#and also the traits that make the species identifiable from one another

[dingoat]

The poll decreed that the majority wanted to see some feline-based star wars character designs, so here's a bunch of little space meow meows for you all!

So here we have a farghul pilot, a lynna privateer, a togorian noble, a trianii smuggler, a cathar bard musician, and a zygerrian padawan!

[wrizard]

wrizard's super basic guide to y-chromosome-based identification!!

for those interested, on this fitzcovery day:

a dear friend asked me to explain why i felt completely insane about the phrase "genetic distance of one" and, as usual, i got overexcited and wrote an entire thing about it complete with goofy images! it's on twt HERE, but i figured it would also be nice to pop it up here also. SO. with the caveat that it has been many years since my last bio class and this is VERY OVERSIMPLIFIED. here's

Human DNA is grouped into chromosomes. We generally have TWO of each chromosome: 22 pairs (numbered 1-22), plus one pair of sex chromosome (typically either two X-chromosomes (XX), or one X-chromosome and one Y-chromosome (XY)). That's 23 pairs, or 46 chromosomes, in total.

When producing sex cells, matching chromosome pairs will RECOMBINE (swap bits of information) - eg. one Chromosome 4 will remix itself with the other Chromosome 4, making TWO UNIQUE C4s. When the cell splits into two sex cells, each sex cell will carry ONE unique C4.

That's sexual reproduction! Every new offspring is genetically unique - new combinations of traits pop up quickly, and if they improve reproductive fitness, can be passed on to future offspring. This allows for rapid adaptation and changes in a species over time.

But what about Y-chromosomes, which don’t have pairs? They can't recombine in the way paired chromosomes can - which means Y-chromosomes pretty much only change via mutation (errors in copying DNA). Mutation is VERY slow, especially compared to recombination.

This means that when an XY parent passes down their Y-chromosome to a child, chances are high that chromosome will have few, if any, changes – as opposed to X-chromosomes, which recombine in both XX parents and children, shuffling genetic information all over the place.

Due to this slow rate of change, Y-chromosomes can be more easily tracked through the generations than other human chromosomes. A Y-chromosome might be passed down nearly unchanged for hundreds of years from genetic father to genetic son.

GENETIC DISTANCE refers to the measurement of difference between two sets of DNA. The lower the genetic distance, the more closely related the two samples are likely to be. A genetic distance of 1 means the samples are close to identical.

Because we know how slowly Y-chromosomes change over time, we know that if the Y-chromosomes of two people have a low genetic distance, this implies that those people are paternally related – even if the two people live/lived hundreds of years apart.

In the case of Captain James Fitzjames, genetic data was extracted from a set of unidentified remains (a molar from a disarticulated mandible). 17 genetic markers from the molar’s Y-chromosome were compared to the Y-chromosome of a confirmed paternal relative of the Captain.

Those 17 markers were the same in both samples, giving the two Y-chromosomes a genetic distance of one – meaning, with the genetic information available, the living relative and the unidentified decedent are more than 2000 TIMES more likely to be paternally related than not.

EDIT: DOIP I MISREAD THE CHART 16 of 17 match, not all 17!!

Along with all the information we have from the historical record, the context of the remains, and this new comparative genetic analysis, we can safely conclude that this particular set of remains belong to Captain Fitzjames.

160 years isn't long in the grand scheme. Every identified set of remains is another reminder that these were people, not just a distant curiosity. It's humbling to remember not just that we have identified Cpt. Fitzjames, but that still, today, we have a genetic distance of one.

Photos and Y-chromosome comparison chart taken from Stephen, Fratpietro, and Park's paper "Identification of a senior officer from Sir John Franklin’s Northwest Passage expedition" from the Journal of Archaeological Science: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X24003766?via%3Dihub

hope my nonsense is helpful and/or informative and/or at least made you smile!! if you like this sort of thing :) cheers doves

[officialspec]

What do you think gay men are attracted to in men that they can’t be attracted to in women?

It can’t be anything about femininity or masculinity obviously. That’s both sexist, and cultural so can’t be what drives men-only attraction.

It can’t be anything about stated identity because someone could lie just as easily as they could tell the truth in such a statement, and it makes no sense because homosexuality and heterosexuality exists in other species with no stated identities. It’s not like other animals without gender are all pan.

Saying idk it’s the vibes or some indescribable trait men have that women can’t but “I can’t explain” is a nonanswer.

Soooooooo what is it? Or do you think any sexuality but bi/pan is just cultural performance or an identity rather than an inborn orientation?

- [ ]

first off i hate this ask and i think youre a freak. in any other world i wouldve blocked you for this but unfortunately for both of us i actually like this type of philosophy. dont send this shit to anyone else though

i dont think its right to compare human sexuality to the same thing in animals, to get that out of the way. im sure until a certain point it comes from the same biological impulses, but human beings have way more complicated social structures and reasons for coupling that just do not exist in other animals. our social behaviours are what make us unique in the animal kingdom and that definitely extends to gender and sexuality. so theres that

people love to tout 'gender is a social construct' around like its a criticism in and of itself, which i think betrays a misunderstanding about social constructs in general. theyre the foundations we build language on to better understand each other, and affected by a whole host of cultural and historical factors. just because theyre subjective and complicated doesnt mean they arent real. in terms of the effect they have on peoples lives they may be the most real thing that exists

