#also im thinking level 1 bullets only

[l0stfoster]

You already know who it is, back on my bullshit 👉👉 not here for paul this time (SHOCKING)

So , darry. Darrel Curtis. My boy my baby. I just have like ,, general things i want to know more about so bare with me bc hes my fav alongside paul ofc and i can ramble

1. When did his tail get permanently fucked up and how did he mess it up so badly?

2. Ik his powers get unstable when he gets like ,, real upset so besides the night he slapped Pony, are there any instances where he just got outta control ?

3. Is he afraid that his relationship with Paul isnt real bc of his mind manipulation bc baby knowing me if i had that power id be scared to mfing death

4. Goddammit im mentioning paul again sorry but ik darry calls paul pretty boy (heart hands i love that) but does paul call darry any pet name that just makes him SWOOOON

5. Has he ever gotten jumped post-book ?? I imagine that before him and paul fell out he had told him a bunch of things including weaknesses that socs used to their advantage ESP after paul “betrayed” them, and what better way to hurt paul holden then to hurt the person he loves more than life itself

Okay thats all for now b4 i go literally insane but i may be back bc i have questions abt other couples 😼😼😼

You’re so fucking real for the Darry enjoyment too I also adore him he’s such a guy. Both in canon and in the au, I need to kiss him on the forehead. DARRY YAP TIME (Crow will be so joyous)

Timewing got really excited about this one so a lot of the answers are his, I just added on afterward with my thoughts, so the first bullet point will be hers, and the second one is mine!!

When did his tail get permanently fucked up and how did he mess it up so badly?

- I assume he tried to crush it or break it violently enough that it needed to be amputated. One way of the latter reason probably would've been falling off the roof of the house back first. One way of the former reason is heading out to a field and trying to slam a hay bale on it. - I personally like to think he'd gone far enough to get his hands on a spare tire from their father's truck and,, crunch! It was the only way he could think of doing enough damage while getting away with it since the car had issues enough to need active little fixes and tweaks, including tire changes. He was around 17 or 18 during all of this, by the way. Unlike his ears, this isn't one his family knows was purposeful.

His powers get unstable when he gets like ,, real upset so besides the night he slapped Pony, are there any instances where he just got outta control?

- There are so many instances but it happens more so when he's stressed. There were a few situations where during tests during school he accidentally ended up making an entire class of 20+ students so anxious a few were sent home and a couple jocks had panic attacks. Another instance was (using the musical for this) when he and Soda were brought in to be asked abt Pony's whereabouts and he got so pissed off with the questioning that he also heightened the officer's anger and nearly got himself arrested. Also the rumble. I think that speaks for itself. - A couple other instances I can think of are after their parents died, when Dally got shot, and uh. The entirety of the duration that Pony was gone, though that was mostly him heightening his own distraught compared to anyone else. He probably does it every now and then at work too during rough work days, which makes for some interesting occurences.

Is he afraid that his relationship with Paul isn't real bc of his mind manipulation bc baby knowing me if I had that power I'd be scared to mfing death.

- Absolutely. He stresses abt it every second of every minute of every hour of every day. - A little fact that Darry doesn't know, though, is that after Paul's powers are presented he has a level of resistance to certain types of curse-related powers! He's not immune, per se, but Darry's manipulation, Soda's song, and Johnny's death sense are all a little lowered; this is because he's in the direct bloodline of the witch who cursed Tulsa. In the way that Johnny can't see Paul's death date (but can get flashes of it), Soda's siren song is easier for Paul to break himself out of and he can tolerate Darry's manipulation for a little longer before caving into it. Parry fans can rest easy knowing that Paul's love for Darry is 100% genuine. Unfortunately, Darry does not know that </3

Goddammit Im mentioning Paul again sorry but ik Darry calls Paul pretty boy (heart hands I love that) but does Paul call Darry any pet name that just makes him SWOOOON

- It's mostly the Latin nicknames that get him. He may not know what the hell Paul is saying but he's in love with it anyway. But he's also especially fond of being called the ever so typical "sugar" - Yeah it's just a bunch of Latin and then the usually sappy ones. Darling, Doll, etc. Paul hits him with “Optimum accidit mihi” ("The best thing to happen to me") once and Darry would actually fold if he knew it.

Has he ever gotten jumped post-book ?? I imagine that before he and Paul fell out he had told him a bunch of things including weaknesses that socs used to their advantage ESP after Paul “betrayed” them, and what better way to hurt Paul Holden than to hurt the person he loves more than life itself

- I imagine maybe once but there was also when he went hunting for Two's stolen feathers and was... scary. He's a scary dude, no one wants to mess with a fae that has that much muscle and is probably not afraid to bite you. - I also agree that,, yyyyeah, Darry is arguably one of the greasers to get jumped the least, including post-book. He works a lot too, so it's not like there are many open instances for him to walk around. Darry definitely told Paul any weaknesses that did exist, but I like to imagine Paul kept those real tight to his chest- He absolutely used them himself during their time hating each other, but could never get himself to tell the other socs; it was a level of trust he couldn't bring himself to break, especially since Darry had seen and heard his own share of things from Paul that he never spilled. The Socs also didn't know that Darry was what Paul valued the most; sure, Paul was very clearly into him, buuuut they make their own assumptions regarding his sexuality and how things go relating to it-

-I could definitely imagine a scenario where they attempt to sabotage Darry and Paul's relationship out of spite if they knew how dedicated Paul is.

[literallys-illiteracy]

New Trailer thoughts and notes:

Oh wow im so gay:

Mommy? sorry. Mommy? sorry. Mommy? sorry. Mommy?

I dont even like Rodion, in fact i still dislike her but... Uh. wow?

Theres not too much to note here, im the EGO person not the ID analysis person (at least for now :3), but for the skills.

Skill 1 appears to be 2 coins piercing. Skill 2 appears to be 3 coins, likely Piercing. Skill 3 appears to be 4 coins, almost certainly Piercing as well. Unlike the other 2 La Mancha Land ID's we've received so far, she seems to have a skill 4 rather than an empowered skill 3, being Dulci's Finale attack, which appears to be 4 coins of AOE piercing.

Finally, she appears to mark the return of playable clashable counters, hopefully we get an unbreakable coin counter, but thats just being a bit too hopeful.

also this ID has the most fanservice of any in the entire history of the game, and of COURSE it needs to be on a character that i dislike just so i cant thirst as hard over her.

Fell Bullet Yi Sang:

First i want to note some things about the art within this EGO's art; most notably is the shattered glass effect and presence of the fluchshutz itself in the background, while it does appear in Heathcliff's fell bullet ID, with its back facing heathcliff's, instead it appears in the centremost shard, with its barrel facing Yi Sang's head.

This note is furthered by the awakening line making mention of "The gun barrel on *My* viscera", rather than another's as in the fluchshutze's story.

The second divergence from Heathcliff's art is the lack of the fluchshutze's traits, having not the halfed face covering that heathcliff had, nor the reddened scarf. This is notable for the main reason that, in the awakening animation of heathcliff's, his face was entirely obscured with said mask of the shooter — These differences in appearance could be due to a number of reasons, even as an arbitrary choice, but it is likely due to resonance with the EGO itself, Heathcliff's being much stronger and thus taking on more traits of the abnormality.

The third divergence and one i will return to later, is the lack of a pendant. If you look at the shooter's art, at Heathcliff's fell bullet art as well, there is a clear pendant visible around their neck, the last remnants of their loved past. Keep note of that i suppose.

Now onto the awakening skill, something interesting to note is the fact that it seems to hit an ally as well as multiple enemies, shooting through heathcliff's Heart'(?), (its not a visible enough detail to note for sure, but i am assuming that this is intended), just in the same way that the devil's final bullet peirced the heart of the freischutz. Also, I think that PM still don't really know how guns work, because, just like the Thumb's "Muskets" that is a rifle. Im not particularly into guns but im 90% sure so.

If we're counting friendly fire, then it seems to have an attack weight of 7, with the latter coin (as he fires twice) seeming to only hit 2, the ally and one of the enemies targeted by the first.

The Corrosion is interesting, the sprite making Yi Sang take the form of a mirror, likely the form of the pendant itself (although there are like 4 mirrors in the sprite so take with that what you will). Contrast this with Heathcliff's corrosion sprite, being that of the heart, for that same reason that Heathcliff seems to be the one used as a friendly fire target in the awakening, for the devil wishes for despair, and to eventually claim their heart.

The corrosion appears to have one coin, and about 6-7 attack weight, once again counting Heathcliff, who remains in the very centre of the ironsights, (Or scope rather, as the gun is changed in the corrosion to include one, despite the art of the Fluchshutz' depicting the ironsights.

The screen that flashes before the shot is "IFF system - Level 3: Deactivated". From what i've found, an IFF system is "Identification Friend or Foe" which should be pretty self evident to its relation here.

Ill make a longer/separate post discussing the WHY of Yi Sang getting this EGO, and any other tangents along the way, but from what it seems, this is likely going to be a Pride or Gloom skill (if i were to guess), and have 2 coins on awakening. It seems to be the first awakening since SOUPCLAIR to be indiscriminate.

[dungeonclown]

Dungeonclown D20 “Rankings”

In quotes bc i love pretty much all of them and just had to post this for posterity and if one of my friends asks which season(s) to watch. [Bullet Points not in any particular order]

Level 0: did not finish

Pirates of Leviathan (lovely cast but i couldnt get all the way thru due to audio quality issues from being the first remotely recorded show.)

Shriek Week (gabe hicks)

Coffin Run (didn’t hold my interest)

Level 1: I Really Like This 😊

Fantasy High Sophomore Year (i love this season, literally the only downside was the livestream format. No!!)

Fantasy High (OG - we’ve come so far)

Tiny Heist (i mean, so darling, so funny. what so u expect)

Mice & Murder (better quality for remote but could tell the cast would have killed it in person since the zoom call situation is a big barrier)

Misfits & Magic (very cute and wholesome. Spaulding forever)

The Seven (needed more episodes to tell the story!!! wish they had sets and minis; covid problems)

Neverafter (love the themes and imagery, such a good study on storytelling.)

Dungeons & Drag Queens (fave sidequest character art and minis, mainly so impressed by brennans skill as a gm for new players/roleplayers)

Level 2: I Absolutely Love This 🤩

Fantasy High Junior Year (first show watched as it was airing, best FH yet, mary anne skuttle what more could u ask for)

Unsleeping City Part 2 (literally only downside is being filmed remotely. Breaks my heart they couldnt do this in person since this season is so special. BUT - got to see character art and illustrated backgrounds which was really fun)

A Crown of Candy (goddamnit brennan)

The Ravening War (goddamnit matt)

Mentopolis (superb cast w great chemistry and just lots of fun idk man i just think theyre neat)

Burrow’s End (fucking incredible storytelling by aabria, the cast, the crew w sets and minis and SHADOW PUPPETS goddamn.)

