose the discs in the butterfly swarm, so I feel like, while not a critique, it's a legitimate question as to the direct programming of the discs vs. the animals used to activate.

Man, Zach wasn't even in this episode and somehow they STILL lose their discs? (Actually, I am pleasantly surprised that they didn't take the opportunity to have this be a Zach-related episode).

You think they'd put a tracker on the collection or encode a chip the actual discs so that they wouldn't get lost this easily. This again, sounds like a nitpick, but earlier seasons set up a firewall for the Creature Power Discs and a tracking device/rocket-device on the Creature Power Suits and gloves because of how frequent these types of contingiences are, so there's really no excuse for this.

(Suck my ass PBS Kids Video App, I'm still able to get high quality snips even with your bullshit formatting!!!)

They really went all out with the "other-wordly" vibe that the mudskippers' territory gave off. Once again, we waited two years for this to be put to animation and to see come air.

I've made enough jokes around these situations in the show, so I think we'd all benefit if I just changed the subject: That front-facing mudskipper is fucking hilarious.

*Martin's voice* - Slimy Skin-breathers!

Okay, but I actually did not know that. At all. Even 10 years later, this show is still teaching me new things about animals in the most beautfully unexpected ways. This is one of the many reasons I will never give up on the show.

[Unexpected angst in bagging area - Also, with the inclusion of No Name Dream, which will air two days before this episode, that brings our Krangstt quota to #2]

Okay so I really like the set-up here, and it genuinely was a surprise seeing Jimmy angst in this episode as a subplot in a series that rarely operates on A-plots and B-plots (unless you count the villains' schemes which are usually just A^2 plots) like most shows. And as someone who legitimately was going through rough times (S7 was actually one of my few reasons to keep going), I heavily related to Jimmy. So yeah, a Jimmy angst episode? Can totally buy. What I'm not gonna buy is how they execute it with the ending, because that and the implications.... yikes...

C'mon! "Mudspitter" was right there! Right there!

Ok, here is where my main problem with this episode's subplot is. If I could boil it down to one word, it would be: Incomplete. Jimmy feeling inadequate based on an observation he made is one thing. Him immediately leaving afterwards on a whim moments after said observation is completely another and doesn't align that well.

Like, this would only work if Jimmy had attempted to be a fish "IN" water. If he tried to help Aviva and Koki with the data-research and inventing, but he failed, and they politely turned him down. Or if there was any basis as to why he suddenly disregards his piloting skills or teleporting, whether he doesn't care or doesn't think them to be enough for him to fit in. Like, he wants to be in on the action because some part of him doesn't feel like sitting around by the teleporter is enough. What I'm saying is, there is no pathos. I personally find it to be relatable, but on a narrative level, it doesn't work. I know the "character feeling left out so they leave" thing is cliche'd, but there's a reason it's a cliche, and that's because it follows a lot of writing beats that this particular episode doesn't, so on top of being cliche'd as fuck to begin with, it feels very awkward. And this is going to be apparent both here and in this episode's climax (which I also do not have many kind words for,) so I had to use my allotted time to talk about why this doesn't work.

Could... could they not call him on his Creaturepod? Could the brothers not call him on his Pod? Did he even have his Creaturepod?? Again, there are so many plot-holes in this B-story that could've easily been written around with a change of dialogue or scenery. Have Jimmy's Creaturepod be shown left lying around which makes them realize they have no way of getting him back to the teleporter in time. Jimmy would have no reason to even bring his Creaturepod on his adventure, so that just raises even more questions. Like, this isn't an active diss on the writers, but I think there should've been more proof-reading of the script since this is a massive oversight.

I think now is the time for me to bring up this question I've had for years now; How exactly does the teleporter work? In several episodes, we've seen that there is a coordinate code in the teleporter that allows it to be sent to the target. Koki's "the communication queen" as Aviva puts it, so she'd likely be able to triangulate the brothers' location. So I'm not sure why the show presents this as a struggle for Koki. This isn't the only example, so I won't hold it against the episode, (they have this be the case specifically to emphasize the point that they need Jimmy, which I can forgive) but it's another piece of lore that I should probably theorize about lmao.

Also

YOU HAVE LITERALLY TELPORTED THE CREATURE POWER DISCS FOUR TIMES.

TWO OF THOSE TIMES BEING IN A ROW.

AND ONE OF THEM WAS FOUR EPISODES AGO IN THIS EXACT SAME SEASON.

This whole episode spent the past five minutes making its main characters look incredibly idiotic for the sake of its B plot.

Once again, this episode's spitting facts that I didn't even know.

This is actually a neat seguay, having the brothers figure out the abilities of the mudskippers while exercising their own cool abilities. It feels really natural, and again, is an inventive way to show off the locomotive abilities of the mudskipper.

I feel like this falls very well between "accurate enough to be admirable" and "uncanny." I can (maybe on my deathbed) get used to this suit's design (though I'm partly glad Chris doesn't activate it because spoilers, he doesn't).

I've given this subplot a lot of flack, but credit where it's due, even with its misses, it does hit with the emotional beats.

Very conflicted on this:

On one hand, Jimmy actually taking the initiative to miniaturize is pretty ballsy. The show, despite not being serialized, does develop its characters in a way that you can sense a clear difference of them when you compare the modern seasons to the earlier ones. And this can be seen as a positive development for Jimmy, since it's his "Creature Adventure."

On the other hand.... back to what I was saying about consistency. Why did Jimmy bring the miniaturizer?? What was his prompting?? Was he planning on shrinking himself down the whole time? Like, he left his friends for god knows how much time and is now out of nowhere shrinking himself down to fish size because he feels inadequate? Uhm, Jimmy, ever heard the idea of therapy?

Also, again, very weird presentation of the episode. They don't at all put any attention to Jimmy's coms and whether or not he has them, (which would easily solve a bigger issue of why he's not contacted), yet they have him carry the Miniaturizer with him. Now, the latter is plot-relevant, but so could've been something about the Creaturepod.

This [from what I interpret] gets Jimmy out of his slump, making his "scientific discovery." Not realizing that his job of piloting and teleporting are equally important. Again, this is structured poorly. I like what they were going for, but it shouldn't have been the only thing that altered the trajectory of this subplot. Again, he can teleport discs to the brothers and pilot and while those are mentioned later on, it's not something he comes to himself in an "oh shit" moment. So this just feels unearned and weird. I really hate how harsh I am, since it's a Jimmy centric episode and it was the #1 requested thing on all the chat-boards during the hiatus, but this is one of those things where it has to be done right if at all. This isn't done right, and the fact that it takes up 50% of the episode just... ugh.

You can't tell it through screenshots but with the way Aviva says it and the scene cutting to her and Koki laughing at it, I'm 98% inclined that this was a specific innuendo, and ngl, I kinda laughed too.

Oh look, it's Kenge's cousin! [For you Lion Guard fans that also recognize Wild Kratts] - [I was inclined to make a reference to Jessie, but that felt in bad taste considering y'know]

Ok, but that has to be an Asian water monitor. Correct me if I'm wrong. What I'm definitely not wrong about is that their bites contain venom; To a human it's not lethal, however to small prey, including mudskippers, or anything around that size, it's lights out. So yeah, Chris and Martin are fucked.

Ok this line is absolutely badass.

Also, grey?? Grey?? I thought Jimmy's signature color was orange/yellow? Or red with the implication of the tail episode? Great, now there's another color that'll be in the debates for his future Creature Power Suit.

Once again, this arc feels weirdly put together. This notion comes up specifically at the climax when it should come up beforehand as Jimmy realizes his worth. Because otherwise, it gives the implication that he knew this all along and yet still felt like a fish out of water, which doesn't mesh together properly (it could, if the episode actually tried to do so which it didn't).