for example, 'kindness' is a social construct. the definition and ways it is enacted differ greatly across personal and cultural lines. but no one would ever suggest a world where kindness doesnt exist or loses meaning, because its an essential part of the way we interact with each other (in the same way i dont really see a world where gender entirely ceases to exist, mainly just one where people have more fun with it. im not a psychic though so who knows)

similarly, sexuality in humans is another social construct. i think the driving biological forces behind it are very real, but the labels people attach to those impulses are subjective attempts to express their inner world to the people around them if that makes sense. and those same biological impulses are ALSO subject to social ideas of gender, because those ideas are established at birth and reinforced over a persons entire lifetime

to use myself as an example, im a gay trans man. ive identified as other things in the past, because i was trying to pick apart feelings i had and express them to others in an attempt to find community. my identity might change as i get older and experience new things, or it might not. i identify as gay because im not attracted to the social concept of women, and someone i would otherwise be attracted to might lose all appeal after i find out they fall under that concept (this has happened before w transfems pre and post coming out lol)

of course, the real REAL answer to this is that trying to give queer identities rigid and objective definitions is a fools errand, and also lame as fuck. someone might identify as gay and be more attracted to general masculinity than men as a social category, maybe they fool around with a couple of butch women without considering themself any less gay. two otherwise identical people might be a butch lesbian and a gay trans man without either of those identities coming into conflict. they might even be the same person at different times of the week

the labels people choose to use are communication tools, not objective signifiers. if you dont understand them, they probably arent talking to you

social constructs are everything. we as humans have the unique ability to interpret our own messy desires and impulses into words that other people can use to form an idea of someone else in their mind. its how we build connections, and of course it isnt perfect because trying to squeeze someones entire personal history and the centuries of context that defined it into a handful of syllables is going to leave some room for error. but its all we have, yknow? so we keep trying. and i think thats much more human than any imposed objective 'truth' could ever be

tldr we live in a society dipshit. get with it

[mantisgodsdomain]

Every living bug has a personal scent - a blend of pheromones that generally acts as a personal "name", or "voice", in pheromonal communication. In social bugs, this tends to be stronger. As communication via pheromone is extremely species-specific, learning to manipulate them in more detail than some basic altering your expression of any given emotion tends to be something of a niche skill set, particularly among solitary bugs. It's most commonly learned for in-species communication, or by the bugs responsible for putting up pheromone signage in social-bug-heavy areas, but also has some fairly wide utility in less legal manners.

As pheromones are highly specific by bug, a bug of one species may have significant difficulty parsing the pheromones of a bug of another species. While social bugs in hives and colonies generally have something of an instinctive grasp of what various pheromones mean, and will often pick them up as part of communication among themselves, solitary bugs tend to be significantly less sensitive to them, and may struggle to distinguish between similar pheromone signals even if they know what both mean.

As a consequence of this, the vast majority of signage within a hive or colony can be wholly illegible to a solitary bug, even if it is perfectly clear to the hive's inhabitants. Bugs with reduced sensitivity to key pheromones used in social signalling can also suffer from this, particularly in places where pheromone signage can be important to operation. While these can be learned over time, unfortunately, it isn't always enough to make up for the social impacts.

Though it is possible to learn to suppress your personal scent, it isn't a widely distributed skill, and it's associated with criminals more than anything else - on a similar level to learning to lockpick, it's a cool trick to show off that also has a solid chance of getting your coworkers to ask you if you've stolen anything recently. Though suppression can make your scent more subtle, it can't eliminate it entirely, and most bugs who are seriously concerned about hiding their identities will wear some sort of masker to confuse their scent.

Monsieur Scarlet, due to a side effect of his personal flavor of mage, is capable of cutting off his own pheromone production entirely, or selectively shutting off specific pheromones. To other bugs, this will smell uncannily "blank". Since pheromones are still the main means through which bugs will communicate emotions, even beyond being a personal identifier, it's sort of like someone's face... slipped off, and there was just a void where it used to be.

Along with his short-range teleportation tricks, this makes him very good at slipping a tail, but also works against him in being an extremely distinctive trait that's very prone to freaking people out. Generally, you don't stop producing your personal pheromones until you die- but he's not producing a dead-ant smell, and he's very clearly up and moving, just lacking any personal scent. It's prone to tripping a sense that something is horribly, unnaturally wrong. Also, it's not very good for his body to stop making a bunch of major compounds. Generally, he'll opt more for things like cutting out stress pheromones than taking out everything.

[cripplecharacters]

Hello! So, I'm afraid I may have fallen into A Trope, and I'm wondering if I need to change anything about this character.

I have three characters who are (nearly) identical homunculi (alchemically created humans). One of them is blind, because a lab accident resulted in him having to be "born" before he was ready, resulting in severely underdeveloped eyes, among a few other issues.

The thing I'm worried about is that I've given these homunculi enhanced senses as a result of them all having some dragon DNA. I wouldn't say it's to an extent that it negates the blind one's blindness, it's certainly not at Daredevil levels, but it does give him some options that your average blind person wouldn't have; in particular, the ability to identify people by smell (like how individuals would smell different from each other to a cat or dog, for example) and generally having better hearing than your average human, though again, it's not at a level I'd call "super-hearing," just slightly enhanced.

He does use a cane, and occasionally his brothers act as sighted guides, so he doesn't completely rely on his enhanced senses to navigate, nor would that be feasible if he tried.

I guess the jist of what I'm asking is, is a blind character with enhanced senses (as a species trait) okay if those senses aren't enhanced enough to actually "make up for" his blindness, or should I do away with that aspect of the species?

Hello!