Never Stop Blowing Up (so stupid so joyful im just happy to be here)

Level 3: Has a Special Place In My Heart 🥰

Unsleeping City (some of my all time favorite characters and i just love how deeply these people love and understand New York City. Its the molecular structure of NYC in a show and its special)

Escape from the Bloodkeep (the first season i was like I Have To Stop Immediately And Share This With My Family. Every character is perfect. Every NPC is perfect. The minis and sets are darling. Every day i think about Hamhead and about muh hert)

A Court of Fey & Flowers (i just love them, i never thought id be invested in regency shit but if you put it in the feywild and add goblins and hobgoblins and owlbears and idiot bird people and shit im so down goddamn. Killed it. Absolutely killed it. Also gorgeous sets and costumes and props??? Gagged.)

Level 4: Rewired My Brain Chemistry 💀

A Starstruck Odyssey (screaming, crying, throwing up. The energy of these people being in person after covid creates a truly incredible maelstrom of dumb beautiful bozo shenanigans. id give a kidney for more ASO content. I Love This Show. And that it was based off of Starstruck is so fuckin special. This setting is amazing. also big barry syx is the exact bullseye of character im obsessed with that it makes me feral to think about him. I was going to joke that he was made in a lab specifically to appeal to my big beefy sex idiot himbo mercenary sensibilities but thats exactly his backstory and im mad about it)

[unexpectedbrickattack]

Compiling some Peppino-centric hcs i have bc i would like to have something to look back on as a point of reference 😌 (this is so long. SO fucking long. Im sorry)

- starting w the basics: hes a short king; 5’2 (157cm). Hes like late 40s-early 50s to me. Hes got brown eyes i never draw bc i like drawing him w dots lol. Hes particular about his appearance and grooms very consistently. Has literally no issues w balding (exposed to balding bears in his youth; thinks they are hot now 😌) and it helps that he can literally cave someones skull in if they speak ill of him. He does have a couple of comfy hats incase his hair decides to be unruly in bad weather.

- very bulky build; think of olympic strongmen/ highland games but short. Visibly muscular arms and broad shoulder, fat chest and stomach, smoother legs (fat layered over muscle; v thick thighs and calves). Hes got surgery scars on his lower back from a bullet wound (only entry/no exit point). Debated giving him a scar around his sternum from heart surgery or some other crazy injury he had but im not sure yet; the bullet extraction scar is definitely staying tho.

-does NOT work out; he used to wrestle in his late teens/early 20s but otherwise he was (still is) a man who did lots of physical labor around his childhood home and grandparents shop. Continued the cycle when he got his own home and his own restaurant; cheaper to do his own (extensive) repairs than call for specialists/contractors when u are Fucking Poor.

- he DOES exercise; he is fond of jogging. He does this alot postgame, usually in the early mornings before he opens, and at the beach on his days off. He had it drilled in v early in his life that he Needs to stay active, so he will roll out of bed and do this almost daily. On his days off he will have random people come and join him; usually pepperman or noisette. Its too tedious/boring of a task for gus and noise, and vigi is out cold until sunrise at minimum.

- he owns a HOUSE; he does not rent an apartment. This is bc i think it would be reasonable to assume that anyone who OWNS a restaurant was at some point, well off enough to own a house instead of renting. And i like the idea of him using this house as collateral; if the shop goes under, so does his home (more stress for him…). (Ive seen other people treat his shop like a duplex ie shop on the lobby level and an apartment/living space on the second floor. This is ALSO v good and coincides w my want to have his home tied to his restaurant)

- the house is small; two bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a basement (where the 1/2 bath is located). BIG kitchen, small livingroom. It is surprisingly well furnished bc of his family donating things to him when he bought the house in his 30s. Lots of older wood based furniture. Hes not grossly messy (like food, bugs, etc) but he is disorganized beyond belief. Lives an ‘organized mess’ lifestyle bc of his high stress. Also extremely apathetic to his living conditions until postgame when his restaurant starts to take in profits again; less stress -> more positive time at home -> aware of the clutter as he spends more time at home.

- drives a beat up lookin car to and from work. Its his BABY; his ol reliable. He has to do lots of work to keep her intact and functioning. Eventually gets a newer car with his profits, but its rlly to help ease the strain on her so that he can take her out for drives occasionally.

-eldest of like 6 siblings; will not try to name them all just know that hes the only boy. Eldest daughter is only a year younger than him. Good relationship w all of them and his immediate family. Very matriarchal immediate family. Only a handful of uncles, his dad, and his grandpappy. Stubbornly cut off contact w everyone after the horrors (war) and refused to accept help w his failing restaurant (prideful). Eventually his (eldest) sister reaches out and he makes amends one at a time. (Gets an earful from his momma)

- works LONG hours. Awake by 4am, in noisettes cafe by 5am, in the shop by 6am. Preps and calls until opening at 9am. Closes at 9pm. Closes up FOR REAL at 10pm. Rinse n repeat. As the shop does better financially, he starts opening later and closing earlier (at the insistence of Gus). He still does his walks and his morning routine, just a little later, and he has enough time at home in the evening to cook for himself.

- on the topic of cooking, he is a good chef all around; pizza is just easier to market and consistently do Correct. Likes food alot. So much…..he isnt picky but he does go 😬 when eating something. Bad. And it happens Often.

- stress baked often. He felt bad about throwing out his food afterwards so he would give it away to his neighbors. No longer stress bakes but he will cook out of boredom which is not as bad but still not the best 😭 luckily he has so many freeloaders that will eat anything he makes (gus and noise)

- this is his second shop; the first one was in a larger city (think similar to pig city). Closed down due to insufficient payments, but reopened on the outskirts of the city (close to the forest) after putting up his house as collateral.

-first shop is where he first meets pizzahead. Hes offered a generous sum of cash to sell the business (which would then be converted into a ph brand shop). Obv declined. Later offered a position in pizzaheads business instead; nearly killed the man when scaring him out of his shop.

- Peppino is NOT some aggressive out of control beast (despite what pizzahead believes). He is vaguely neurotic and it is exacerbated by extreme stress and bouts of anxiety. So funny how removing the extreme stress and sources of anxiety makes him more Normal. (Somewhat encouraged by an official image i saw after i made this hc of peppinos attitude outside and inside the tower. He is relatively apathetic and inside the tower he is borderline manic. More hcs about that too)

- he is relatively fun to be with otherwise. He has some extremely dry humor. Hes incredibly sarcastic. He LIKES customer service…otherwise this would be impossible for him to endure. It helps that he Owns a shop, instead of only being a worker; he can yell at people who are rude and annoying to him and he knows (at least postgame) that he has loyal regulars.

- he is a bit of an asshole; he make snide remarks he shouldnt and hes been in his own fair share of fights bc of it. Has mellowed out drastically as he got a better grip on his emotions postgame. Only the most tolerant could really deal w him prior to postgame (gus) in part due to his anger (response to exacerbated neurosis and ptsd)

- also autistic. Extra stress bc of this. Easily overstimulated and the response to this is anger. Completely undiagnosed lmao but hes like late 40s; he just learned how to deal with it.

-common stress responses: bites on anything, usually his hand (Tried stopping this bc people would TOUCH him if he did that in front of others and that just made shit worse). Grinds his teeth. Jaw clenching. Making A Fist So Tight You Accidentally Cut Urself. Flappy hands, usually w hands balled up into a fist (specifically eyes closed; jaw clenched; head ducked, flappy hands over his ducked head). It looks ‘worse’ than biting but at least the excessive movement deters people from touching him.

- on a more positive note; knows quite a bit of magic tricks. Sleight of hand stuff is his forte. It is good for the anxiety and it keeps his hands busy. He is will consistently say that he is not good w kids but he loves entertaining them; they say the funniest shit and he likes being a bad influence on them 😈. Also teaching them tricks and letting them see behind the curtain is so fun for him; like they are so excited about silly tricks and it makes him feel a little cool….

- he is the kind of person whos like (dad voice) ‘not gettin a damn cat in my house’ and then has blackmail of him passed the fuck out with a cat on his stomach. He feeds the local strays by his shop and he cant help but feed the strays that end up by his house. He doesnt feel confident enough to take care of another animal when its so hard for him to remember to take care of himself so for now he just feeds them. But maybe soon he will take them inside…he also baby talks cats but if u caught him doing that he would kill u i think. (Pov u are the noise)

- silly hc that he has a real last name but he keeps it as spaghetti bc its funny to fuck around w people who ask him. No i dont know what his last name would be but i think it would be funny to have him ‘change’ it for branding and have people believe it. Also i think its funny to think of peppino saying this to ph somehow and he completely runs with it as gospel. Like ‘granny did u KNOW his last name is fucking spaghetti??’

- wrt young peppino, i say that w him being 20-23 in mind. Worked in his grandparents shop during this time. Worked as a line cook for some other restaurants as well (and saved up money to buy his own home while he lived w his parents and sisters). He was generally a sweetheart, just a bit odd (the Autsim and Anxiety), but that was (and still is) his charm point lol

- (SUGGESTIVE) cannot stop thinking of him as a little otter that hung out w older bears in the leather scene. He prob had his best years w them before he had to focus on other shit. He still keeps in contact w some of the peeps that were around his age postgame, and they meet up sometimes to hang along w vigilante. Now that hes older it is a bit surreal to now be the bear he used to look up to in his younger years. But its a bit flattering. Noise and Pepperman are younger than him and they both regard him w the same kind of wonder he used to give older bears. He thinks its cute lol (pepperman bc thats his muse and he sees his body type as PEAK human form, and noise bc i hc him as a bit sheltered despite the fame)

- (STILL SUGGESTIVE BUT THATS IT I SWEAR) adjacent to this; its weird for him to come back to this side of him bc hes been living in survival mode for over a decade. Got his house in his early 30s -> WAR -> comes back traumatized -> leaves family to cope -> dumps money into a restaurant to cope w leaving family. So he kinda missed it alot. Its fun to explore it w gus heehee and sometimes noise when he behaves.

-other things i wanted to mention but didnt know where to fit it. Peppino is a decent artist; he drew the logo for his shop and in general he is good at caricatures (another thing he can do to entertain a crowd; helps w anxiety to know how to not be awkward).

- Peppino is a bit of a mechanic (aka he learned bc he was broke and didnt want to call them for minor problems). Hes not a tinkerer but he likes the joy of creating sm and will make little. Creations. every once in a while. One of these creations is Peshino! He is a wooden windup toy made as a prototype for a more mechanical, mass produced version. He was intended to be sold as a cute little toy to help cement the branding for Peppinos shop but he never got the time or money for it, so peshino is collecting a bit of dust in his basement. Postgame, he takes peshino out and cleans him up; he feels a bit guilty about him….and the Big Peshino found in the tower plays music in Peppinos shop :) He also takes the time to clean him up and keep him functional.