The episode, Sea Otter Swim, does this plot so much better. We see Jimmy's doubts, and we see how he overcomes said doubts in a way that is presented clear to the audience, and the climax where he actually realizes what he's capable of feels earned. This is not earned. So even though I am rooting for him to win, this whole thing just feels messy.

So is nobody gonna ask why Jimmy left his post? Is Jimmy not gonna tell everyone why he left, or at the very least ask why nobody bothered to call for him? Is nobody going to at least let Jimmy know that he can't just... abandon his post without warning because of the fact that they need him? Is Jimmy not going to come to that conclusion himself? Is anything in this episode gonna be earned??

This entire ending feels like an ass-pull: First off, Jimmy and the brothers had enough time to head back to the miniaturizer and then the Tortuga, and in none of that time, did Jimmy ever give them the Power Discs? Why? Yes, it was for the sake of the fake-out defeat/joke, but was there any reason why Jimmy just kept the thing hidden waiting to give it to the brothers?

The entire emotional climax to this episode is basically everyone putting Jimmy on a pedestal. It's unsatisfying because there wasn't any acknowledgement or follow up to Jimmy's conflict at the beginning, nor is the lesson learned in the right way, and the conclusion just overreacts by hyping up Jimmy instead of just having a reasonable "We're a team!" thing, or through any self-actualization of his good qualities that Koki pointed out. None of it, friggin' none of this is earned! Now it comes across as Jimmy being uncharacterstically boastful and cocky and the others just kissing his arse. That's probably not the intent but it was the result.

That is actually like, so fucking cool. I have massive respect for all of these people, like legitimately (also, considerning that's the exact opposite of what Zach does on an ethics scale, I find that really interesting). But beyond that, I think this episode has the best live action segments ever, they are so ingenuitive. I could easily see someone at my high school showing a clip of this episode in robotics' or biology class.

CONCLUSION:

PROS:

The live action segments.

The info dumps about the mudskippers.

The Kratt Brother's adventure with the mudskippers.

The animation

The background music (a lot of which is recycled from earlier seasons)

CONS:

Everything else (specifically the B plot). I feel like the writers wanted to give Jimmy his own storyline, either out of interest or seeing how popular the character was in chat-boards, but they didn't know how to do it so they just went through the motions without really connecting anything at all, so it's a lot harder relating to the exact conflicts in some cases, and you feel disatisfied by the cimax. It reminds me of what they did with Vitani in the Lion Guard finale, a case of giving this one character the spotlight, but hitting all of the wrong marks that does the character and the audience a disservice and leaves a bitter taste in the viewer's mouth by the end credits.

This is the first episode this season that has made me cringe, primarily off of its premise, not just a particular scene, a dated pop culture reference, or a weird-looking Power Suit. It is the first to make me cringe because of its story, which again, the B-plot takes up 50% of the episode, so it's constantly in your face. It's definitely not bad, not hateable bad, and it's far too early in the season to call it the worst, and there are definitely worse episodes out there, ones that have aired and ones that probably will inevitably air, but I can safely say, thus far, it's the one Wild Kratts episode that I enjoy, but only to an extent. The live action segments were by far the only thing that I got extremely engaged in, but other than that, and the other pros, it's not that good.

Final Ranking: 6/10: Above Average, but Needed Improvement.

[mysticfyres]

Persona 3 But Better Social Links

After playing through both P3P (femc) and P3R, I have some OPINIONS on socials links, and what I think each game got right and wrong. So here are my thoughts, and tarot card assignments:

The Fool - SEES

Holding infinite potential, but ignorant of the perils that lay ahead...SEES is truly the perfect choice for the Fool. No notes.

2. The Magician - Junepei Iori

The Magician card represents outstanding willpower, and a person who has all the potential they need to succeed, even if they don't realize it. And that's Junpei in a nutshell. Plus, Junpei as the magician means we don't have to deal with Kenji and all his weird teacher romance nonsense, which is a win in my book.

3. The High Priestess - Fuuka Yamagishi

The High Priestess card represents passivity, reflection, and intuition, which is perfect for our quiet navigator. Another perfect choice.

4. The Empress - Mitsuru Kirijo

The Empress represents a strong feminine power, and is associated with love, security, romance, art, and business. So, Mitsuru in a nutshell. Another great choice.

5. The Emperor - Shuji Ikutsuki

The Emperor represents a male father figure, as well as authority, power, and leadership. As the overseer of SEES and most present parental figure in the game, Ikutski deserves this role. Plus, developing a relationship with Ikutski outside of his occasional background appearances will make his role in the final act of the story all the more impactful.

Sorry to all Odagiri lovers out there, I think Ikutski just works better.

6. The Hierophant - Bunkichi and Mitsuko

The Hierophant represents education, marriage, guidance, and tradition. As our functional grandparents, whom have strong ties to Gekkoukan High School (a place of LEARNING), Bunkichi and Mitsuko check all the boxes for the Hierophant. Plus this whole social link is so wholesome, I could never replace them.

7. The Lovers - Yukari Takeba

The Lovers represents relationships, choices, falling in love, communication, and honesty. As someone who always speaks her mind, follows her heart, and is a popular romance choice for male mc, Yukari is another great default choice. Plus, her color scheme is pink and red, she is all about that lovergirl energy.

8. The Chariot - Kazushi Miyamoto

The Chariot represents overcoming conflicts, ambition, and drive, all perfectly encapsulated by Miyamoto's aspirations. As much as I love Rio, the other tarot cards give us our fill of stories about leadership and the desire for acceptance, so I think Miyamoto is the more interesting option here.

9. Justice - Ken Amada

Justice represents balance, fairness, and responsibility. In the most literal sense, Ken's story is about seeking justice for the loss of his mother, and as such he's a wonderful choice for justice. The only flaw with his social link is that it includes the option to flirt with him (ew) but as long as you take that out, it's a great narrative. As much as I love Chihiro, Ken just makes the most sense here.

10. The Hermit - Saori Hasegawa

The Hermit represents loneliness, meditation, and withdrawal from society. Saori's emotional distance from her other classmates, and struggles with bullying, perfectly represents both a self-induced and socially-induced isolation that is paramount to the hermit card. Plus, Saori's story gives use to the library, which is otherwise fairly underutilized in Persona 3's stories.

Though I do enjoy Maya's story and find her a pretty fascinating Hermit, I think Saori's just works a tad bit better. Plus, we once again avoid a teacher-student relationship by cutting Maya out, which is another win in my book.

11. Fortune - Ryoji Mochizuki

Fortune represents change, destiny, and luck, which is perfect for one of the final characters we meet in the narrative, and whose destiny is deeply intertwined with our own. In a perfect world, I would like about half of this social link to fill up when we meet with him as Pharos, and the other half to fill during hangouts in his fully realized form.

While I will miss Keisuke, I think Ryoji is just an overall better and more interesting fit for the arcana.

12. Strength - Koromaru

Strength represents confidence, courage, and vitality, and there's no one more full of life (and cuteness) than Koromaru. Plus, the willpower it takes to go on fighting after losing the closest person in your life, and also summon/fully control a persona, is nothing to scoff at.

It truly pains me to cut out Yuko here, but what can I say, Koromaru is best boy.

13. The Hanged Man - Maiko Oohashi

The Hanged Man represents lack of control, letting go, or the inability to change. As a child, Maiko holds no control over her parents' looming divorce, and seeks to fight against it by running away. However, it's only a matter of time before she is forced to accept it and adapt, which is the very essence of the hanged man. A perfect choice for the tarot.

14. Death - Strega

Death represents endings, morality, and letting go of earthly attachments, which is basically the recruitment statement of Strega. Each encounter with the group in story missions could fill their social link, where even if we don't necessarily feel "closer" to them, we feel as though we better understand their principles. Plus if SEES gets an arcana, I think Strega should too.