The main problems with this trope are that it's often only the blind character with these enhanced senses and their enhanced senses end up negating their blindness and being used as a way to avoid actually portraying the character's blindness.

For example, a blind character that has highly enhanced senses and doesn't need to use a cane or a sighted guide or need any sort of accommodations. This trope also usually ends up implying (If not outright stating) that blind people have enhanced senses, which is a pretty common myth.

With how you've described your character, it sounds like the majority of this is avoided. I'd be hesitant to even group your concept in with this trope. It isn't just the blind character that has the enhanced senses and it sounds like you've done good with researching his blindness and showing how he deals with it.

Something worth noting is that even though the whole "blind people have enhanced senses" thing is a myth, a lot of blind people are more in tune with our other senses simply because we rely on them/use them more. With my level of vision loss, I can't usually see people approaching me unless they're coming from directly in front of me but I am able to identify friends and family (And even some of my profs) by the sound of their footsteps. Some of my friends also have pretty unique smells so I can even pick out a few of them by smell on occasion. This is all to say that it's not entirely unrealistic for your character to be able to identify somebody based on their smell, even without their enhanced senses.

I don't see anything wrong with this character but if you are still worried about the trope, there are a few things you can consider to avoid falling into it entirely:

Consider adding another blind character who isn't part of this species. Even just a blind side character that appears every so often or in passing can help show that the enhanced senses are a species-specific trait, not something to do with his blindness. I'm always a big fan of including multiple blind characters (And disabled characters in general) anyways.

Show the limits of his senses and explore the assistive technology he may use. Though his level of blindness isn't specified, his enhanced senses likely wouldn't help him with things such as technology, navigating the physical world around him, group conversations/social cues (Without relying on body language or facial expressions), etc. You mentioned that he uses a cane and his brothers as sighted guides but what other resources does he use?

Another thing to consider is what kinds of tricks and adjustments he's made in his own life, even without actual assistive technology. There are a lot of day-to-day things that are made difficult by blindness and unfortunately, a lot of solutions are either extremely expensive or don't exist yet so a lot of us have had to get creative. Something I do, for example, is put those raised stickers from the dollar store on the day side of my day/night pill organizer to differentiate between the two.

From what you've described so far, this seems like a really cool idea and I don't see any reason to remove their enhanced senses. I think it adds a lot to the characters and I'd love to see how they've been able to use their senses in regards to their blindness.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[yakkety-yak-art]

not to unnecessarily thinkpiece at 1 am (this might be incomprehensible) but i feel its odd when people talk about spock being half human and half vulcan like its completely literal. like somebody just put two legos together and can just separate them or turn one on or off at will. i know that in tos its explained similarly in that way a lot, but a lot of the times when it is it just seems like a more shorthand explanation for the complexities spock deals with culturally and biologically rather than it being entirely literal.

the reason i feel its weird is for two reasons: 1. spock is quite literally biracial and his personal story revolves around that a LOT. leonard nimoy even spoke before about receiving at least one letter from a biracial girl talking about how she related to spock/wanting advice because she was a "half-breed", which to me points pretty clearly to how spock functions as an analogue for multiracial people or someone of a different race and culture living somewhere where they are a minority and have to conform to the majority cultural/racial expectations. spock is treated as too human for vulcans and too vulcan for humans, but this is entirely due to cultural stigma and not because of his actual biology (and even if his biology was extremely divergent from both, that wouldn't justify bigotry anyways). spock is not actually "worse" at controlling his emotions than other vulcans, and is not more emotional than them (vulcans are very emotional, of course, and they are also quite expressive--they just express themselves differently than most humans), nor is he inherently less of a person and more like a computer, to use bones' sentiments, just because he does not emote in ways his human crewmates do. humans and vulcans both treat him as if he is fundamentally deficient, but it's not that he actually is, or that any multiracial vulcan or human COULD be, but that they are so prejudiced that they are making reasons to mistreat him or view him poorly. the only thing that actually makes him fundamentally different from other vulcans or humans is his physiology, because unlike with the current human social concept of race in regards to skin color, vulcans and humans do actually have physical differences as two different races--as in species. but, in universe, this physical difference in spock's case is nearly as minor (in a purely physical sense) as someone having more melanin than another, and is only important to those who aren't himself, his direct family, or his doctors because of the social construct of race.

this also reflects in how spock views himself; he's not cagey about being biracial, and references it relatively often (though mostly only when it's relevant), and seems to feel no shame towards his human mother herself, but he otherwise tends to exclusively racially identify as vulcan and shies away from wanting to associate his own person with humanity. he was raised on vulcan and "as a" vulcan, and aside from his human mother, he has no tangible connections to earth human culture. yet, most of the humans he meets and even his own mother judge him as being an "abnormal" or "deficient" human in the same way that spock's mixed race status is used as a reason to judge spock as being the same, but as a vulcan. spock is just as emotional as any human or vulcan, and acts in accordance with the culture he was raised in, but even as an adult has internalized racism because he considers his emotions inherently human (aka bad and wrong) even though emotions are not traits which exist only in humans, and himself not really a vulcan in some fundamental way, solely because of the racism he's faced since a child. to put it another way, if spock had been raised on earth, with the majority of his influences being in human community and family aside from his father, would he identify primarily as human, or more generally as biracial, rather than just vulcan, feeling some internal shame in regards to that aspect of his heritage and identity? i think it's entirely possible. his differences are largely based in social responses to his existence and cultural differences based on where he was raised.