Okay i think thats all i got for now byebye

[arondirk]

Impossible Orange ~Out O' Range~ Is the best version of one of my favorite songs in ZeroRanger!

TLDR: This arrangement combines the two major thematic elements of the original song in such a way that keeps them distinct but also further melds them together! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now for starters if you haven't played ZeroRanger before, (please do its like $12 on itch and steam and if you've participated in a few itch bundles its likely the game was included in it. And id argue its the best starter game for the bullet hell/shmup genre) this wont really cover any major spoilers but id still consider it a spoiler since its a shift in difficulty and tone for the game

I want to give credit to the composers of these tracks

eebrozgi for the original track and Tee-vee for the arranged version of Impossible Orange

(also preemptive when i mean "you" I'm speaking as in "you the player")

Ok so the original track in the game "Impossible Orange" plays after right before the end of level 3, its the second boss track of the level and acts as a sort of true introduction to the mecha form your Ranger can take. As a refresher or a showcase here's this part of the game in action (including sequence for when you are introduced to the game's mecha form) link here

The sequence is all bombastic and striking at first that whole anime moment of pushing through and fighting back with great intensity Break the Unbreakable as they say (I haven't watched guran lagann i'm just very aware this game makes references to it and other mecha anime).

Though it starts to slow down once you really get to the meat of the boss, while pretty easy its meant to convey the sheer size and force of Green Orange's fleet, an almost immense force that you may not be able to break through the game is telling you that this is where the first difficulty spike hits which is very much true. Stage 4 is 3 short stages in a trench coat of difficulty, a sprint as you fight your way to the center of the fleet. (which is also accompanied by amazing music like legit i cannot listen to "4th gear" without listening to "Unstopping" right after)

Though when I first listened to Impossible Orange outside of the game in full there's a section of it that most players likely would have heard when normally playing the game, the only real way you'd hear it is if you were being very slow at the fight. link here (the specific part im talking about starts at around 1:29 if you wanna skip to it)

It keeps up this oppressing tone until suddenly, it gets this funky backing beat to it, and then it sorta brings back that sorta confident tone to it, while odd I think this could be seen as the character (the even the player) still pushing despite these Impossible odds.

NOW FOR THE ARRANGED ALBUM VERSION

and also a very biased account of my expectations as i fist listened to this

LINK HERE A ominous start, the looming presence of the impossible orange fleet deciding to bring in the oppressive tone first. Before kicking in that fucking strong guitar lead going right into that anime fuck yeah sorta feel and then it just keeps going with it, almost throwing me for a loop that it was going to be the entire song, I was hyped. But then it reels it back bringing the ominous tone continuing to speed up the pacing of the song as if the character was trying to push back against the force before going fully into the impossible side of the song.

It then ramps it back up bringing back the guitars for the much more funky beat letting the guitars be the lead of both the themes plastered in this beautiful track before then pushing forward with a final play of that heroic motif from the start coupled with that amazing synth accompanying the lead.

Its incredible and I love it

Thank you for listening to my nerdy rant <3

[serve-cunt]

HELLO HOW DO I GET INTO TENNIS HOW DOES IT WORK

context: i read your landoscar tennis fic and thought “oh. OH. This is GREAT. now i wanna get into tennis but oh fuck, new interest scary.” and now im conflicted because i have been scrolling through your blog and this seems like a very fun and sexy sport to be a fan of but also How the Fuck does it work? like what’s the main objective, what’s everyone trying to do? im already a huge f1 fan, and i know the point there is to win grand prix’s and eventually a world championship, but is there a tennis equivalent to that? is it to win Wimbledon? or the Australian Open? Or the US open? WHAT EVEN IS A OPEN. I AM LOSING MY MIND. and like how do you play tennis? how to be a good tennis player, what are the defining characteristics? what the fuck is a drop shot and why is a man named jannik not allowed to do them or else you will get a heart attack? speaking of which, jannik sinner has floofy hair and baby girl vibes and a friendship with slightly homosexual undertones with Carlos altracatz and i WANT to know more about them but like AAAA and i also feel like tennis is harder to understand because it’s not as easily categorised as f1? idk if it makes sense but there’s only 20 f1 drivers and one championship and one aim, but i feel like tennis is SO much wider and there are so many levels and it’s HARD TO UNDERSTAND…… so if someone could give me a basic breakdown of how tennis works and how to be a tennis fan? that would be great? or like… point me in the direction of something that will explain it? because i can feel a new obsession coming on but also AAA CONFUSION?.?. PLEASE I AM BEGGING SOMEONE HELP, please explain the basics. i am so sorry about the rant. have a good day <3. i am in tears of confusion

ANON my GOD I think this is the best ask I've ever received ... you have SO many questions and I have SO many thoughts, thank you so much for trusting me with this I will do my best & then I'll link some tennis blogs

"What's everyone trying to do"

LMAOOO okay this is actually such a fun question and multi-layered

— so if you asked a tennis player I think most of them would give a small-ish goal (relative to their experience. lol)  like some of them are sooOOOoo boring and would just say "I take it one match at a time" blah blah, some players (ons jabeur my beloved) are transparent about wanting to win big tournaments, some players are close enough to being number one in the world that they are allowed to say "I want to be number one in the world" lmao. Being #1 is determined by ranking points btw!! which you earn by winning matches at tournaments on the ATP (men's) or WTA (women's) tour. Each round at a tournament earns you more points, i.e. if you get to the semi-finals you earn more ranking points than if you only get to the round of 16.

— wow that was too many words for a bullet point but basically: if you're good enough, you want to be #1 in the world by ranking points. There are also other goals like: win all majors in a single year (a "grand slam"), win the MOST majors compared to anyone else (djokovic holds the record currently at 24), etc.

"okay so what is a major??"

(sorry slightly rephrasing your q: what is an open — we'll get there — also sorry it's getting jargony)

— ATP/WTA tournaments happen at different levels, which affects how many ranking points are earned and how much money you get in prizes. At an ATP 250 you win 250 points for winning the final, at an ATP 500 you get 500, etc. At the Grand Slam tournaments you get 2000 (!!) points and, like, SOOooooo much money for winning. 

— There are four Grand Slam tournaments: in chronological order you've got the Australian Open (January), the French Open (also called Roland-Garros, it happens in May/June), Wimbledon (July), and the US Open (August/September). 

— "Open" means that the competition is open to professionals and amateurs, so a lot of the tournaments are called [name of city] open or [name of sponsor] open

AO and USO happen on hard court

Wimbledon is on grass

French is on clay

okay that's all boring facts but here's where it gets fun (2 meeee)

^ Wimbledon is ✨ SACRED✨. it has a bunch of strange/archaic rules that are taken very seriously (players have to wear white, silence during play is ENFORCED in capital letters, etc) and its history is vaunted & special ! as a result there is a lot of weight to winning wimbledon for a lot of people, like wimbledon is special even amongst tennis players. it's the only grass major and the grass season is SHORT so you have to find your feet real damn fast. of course there's some backlash to the weird mystical atmosphere of wimbledon which is also fun to watch .. kyrgios being an smarmy asshole about it and (maybe?) getting fined for example .. but honestly it's rightfully criticised for being a stick in the proverbial mud,,  speaking of mud ... 

^ the French Open is ✨BEAUTIFUL✨. it's a clay tournament, which means play is slower, and just .. the look of clay ... idk it punches me in the chest tbh not sure why. players slide around and get dirty and it's all so fun & lovely & GORG . clay season is my personal favorite season

^ the US Open is ✨FUN✨. it's in New York City (ayyyyyyooo) and the crowd is ROWDY in a way that is truly unparalleled, you can't beat the atmosphere for party-esque but some players (a lot of players) haaaaaAAaate it. Some people love it tho, Serena always loved it, Coco fricken adored it (helps if you're american LOL)

^ the Australian Open is .. uh, hm. Happy? tbh I miss most of the AO every year because it's in an exactly opposite time zone from me. it's like a warm-up slam. LOL SORRY. somebody can correct me if they feel strongly ... >.>  it's also called the happy slam, it has a huge turn out every year so it must be fun!! play is very quick. jannik won this year :)))))))))))

"What's a drop shot"

— SooooOOO now we're getting into actual play jargon ... basically different shots have different names, forehand is when you hit a ball with the palm of your dominant hand facing forward, backhand is when your palm faces your chest ... I won't describe every shot because probs a video is more helpful for that? but:

— a drop shot is a ball hit so that it drops very close to the net on your opponent's side. basically if your opponent is waaaaay at the back of the court (maybe you've been rallying for a while and they got comfy) you can try and hit a ball short so that they can't get to it before it bounces twice. it's risky!!! if you attempt a drop shot you're probably pretty close to the net: if your opponent DOES get to it and hit it back, they're probably going to hit it behind you, and you won't have time to run behind it to get a racket under it.

"what are the defining characteristics of a good player"

— WOOF. okay. speed, for sure. but fast-twitch speed: can you get to the ball quickly? can you react to where it lands on the court and how it pops up? once you've hit it, can you get back into position before it comes back to you two seconds later? if you're up close to the net because you attempted a drop shot and your opponent gets to the ball & hits it behind you, can you back up real fast and attempt a "tweener" (when you hit a ball backwards through your legs) ? etc. You have to do a lot of movement around a small-ish space quickly, tennis players do a lot of short, high-intensity practices to prepare — athleticism!! tennis is an all-body sport:  do you have the lungs to keep running for a three hour match? do you have the leg strength to keep you jumping around that long? do you have the shoulders for a strong serve, arms for big ground-strokes?  (tennis players are fucking HOT lmao)

— creativity ! you can have the best arms ever and still lose because you play the same shot over and over and over and over and over and your opponent learns this and hits something that throws you off your rhythm. The best players (and most interesting to watch) can play far from or close to the net, are trying new things, are HAVING FUN (carlos alcaraz e.g.) 