Though I'd feel bad about cutting Pharos out of his Death arcana, I'd rather he just get fortune along with Ryoji instead (see #11).

15. Temperance - Bebe (Andre Laurent Jean Geraux)

Temperance represents alchemy, harmony, balance, and moderation, all the sort of things I would hope to learn in a home economics class. Bebe's presence gives purpose to the home economics area of the school, and likewise gives an interesting peak into Japan's perspective on foreigners. A well-rounded character and a fascinating person, Bebe is a great pick for Temperance.

16. The Devil - President Tanaka

The Devil represents materialism, temptation, fear, and enslavement; basically all the principles seedy businessmen subscribe to. A perfect representation of the dark and superficial sides of capitalism, Tanaka was a perfect choice for the devil.

17. The Tower - Tartarus

The Tower represents catastrophe, destruction, and change, all things Tartarus's very presence quite literally brings upon the world. Each ascended block in Tartarus could unlock a new level of the social link, as we learn more about the nature of the dungeon and its influence. Plus, Tartarus is quite literally a tower, it just makes sense.

Though this cuts out Mutatsu, I honestly don't find him to be a particularly important character, despite how entertaining he is.

18. The Star - Akihiko Sanada

The Star represents good health, hope, and inspiration, perfect for the sporty and ever-aspirational boxer. Other star symbolism works great for Akihiko as well: he is famous throughout the school for his talent (star = famous person), and he is the first to rally his strength after loss to unlock his ultimate persona (star = guiding light).

Though Hayase has some great star symbolism as well, we already have a track club member on our tarot roster with Miyamoto. Plus, I really like the idea of every member of SEES getting a social link.

19. The Moon - Shinjiro Aragaki

The Moon represents deception, fear, and unhappiness. While he isn't necessarily hiding it, Shinjiro's storyline contains a number of surprising reveals, including his connection to Ken and his ultimate fate. There is additional symbolism with Shinjiro and Akihiko representing the moon and star(s), both flourishing in darkness but taking different paths.

Plus the alternate option for the moon is Nozomi, who I actively hate. So Shinjiro absolutely gets this social link.

20. The Sun - Akinari Kamiki

The sun represents enlightenment, vitality, and happiness, which is a bit ironic for a character whose health is rapidly failing. However Kamiki's wise and gentle nature, and his hope that persists despite his fate, is a great representation of the sun.

21. Judgement - Chihiro Fushimi

Judgement represents awakening, decision-making, and transition, which is exactly what Chihiro's story is all about. She transitions from a shy introvert who has trouble talking to men to a confident student council treasurer. She likewise enacts "judgement" on the professor who irresponsibly handles the school funds, matching the literal definition of the card.

Judgement was previously leveled as you ascended the final floors of Tartarus, but with the dungeon assigned to the Tower card, that leaves this open for Chihiro. Which honestly, I think works way better.

22. The World - Aigis

The world represents achievement, fulfillment, and when reversed, delayed success. Though the protagonist is the catalyst for most of the events of Persona 3, Aigis is the one who sees through the defeat of the shadows. Though she fails in her original encounter with death, through her support of the protagonist she is eventually successful (delayed success). Likewise, after the passing of the protagonist, Aigis is the one who takes up the reigns in The Answer, holding multiple personas and leading the charge against Erebus. Though hard fought, she also achieves her goals of respect and personhood in her eventual life as a normal schoolgirl.

The world doesn't really appear in Persona 3, but Aigis deserves it. Plus it puts a nice conclusion to my list, so there.

That's all I've got gamers. Let me know what you think :)

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Erec Smith

Published: Jun 13, 2023

In many social justice circles, especially ones dedicated to racial justice, individualism is considered a negative quality. Those who embrace this idea typically understand individualism as diversity, equity and inclusion consultant Tema Okun does: “a toxic denial of our essential interdependence and the reality that we are all in this, literally, together.”

Those who deem race a person’s primary characteristic may, either implicitly or explicitly, embrace and promote race essentialism: the belief that racial groups are monolithic, comprised of people who share the exact same values, beliefs, outlooks, fears and hopes. One’s status as an individual is secondary, tertiary or simply not taken seriously at all.

But Okun’s take on individualism is erroneous. Group identification devoid of true individualism is one of the main obstacles to real social justice because it suggests a dogma that, by definition, does not take into consideration the details and distinctions of an individual life. By extension, such group consciousness hampers our ability, as a society, to have generative conversations across ideological differences.

Fortunately, Okun’s take on this topic is not the only one. Classical liberals also have ideas about individualism. For example, what F.A. Hayek calls “true individualism” also includes the concept of interdependence, or the idea that each individual needs other individuals to some degree. No one can do it all on his or her own. Even a hermit living a reclusive life needs the surrounding ecosystem to survive. However, the fact that one can choose hermetic living over other lifestyles in the first place is a result of individual freedom.

In truth, Okun’s interpretation is the opposite of true individualism. The hyper-individualism she inveighs against is a strawman and not possible, even if people believe, contrary to their lived experience, that it is. Civil society would not work without acknowledging our interdependence.

Importantly, true individualism is not a rejection of group affiliation. It is a rejection of the idea that groups, especially racial groups, are necessarily monolithic and all-encompassing.

The main issue is “group consciousness,” but this concept should not be confused with an all-out dismissal of groups. As Duke University political scientists Paula McClain and her co-authors have written in a 2009 paper, group consciousness “is in-group identification politicized by a set of ideological beliefs about one’s group’s social standing, as well as a view that collective action is the best means by which the group can improve its status and realize interests.”

Most certainly, this is what Nikole Hannah-Jones meant when she tweeted there is a “difference between being politically black and racially black.” Although group consciousness applied to race is often called race consciousness, this is not what is meant by “racially Black.” Specifically, those who are race conscious abide by a particular ideology that involves in-group preference, out-group culpability for the in-group’s problems, and a disapproval of narratives and ideas that do not align with the group’s ideology.

What’s more, group consciousness is so ingrained that anything that happens to an individual in a group has, in effect, also happened to everyone in the group. Slogans like “I am Michael Brown,” for instance, exemplify this.

This is not to say that empathy is a bad thing, but existential identification with someone based on a trait like race is misguided and stifling, leading to what may be the most detrimental and erroneous aspect of group consciousness: linked fate. As McClain et al. explain, linked fate denotes the use of the social standing of a group as a proxy for one’s individual identity, i.e., an individual’s fate is inevitably and intricately linked to that of the group. Any individual that seems to escape this fate is considered an exception.

Sen. Tim Scott recently made headlines when he countered the idea of linked fate during his appearance on the daytime talk show “The View.” When confronted with the idea that successful Black people from downtrodden upbringings are an exception, he stated, “I believe America could do for anyone what she’s done for me: restoring hope, creating opportunities, and defending and protecting the America that we love. It’s such an important combination.” He concluded that the “exception” of Black fulfillment can be made into the norm through education.

“One of the ways that we can restore hope in this country is to focus on our education system. We have too many kids in poor zip codes trapped in failing schools. I want parents to have a choice so kids have a bigger chance.” Scott’s point is that one’s zip code is not one’s life sentence; fates are not existentially linked to such things. Sadly, for having such optimism about the power of individual gumption, he was sardonically labeled “Professor Positive” and someone who “doesn’t get it” by one of the show’s hosts, a well-to-do white woman.

In addition to politicians, like Sen. Scott, who denounce the idea of linked fate, the concept also has been debunked by behavioral science mainly because it relies on the idea that individuals who have the same skin color experience the world in the same ways. Scott’s insistence that Black achievement can be normalized regardless of background, combined with the critique from the behavioral sciences, illuminate the fallacious reasoning behind linked fate and group consciousness in general.