(to note: i'm not saying it's bad that spock himself identities primarily as vulcan or that he should identify more as human, i'm simply saying that it highlights how much of his racial and cultural identity is directly tied to how he was raised and is treated rather than some inherent biological trait he has because he's biracial. spock is clearly visibly vulcan, which would be the racial minority on earth, so even then he would face stigma related to his race based on his appearance--on vulcan, it stems more from simply the knowledge that spock is biracial, as his family is very well-known and prestigious, rather than looking human.)

reason 2 is also because spock serves as an analogue for neurodivergent people, but in particular autistic people, people who display with a flat affect or otherwise don't react or emote in a "normal" sense, miss or ignore social cues, etc. in fact, generally, spock is a character which many socially marginalized groups and people who feel like outsiders gravitate towards because his situation as sci-fi biracial in an entirely human crew feels familiar to a lot of these people.

so, treating spock like he's literally split down the middle, fundamentally inhuman and invulcan, only halves that can be separated or a switch that can be flipped where he's "more vulcan" or "more human" feels incredibly strange because then...what does that imply about real people who are biracial, or people who are autistic? i'm sure most people don't think too hard about it, but to accept the reasoning of the people being racist to spock is conceding to the idea that something is wrong with spock. that he is two unfinished halves and not one whole, and that he either is one or the other or is in a permanent gray area where his existence is wrong. spock is different, yes, but almost all of the differences outside of his daily bodily functions are entirely because of the concepts of race that other people have. what is that meant to tell someone who's mixed race? "sorry, you'd be normal if you were just one race"? someone who's autistic, "but you're not really a person"?

again, i'm sure many people haven't thought about it that deeply and aren't meaning to imply those things, just as i'm sure plenty of people have probably written nearly identical thinkpieces in the decades since tos aired, but it's just been bugging me and i needed to get it out of my brain. by the time i'm wrapping this up, it's a little past 2 am, and i've tried to proofread this but it might still be a slog and/or entirely incomprehensible. if anyone has any thoughts--whether you agree with me or not, or felt like something in the post could be added to/reworded--i'd definitely be interested in hearing them (like i said, this is almost 100% unoriginal thoughts lmao).

anyways don't become english majors kids it gives you media analysis brainworms.

[jawsofjuno]

Endoparasitum info dump: Behavioral traits edition.

Info under cut for spoilers AND mention of reproduction/sex.

Collection of information I've tried to organize.

General behaviors ->

- Endoparasitums are known to be hostile towards other lifeforms, even of their own kind, and are easily irritable.

- This species is highly competitive towards sustenance, shelter, & hosts.

- They prefer to keep to themselves and live alone. They do not typically form bonds with other individuals, but it isn't impossible, as they are highly intelligent and can grow bored. Each individual will have its own needs and wants.

- It's been observed that some Endoparasitums will bond with humans. Humans have the same level of intelligence, and a similar emotional spectrum, so it is not surprising that the two species can get along, although it is incredibly rare due to the endopara's hostile nature. (Think of a feral cat or a Tasmanian devil).

- Endoparas enjoy a variety of activities, including swimming, false combat (basically play-fighting), creating & decorating their nests, & hunting. Not only is hunting necessary, it also provides enrichment.

- Enjoying fashion & self-customizion is more common for the endoparas on Earth due to human influence. Some have seen the pros to making themselves look attractive to humans in order to easily lure in prey or hosts, while others just like to play around with the variety of DNA and clothing options offered by humans.

Reproduction->

- Endoparasitums will choose any other species to host their eggs, and are not usually picky with their choice, although they prefer an organism that will be large enough to sustain feeding the neonates.

- The urge to reproduce is caused by hormones, similar to creatures on Earth, and the cycle seems to be monthly. (Earth months). If there is no host available, they will 'self-sooth'

- They all contain the same reproductive organs, and do not have sexes or genders, although it has been observed that once assimilating a human(s), some individuals will lean towards choosing certain characteristics over others, and prefer to mimic and identify as one gender over another.

- The act of reproduction was nothing more than to create more of their own kind, until recently, where it has been observed that some individuals will bond with a human and share intimate experiences as a way of giving & receiving pleasure with their partner. Such acts can be deadly to the human, so the endopara will typically inject their partner with cells beforehand as a way of destroying the eggs before they have started leeching nutrients. (There are also other ways for them to sexually please each other, but I'll leave that in the story).

- Younglings are only looked after for the first few days, & then are expected to fend for themselves. These lifeforms do not have parental instincts, although in one case, it was observed that an individual cared long-term for a youngling that was abnormally needy, proving that these creatures have some level of sympathy for others.

Enviormental preferences & nesting ->

- Endoparasitums prefer a hot, humid, & dark environment. They evolved in such an environment on Kepler-62e, and cannot withstand cold temperatures. Even when assimilating a lifeform that can withstand those temperatures, these creatures still avoid it at all costs due to discomfort.

- On Kepler-62e, endoparas nest in cave-like crevices above ground and in water. (They can intake oxygen into their cells in both states).

- On Kepler-62e, they would shed excess biomass and layer it inside and outside of the crevice. It would alert them to any unwanted visitors.

- On Earth, endoparas have been seen using human bedding, as well as excess biomass for their nests.

- Nests can be anywhere from messy to extravagant, depending on the individual's taste. On Kepler-62e, many would use plant matter, animal bones, and pretty stones interwoven & Imbedded into the excess biomass to serve as decor.