— elegance ... idk some players just float .. they do all of the above but make it look so EASY

"there are only 20 drivers in f1 and there are so many tennis players HOW"

— no, valid. basically this tumblr post about how every so often there's a new tennis guy and I'm like "wait, who?" . I think everyone on tennisblr picks their faves and follows them closely, and then depending on your level of interest you pick up other faves along the way??  I got into tennis in the federer/nadal era so I'm a federer girl, in the WTA I'm smitten for serena (who isn't) with almost equal soft spots for Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty. Nowadays I follow jannik sinner like i'm a dog who's found a weird lanky carrot-flavored bone. i follow alcaraz because he's beautiful to watch, truuuuuly beautiful. i follow daniil medvedev because he's inSANE and a cunt but fun about it. I follow iga sviatek (my love) and coco gauff (my love [american]) because they're incredible and fun, ostapenko because she's ridic, muchova because she hits so pretty, daria because I want her to marry me <3 

^ one more obligatory jannik picture lol

— just on the subject of relating things to f1: the one thing that I really miss in tennis now that I've been following f1 for a bit is how the idea of a "team" just doesn't really exist. tennis players play doubles sometimes but even on a doubles team you're really playing for yourself, you don't get team support, that's not really a thing?? if you're a really good singles player you prioritize singles play, and often you play across the net from your doubles partner and obviously in that case you want them to lose??? like to a greater extent than f1 drivers want their teammate to lose, because tennis is truly zero-sum in a way that f1 isn't, quite.  this makes all tennis players feel kinda lonely and anti-social LOL and uhhh sometimes they actually are I think, like a lot of tennis players are super introverted and strange. i'm sure you see this in other sports this is just me comparing my two obsessions

woof ok idk if you're still reading but if you are!! some tennis blogs i can recommend off the absolute top of my head are: @sincaraz @tennis-shenanigans @mythicalpoolnoodle @scarletwitch1918 @fritzes @zhengqinwen @mayor-amor @vilebodiess @advantage-sinner (sorry this will catapult you into sinner tumblr) and they can probs rec more !! they can also correct me if i got something wrong!

as for basics, I think just watching some matches to start ! with commentary on so you know what's happening, also if you ever feel like sliding into my DMs ... they are SO open (heh) for new tennis fans :))

[raytorosaurus]

I have seen maybe half a season of TUA and didn’t read the comics so let me tell you seeing those panels where Vanya is yelling “We belong on that stage” (and in reference to herself and her taller blonde bass-playing brother) drawn in profile with literally Gerard’s haircut and outfit was a big shock to the system. I never even considered that he’d inserted elements of himself and his bandmates into TUA except for a bunch of weird edits people made comparing how much Aiden Gallagher looks like Frank but now I feel like I really need to read it.

im really looking forward to rereading all of the comics after this semester's over because i haven't done that since volume 3's run ended and i'll definitely make more coherent posts about it then but like. it's really really interesting to compare to all of gerard's other art because he is just...so distinctively him, even across different mediums and genres. tua and mcr and hesitant alien and kjna and his visual art etc etc etc like his artistic fingerprint is stamped so boldly and unapologetically all over them and that's something i really love about him. like his art, love it or hate it, is sooooo genuine always. even when he's purposely imitating other artists, he's very consciously doing it in his own voice, putting his own spin on it.

when i say tua and mcr are completely separate projects i mean it - i don't think one should only ever be discussed in relation to/in the context of the other - and, above all, tua is certainly not like...autobiographical, or a direct representation of real people/events. it's led by gerard but it has a different creative team than mcr does and that really shows as well - i definitely wanna talk ant this when i have more time but part of the reason im not sold on conweap as an album is because it's too umbrella academy - it's really evident that gerard was working on both of them at the same time, and letting one influence the other too directly. mcr's a band, not a Gerard Project, and umbrella academy is largely a duo (w gabriel bá), so they can't just be transplanted onto each other yk.

anyway I'm rambling but all this to say - tua isn't meant to be "about" mcr any more than bullets is "about" 9/11. but gerard's life was changed and shaped by his experiences in the music scene throughout his life, by dropping everything and living as a penniless artist, by becoming suddenly (in)famous, and that really shines through in tua. he says he drew inspiration from touring band life to write a dysfunctional family, and the dehumanising effects of fame and attention, and of being categorised and scrutinised on a private or public level, are huge themes - as is addiction, mental health, complicated grief.

like...i actually got into mcr through the tua comics lmaooo. i read volume 1 because of wonderful @blackmoldmp3 talking about it and immediately said oh. i need more from this dude's brain right now. and i was soooo not disappointed haha. i really am obsessed with quite a lot of the things gerard is also obsessed with as an artist. the particular themes and imagery and scenarios he's fixated on are really very consistent throughout everything he does - only the way they're discussed or portrayed does change over time. i don't rly subscribe to the idea of gleaning specifics abt artists' personal lives from their works because, beside all else, it just does them a huge disservice (that's my number one gripe with the popular talking pounts around hes alien and frank's solo work in particular; however "confessional" you wanna read art as, it's still art that was created with skill and intent.)

anyway that's way off topic dkfnfj. what i do love about this kind of thing is looking at distinct creations in the context of the rest of an artist's body of work. like...yeah, gerard's said there's a lot of mikey in klaus. has dressed similarly to vanya and the kraken and the seance at times etc etc. has compared himself to the rumor, because she's the one he relates to most. puts a lot of his familiar ideology surrounding music and performance into vanya. puts angry teenage vanya in a shitty punk band with her disillusioned teenage brother on bass, and puts a classical music prodigy in a punk band as an excellent guitarist, writing songs about killing the president etc etc. i could go on! because these things are just scattered everywhere through the comic, just like all of gerard thematic and aesthetic and ideologic fingerprints.

so what's reallyyy interesting to me is looking at umbrella academy as something gerard wrote on the road with mcr across multiple years. volume one was released while the tbp world tour was ongoing, and volume two only a few months after. the progression of parade -> tua -> conweap -> danger days is SOOOO fascinating to me, especially because one of the things that really works about danger days imo is the way it kind of shakes off some of the tua-style gritty cynicism and returns to mcr's defiant, extravagant theatricality. if you go through tua with a fine-tooth comb you'll definitely find the most direct comparisons to conweap, in terms of mcr. the way dd approaches the themes it has in common with tua is just.....so different, and so so mcr. and then you can see the at times self-referential development on those things in hesitant alien - AND THEN VOLUME 3 COMES AROUND AND LIKE. AUUUGGGGHHHHH the change and growth there is SO apparent. btw i don't mean "growth" "progression" etc in this post to mean "improving" - i just mean change and development in a neutral sense, bc it's so interesting to see it laid out there in an artist's body of work. but like. man it makes me crazeeee actually the way gerard picked tua back up....almost certainly around the same time mcr started discussing a potential reunion. and the way that foundations revisits and reconceptualises mcr's existing catalogue is paralleled in the way vol 3 of tua is, like...........like there's so much life lived there, between those things. gerard's even said he's changed his plan for the ending (if we ever see it 🥲) because he has more compassion for his own characters now and doesn't want to see them broken down for good. he says he's gotten better at listening to other people - for starters, he's a lot more conscious of his own subconscious racism/whiteness that came through at times in the original run and has expressed regret for that (namely, the entire main cast being white, with a couple of side characters being uncomfortably stereotyped).

but just like. augh. im not gonna lie man i have no idea what i've just typed im sorry it's probably so rambly bc I'm so dizzy rn and definitely am not gonna proofread it or whatever skdjfj but. I LOVE ART! I LOVE ARTISTS! I LOVE DIVING DEEP INTO AN ARTIST'S BODY OF WORK AND WATCHING THEM REINVENT THEMSELF AND/OR DOUBLE DOWN ON THEMSELF (SOMETIMES FOR BETTER, SOMETIMES FOR WORSE). obvs this fandom genuinely does have a big issue with invasive/un-self-aware parasocial behaviour but there's a difference between that and like. getting obsessed with a particular artist. that's so normal and in fact necessary to life imo. i think every artist literally has to have ppl like that i can't imagine any other way to live it's just a specific type of human connection at a distance baby. don't get me wrong tho i also wanna chew on his thigh. anyway.

my god. how did i get here what even was your question. tua. yes it's crazy. it's not for everyone for sure but it has enough of the shit that makes me crazzzzyyyyy that it got me into mcr which made me crazierrrr so. yes i can recommend. especially if ur like me and lovvvve stories that are a little bit fractured by design. that dance around big parts of the story, where there's as much significance in an absence or in a tiny background detail than there is in any dialogue or action scene. most of the criticism i see of tua is about the pacing but like. to my tastes it's a really great use of the comic medium yk? lmk if you want content warnings or something there are plenty skdjfj.

[the-aftonsparv]

100 follower special!! fun alien facts!!

okay!! 100 FUN FACTS!! for each follower!! i’m sorting them by type!!

hey also!!! i’ll answer the first ten asks i get. whatever they are. completely honestly. pinkie promise! ask me anything.

20 fun facts about me!!

i wrote this while listening to the alien stage soundtrack

i have a 4 year old nintendo switch! it’s pink and green and makes me feel happy inside

i read. a lot. so much, in fact, my brain is bigger than megaminds

my first oc’s name was nightheart and she was the leader of thunderclan

i have written fanfiction since i was 10, had a wattpad account since i was 11, and only recently got an ao3 account

i have four published works on ao3, and about five million wips

i have eight published wattpad works. and i forgot my account email. if you see an account that’s called like guest123456789 (yes. that’s what it was called.) and is mostly wings of fire and warriors that’s probably me

my music taste is the neurodivergent trio + mitski + indie + occasionally rock

i’m neurodivergent :) big shocker!!!

i have a lot of health problems so sometimes i wont post on here lol

i have uhh let me count 6 tumblr accounts 4 of which i actually maintain regularly

im going to see an ado concert soon :) first concert ever!!!!

my walls are COVERED in posters

i i have a secret pokemon card stash

i have a blahaj as well as an aftonsparv!

my blahaj’s name is daryan!!

my blahaj is named after daryan crescend from aa4. bc the shark motif? anyways

this is harder than i thought it’d be

im currently halfway through a zukka fanfic?

i have the biggest list of ships and fandoms im in maybe ill post it (cough scroll down)

20 fun facts about my fandoms!!

ace attorney!! current favorite!!

name a musical. it’s that

favorite musical though is either heathers or rtc!!

splatoon!! i speedrun it occasionally too!!

genshin (but only sorta i haven’t played since fontaine)

DUNGEONS AND DADDIES!! (current second favorite!!)

project sekai colorful stage!!! WORLD FUTURE STAR!!

LEGEND OF ZELDA!! (t4t zelink has me in a stranglehold)

mob psycho!! (reigen drives me crazy)

tgswiiwagaa!!! GREEN YURI

wicked (since the musical one lol) GREEN YURI

love bullet!! GUN YURI!!

BUNGO STRAY DOGS (TOP FAVORITE OF ALL TIME!!)

saiki k!! THE SILLIES

toilet bound hanako kun (not the sillies :(( )

percy jackson!! (leo valdez and solangelo are my favorites!!)