A salient difference between those who do and do not embrace group consciousness is a matter of what psychologists Dolores Albarracin and Amy Mitchell call “defensive confidence.” Individuals who feel they can confidently defend their ideas are less likely to embrace group consciousness strongly, if at all.

Those who do not feel confidence in defending their ideas may see group consciousness as a ready-made shortcut to thinking; the answer to critical inquiry or refutation is always already in some or all of the group’s ideological tenets, maxims and talking points. Those who embrace group consciousness do not have to think of ways to defend their ideas; the group does it for them.

Perhaps most importantly, people with defensive confidence seem more likely to entertain opposing ideas and, therefore, are more likely to understand and even potentially align with those ideas. Perhaps counterintuitively, individuals with the most defensive confidence are more likely to have their minds changed by opposing views simply because they are willing to engage them.

Not surprisingly, individuals who embrace group consciousness and enjoy a kind of group confidence are less likely to entertain opposing viewpoints. This suggests defensive confidence better ensures communication across differences than does group consciousness.

So individualism is not a symptom of a divided society but one of its remedies. It is more conducive to self-actualization (as opposed to group actualization), and it actually fosters communication across differences.

Defensive confidence—aligned with self-efficacy, agency, positive self-regard—is a kind of empowered individualism that, when not beholden to race or some other form of group identity, is more open to exploring possibilities ignored by those who fear scrutiny of their group-oriented outlook.

Such individualism is liberating and empowering, whereas group consciousness—even if it staves off fear and anxiety—is an ideological prison.

[snowscaled]

selective + priv. SIDEBLOG for Gimmoirer the Hermit of The Illustrious Dragons Guild ❄️ WRITTEN BY DOGMA. ❄️ SLOW ACTIVITY ❄️ FOLLOWS FROM @LUNARSCALED ❄️

BLOGROLL: @rengaki, @iunnozone, @lunarscaled

+ UPDATED 9/29/23

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About. Headcanons. Stats. ( links WIP )

Rules below cut.

Dogma. 26, They/Them.

I am just a little mouse who does art full time. I do freelance illustration, typist work and write the webcomic The Illustrious Dragons Guild. I have major depression, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder so please be patient with me when talking OOC and responding to rps. Any art used on this blog that is not mine will credit the artist directly with a link. If you are the artist and would like your art removed, please DM me and I will do so promptly.

RULES

—— STANDARD RP ETTIQUETTE APPLIES. God-modding, extreme subjects such as rape, pedophilia or incest, and muse-killing are all completely off the table. You may be warned once, but you will not be warned twice. I will hardblock anyone who pushes or repeatedly breaks these rules, and I choose not to follow blogs that write this content.

—— NO NSFW WITH MINORS! I am extremely selective when following underaged muns AND muses. Please know that any NSFW content, including but not limited to sexual or graphic violent content, will not be written with minors in any capacity.

——PLEASE SOFT OR HARDBLOCK THIS BLOG IF YOU UNFOLLOW. For whatever reason you might have I ask that, especially if we are mutuals, you softblock this blog so I do not accidentally bother you in the future. Please do not be afraid to block at any point for your comfort, for any reason. I encourage you to curate a space that makes you feel at ease.

—— I MAY UNFOLLOW BLOGS THAT HAVE BEEN INACTIVE FOR PERIODS LONGER THAN 5 WEEKS WITHOUT NOTICE. I will periodically clean out inactive/hiatus’d blogs from my follow list but will follow you again if you resume activity and you and I still wish to interact.

—— I AM HEAVILY SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO I FOLLOW in order to keep my dash clean and avoid clutter. My starter calls/inbox calls are always mutuals-only unless specified. If you would like to RP with me and I do not follow you, shoot me an ask or an IM. THIS BLOG FOLLOWS BACK FROM @LUNARSCALED, MY MAIN OC BLOG

—— PLEASE DO NOT ENGAGE IN EXCESSIVE FORMATTING WHEN WRITING WITH ME. Small text ( and a low amount of double-small text ) + bold or italics is fine, but if you typically write using multiple fonts, double-small text, 25x25 icons and hard-to-read colors all in the same reply I will probably softblock you or not follow you at all. It’s hard for me to read on my computer and not usually accessible on mobile.

—— I DON’T SEND IN PASSWORDS. I promise I read everyone’s rule pages and abouts before I follow them. It’s very important to me that I understand every roleplayer’s boundaries and triggers so I can tag things accordingly, but passwords give me extreme anxiety.

PLEASE TAG FOR ME:

Spiders

Eels

Mold / Fungus

Trypophobia ( especially patterns on skin )

Jump Scares

Disordered Eating

ALL DRAMA/DISCOURSE/VENT POSTS

**Callout posts

My OOC faceclaim is Canti from FLCL

** Seeing a flood of callout posts on my dash can set off my social anxiety and a depressive spiral to the point of potentially driving me to self-harm. I believe posts containing evidence and corroborating stories between victims about abusers in the rpc ARE important ( and I do my best to read each callout that comes across my dash ) but I need time to prepare myself emotionally and mentally before reading.

[bobzora]

ok after almost nonstop playing here’s my thoughts on portable (femc route) so far (just rescued fuuka, starting 3rd block of tartarus)

junpei and femc have really good friendship chemistry. we need to bring back opposite-gender characters who aren’t romancable (don’t @ me with examples like sae or a child or some shit u know what i mean) (i’m not big on the romance feature period but minus That option i’m tentatively saying femc’s implementation is the best. which is funny because 3 male route is the Worst version of the romance feature. (2 doesn’t count bc it barely does anything. it’s not the same))

playing this with less 5 hanging over my head (i’m not over 5 and probably won’t be for. a while. (coming up on 2 years since i started!). but i was DEEP in the trenches when i played fes) is refreshing. i forgot how good yukari was. she’s kind of peak

rio is ok i guess like whatever (kenji-_-) but i’m LOVING saori (i’m rank 8 or so) ❤️❤️❤️this is so much better than the Other hermit❤️❤️❤️ily

maybe its because i don’t really like men LOL but theo will never be liz. i miss you elizabeth. he’s not bad he’s just not elizabeth

im doing way better on social stats than i was on fes. probably bc i know what i’m doing lmao

im always broke. i’m so broke. the 3k yen a pop arcade machines will be the death of me but also the compendium is so expensive??? 10k for a pixie?? apparently it’s bc i picked hard :/ well sue me i guess. way to put a damper on my favorite mechanic (<- fusion lover). internet says it doesn’t get cheaper like later games either i am. irritated

shoutout start of block 2 difficulty spike

took a while to figure out the 4esque knockdown system (haven’t played 4, used to 5&fes) it’s kind of strange. but i got it now! (apparently my brother who is at beginning of naoto in 4 (rip) didn’t know about it?.???LOLrip)

still can’t wait to meet aigis (ily so much) and ken (my favorite probably lmao) and shinji (new social link!) and i’m very interested in what they’ll do for ryoji’s SL. he’s my pal

3 is still so mean for the timing of SLs. everybody is at school. everybody is during the day. (everybody as in almost everybody) it’s a Hard Life

p2girlie theme :) forever

goodnight gamers

[sycamorre]

17, 33, 34, 38, and 40 for the OCs asks!

-OC Questions- Gonna try to find art for as many as I can to help with putting faces to names.

17. Any OC OTPs?

A handful! Most are from my Elder Scrolls RP days but I'm slowly collecting some DnD ones.

We have the werewolf power couple Indes and Korgul, my wood elf Companion (as in the Companions faction) and her half-orc beau Korgul:

Indes' little sister Nidhel, a healer, and another Companion, Tural:

And I still need to draw them together, but there's the newest pair from our last campaign, Ori and Ranna.