[redrobin-detective]

Iruma-kun, the Six Fingers and Humanity

I have been mulling over this idea for days as I devoured the Iruma-kun anime then manga and am still struggling to articulate it. The best I can boil down to is the whole goal of the Six Fingers and the return to origins is, unbeknownst to them, a desire to become more human.

I can understand, in a way, their frustration. Demons used to be merciless killers, where the strong surpassed the weak and magic, aggression and power won the day. Now we see they have idol concerts and theme parks and silly games to help demons safely purge their “wickedness” which is, in reality just another part of their nature. The majority of modern day demons deny a large part of themselves. The whole idea of a wicked cycle is endlessly fascinating to me, like this species has compartmentalized themselves so much that their pent up darker impulses periodically spring out and require them to be handled gently or hidden away. I can see how this practice is insulting and incredibly restrictive of what a demon is.

Now, right from the start, Iruma has stood out in the demon world for a few reasons. First and most obviously, he lacks any practical or cultural knowledge of demonic society. We see Iruma ignorantly stride past social norms and boundaries he didn’t even know existed. If it weren’t for his upbeat, people pleasing attitude he’d be written off as a delinquent but instead he helps foster an environment of change in a bunch of slackers and misguided students. And change is a radical concept in a society that hasn’t replaced the demon king in centuries since the old one disappeared. The effect of Iruma’s very presence, his enthusiasm and attitude and cooperative abilities can be seen so strongly on the Misfit class that its no wonder he’s become such a stand out student.

So I had heard of Irumean when I first started the series and had high expectations of him being a full on bastard. And he simply wasn’t. He was arrogant, reckless, rude at the worst but even those around him commented that his innate, unnatural kindness was still there. I argue because Irumean was never a true wicked cycle. It was Ali-san’s attempt to induce a demonic ritual onto him. But humans aren’t like demons, Iruma is a good, kind, patient boy due to his trauma and strength of character. At any point he could lash out in the most horrific fashion and leave everyone stunned because he is not bound such such strict rules of personality and conduct. His humanity is as much a strength as it is a weakness.

So according to recent chapters, Iruma has traces of Delkira’s energy. My first thought was that it was emanating from Ali-san, which is a distinct possibility but why was the ring attracted to Iruma in the first place? My next theory is that Delkira had some connection to humans as well. Either he’s a hafling or a demonized human or spent a significant amount of time in the human world. Either way, this human perspective is what made him so powerful, such an irreplaceable leader that his throne has remained empty for so long. One could even argue that the energy that the Six Fingers identify as ‘Delkira’ is actually just ‘human’ since the King’s energy is familiar while a human’s is not.

My whole round about point I’m doing a very poor job of explaining essentially boils down to, demons want to return to their origins to have more control over their baser instincts. Instincts and free will that humans, such as Iruma, possess naturally. But while Iruma has the capability for great evil, unrestrained by a set cycle, he also has such an overflowing well of love in him. Delkira, what little we’ve seen of him comes across as brash, fickle and cruel. You may note those are human traits as well. But Iruma also leads with kindness, dedication and teamwork. He will make a marvelous King because the humanity he brings to the table will help all of demonkind.

I do believe as the manga progresses we will see Iruma’s humanity become a  game changer in the battle against the Six Fingers. How he sees the world (both human and demon), how he interacts and inspires others, how he fights. Reaching a point where not only does Iruma stand up for himself but he is forced to cause harm (and by consequence addressing his people pleasing trauma) and behave in a manner not seen by demons outside of their wicked cycle. When he does, years down the road, become King, I believe he will address the concerns of factions like the Six Fingers. Demons are not meant to be fully contained but cannot be allowed to run rampant. With his feet in both worlds, I believe he will be able to balance both opposing views and ‘heal’ the underworld as the prophecy states. Not just from the instability of the Six Fingers but from this bizarre evolutionary cycle demons have fallen into over the centuries.

[dr-abigail-richelieu]

Vampires were an extinct human subspecies, discovered and then de-extinct through morally questionable genetic engineering research in the year 1981 by The Genomic Innovation Institute (or G.I.I) in an attempt at finding cures for some neurological disorders through gene therapy and tweaked retroviruses. Thanks to these… Morally questionable experiments, It was discovered that some specific dormant genes were extremely widely spread throughout the population and that these genes could be reactivated in some individuals. In certain cases some of these genes express spontaneously. This gave rise to the theory that some neurological disorders could at least partly arise from the expression of these genes albeit in a very “broken” and rudimentary form. Essentially the treatments to cure certain types of neurological disorders turned out to activate some of these dormant genes, essentially turning the test subjects into what we now call a Vampire. The Genomic Innovation Institute decided to pursue research on this subspecies, hoping to turn a profit. Thanks to them, we now have a complex understanding of Vampires…

They were humanity's natural predator, emerging between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago, around the same time as Homo sapiens, or at least shortly after. They hunted our ancestors with brutal efficiency, to the point that even though we eventually forgot about them (before bringing them back from extinction), they remained engraved in our cultural memory. For lack of better words, they were the things we feared were in the dark.

It's difficult to identify ancient vampire remains, as their identifying traits are primarily neurological and soft tissue-related. However, their skeletal structure does have some minor differences, which allow for identification now that we know what to look for. It seems that vampires began going extinct around 2000 BCE, with their population drastically reducing as civilization emerged. Their extinction was due to more than one factor. 