HERMITCRAFT!! SCARIAN IS MY ROMAN EMPIRE

deltarune!! rouxls kaard is so babygirl

s1 and s2 tales from the stinky dragon!! haven’t started s3 yet :[

ALIEN STAGE as of like three hours ago RULER OF MY HEARTTTT

20 fun facts about space and or science!!

space is really quiet!! so you’d think i (an alien) couldn’t hear music?? WRONG i’m an alien i have special ears or whatever

i just finished a brief history of time by stephen hawkins

the moon isn’t perfectly round

time is relative

*insert thomas jefferson* every action has an equal opposite reaction

space is really cool guys trust

it would take nine years to walk to the moon

jupiter has 95 moons!!

i’ve played where in space is carmen sandiego like. four times? shoutout to the androgynous rep

voyagers 1 and 2 are still working even though it’s been like since the 1970s

99.84% of the universe is just. the sun

black holes are really cool looking

space is really fucking huge

splatoon 3’s boss level takes place in space!! sick!!

mouthwashing also takes place in space!! sick in a different way!!

i’ve read so many creepy ai takeover space books i dont wanna go

my favorite space books are either the illuminae files and/or the final six + its sequel

my favorite dndads episode is partially in space (finding tori)

you can last like. 15 seconds. before the vacuum gets to you

there’s like LOAAAADS of corpses up there just chilling. forever.

20 fun facts about my aftonsparv!!

their name is slaughterhouse

don’t ask why his name is slaughterhouse

slaughterhouse’s favorite crayon flavor USED to be dandelion but it got canceled

slaughterhouse’s favorite crayon flavor is robin’s egg blue

slaughterhouse’s favorite ship of all time is either ranpoe (bsd) or mitsuaya (tgswiiwagaa)

slaughterhouse’s nickname is william.

slaughterhouse’s favorite song is red green yellow by the garden

slaughterhouse’s name takes forever to type out so i’ll be calling her william now

william DOES NOT LIKE being called will

or willy

or bill

william’s favorite musical is the starlight express because they have a crush on c.b.

william’s best friend is orbulon from warioware!!

orbulon from warioware is one of my favorite characters in any media ever.

william drives a ford f-150

william’s ford has been featured in three (3) two trucks by lemon demon music videos

william cowrote two trucks fanfiction with me (psst it’s published on ao3) (psst it was always you truck x2)

william just stared at me i think she’s hungry

william just started levitating so i better hurry up and finish

OH william is nonbinary and eats only crayons and transphobes

20 fun facts about you guys!!

my first follower on here was @the-purjolokhaj ‘s main account :)

this blog is most inspired by @the-blahaj and their creator!

it was actually @the-rodhaj ‘s creativity that made me actually start this :)

sorry for the tags you guys :(

im working on a really cool project!! its dndads themed ill put it in the replies maybe

i have an elaborate april fools prank planned so expect that

trans rights!

intersex rights!

lesbian rights! (this is the 69th fun fact i’m typing btw :P)

gay rights!

ace + a-spec rights!

neurodivergent rights!

everyone deserves rights. all of them. all of you.

you all are doing amazing

im very proud of you!

you’re still here :]

the secret language i use is enderspesk bc i was a HUGE dsmp fan (support tommy and not dream)

i was originally gonna be something along the lines of alienhaj, and then i looked over at my aftonsparv and my brain went WOAH

the fact that im aftonsparv is funny because in one of my discord servers im in im known as momguy (i ship mafumom pjsk with the purple guy (fnaf)

you’re all so amazing and wonderful and this blog makes me so happy! thanks for being here :)

[scourgefrontiers]

so im thinking up a few options for myself:

local art market. it happens every second saturday downtown which is a great frequency i think. however i dont know the type of people attending so i dont know if my merch will sell well or at all, and i dont know if they even allow the type of stuff i sell. so this is an iffy one

finding book authors who need illustrations done. i can def do a childrens book illustration if i needed to but id like to find something within my current art style if possible. i'll have to look around and try and find places where ppl are looking for my type of work

sell at conventions. this one's a little tricky bc 1) i have to invest in my stock which is at LEAST $300 for everything i need, 2) im not guaranteed to get on the list of vendors, and 3) these happen very infrequently and i dont know if i can rely on this for steady income

self publish comics. i had thought of this before and i dont think im Currently fit for doing it bc i tend to burn out soooo easily (thats likely a problem with my workflow honestly. its fixable surely) but im hopefully about to get adderall prescribed to me so maybe it'll work out after all lol. unfortunately this isnt an overnight project either though, and i do need to make money Right Now

get into making either live2d vtuber models or 3d models for both vrchat and/or vtubers. i know i know, i cant charge 8k for my first models, but i can at least make a few hundred on a single model. this would be a new skill to learn but its totally possible. theres tutorials and i also vaguely know how to use blender so i can at least try this. i do have fun doing this stuff anyway. im just a lil worried about the level of detail that goes into live2d models, im not super used to detailed designs just yet but its something ive been wanting to put more time and work into, so..

bite the bullet and start putting more work into social media presence and advertising my commissions. i complain about how rough commission work is all the time yes. but genuinely i do enjoy doing commissions for a living. the ONLY reason i complain is because of the inconsistent/low income, and the only reason for That is because i dont have a huge following to the point of where my slots sell out regularly. im no sakimichan. but if i just put in a little more time and work into building a social media presence im sure things will look up in that regard. i just have to fuckin..do it

so ya. these all have pros and cons and im weighing them desperately LOL. if im being honest? im leaning towards three in particular: the vtuber models, building a better social media presence to up my commission demand, and selling at conventions. i can definitely do all three of course, but i have to figure out how to balance everything while learning to do the new things and get good at them. i have no idea how to wrangle social media. ive tried so many things and i keep falling out of it so so easily, its very hard. but fuck dude if 15 year olds on youtube can have 100k subscribers then what the hell am i doing LOL yknow?

[imjustabeanie]

Omg!! You have so many fandoms?!1!1!!

Well HI HUN!!! 🩷🩷 if it’s okay, i would love to ask for a match up with Mystic messenger and Obey Me! I got back into em recently!

I currently don’t have any deal breakers. If i get paired with Rika or Jaehee ill be okay!

About me: My name is Mera!

I go by She/her, (AFAB) and im Pansexual, although i usually lean towards men, though all my partners have been women!!

Im a Cancer zodiac, and im an INFJ!

Personality:

I have an rbf 🥹 people have told me so many times they are scared to approach me because they think i’ll be a bitch. Later they’ll tell me they love me though!! Pretty much an Ambivert. I’m super awkward and shy at first, and it ends up causing me to be short and blunt without meaning to!! but once I start talking? I never shut up!! I also tend to listen to things, and i try to help in anyway i can, although im not the best comforter. I also think my personality also can change depending on who i hang out with. If i hang out with more introverted people I’ll definitely be more outgoing, and talk to others! But if im with extroverted friends, i’ll tend to stay in my shell. I’m a pretty kind person, but also sensitive. I’d jump in front of a bullet for someone else though. Im a people-pleaser so what other people think of me, i really take into account. Once people get close to me though, i tend to be sassy and have “snarky” remarks, but in a joking way. If my friends have ever spoken out about if it makes them uncomfortable i will immediately stop. Honestly though, i can’t handle seeing someone else in pain- or crying. My heart will literally tear and i’ll start crying with them. I tend to be the “funny” friend- everyone usually laughs at my jokes, but i’ve been called the “mom” friend too, because i start to take into account what other people may need! Hair ties? I have A MILLION!! Advil? Dont worry!! I got some :)

I tend to surround myself with a lot of people also. I love to be in the spotlight (theatre kid alert..)

Hobbies:

Writing match ups !!, Drawing, Dance, Singing and musical theatre. I do Dance a lot and its also caused me to start caring more about myself! I sing all the time too- i take voice lessons :) I’m also a cosmetology student, so i LOVE to do hair, makeup, nails and fashion!! I love to talk about it too!! Theres so many interesting things people don’t know! I’m always listening to music though. The only genres i don’t really listen to is country and rap.

Likes: Honestly I like so many things, but i like sweets, people who give me attention, and i also like- love every color on the rainbow… i LOVE horror movies, and slashers. I love biology, and cos stuff! I might actually be able to go to dubai because of cosmetology :)

Dislikes: Rude people, people who are genuinely just bitchy for no reason. Not really much.

Love Languages: PHYSICAL TOUCH, is the biggest. Im super touch starved and i need someone to hold me!! Quality time too. They go hand in hand for me. Receiving gifts are the worst for me. Ill feel so guilty, but i love to give!

Ideal type: I dont really have an IDEAL type. Pair me with whoever!

Looks: if looks play into anything- i have pretty dark features. Although my skin is very light. Im a ghost in the winter. But whenever i get tanned, i usually have been told i look “Arab” which is a compliment. My hair is pretty much at a level 6, so its a dirty brownish color. I stopped wearing my glasses, but i have brown doe eyes! (If i was a certain “pretty” i’d be deer pretty.)

Im pretty short honestly. 5’1. I also love to wear heels though. I walk in them like its my second nature. My hair reaches around my shoulders, i usually Dont have it long, and i have curtain bangs!

Fun facts:

Im poly lingual!! I speak 3 different languages.

My parents are actually immigrants, and english wasn’t my first language lol!!

I major in pre law! So i plan to be a lawyer. - specifically medical malpractice because according to multiple nurses, “i have an eye for medicine.”

i hope this wasn’t too much-!!! 🥺💕 i hope you enjoy writing and matching!! Whenever you get the chance to do it, i’ll happy!!

Matchup trade for this wonderful person

Your OM match is...Diavolo!

Not gonna lie I did hesitate between Diavolo and Asmo but finally I decided on Diavolo. You can definitely keep up with him and your love languages match! He may be a little pushy but in the end he means well.

Let’s stay with the OM original plot shall we? (date. My bad lol). At first Diavolo only wanted to learn and bond with the new exchange student. He saw that you were rather awkward at first and stayed in your shell that’s why he poked more about your interests (read here that he just checked your case in the human world). He tried very hard to be your friend and was super happy when you started to reciprocate! He loved your jokes and often tried to get in on your train. Diavolo is someone who lives on the present but also calculating (not in a negative way. He just prefers that major plans aren’t altered that much cuz he’s the prince and all). Your sarcasm honestly makes him laugh, you’re not being mean about it so he doesn’t feel bad either. Diavolo fell for the way you two had fun together. You are someone he can get loose with but also get serious. He doesn’t have to worry much you’ll always match his style. Also, you’re the mum friend and it makes Barbatos so happy because he doesn’t have to worry about another hyperactive adult lmao. It took Diavolo more time than he wished to confess cuz he had to check out everything and what changes it would bring to your life. He knows that he can’t afford to get into reckless relations that can endanger his kingdom and how much pressure it would be on you the more serious the relation got. You noticed that he spent more time in his office and just went in, worrying for your friend. That’s when Diavolo, in his sleep deprived state blurted out that he doesn’t know if he can ask you out considering his position and all. He didn’t realize it was you….You two had a very heart to heart conversation and in the end agreed to go out together. What a mess.