I have other ships out there, but I hate boring people with them because they're either characters that have never interacted with anything outside of my own brain or are completely unofficially and I'm someone who doesn't like to make a fuss or gush over things that only I know or care about on here.

33. Your shyest OC?

This is honestly a bit of a hard one. I have plenty of quiet/introverted characters, but I don't consider most of them as genuinely shy. Most have no problem socializing, even if they do not have a ton to say. Likely either as the result of myself being the same way or because most are RP characters that kind of depend on interactions.

I will say pre-campaign/younger Oriana was definitely in the shy camp, though as a result of being uncertain and scared of her magic rather than her personality. Gaining confidence with that and her fighting skills definitely got her in the previously mentioned "quiet but not shy" category.

I do have one character I can think of that is definitely shy in a literal sense. My witchy-innkeeper, Aubrey, has a member of her staff, Annabelle, who came from a servant background and was not treated very well in her previous job, so as a result she became very shy and anxious. To the point where if she is berated by anyone outside of the rest of the staff, she will either run away or freeze up. Aubrey has her mostly cleaning to help keep her from having to interact with bad customers, but not always foolproof. Everyone's trying to help her, though it's a slow process.

The night sky-themed air genasi I've drawn before (whose working name is Stellara/Stellari maybe) may also end up kinda on the shy side if I ever do get to play her. Mostly because I imagine her as a bit of a hermit who just doesn't do socialization very well in general.

34. Do you have any twin characters?

I do! Jayni, my halfling wizard (previously bard) that was originally made for a short-lived Waterdeep Dragon Heist campaign, has a twin brother named Finn. He was originally taking on an apprenticeship to a tinker in the city, but if the characters ever came back, I'm not sure if I would keep that or have him doing something else.

The art is old and Jayni specifically has strawberry blonde hair now, but Finn still looks mostly the same c:

And technically, though I never did make any official art for them and they would be shared and not just mine, it was decided between me and the other player that Indes and Korgul's first biological kids would be a set of twins (Uram and Taram), so I figure they may count as well.

38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer?

Easily Wisteria, the Eladrin glamour bard (who I drew here) that I really wanna play someday. The entire idea behind her was that I wanted a bard that didn't necessarily having singing or instruments as their main "thing" and I wanted an excuse to make a character that would feel natural dressing in very flashy, hanfu-inspired dresses, and she was born out of those two thoughts. Instead of playing an instrument, her magic is triggered by her dancing and her fan, which would act as her arcane focus.

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!

If we talked about all of my fond memories with my OCs we would be here forever. I have literally been making OCs and RPing them since the end of middle school/beginning of high school, and I still occasionally lurk around my old stomping grounds to see what old buddies are up to and reminisce on the nostalgia.

For the sake of being relevant to this post and the people I know here, I'm gonna go back to my Elder Scrolls RP days in the shipyard here on tumblr. Some highlights of my time RPing as Indes and Nidhel, as well as a family friend, Vialgo (an Imperial Dawnguard member) include:

The player of Tor-Acr, an Argonian were-croc, asking for a spar RP literally a day before I said I was gonna start looking for threads and sparking Indes' first friendship in that community.

Watching Indes' and Korgul's relationship grow from occasionally butting heads, to genuine friends, to secret feelings for each other, to admitting everything when Korgul was at a low point and sparking honestly one of the best RP romances I have every had the pleasure of being a part of and that made both of our characters better as a whole.

Getting to host a tourney event for the other Companion players and watching everyone get to enjoy it and building closer relationships between the characters.

Vialgo talking down one of his commanders when he almost slipped up and realizing I could actually play a smooth-talking character rather than just the blunt, gruff ones or super sweet, honest ones.

A whole multi-part story where Herryk, another player's Dragonborn character and one of the Companions that Indes is closest to (basically a little brother to her), is almost killed by a dragon and she witnesses him literally fall from the sky when he gets dropped by the dragon. And she plays an integral part in his return and the emotional payoff was just amazing.

Just getting to see my characters get integrated into other people's stories and getting to make even better stories together. I love that about RP so, so much and it's why I love it just as much if not more than just writing things by myself.

[chaosflame]

So I'm a fan of p3 twin aus and something I've wondered but haven't seen anyone else like address(at least to my knowledge) is what arcana would the twins social link with each other be? Because you can not tell me they wouldn't have a social link with eachother.

This curiosity is what led me to make my own p3 twin au that has greatly spiraled out of control(I have so many connected and offshoot aus that stem from this) and I'm not just gonna share what I made the social link between the twins but all the social links the twins have for this au!! Because I have very little self control, (Under a read more of course, this gets very long)

0. Fool: S.E.E.S(Both)

Same as canon, there's literally no reason to change this.

0. Jester -> XXI. Universe: Shiomi Kotone(Minato) Shiomi Minato(Kotone)

Originally I had the social link between them just be the Fool but being numbered 23 instead of 0 (the socal link for SEES was still the 0 Fool) because they're basically sharing the same wildcard journey, but then I remembered that the Jester existed so I looked at the wiki-

" The Jester symbolizes much of what the Fool symbolizes--ignorance, spontaneity, and freedom--but in a suppressed form. In the case of the Jester, the querent is misguided and unwilling to work with others, in contrast to the Fool, who is compatible with everyone. Ultimately, the Jester acts like a fool instead of genuinely being a fool. "

-and honestly? I think the p3 mcs could end up like this, especially at the start of the game which is around the time this social link would be established, I could get into all the reasons I think this fits for them but this post is long enough already.

Anyway idea for the progression of the social link is that it would be the Jester till like rank 9? and be stuck on that rank no matter what they try till something major happens and the social link arcana changes to the Universe for rank 10!

I. Magician: Iori Junpei(Both)

Yeah I'm gonna be prioritizing the plot relevant characters sooooo Kenji gets the boot, he can appear in Minato's social link with Junpei as a side character tho,

I'm honestly baffled why Junpei wasn't the magician social link from the beginning??? Like why?? I can't even be mad about it that's how baffled I am,

For the social link progression itself Kotone's is basically unchanged and Minato's I'm gonna use Junpei's Linked Episodes as a baseline for it.

II. Priestess: Yamagishi Fuuka(Both)

III. Empress: Kirijo Mitsuru

IV. Emperor:

V. Hierophant:

V. Apostle: Kurosawa ???(Both)

VI. Lovers: Takaba Yukari(Both)

VII. Chariot: Kazushi(Minato) Rio(Kotone)

Kazushi Is on the Track Team and Rio is on the Volleyball Team

VIII. Justice: Amada Ken(Both)

IX. Hermit: "Maya"

X. Fortune: Keisuke(Minato) Saori(Kotone)

Keisuke is in the photography club and Saori is in the Library Committee

XI. Strength: Koromaru(Both)

Yuko I'm sorry ;-;

XII. Hanged-Man: Maiko

XIII. Death: Pharos

Ok so how this works is

XIV. Temperance: Bede(Both)

XV. Devil: Ikutsuki(Both)

*SLAMS DESK* I NEED TO KNOW WTF IS UP WITH THIS GUY, EVEN IF I HAVE TO MAKE IT UP,

My idea is that both mcs do reach rank 10 with him but it doesn't change a thing the only thing it changes is Ikutsuki trys really really hard to get the mcs to join, also we hear about sho!!

XVI. Tower: Mutatsu(Both)

XVII. Star: Akihiko(Both)

XVIII. Moon: Shinjiro(Both)

XIX. Sun: Akinari

XX. Judgement: Elizabeth(Minato) Theodore(Kotone)

Yeah I wanted a social link for the attendances and like this isn't even really a social link in p3

XX. Aeon: Aigis(Both)

Faith: Mochizuki Ryoji(Both)

*Gestures to both the twilight wants him back and p5r*

[thasallweare]

Who Made That Cellphone?