-Vampires were extremely antisocial, which makes sense for a predatory species whose prey resembled it that much. This however did complicate mating between vampires because vampires didn't just tend to ignore each other but would see other vampires as threats and would often attempt to dispatch each other upon contact. Since sexual dimorphism is quite lacking in Vampires, which not only resulted in both of the sexes looking very androgynous, it also meant that both Male and Female had essentially the same musculature and strength and general ferocity, sexual coercion would have most likely resulted in one or both of the party's demise or heavy maiming, rendering it extremely inefficient. Plus, vampires seemed to generally be very uninterested in copulation, though it did happen from time to time. Strangely enough all of this seemed to have made the idea of mating with humans more appealing for some Vampires which is why like with Homo Neanderthal, Vampiric DNA can be found in modern day humans. (The mating behaviours of Vampires will be discussed more thoroughly in another chapter)

-The Emergency of euclidean architecture seemed to have greatly affected vampires. We discovered that in their eyes, the receptor cells that respond to horizontal lines are cross wired with those that respond to vertical ones. When both are fired simultaneously in a specific way it'll result in quite a violent seizure. We call the effect “The Crucifix Glitch”. While the glitch will only trigger when intersecting right angles occupy more than 30° of visual arc, we discovered, thanks to our currents subjects, that the simple suggestion of the Crucifix Glitch being triggered is enough in 75% of cases to completely dissuade an attack, if they had been exposed to it previously (depending on the vampire's current emotional state). These seizure are quite violent, reminiscent of Tonic-Clonic seizures, but because of the vampire's particular muscular structure and their higher distribution of fast twitch muscle fibers, these seizures tend to result in dislocated limbs much more often than regular seizure. Plus, with the Vampire's unique neurochemistry, we suspect that the seizures are much more distressing for them. In conclusion, the seizures caused by the Crucifix Glitch are extremely traumatizing and painful for vampires to the point that any right angles, even if not in a context that could induce the glitch, will usually make a vampire extremely uncomfortable and anxious (work best if they've been exposed to the glitch at some point in their life). Because of this a lot of the vampires did not even dare to approach human settlements with euclidean architecture, which greatly complicated things for the overall survival of the species.

-Vampires make for terrible parents. Given their natural antisocial behaviour, it’s unsurprising that they aren’t the best caregivers. Despite their longer lifespans, one might expect them to invest more time and effort in their offspring, but this is not the case. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; their longer lifespans and fertility lead them to essentially not value their offspring, as they can always have another later on in life. The father is most likely going to be completely absent, as he typically feels no compulsion to ensure the survival of his offspring. The mother, on the other hand, while interested in her child's survival, is not as invested as one might expect from a primate species. She won't hesitate to abandon her offspring if she considers it a liability. She'll usually take care of it up until it's pre teenage years where she'll abandon it. However, some exceptions to this were found, as we've recently found proof of a Vampire Pack, more on this in a later entry.

-Mating with humans: As previously mentioned, vampires tend to be awful parents, to the extent that some began mating with humans. Why? Because it was easier. Human mating rituals were simple for vampires to emulate, and once mating was complete, the male vampire could leave, confident that its offspring would be cared for. Meanwhile, the female vampire could stay with the human and be looked after during her pregnancy, a wolf in sheep's clothing, she could discreetly sustain her need for blood by feeding on humans in the tribe or even her mate. Once she gave birth, she could either leave or continue caring for her children with a continuous blood supply. Another tactic vampire would use to get out of raising their young is “Brood Parasitism”. They would kidnap human children and replace them with their own. We believe that this is what gave birth to the legends of “Changelings”.

Overall the extinction of Vampires wasn't due to one reason but a combination of many things. A reminder of how evolution might screw you over. You may have been a perfectly adapted predator but something seemingly insignificant can truly come back to bite you.

Speaking of biting, the infamous bite of Vampires while not exactly as described in myths, is nothing to joke about...

This is from a setting of mine, where alot of cryptids, myths, etc are real or were directly influence by real events/creatures all explainable by science, kinda like the amazing YouTube Channel ThoughPotato This entry focuses on Vampires which biology and history is inspired and influenced by the Amazing Peter Watts and his just as amazing books Blindsight and Echopraxia (in fact this setting started out as a AU of his awesome universe)

[letters-to-rosie]

Sorry I'm sending so many asks, tho I'm curious if you have any tips on writing race in the Arcane universe. Clearly it's not the same as the real word but it a showrunner were to say point blank that racism doesn't exist in Arcane I think I'd get really mad. Idk, if you're still figuring it out sorry, I I'm just curious

lmao no problem I never stop talking anyway

but not only do I never mind getting asks, I was THRILLED to get this one. this isn't in my wheelhouse. it IS my wheelhouse. it's what I'm getting the phd for so they'll let me teach this sort of shit lol. I was literally so excited when I saw this that I had to make myself get to a certain stopping point on my final paper for my history of race class (how fitting) as a motivation so I could come answer afterward lol

the real key to it is something you've already identified in the ask itself: that it's not the same as the real world, but it's definitely there. and with that in mind we can think of talking about how race comes about

so I'mma break this into two sections. the first is about dealing with race (or racialization) in a fantasy setting like Arcane, and the second will be on how real-world structures still have a bearing on what we write about those fictional worlds and how they're perceived. okay, let's get into it (and let me type properly lol)

Because race isn't rooted in biological reality, it's constantly shifting. It's meanings are never fixed, but because race is a way we naturalize the world around us (much like gender stereotypes), it appears more permanent than it is. Now, this isn't discounting racialized violence any group has endured. But the process of defining who belongs to what group, where the dividing lines are, what racial stereotypes mean, and so on, is ongoing.