Diavolo is kinda like a golden retriever boyfriend. He includes you in all sorts of fun activities and always have dates planned out for you two! He shows you hell and you show him the human world. Sometimes Barbatos threatens him with less time with you to get him to work. But one thing for sure is that you two are always seen touching each other. He loves holding your hand and waist, when he sees you he runs up to you and engulfs you in a hug which is rather funny considering his corpulence. In private you two cuddle a lot, when he’s working he’ll hold you in his laps to recharge as he calls it. Diavolo often takes you on dates to operas and plays. He passes them to Barbatos as ‘Seeing how the arts are developing’, yeah of course. We all believe you Diavolo. During these dates he gives you historical facts and explains references you might not get. After or before those dates, Diavolo takes you two to try new foods. He knows you like sweets so he makes sure to always get you some or ask Barbatos to make some. Speaking of gifts….yeah you’re getting spoiled but he’ll calm down after knowing you feel guilty about it. Getting spoiled in the sense he always gets you your favorite things and supports your hobbies by getting you the best material. Then with time he’d start getting you jewelry and all. If you two get married your birthday might as well become a national holiday just like his….

Diavolo likes to have lazy days because he can just spend them doing whatever with you. Perhaps you’d explore the human world or he’d try his hand at the kitchen! You two always have a laugh after that. He likes taking your hand and engaging to a songless dance (he puts in music eventually), I believe he knows many dances and will even teach you some. He’ll also let you do his nail and makeup (you can’t tell me he doesn’t put at least some make up). Diavolo has to follow certain fashions but enjoys going shopping to get things he’d only wear at the castle. He’ll always take you with him and you also have some kind of say in the official clothes his tailor makes him! At the end of a busy day, Diavolo just wants to relax with you in bed. You’re his safe space.

I wanted to elaborate on this but didn’t find how to make the transition so I’ll just say it here. One of the topics diavolo used to get to know you is your law major. He asked you about it and you two had pleasant evenings comparing the devildom laws with the human laws. It’s canon that healthchecks in the devildom are rather….rough so you’ll have fun comparing them. I initially planned to match you with asmo considering your interest in cosmethology but Diavolo is a much better fit in my opinion. He’d always hype up your interests and even proposes to let you in some factories so you can compare products in both worlds. He’d be really interested in seeing you make some cosmetics because he is very curious in all fields. The only issue with Diavolo is that he can’t always take no for an answer. He is used to getting his way so set up some clear boundaries at the start. You also have to accept that he is a prince first, he has his own secrets. I think I lost track of words….

Your Mystic Messenger match is...Zen!

Yup it wasn’t 707. He was my second pick actually but Zen won first position. 707 is too self sacrificial and has a lot of secrets, he might not even give you all the attention you deserve because of his job. But Zen is sensible, funny and devoted to those he care about. Since MysMes is an otome game we’ll go the OG route for how you and how he asked you out. I’ll skip to relationship with him.

You and Zen are quite similar in my opinion. He can easily relate to your sarcasm and snarky remarks which makes the two of you a formidable duo. None talks shit about you when you’re nearby because they’re getting torn apart. He likes it when you get passionate and start talking about your interests. When you do that he’ll shut up and stare at you lovingly before muttering some corny pick up line and kissing you. Zen compliments you a lot because you’re perfect for him. He calls you his Muse but won’t reveal your identity to the public until he knows you won’t get much backlash. Even his fans don’t comment about you because he gets so defensive when you’re brought up in a bad way. Even if you enjoy the spotlight and is proud of your relationship he still feels guilty for dragging you inside all this drama. He’ll need reassurance over this. Zen’s love language is mostly words, affection and quality time when he can. As an uprising star, he’s very busy but does his best to give you all his attention. That’s why he always leaves you voicemails saying how he loves you and even letters/flowers when his schedule gets hectic. Tight budget but huge heart. His favorite type of date is taking you for a picnic and just spending the night talking about everything, no matter how silly or deep it is. But he gets so nervous each time you ride the bike with him….

You are Zen n1 critic. He always wants you to review his performances and you two spend a lot of nights watching movies together (not his own, just movies and plays). He knows you like horror movies, that’s why you two are up to date with the latest horror movies in the market. When he makes it big, you can be sure he’ll invite you at every premiere/event. Your common house often gets noise complaints from Zen practicing or you two dancing to music! Yeah you might be the neighborhood favorite couple but they still want to sleep unfortunately. Zen is a workaholic, you being the mum friend helps in the sense that you’re the only one he listens to when you ask him to stop and get some rest. If it weren’t for you he’d forget himself, you’re the only reason why he didn’t have a burnout yet. He enjoys your singing and as an actor (he played in musical) he’d help you train out more. If you ever want to get into the business he’d be happy to help you out. Zen only lets you interfere with his skin care routine. He’d test out any product you recommend and lets you do his makeup or chose his outfits. He’d purposefully let paparazzi take pictures if you two are matching cuz he’s just happy and proud lol. Your future opportunity in cosmetology and upcoming law major actually make Zen so happy. He always encourages you to continue your studies as it’s what you love. He is a man of passion who dropped out, it’s the only topic he may get insecure about considering your own academic background.

In conclusion, you and Zen are definitely a popular celebrity couple that people look up to. The way he loves and cherishes you make so many fans jealous it’s not even funny lol. You two may be dramatic but your love is obvious.

[skittidyne]

hi skitty!! i wanted to ask how is necromancy book 2 going? i loooove love loved the first book and im excited to read the second (whenever its out, so happy to wait however long it takes u)!! anything u can share about it?

hello my beautiful anon, i love you especially

let's do bullet points! that's how i usually live my life here

the first draft* is not completed. i'm not sure it's even half done.

*large parts of it are well out of the first draft territory due to how fucked up the process of book 1 was and i never want to go through it again

i still don't have a title. it'll prob be the last thing to get finalized hhhhhhhh

no i don't know why i didn't title the thing "how 2" either

i have not worked on it actively for several months (i MOVED did you know) but for some reason viv and dana are my nighttime thoughts lately. i should harness this.

i still vaguely hope to have it out later this year.

the 75k here is 15 chapters and none of the interstitials written, since i also write those last to make them Appropriate

there's another 20.8k in deleted/need heavily edited/moved piles elsewhere in the manuscript. all of this wiggling around in a BIG part of why i don't wanna actively work on it >C

now for the actual fun bullet points!

walker is finally present in-story and in isaac's plot

thomas is full rev in his own subplot and characters (he's about to become a single father while trying desperately to woo a not-so-silver fox)

the mark & viv relationship is very painful

the viv/dana is EVEN GAYER. but. dana has nightmares. :c i'm sure this will be fine tho

chris is gonna take two levels in badass in this book and it's not even close to her final form

emil only gets one level in badass. i don't think he gets That Spell in this book. i'm not sure we can handle him having That Spell in too many books.

sam remains the goodest bean even as he peels back the curtain on isaac's motivations and finds himself agreeing with most of them.

isaac begins his villain domestication arc because the universe just wants him to be social. unfortunately, it doesn't go extremely well. the power of friendship can't fix everything!

i don't have a nosebleed count right now but obviously there should be more

do you like hammond and rory pain? you're in luck! they get bumped up a couple levels in plot relevance after their field trip to the dreamlands last book. and it's all pain! gay pain! congrats on unlocking this for them.

we'll finally meet caoimhe in person. not sure about her husband just yet. still minor but i think she and dante are gonna be the minor characters i fall horribly in love with for this project...

we'll also get to meet [REDACTED]! (hint: the book ends in a certain warehouse.) i'm very very excited. they get to be sporadically present until the big reveal at the climax, too!

other characters i'm excited about: a certain invisible stalker, who gets bumped up in appearance order for thomas' subplot. that character is one of the most changed in role and personality and i'm excited for her!

i have too many characters and i will not apologize for this. however, i will not be writing any novels with such a huge cast ever again. someone please save me via buying my books

i should work on this this weekend, hmm... someone please remind me of this in 24 hours

[masonscig]

I'm really looking forward to the rewrite! I can't wait to see what you come up with! . I did enjoy some of the Romances, specially F's and I also really enjoyed M's best friend route. However, maybe it's just me but I did have some issues with A's route. I felt that a lot of the things that A did in this book kind of contradicted the misbeliefs that were established not only in this book but also in previous books. I wish that the author had taken a bit more time to have A and the detective connect a bit more on an emotional level, specially since A is demi-sexual, it would have been nice to see them slowly getting to know more and more about each other throughout the story. I felt that the plot kind of took a lot of the space that could have been used to flesh out A and the detective's relationship because there was literally only two scenes where I felt they actually bonded on an emotional level. Don't get me wrong Im an angst girlie myself but as someone who's acespec myself i wish that it would have perhaps been explored more and that we got to see more of A being comfortable and slowly getting their walls down around the detective rather than only angst and slowly learning to allow themselves to love again and that its ok to feel what they feel. The whole plot also felt all over the place, I do appreciate the fact that the author tried out and experimented with a bigger narrative scope and darker themes. However, I feel that Wayhaven works best when it has self-contained plots like in book 1 and book 2 rather than a big narrative scope imo. I felt that it hindered some of the characterisation that some of the ROs could have had. Again I appreciate the fact that the author tried her best to challenge herself with so many variables. However, some of the choices felt a bit repetitive. I did also wish that we could have chosen to remain a detective or at the very least do some actual detective stuff. The Trappers also felt very one dimensional for me, personally I found Murphy and Book 2s Malaused (idk of that's how u spell it) way more interesting. I was also hoping for the whole Sin, an babylonian deity being trapped and treated almost as if they were enslaved plot point to be maybe changed at least slightly. Maybe it's just a me thing but I really didn't like that plot point, it felt unnecessary personally. Sorry for the long ramble lol. Gl on the doc, I'm sure it's going to be amazing!

ahh thank you for saying you're excited for the rewrite! <333 i'm so genuinely excited over it that it's lifted my spirits a lot – i have four pages of bullet points as of right now so whew. lots of changes

i haven't done the a route, so im nodding along like a friend you're venting to over coffee rn, but i'll open up the replies/my inbox to anyone else who feels the same! i'd love to hear more about it as someone who's never done a full a du mortain route LMAO <3

but YES, i agree – hindered characterization, repetitive choices, one dimensional trappers, and the becoming an agent aspect YES! i think maybe with the trappers at least, they're pawns, so i guess? they'll be fleshed out as an organization later? but yeah, anytime they show up it's like oh! so some guys with weapons that may or may not take ub down. got it

the repetitive choices were honestly killing me, because that's a huge reason it took me literally all day to read one route – i was stuck at each choice, because truthfully, a lot of things that i made sofía say were just... not her. this book particularly has so much less variance in dialogue options – it's usually "smile, frown, smirk, chuckle, nod/be silent". just feels sloppy in my opinion :( i definitely wouldn't want her to bend over backwards trying to add 15 variants to every choice, just like. maybe not start with the action! maybe work in some blended stat boosters to add some depth (not that there isn't any, there could just be more)! i appreciate her hard work, genuinely i do, but some of the options definitely got old very quickly :/

and yes oh my god sin could've been an incredible "antagonist" – using that word lightly – because there's such an interesting moral dilemma there that just fell flat in the end :/ i blame the overloaded plot

never apologize !! i love reading your thoughts !! <3

[psychiatricwarfare]

so i wanted to add to this from the perspective of someone with npd+asd because the above statements are absolutely correct

npd (for me) makes it so that any minor thing i do that i even perceive to be wrong or bad can cause me to spiral and crash, but that doesn't mean i shouldn't be held accountable for any actually bad actions i may have done or harm i may have caused

for context: i used to have full-on meltdowns, crying, hyperventilating, etc. whenever i made my fiancée upset (or any time they were upset in general) to the point where they would try to comfort me rather than letting me try to comfort them. luckily, this stopped about a year or so ago as ive been able to get much better at dealing with shame, rejection, etc. with the help of my wonderful partners. so here's some tips and tricks from someone with a disorder that causes my self-esteem and self-image to be entirely dependent on others' perceptions of me to not let anxiety blind you with tunnel vision or black and white thinking