By Pagan Kennedy

March 15, 2013

“We wanted to do a dazzling demonstration,” Martin Cooper says of the day in 1973 when he stood outside the Manhattan Hilton and fiddled with an object that was nearly the size of a child’s boot. “I had this thing with push-buttons on it, and I was talking into it,” he remembers. A crowd gathered around him on Sixth Avenue, gawking as he demonstrated how to make a call from the sidewalk — with no phone booth and no wires.

After the stunt, Cooper — who was head of the communications-systems division at Motorola — met with journalists inside the Hilton. The first cellphone, weighing more than two pounds, had all the sex appeal of a doorstop. Still, it was a triumph of engineering. To prove that the phone wasn’t an elaborate fake, he handed it around. One reporter called Australia and was astonished when her mother’s voice came out of the plastic-covered device.

“I have a mantra that people are naturally, fundamentally and inherently mobile,” Cooper says. While working on car phones, he imagined a world in which people would carry the devices on their bodies — and he liked to joke that “when you were born, you would be assigned a phone number.” That idea seemed wildly futuristic in the 1960s, when car phones needed 30-pound batteries. But by the early 1970s, “the electronics had improved,” he says. “We could get by with a small battery and very small parts, and you could actually carry the phone with you.”

It would be another decade before you could actually buy one. The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, left, went on sale in 1983 for about $4,000 — and became a symbol of yuppie excess. In the 1987 movie “Wall Street,” Gordon Gekko strolls on the beach at sunrise and snarls into his brick-size phone, “This is your wake-up call, pal.” Soon enough, everyone else would get the wake-up call, too.

The phone tracks our movements, as well as our calls and texts, so it can reveal a lot about our daily lives. What did you learn about yourself by studying your own cellphone data? That I’m very predictable. We tend to pay attention only to the new things in our lives. Meanwhile, our habits are invisible to us. You may say you don’t always eat Tex-Mex food, but if you’re always at the Tex-Mex restaurant, I’d have to disagree.

If you were to look at my cellphone data, could you predict where I’ll be next Tuesday? Probably.

In a recent study, you looked at people’s cellphone data and found that their behavior changed just before they reported feeling sick. Yes. It turns out that all of us have very consistent responses when we’re getting the flu. We move around more before we come down with the illness — it’s that last gasp of activity before you get really sick.

You asked the people in your study to tell you how many hours they slept. Did you discover anything when you put together the sleep logs with calls, texts and other cellphone data? It turns out that there’s a strong correlation between social stimulation and good sleep. If you don’t sleep well, you are more likely to be a hermit. Some of the people in our study discovered that the correlation was very strong for them — they needed good sleep in order to be social.

To read comments please visit the original post. See link attached.

[overandunderthehill]

A Digital Recluse's Calling

A project pitched by our group “Spice Girls” for our final requirement in our CAMPUBL class involves the exploration of stories that featured three Generation Z “digital recluses”. A digital recluse refers to social media hermits or people who avoid sharing and participating on social media trends. Compared to other people from their generations, these three are considered people who are “out of the norm” since in this era, having a digital presence is what connects people with each other the most.

Audrey’s interviewee is Andrew Cole, a student at the University of Toronto who will be taking up neurobiology. In summary, Andrew explained to her that social media really hurt his self-esteem during COVID-19. He saw many of his friends going out and doing stuff while he was stuck at home, it was just very mentally draining.

We also interviewed one of our classmates, Christian D. Chua. He is a quiet and introverted guy who always kept to himself during class times. He would come early to class or meetings and also be the first one to leave. This made us curious about him so we decided to search him up on various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. However, we could only find him on Facebook but even his profile did not feature any pictures of him except for a drawing. We were skeptical to add him on Facebook at first because we thought it was a fake account. Christian clarified that it’s his real account to keep in touch with family and school. Due to his given reasons, we decided to interview and write one of the feature stories about him for the project.

Davey felt affectionate towards the topic as he is somewhat of a social media recluse, so getting to interview one of his old friends and find out the reason why his friend didn’t want to use social media in the first place was refreshing for him. Davey’s interviewee, Aedryn Campos summarized his reasons on why he avoids social media. Essentially, it is due to the toxic environment and the “cancel culture” that made him turn away from it.

So far, as of writing this brief report, the feature stories have been achieved. With the three individuals interviewed having a somewhat the same lifestyle but different reasons as to why they avoid active involvement on the internet. It gave the target audiences various reasons why someone from Generation Z could be a recluse online despite our reputation being the ones that are digitally inclined.

Of course, there were obstacles in making the project come true such as the time for us to make the written content as well as the website. Our group also faced obstacles in finding a way to set up an “engagement counter” that would record our metrics for success. In the end, we got to find solutions for these. However, the biggest concern that we failed to address in time would be our project’s social media presence. The group decided to share the website link through our personal profiles on social media instead of making social media profiles for the project. This is due to the lack of time on the developing part. Although, in the end, we were able to reach our minimum target of 200 website engagements.

This was a huge learning experience for our group and it also made us realize that publishing isn’t really that easy, as opposed to our experience in posting on social media. Professional publishing takes a lot of time and effort to do compared to social media publishing. Through this project, I realized that publishing factual information is important and the need to go through a rigorous yet fair process is needed. Just like what journalists have been doing for centuries, publishing is a social responsibility that Communication Arts students like us need to make aware of. Social media is just a medium but the obligation to deliver interesting yet relevant information rests on our shoulders.

[silvermuffins]

...it won't let me? It should be available... Oh, it's daytime only. Useless to me then. So uhhh.... What to do with my evening then....

Well, let's do a rank check real quick.

I have maxed Priestess, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Hermit, Hanged, Death, Temperance, Tower, and Star.

At Rank 9 I have Fool, Devil, and Sun.

At Rank 8 is Strength.

At Rank 5 I have Emperor and Fortune.

At Rank 4 is Magician.

At Rank 3 is Justice.

At Rank 1 is Empress.

And I have yet to begin Moon or Aeon.

I cannot check which links need bonus points right now so I'm gonna just brush koromaru. Minato needs it after all of the Everything.

Today I think we go with Yuko. We can blast through Mitsuru's pretty quick. So, Yuko. We love Yuko. She's one of my faves. But we platonic her this time.

Yuko is also one of the ones who makes me saddest when I think about the various social links *after* the end of the game. Especially when romanced, but the point remains.

Now we go finish out our link with Tanaka! Once I make sure I have a Devil on me. I do!

God. Color Your Night is such a good song. Pure vibes.

I honestly love Tanaka, he's so awful, and twisted up and revelling in being a shitheel capitalist. But there's also A Guy who has his reasons and justifications under there, and he can be convinced to change his actions - if not his thinking. "Donation. No, I'm definitely not being kind. It's an investment, someday it'll benefit me. Please believe I am still a 110% self-serving bastard, not just an 85% self-serving bastard."

That's another max link. And we'll be starting moon soon so we'll still have our questionable taste in people. But tomorrow is Sunday so we're gonna cap off Sun.

Whew once again took an unintended break. RP life is crazy. I have a six-year-old trying to eat Cthulhu and a girl who's about to officiate about six weddings simultaneously in the middle of a battle.

However, I also gotta finish Reload, so we are gonna work on getting through a good chunk of Doomcember today!

.... apparently my ps4 lost power somehow since last time? Worrisome....wait no I think we did have some flickers not too long ago,, okay sense is made. Anyway. Reload. where was I, what was I up to?

At 193 hours on the clock, 12/3. Let's go do....things!

[pearl-tarotist]

⋆༊*·˚ Which art movement would your FS and you be? Part 2 ☄. *.

“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too” (Vincent van Gogh, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh).