Race is a popular way of dealing with difference, but it's far from the only one. So what we have to ask is how a group of people become not just different but fundamentally different in ways you can assign supposed traits and behaviors to them. There are a lot of ways this can happen, and every instance has its own historical specificity. Also, every instance is caught up in a "web," so to speak, of cultural context, understandings, and referents (riffing Clifford Geertz and Stuart Hall a little here) that allow people in that web to make sense of the world around them and to understand themselves. So it's very messy, but often we can find some key events that set the process of making a race, racialization, in motion. A good example IRL is the way that brown people of all backgrounds were racialized as vaguely threatening in post-9/11 America. Another is the Transatlantic slave trade, which gave economic incentives for dehumanizing black people and, eventually in the U.S., created a social structure where people who were only partially black could still be enslaved, which is how you get tan black people like me lol. Another example could be the absorption of various European immigrant groups into whiteness throughout U.S. history, or the effort to separate the Japanese from other East Asians after they beat Russia in a war in 1905.

In general, we're asking "what set racialization in motion?" A war? Colonial expansion? Mass immigration? Capitalism? Usually you don't have just one, and usually race combines with one of those forces to exacerbate a previously-held idea of difference in a society. So all of a sudden those people aren't just different, but they might as well be a different species.

In Arcane, we don't get enough backstory to say anything definitively, but we can assume that the divide between Piltover and Zaun is primarily economic. The game lore suggests some colonization, too. In any case, by the time of the show, there are already:

firmly-established delineations between Piltovans and Zaunites

a stereotyping that hides the complexity of the problems the cities face (see Jayce saying to Viktor that the Zaunites are criminals; of course, he's worried about Jinx, but he's operating on the assumption that the Zaunites are acting up because of their criminality, which hides other motivations for their behavior; in all likelihood, most of them were upset because they couldn't get to work, which would lead to a loss of wages and more economic precarity than they already experience)

a robust system of incarceration, police brutality, and environmental racism leading to disparate health outcomes across groups

and a division of labor that relies on all of the above (though I REALLY wish they'd explain more about the mines I need to KNOW)

So, again, it's not race as such, but it's helpful because we can see that it's not entirely reducible to social class, ether. If it were, Viktor would have had a much easier time, and there would be more economic mobility both up and down the ladder. I think it's more than fair to say that racilization is at work, even though the characters have a wide array of physical features on both sides of the river. Racialization can most certainly happen even when the people involved look mostly alike (see the English and the Irish for the classic example).

Okay, so we've established that some race-y things are going on. What about the second part? What about the real world?

We have to be honest and note that our real-world experiences are going to affect how we engage with these characters. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but it's important that we're aware and cautious, handling the question of race delicately. I, for one, have been really disappointed in some of the audience reception of the show's black characters (and a teeny bit in how I feel like their arcs were rushed compared to the wider cast). I'm not really invested in any ship involving Jayce, not gonna lie (though I will say it takes a lot for me to get invested in a ship in general; I have to really click with it to care), but the hate Mel gets over shipping cannot be separated from mysognoir. It just can't. Likewise, with Ekko, I'm sometimes nervous about descriptions of his body that remind me of the VERY long tradition of fetishizing black men to hell and back. But he also gets the short end of the stick in shipping sometimes, and I think his relatively lower popularity in fandom is likely related to his race.

This is me, a black woman, calling it as I see it. We could also get into Sky, but that's a whole other thing. I think that when we engage with these characters, it's important to note what is actually in the text and what might be a projection of our world's current concepts of race onto the fantasy world.

So, for example, assuming Caitlyn is better at math than Vi because her facial features are East Asian. Vi is Jinx's sister. Vi is better at math, presumably, at least in terms of talent, since Vi wouldn't have gotten to go to school. A way to work in the racialization of the show's setting could be for Vi to express frustration with people think ing she's dumb just because of where she's from, or she could be upset she doesn't know something not because she is a Zaunite but because Zaun is so oppressed that Vi never got a proper education.

Mel is a pretty calm character. If someone wrote her as very angry, for example, I'd be like whoa, sounds like the stereotype that black women are angry is at work here. Mel expresses anger at her mother, but otherwise she's very level-headed. For an example in the setting, perhaps Mel tells a close confidante she's a bit tired of the veneer of civility Piltover can put on. Race works in multiple directions. By saying the Zaunite are the rowdy ones, it's saying Piltovans can't be (not that they actually can't, just under their world's racial logic). How would this play out in Mel's life? Could make for an interesting fic.

One example I can speak on personally, because I'm writing it, is my attempt to engage elements of real-world black radicalism with the Arcane universe. Like, I have lines that Ekko says in one chapter that are deeply inspired by one of the most famous Pan-Africanists in U.S. history. But I can't map that thought onto, say, Mel, just because she's black. Her position in the society is such that real-world blackness doesn't really have anything to do with her outside of her reception by the audience. I do, however, engage that sort of thought with other Zaunite characters, mainly Jinx, despite her being white in the real-world framework. In the setting, she's racialized as a Zaunite, and I'm proceeding accordingly, working with those categories of race instead of the ones I deal with in my real life.

Another thing I'm very wary of is beauty being attached to skin color. I'm a bit wary of skin color being mentioned a lot in fics in general, honestly. In a world where skin color isn't the means by which people are divided, it wouldn't be nearly as worth noting. What about...accents? Perceived intelligence? Did Viktor go to Piltover and have people go "oh, you're so articulate"? I bet he did.