1. only if you're comfortable with it, smoke a little bit of weed as needed. not too much as high levels of thc can cause increased anxiety in some, but low doses have been shown to seriously decrease levels of anxiety. it works wonders for me AND helps me to genuinely self reflect in a meaningful way that isn't just "i was totally in the right & they're totally in the wrong" or "im the worst person alive and i should just die now". do this at your own discretion, im not a doctor or anything

2. ask the person if you can have time to calm yourself down from the initial shock, panic, shame, rejection, whatever you may be feeling before continuing the conversation on what you can do to grow and be better. trying to listen to the ways you've been wrong while still in that initial headspace may lead to being defensive, dismissive, etc. (Do Not use this as a way to get out of having the conversation at all. that defeats the entire purpose of this step. you have to bite the bullet and take the hit to your ego/self-esteem in order to grow. building a wall to protect yourself from getting hurt will only stop you from growing. a goldfish can never reach its true potential if it's stuck inside a small bowl, and neither can you) once you've calmed down, go back to the person who called you out & ask for their constructive criticism

3. if you start to be overwhelmed again, take a deep breath, if you need reassurance that you're not evil for unknowingly doing harm you can say things like "i can learn from this", "i will grow as a person and i will do my best to not hurt/upset you again" if that's something that works for you. depending on the situation, you can ask the other person for reassurance. however, this one's a bit more tricky and should be used moreso for things like "what you said really hurt me, that's something im insecure about" or other such things. it should also not dismiss their feelings or be some out for the criticism. what you should say is very dependent on the situation, but things such as, "do you believe in me?" is not a great way to phrase that as the burden now falls on them to coddle you. rather, saying "thank you for telling me this" or "im glad you trust me enough to tell me how you feel" are good ways to reassure yourself and may give the other person an opportunity to give you that reassurance If They Want To but please remember, you are not owed it and they are not obliged to give it to you. however, if what they're saying is along the lines of "what you said/did was racist/homophobic/ableist/etc" then maybe skip this step altogether as that tends to make you sound like you care more about your ego than actually bettering yourself even if that isnt the case. in most cases however, it would actually just be better to deal with the shame in your own time in your own way, the burden of your shame should not be the responsibility of the victim in Any situation but especially not this one. if you are putting in the work to better yourself & are surrounded by people who support you, you will be given that reassurance down the line and your effort will pay off even if that pay off is simply being that better person

4. if you struggle with social cues, this is not the time to bring up your own qualms with the other person. if you really feel you must, wait until after the situation has been resolved. otherwise, the other person will likely view this as being dismissive of their problem and won't want to listen. it is also potentially a subconscious means of deflection, ime, it's better to wait a while afterwards to see if it's still something you want to bring up and not just your brains way of trying to shift blame. i know this can be especially difficult for those who suffer from rsd, but you have to fight that impulse. listen to them first, genuinely hear them out, and do what you need to do to grow as a person before bringing up your own concerns EVEN (and this is important) if it's related to or the cause of your actions. this can be done in a nice, respectful way if you wait your turn to speak and word it in a way that's not dismissive. (dismissive: well i only do [x] because you do [y] vs nondismissive: okay, i will try not to do that anymore and it would help me to do that if you could please do/not do this)

5. prevention!!!!! (this is primarily for anyone prone to anger issues or something that may cause an explosive emotion) ask for help beforehand!! ask them to tell you when something upsets them so you know not to do it again! tell them your triggers and what might result in a meltdown/panic attack/burst of anger/etc. it's much easier to be a good person when you're in an environment where you feel safe & happy, and minimising triggers is a good way to do that. ask them to be honest with you, make sure you can be honest with them when something is bothering you! ask them to talk to you when they notice you're getting to a point where you might blow up/meltdown/shut down/etc. and/or excuse yourself when needed

6. remember this mantra, it seriously helps me when im about to crash. "constructive criticism is GOOD, if i am a good person, then i will listen to genuine advice given to me in good faith. i will not assume the worst of others' intentions. i will take this criticism and i will grow from it. i am not bad. i am not evil. i am doing my best and my best will become better. i am not a rock nor a mountain, i am a seed, ready to grow more and more each day. criticism is the rain that nourishes me, the worms that eat away at the dead roots that i no longer need, the nutrients in the soil that add to what i am. i will grow and i will change for the better."

this advice will only work if you're willing to change and grow, though it may not work for everyone! this is just what works for me & hopefully others can take what they need and leave the rest. everyone on earth grows up with unhealthy habits or traits they need to unlearn, it does not make you evil or bad. what makes a person bad is remaining stagnant, never growing or changing for the better, never looking inwards and saying "which of these roots are dead and can become worm food and which of these need more love and attention so they can thrive?"

you are not an idle observer in this world, like it or not, you are an active participant and your words and your actions carry weight and meaning. you can not skirt by on "but im a good person" forever. listen to minorities when we say something is xenophobic, listen to people who say you've hurt them, watch out for those who wish to hurt or stagnant your progress and growth or for those who do will do that regardless of their intentions. the world could be a much more beautiful place if we all learned to listen to one another a little more rather than panicking at the first thought of not being perfect.

your past does not define you, what you do with it does

every post i see that's like "if you're scared of being like [bad person] that's means you're better than them and won't be like them" and it's like. lmao. my dad used to have crying sessions where he would confess his fear of being like his mother and causing me to grow up to hate him. usually after he did something fucking awful, to redirect the attention to his own pain. the girl who sexually assaulted me had panic attacks sometimes about the idea of maybe being a rapist, making it impossible to set sexual boundaries with her without her freaking out. whether you're afraid of being some kind of bad person has basically no bearing on whether you are that way

[evokersapprentice]

The Squishy Caster

Continuing on the theme of my previous musing, I am sold on the idea that a well-built wizard can be as resilient as any martial character.

AC vs DEX

They don't start with armour proficiencies, but AC is easy to sort. Even without multiclassing or bladesong, every wizard has access to a Mage Armour + Shield combo which puts them at 18 + DEX for AC. This is better than even the best medium armour with a shield (17 + up to 2 DEX), and rivals the best heavy armour (20 flat) assuming at least 14 DEX, which I have.

Heavy armour in general seems thoroughly underwhelming. If a character has 14 DEX, only full plate actually rivals medium armour, and only by +1, and at the cost of stealth and a 15 strength requirement. It's presented as an upgrade, but it's effectively a concession for those classes who can't afford the DEX. If you have the DEX, you just don't need it.

I'm speaking as a character born with it, but the DEX investment seems worth it anyway. One of my recurring 'unpopular opinions' about gameplay as a wizard is that AC is massively overrated. It's only really relevant when you're being attacked at close-quarters, and you can usually avoid that or quickly escape to distance. One of the underrated strengths of wizards is that most of our attacks can operate at range, and we have the abilities to get to that range - flight, flying mounts, and teleportation without opportunity attacks.

Equally important to AC, but seemingly more often overlooked, are DEX saves, which come up a lot for me in terms of AOE damage (CON and WIS are also important, but I don't encounter those quite as often at this stage). So investing in DEX from the start, as a way to protect against two birds with one stone (+2 to both DEX and AC), seems like a no-brainer. You're then better off than someone who just got heavy armour and STR.

Balancing equipment

This is of course subject to magically enhanced alternatives. As I mentioned in a previous post, martial characters have the option to upgrade with +1 shields or armour or both, and over a lucrative campaign they could end up with +2 or +3 to their AC by the middle levels. More, if they can bag a Ring or Cloak of Protection, which they will probably claim from the party loot on the basis they get hit the most and are taking the bullets for everybody else.

I may be biased (I definitely am), but I think that the Wizard is the most important member of the party not to be hit. This is in part due to their supposed squishiness, but mostly because of the value of their concentration. If I can summon a creature or effect which is basically as impactful as one of the other members of the party, but would lose it instantly on taking a blow, it's worth keeping both of us safe. I'm fighting for two.

However, I can see the argument that a tank basically helps to keep us safe more than enhancing our own defences, because they're taking on the role of our bodyguard. No shield is better than having your Fighter stand in front of you and opportunity attack anybody who tries to get past. I'm happy for them to be buffed, knowing that I'll get a lot of that benefit. Every attack that they absorb is one that could have been aimed at me.

Magic invulnerability

But then there are other spells. Not just Shield, which with medium armour (thank you, Artificer dip) can get me to a ridiculous tank-level 24 AC, for a first level spell slot I only need to use as rarely as it is required.

I'm talking about Mirror Image. A second level slot, but no concentration, and it will last for the average combat if you can get it up beforehand. That buys you a 75% chance that the first attack that targets you will miss, a 65% for the second, and a 50% on the third (assuming 12+ attack rolls each time, and even better if not).

That's before counting your own AC or so on. For illustration, a melee attacker with an impressive +8 modifier has to roll a 16 or higher to hit you. That's already just a 25% of success. With Mirror Image, they only have a 6% chance of hitting you, a 63% of hitting one of your duplicates (increasing the next chance of hitting you to 8%!), and a 30% chance of doing nothing at all. That's one hell of a buff. You're almost comfortable in melee at this point.

Optionally, there's Sanctuary (thanks again, Artificer). A first level slot, and probably only until your next turn, but you can temporarily further shield yourself if you end up stuck in melee and need another turn to get out (or fear opportunity attacks), or come up against an annoying ranged opponent. Anyone who targets you has to make a WIS saving throw, or redirect to someone else. Melee attacks may have no other option.

You can also keep this running if you don't need to attack or cast a spell which impacts an enemy creature - for example, if you're running a support role, or if you've already got an ongoing spell up and running and just need to protect your concentration whilst it works. I read this as being able to have an Animate Objects or Bigby's Hand doing the damage whilst I heal my friends using my action, as an apology for redirecting any attacks to them. If you're trapped in a kill-box with melee opponents, this could be a great option to have.