In each art movement you can see that certain topics are used… The brushstrokes are not the same, the colours are not the same, the painters are not the same. The aura and its aim are different. Each painting is as different as each relationship. This is part 2, just 3 options to chose from part 1 felt little. If you don’t feel attracted to any of these, go to part 1!

PILE 1

(Ten of shells – The Devil)

Your “art movement” would be Ukiyo-e. Let me quote: “Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica (Shunga). The term ukiyo-e (浮世絵) translates as "picture[s] of the floating world".

I think this is the art movement that represents this couple because there’s a lot of passion and sexual tension with the Devil card. There would be a lot of raw feelings and rough manners and touches. I think you should take a look at some shunga (erotic ukiyo-e) paintings.

But this does not end here! I think that the woman or the one with the most female energy is absolutely beautiful and radiant; the images I am getting are of some of flowers, gardens and cute summer dresses. I think this is not only a carnal relationship but one of adoration. It’s a win from both parts; there’s a feeling of wholeness and stability. And the dates will be so good! Close to the sea, surrounded by nature and flowers and so much beauty.

Artist I recommend: Katsushika Hokusai and The tale of Genji (Book I still have to read).

Feedback is appreciated ❤️✨

PILE 2

(Nine of gems – Eight of shells)

Romanticism! As much lovely this name sounds, its actual meaning is far away. It is characterised by individualism, glorification of the past (medieval) and heroic individualists that value their own ideas and feelings more than any other thing, even if that means to part away from society.

I think this couple will have to fight certain social rules or expectations of them. You may even have to fight for your independence and sacrifice some things in the way. A perfect example would be Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, even with the economic circumstances going against her, she remained strong in her beliefs and sense of justice. She would rather stay alone than with someone that she didn’t love; it all had it reward.

I think the most characteristic part from this couple is its strength and will to do what they value and love and it also has to do with some supernatural/occult tendencies. There’s something scary/ too intense going on (Edgar Allan Poe vibes) too.

Artists I recommend: Jane Austen (author) and John William Waterhouse.

Feedback is appreciated ❤️✨

PILE 3

(Strength – The Hermit)

Middle Ages Art, Europe (1200-1300), specially the figure of Ramon LLull. There’s a strong feeling linked to religion, devotion and strength. It’s a mix between two sisters: faith and science. Strength toward the exterior and a need of introspection inside of us. How can I explain this?

In the most famous book of this author, Ramon LLull, called “Árbol de la Ciencia (Arbor Scientiae)” (Tree of the science), he uses a metaphor of a three as the representation of each brand of science (we have to understand that in that age “science” does not hold the same meaning). The tree was the body of the universal knowledge, art, science, religion, philosophy. It’s a symbol of life and relationship.

I think this is important because this couple will have everything; you both will be as the three that grows from the universe. You both can have it all; philosophy, art, science… You both have it inside of you. I think it’s going to be such a complete couple; even when different you are made of the same tree.  As if it was the center of the universe; and there will be a strong point of inflexion in religion/beliefs/your divine principles.

I would advise everyone in this pile to read about the "Arbol of science”, if hopefully you can find information of it in English( you will find it in Spanish, though).

Feedback is appreciated ❤️✨

[ksahai]

THE MANIFESTOR HUMAN DESIGN

The Manifestor Human Design is also rare indeed as only 10% of the population identify as Manifestor. Go head, take a victory lap. But then come back, because we’ve got work to do! You have a gift for initiating action and creating impact that is long lasting. It is the main goal of the manifestor human design to find the peace to do what they want, when they want to do it, which can make them great entrepreneurs but not always great employees if not in a leadership role.

You are at ease in solitude and find peace in manifesting what you want for yourself which can sometimes not make you the best team player – you’re probably relieved you’re not stuck in school doing group projects anymore! It may feel as though there is an ever present pressure to make things happen, as this is key to fulfilling your purpose.

The manifestor human design can have a repelling aura that can sometimes be misinterpreted and make people feel defensive or protective. To improve relationships, it is important to communicate after you have made a decision but before you take action.

You may need to confront the following fears: Fear of upsetting someone, fear of confrontation, fear of control. It might feel easier to just become a hermit, but you can totally learn to not listen to these fears and grow even more in your relationships.

When you are resisting your true nature and not using your strategy, you might tend towards anger.

The manifestor human design soul desires peace, a place of no resistance. In order to do that, you must follow a strategy that works for you. In your relationships, you have to bring people along the journey with you by telling them (informing) what you are doing even if you are worried they don’t agree. It’s definitely not the end of the world if someone disagrees with you!

Manifestor Self Care Guide:

Smell is the only sense connected to the limbic lobe of the brain, which controls emotions and is strongly linked to behavioral patterning so it can help you reprogram your open center and strengthen your defined centers. Use oils with your self care to awaken your senses and recondition any old stories you may be telling yourself that no longer serve you. 

Morning: For the manifestor like you, it’s important to begin the day with some movement, such as yoga or stretching. Even 5-10 minutes is something!  Apply your face oils while saying your affirmations.

During the Day: Burst + Retreat is necessary. The manifestor human design type needs to take care not to experience burnout, which they will tend to do left to their own devices. A capitalist society will peer pressure you into working too hard for too long. Instead, honor your rhythm – retreat and rest when needed. Think of it as an act of rebellion! You may have bursts of productivity, but then you need to rest. Don’t subscribe to the “shoulds” – whatever works best for you is what’s best for you.  Essential oil: Headache (Lavender and Peppermint essential oil)

Night Time: Start your wind-down routine by washing your face and then apply an oil while tapping your whole face. For you, it is best to lie down for up to one hour before going to sleep in order to discharge from the day. You can do whatever activity feels best to you (reading, television, listening to music...), though it’s probably best if you stay off of social media. 

One moon cycle of living in alignment the manifestor human design chart will help you to awaken your mind to what is your truth vs what is the programming. We invite you to embark on a self-discovery process that brings self-love and joy.

CLAIM INVITATION

Not sure what you are? Get your Free Human Design Chart

[hermitdrabbles56]

Welcome to the Spaghetti Bowl

After staring at this blank post for TWELVE HOURS let's get this show on the road.

I go by many names but for the sake of simplicity and sanity just call me Hermit or some iteration of that. I go by they/them. and I am essentially a gremlin with so many thoughts that there are no thoughts.

My Ao3 is: HermitDrabbles56

because let's be honest I'm not going to remember to update this every time I post a fic..

Linked Universe AU's

At least the active ones:

The X-Files Boys

BNA Chain

Friendly Fire

Divine Beast (Nothing posted yet)

Monster Fight

Monkey!Twilight

Tender Betrayal

Porcupine!Time (Warning with this tag is some of sonicasura's wereporcupine au may be in there???)

Turtle!Wars

Witcher AU's

Active(ish): Note none of these are posted or talked about....yet..

Sky Pirate Eskel

Witchers and their Dragons (Eskel and Dragon Jaskier)

Depth of a Witcher (Eskel and Jaskier finally meet fic)

A dragon, 2 witchers and a baby

5 & 1 of Eskel having the brain cell

Drinking Songs for the Socially Anxious (Modern AU)

Others

Trollhunters Again

Fandoms And Chaos I Enjoy

This is just...a big cursed list of things that I am good at talking about.....I don't know why I'm doing this but here we fuckin go. Some of these I have binge watched into oblivion some of these I just greatly enjoy.

HTTYD and the subsequent tv shows

Treasure Planet (DreamWorks movie)

Rise of the guardians

Owl house

Tales of Arcadia

Linked Universe

Detroit Become Human

The Witcher (Game/Netflix)

Danny Phantom

Okami

Brand New Animal

Demon slayer

My Hero Acadamia

Godzilla Singular Point

Seven Deadly Sins (Netflix anime but Have not caught up since the third season)

Multiple cop shows just ask and I may know

X - Files

BBC Merlin

BBC Sherlock

Studio Ghibli (theres a handful I haven't seen but I know most..?)