Blink fascinates me. A third level slot, fine, but it gets you a 50% chance of vanishing at the end of each of your turns, still being able to see what goes on in your absence, and with an optional 10ft teleport each time. Again, it runs for the length of an average combat, and renders you effectively invulnerable half of the time. None concentration. Get this running at the same time as Mirror Image, and the average hit rate goes down to 3%.

Even if an enemy is locked on and desperate to hurt you, they probably won't get to do it before they die. Even if they get three attacks per turn, they'll have the chance once in eleven turns. Add Sanctuary, and even particularly wise enemies (+5 WIS) will halve their chances to target you again. You're not quite invulnerable, and AOE attacks will still hurt, but you can probably walk up to most monsters and boop them on the nose.

If you're really afraid, and up against something like a breath attack, you can then top all of that up with something like a Polymorph to soak up the first 60 damage for your team. The above spells don't need concentration, so they can apply their buffs to a Giant Ape. Leave off Sanctuary and you can be melee brawling for a while, and even if you do get hit you'll return as a wizard with full HP and saved spell slots.

Then of course you have Silvery Barbs for any attack roll that does make it through the net. Was it a 6% chance of hitting you? With the option to make them roll again, it's now a 0.03% chance. The only danger is big AOE attacks (on the half of turns when Blink doesn't work), and then you have decent DEX (as above) and Absorb Elements to soak up half of it. That's more than any of the martial guys have.

Mitigation and optimisation

At one point I read an article that tried to dispel the 'myth' of the squishy spellcaster, which oddly didn't go into most of the spells above, but tried to argue that thanks to Shield plus armour giving a 24 AC the Wizard is a better tank than the Fighter is. Flipping that stereotype, it even argued that the Fighter is fairly squishy and would be better off shooting crossbows from range.

Despite my bias, I don't think that's entirely fair. For one, the Wizard's resilience relies on multiclassing, but the Fighter in this model isn't given the same opportunity to pick up Shield, Absorb Elements etc. from a multiclass of their own. It's really an argument that a composite armour + caster is best, combining the best of both worlds, which is a fair case from either direction, rather than holding one over the other.

In terms of optimising those character roles, with a tanky Wizard and a crossbow expert Fighter, I think that entirely depends on the rest of your party. This is a team game, and optimisation doesn't happen in a vacuum. I've found various synergies with my friendly Fighter, who enjoys playing a tank: I don't need to use my spells or concentration on defence or battlefield control, because he holds the line for free. He draws melee attackers to him as the closest target, soaks them up, and keeps them in place with Sentinel and opportunity attacks.

Many guides will say that the Wizard is supposed to do that job, but I can't help that most of my battlefields are already under control. My Fighter is difficult terrain in human form. He's a one-man Wall spell, doing damage each turn to anybody stuck in his range, and with a high save to get out of it. Rather than trap them twice, I'm better off dumping damage on them whilst they're stuck.

Optimised wizard-players talk about casting spells like Web, but I've never really had a use for it. Where another level of control is required, my friendly Druid likes Entangle, which is functionally the same and cheaper. The Fighter can do most of it for free, whilst still being in the best possible position to attack (and with an opportunity attack each turn, which would be lost if he sat at range).

The role the party needs the most, and which other people can't provide for a lower cost, is that of blaster. There's another great overlap there as an Evocation Wizard, because the Fighter's habit of keeping a group of melee foes clustered around him is ideal for a Fireball. He sets them up for me to knock down, whilst still knocking them down himself. His presence alone on the front line is as powerful as any of my concentration spells, and frees me up to use a different one.

The article I read decided that tanks weren't worthwhile, and that an optimised party would all be at range, but that isn't my experience at all. If we were all at range, the enemies might decide to target me - either with a ranged attack of their own (and I'm sure a DM would quickly match the crossbows if we went down that route), or by running at the most squishy-looking target. Having a front line and a back keeps the fighting all concentrated far away.

Maybe the Crossbow Expert Fighter can maximise his damage, although I don't know if that factors in the lost opportunity attack for the Sentinel (swapping feat for feat). But even if he does, it comes at the cost of me being at risk, and having to worry about my concentration, and I don't think that's great for our damage output as a team. It also means the enemies won't bunch up, which is a shame.

Weirdly, I think that claim goes both too far and not far enough. It's needlessly insulting to the Fighter, who does do a really good and valuable job up front, but it doesn't push the Wizard supremacy to its limits. Yes, we're not necessary as squishy as people think. But I wouldn't want to advertise that too much, or to let it change our behaviour, because I still believe we're the party member you least want getting hit.

Even if we can match the Fighter for AC, the Wizard should be behind them in the firing line. Not necessarily because we're more vulnerable to attack, but because our safety is more important. The HP factor is still huge. If the Fighter has almost twice my health, he can take one or two hits that I can't. Even speaking objectively, it's best to keep the whole party upright for as long as possible (maximum action economy etc.), so it makes sense to direct attacks to those with the HP to spare.

That's without getting into value judgements about who has the ability to most impact a conflict, which you could argue either way. But it's another objective fact that a Wizard's impact is directly tied, via concentration, to remaining unhurt - in a way that a Fighter's isn't at all. A big hit to a Fighter gets them feeling a bit nervous. A big hit to a Wizard may knock them down in one, and almost definitely costs them their big, powerful concentration spell. Either way, it's a massive reduction to the attacking potential for the team.

That means that the dynamic should remain, squishiness aside. Even if the Wizard is more shielded than the Fighter, it can make sense for the Fighter to play the tank, given that they're hardly vulnerable themselves. If the Wizard (24 AC) has a 25% chance of being hit compared to the Fighter's (22 AC) 30%, it still makes sense for the Fighter to be the one who runs that risk. Over the course of a combat, the team will be better off. The Fighter also has the option of emergency self-healing, and the Wizard is better placed to heal the Fighter if required.

As a final note on the DM crossbow point, I think that this applies to a lot of optimisation. The game is not static, and can't really be broken, because the DM can always up the difficulty level and throw your own tricks back at you. This is why I don't have time for Peace Clerics. On paper, adding a d4 to everything everyone does sounds great, but it's easy enough for the DM to recognise the shift in levels and just make everything a d4 harder.

It's far better to have imbalanced skillsets within your team, so that you each have an advantage in certain situations, because a good DM can't leave anyone behind. A mixture of melee and ranged attackers leaves you ready for any situation, but means you still have to adapt and think about your tactics each time, with plenty of space for you and the DM to work with. If you build your team 100% ranged, the DM is forced to do the same, and then you cancel out your whole advantage.

[vampr1x-bl00dx]

Omg!! You have so many fandoms?!1!1!!

Well HI HUN!!! 🩷🩷 if it’s okay, i would love to ask for a match up with Bungo Stray Dogs and Honkai stair rail!

About me: My name is Mera!

I go by She/her, (AFAB) and im Pansexual, although i usually lean towards men, though all my partners have been women!!

Im a Cancer zodiac, and im an INFJ!

Personality:

I have an rbf 🥹 people have told me so many times they are scared to approach me because they think i’ll be a bitch. Later they’ll tell me they love me though!! Pretty much an Ambivert. I’m super awkward and shy at first, and it ends up causing me to be short and blunt without meaning to!! but once I start talking? I never shut up!! I also tend to listen to things, and i try to help in anyway i can, although im not the best comforter. I also think my personality also can change depending on who i hang out with. If i hang out with more introverted people I’ll definitely be more outgoing, and talk to others! But if im with extroverted friends, i’ll tend to stay in my shell. I’m a pretty kind person, but also sensitive. I’d jump in front of a bullet for someone else though. Im a people-pleaser so what other people think of me, i really take into account. Once people get close to me though, i tend to be sassy and have “snarky” remarks, but in a joking way. If my friends have ever spoken out about if it makes them uncomfortable i will immediately stop. Honestly though, i can’t handle seeing someone else in pain- or crying. My heart will literally tear and i’ll start crying with them. I tend to be the “funny” friend- everyone usually laughs at my jokes, but i’ve been called the “mom” friend too, because i start to take into account what other people may need! Hair ties? I have A MILLION!! Advil? Dont worry!! I got some :)

I tend to surround myself with a lot of people also. I love to be in the spotlight (theatre kid alert..)

Hobbies:

Writing match ups !!, Drawing, Dance, Singing and musical theatre. I do Dance a lot and its also caused me to start caring more about myself! I sing all the time too- i take voice lessons :) I’m also a cosmetology student, so i LOVE to do hair, makeup, nails and fashion!! I love to talk about it too!! Theres so many interesting things people don’t know! I’m always listening to music though. The only genres i don’t really listen to is country and rap.

Likes: Honestly I like so many things, but i like sweets, people who give me attention, and i also like- love every color on the rainbow… i LOVE horror movies, and slashers. I love biology, and cos stuff! I might actually be able to go to dubai because of cosmetology :)

Dislikes: Rude people, people who are genuinely just bitchy for no reason. Not really much.

Love Languages: PHYSICAL TOUCH, is the biggest. Im super touch starved and i need someone to hold me!! Quality time too. They go hand in hand for me. Receiving gifts are the worst for me. Ill feel so guilty, but i love to give!

Ideal type: I dont really have an IDEAL type. Pair me with whoever!

Looks: if looks play into anything- i have pretty dark features. Although my skin is very light. Im a ghost in the winter. But whenever i get tanned, i usually have been told i look “Arab” which is a compliment. My hair is pretty much at a level 6, so its a dirty brownish color. I stopped wearing my glasses, but i have brown doe eyes! (If i was a certain “pretty” i’d be deer pretty.)

Im pretty short honestly. 5’1. I also love to wear heels though. I walk in them like its my second nature. My hair reaches around my shoulders, i usually Dont have it long, and i have curtain bangs!

Fun facts:

!! I speak different languages.

My parents are actually immigrants, and english wasn’t my first language lol!!

I major in pre law! So i plan to be a lawyer. - specifically medical malpractice because according to multiple nurses, “i have an eye for medicine.”

i hope this wasn’t too much-!!! 🥺💕 i hope you enjoy writing and matching!! Whenever you get the chance to do it, i’ll happy!!

Hii!!! Thank you so much for requesting!

Okay for the Bungo Stray Dogs request I do happen to see you with

Chuuya Nakahara!

I just feel you two would definitely have a sass off and it’ll 100% be a heated one

You two would also go on like shopping trips and give one another fashion tips (esp with chuuya and his odd obsession with hats/lh)

Though I do see it’ll take a while to allow Chuuya to let you touch him but once he does he’ll let you touch him. Like hugging him or even giving a lil kiss on the cheek.

Now for HSR

I do see you with

Argenti!

I do personally see you two dancing together in a ballroom and having genuine fun with one another

He would also 100% allow you do his makeup seeing that you enjoy it

He’ll also listen to your singing since he’ll think it’s beautiful and would listen to your fashion advice🩷