Vox Machina

D&D and Pathfinder

Firefly

VARIOUS ANIMES I'm not a guru or anything but the list is long enough not even I have the time or patience to sort through and input them all

Flight Rising (even if my account is el deado right now)

Love Death & Robots

Stray (still need to finish)

Skyrim

Hellblade: Senuas sacrifice (still need to finish)

Inside job (I'm completely normal about this)

Disenchantment

Pyschonuauts

Dishonored

Good Omens (TV show)

Razias shadow, Hades Town and several other musicals

ANd God Knows What else

[albatris]

Can you tell us about Nat 🥺 I’ve had him for like two minutes but I love him! Happy Blorbo Blursday!

Happy Blorbo Blursday! thank you so much for the ask.....!!

absolutely I can tell you about Nat :D I'm glad you like him!!

Nathaniel Felix Finch! he's a good boy, sweet boy! he's the deeply unfortunate protagonist of our deeply unfortunate horror story, A Rental Car Takes a Left Down Rake Street and Disappears! although the narration swaps pretty evenly between Nat and Quinn, Nat is definitely the main character of this silly little tale, much to his disdain :))

he's 25 years old and currently works night shifts at dodgy petrol station chain Stop 'N' Go, where he is prone to falling asleep on the register and randomly getting pizza delivered mid-shift! he lives in a tiny shitty apartment a few suburbs over with his cat Grub, ugliest cat in the known universe (affectionate) (he will cry if he hears anyone call her that). he's a bit of a hermit at the story's start, prone to intense social anxiety and paranoia...... he doesn't go out if he can avoid it and doesn't really have any friends, though he's on cheerful terms with his two elderly neighbours, Mr and Mrs Larson, who he helps out with errands and often cooks for :3

chapter one kicks off when he wakes up in his rental car on the side of the road covered in dirt with no memory of the past nine days. concerning! after spending the following week in agony and coughing up blood and almost passing out in public and being hungry all the time and having weird new allergic reactions to stuff and existing in constant sensory overload, Nat commits a brutal petrol station murder and eats a guy and is like Ah Fuck Apparently I'm A Vampire Somehow, Also I Just Ripped Someone's Throat Open And Drank Their Blood, I'm Going To Have A Panic Attack Now

he is scooped out of mortal peril by shifty fucking bastard with a mile long list of ulterior motives perfectly ordinary kind selfless human person Quinn Cooper, and a bonkers plot ensues <3

so ye, Nat is a brand new baby vamp trying to figure out the mystery of what happened to him during his nine-day black out that resulted in, uh..... All Of This. and quickly winds up in a plot that has him and a ragtag gang of unhinged bastards, human and vampire alike, plotting to murder the centre of the giant monstrous vampire hivemind all vampires are linked into, known as The Garble

Nat is........ yeah. like I said, good boy, sweet boy. despite the inevitably violent nature of vampirism, he does his best to be kind and fair, with varying degrees of success. though prone to bouts of paranoia and depression and a pessimist through and through, he does believe that people have the capacity to be good and he wants to do good in the world :3 he struggles with figuring out How to do good in the world, when he rarely feels like his actions have an impact and it's easy for him to slide into listlessness and apathy about life. with the added horror of "now you need to straight up eat people to live", he has a doozy of an existential crisis to work through

he's a bit of a doormat sometimes, and though he always pretended to be fine with his solitary lifestyle and loneliness, he desperately wants connection and friendship. he's prone to letting people take advantage of him or manipulate him purely because at least that way he feels "useful", and they're more likely to keep him around...... he improves a lot on this front, though, so don't fret! we get to see the lad's self esteem improve tenfold <3

he initially doesn't really like himself that much, but the story gets to see him come into his own and find his values and worth....! he's an extremely kindhearted, intelligent, loving person, it just takes him a while to realise :D

and hmmm

once he gets past his anxiety towards other people and his awkwardness, he's extremely affectionate! he adores his friends and loves to cuddle with them and compliment them and help them out wherever he can :D he's very loyal, peppy and cheerful towards his loved ones, and whenever anyone expresses that they consider him a friend he gets v excited and bouncy like a happy golden retriever hahaha

but yes, he's anxious and shy at first around people, not so great with social cues.... HOWEVER he's also an excellent cook and particularly likes cooking for other people and sharing meals as a form of connection and bonding :3 so, often the first thing he does when he decides someone is Friend Material is to find an opportunity to cook for them. it's his go-to method of showing affection!!

he can be a bit of a drama queen, especially when it comes to Quinn, because he figures out Quinn has a weak spot called "if Nat looks as sad and pathetic and dejected as possible, Quinn will just melt and do whatever he wants". so yes, he's not above dramatically playing up being so so sad and devastated to guilt trip people lmao. Quinn is not immune to sad puppy dog eyes vampires

other Nat facts...... he loves animals! he regularly donates to wildlife charities despite not having that much money to begin with, and volunteers at various shelters looking after the cats :3 he's been a vegetarian since he was 17, and still considers himself one despite the fact that he's now an entire vampire who preys on humans. so yeah, you get like..... bits in the story where Nat drains some guy like a fuckin capri sun then the next day is like "no I can't come to check out the new Korean BBQ place with you Quinn I'm a vegetarian :((( you'll have to take someone else :((("

his moral compass can be described as like...... the vibe of someone robbing a bank at gunpoint and violently stealing a getaway vehicle..... then following all the road rules and speed limits perfectly and making sure to pay for parking and display the ticket properly when they ditch the car

it becomes clear as the story goes on that he's not exactly an ordinary vampire, and that however he got turned was NOT the usual method.... he's able to access a lot more of the Garble's life force than other vamps, which left unchecked can result in an overload of power affectionately referred to as Monster Mode Nat :P

a big ol' body horror vampire creecher, violent and aggressive and jumpy, out of control. usually it's state of intense fear for him, something that occurs when he's in very dire straits, when he or his friends are threatened, etc etc. a Nat too far in Protector Mode, basically, but that can easily become dangerous even for the people he's meant to be defending. he is still able to recognise Friends, though it takes him more effort, but struggles to make sense of unfamiliar humans or vampires as anything other than resources, food or threats

going Monster Mode and returning to a humanoid state from Monster Mode, both of these are intensely painful experiences as the body kind of snaps back into shapes and your bones readjust and your flesh melds back together. usually a lot of writhing and screaming involved

as far as regular vampire Nat in the day-to-day goes, he's prone to all the usual vampire instincts. so, yes, he's got extra anxiety and paranoia and jumpiness, he's got that usual insatiable insufferable vampire curiosity, he loves to bask and be cosy and snuggle with friends. he can purr and it's extremely cute. he has a moderate to severe allergic reaction to sunlight though it won't kill him immediately, he struggles with garlic much to his despair as a cook, n he has an extremely high prey drive that he has to work very hard to manage

the Garble in the bloodstream is something that tends to "kick in" and trigger vampiric traits like increased strength, heightened senses, fangs and claws When Needed, so there's often a lot of fluctuation between Nat being more visibly and Obviously vampiric, or leaning more towards appearing and acting human. it can depend on level of hunger, level of anxiety, presence of a threat, etc..... or sometimes it just Happens!

a more human Nat is a fairly placid, lazy Nat, a low-energy and easy-going Nat, whereas a more vampire Nat tends to have a lot of energy and excitability, though it may manifest as anxiety. under threat or if he's hunting, it makes him vicious and powerful and intensely alert. if he's just chillin, then it usually just puts him in high-energy silly mode, the vampire equivalent of a pet getting the zoomies lol

anyway. this was a lot of Words. I apologise for so many Words. thank you for coming to my ted talk, I hope you have a lovely day~ :D