Okay, this is getting very long. Pretty much what I'm trying to say is that the answer is to think about what race does in the real world and then think about how it would work in Arcane or any other fantasy setting. What gets people designated as a race? What stereotypes are associated with them? How do people resist this? and so on.

And on the flip side, we have to be attentive to how race in the real world might be coloring our perceptions of certain characters. By being conscious of this, we can avoid potentially reinforcing real-world racial logic. And by examining what racial logic is and what it does, we can become prepared to deal with it in the real world.

(and yeah I would also not enjoy a showrunner saying it doesn't exist in the universe lol)

[harmonia-university]

Interview with Dr. Jelle Wauters, from the Department of Biology!

Do you have a specialization of some kind (types, wildlife, etc.) or do you just general biology? - @nobetternamethanthat2 , anonymous

My research is mainly related to type genetics! Although every Weavile is an ice type, the potency and the ability to control those ice powers may vary between individuals. I also study type-related diseases as they seem to be genetically passed down as well. During the Domestication era, this kind of variance was extremely rare among Pokemon. Nowadays, Pokemon have at least a bit of human DNA in them, and this seems to have affected some family lineages. So this is a bit of a new phenomenon that a lot of research is being put into.

What got you into biology? Why do you like it, do you have a favourite thing about it? - @megamannickblog , @ecoxlar-maybe, @theonlycampix , @tailsluigi

Well for my specific interest, I've been around Pokemon who suffer from type-related deficiencies all my life. I am actually one of them! My ice powers are very weak, almost nonexistent. I always wanted to know the science behind that so I decided to get more into it.

Biology is so fascinating as a whole though! There are so many different species of Pokemon with their own quirks and abilities, it's fun to learn about how every single one works. Even Pokemon that seem man-made and robotic, they have their own central nervous systems, digestive systems, etc. I think the diversity pulled me in too.

Is there any part of the curriculum you look forward to teaching most? -anonymous

When teaching my Type biology classes I am always excited to talk about the genetics behind it of course! It is only a small portion of the course, a lot of it is on the more “physical” side of things, how the powers are generated, how it affects our bodies and stuff like that. But it is nice to talk about my specific interest, even for a bit…

Do you have a least and favourite part about teaching biology? - @neonellie

I think my favourite part is being able to educate passionate students about something I am passionate about as well. It's hard to think of a least favourite aspect. Probably the grading, but I don't know anyone who enjoys that.

If you had to pick another subject to teach what would you pick? - @ecoxlar-maybe

Biology related? Probably the anatomy of different kinds of Pokemon. Non biology related, maybe chemistry? Biochemistry. Oh, I made that related to biology. Haha!

What's your biggest achievement during your time as a student? - @smartguy18

Oh, I've done many many research projects as a student! I guess the one I'm most proud of is the work I did with one of my professors on grass type decay. Some grass types inherit a trait that makes their body decay quite fast…like a flower that is constantly deprived of water. I worked on trying to identify what gene causes this. It is a topic very significant to me!

How did you end up teaching at Harmonia? Did you grow up around Arboria, what brought you here? -Bijoux from @redolentgrove , Minuy600

Oh, I didn't grow up here! I grew up in a region overseas called Rhinia. Honestly I was desperate to look for anywhere that would take me in. Harmonia University was the first one that got back to me, I had heard good things about it so I decided to come here! And I don't regret it!

How do you deal with rowdy students? -anonymous

Oh, I barely get any. I usually teach upper year students and grad students. They are usually pretty well-behaved. There's the occasional dispute with grades and stuff like that but I think the best thing to do is to listen, stay as calm as possible and try to reach common ground.

What do you do in your free time? - @dawnnotsomom, @askgodmotherdaringdo

I love sports! Especially winter sports, such as figure skating and snowboarding. During other seasons I like to hit the badminton court. Other than that, I building and painting figurines.

Do you like video games? If so, what genres? -anonymous

I do play occasionally. Mostly farming and city-building sims.

Your hair always looks really pretty. Do you have a specific morning routine to keep yourself looking so nice? If not, have you tried experimenting recently with your fashion at all? - @missclovercat

Haha, thank you! My hair is naturally puffy like this due to my mother being a Flareon. A little wash and blow dry gets it like this! I'm not really one to experiment with fashion at all, anything comfortable and keeps me cool works.

Do you have anyone special in your life? - @wevelocityteampresents-blog

Oh hoho….yes….I have two! My lovely wife and daughter. I wouldn't know how to live without them.

This isn't a question but @winguontheweb has said that they love that you look like pink lemonade!

Oh! Well…thank you! That is quite the compliment. I love pink lemonade, haha!

Any tips for someone who wants to learn biology? -Wil from @ask-the-shiny-pokemons

Well, you're interested - that's a great start! If there's an aspect of biology you're interested in, such as microbiology, genetics, anatomy, etc… the easiest thing to do is just look up resources to learn about that topic! You may want to borrow books about it in the library, listen to lectures, watch educational videos, etc. Then you can expand to other topics! Soon enough you'll be an expert!

That concludes the interview! Do you have any closing remarks?

[yanderefairyangel]

Dragon Sombron vs the Twins.

Sombron looks like a Cobra

Nel looks closer to a traditional depiction of a dragon, wearing a collar like a gecko. She still retain some of Sombron's dragonic form feature like the snake tongue, the hand tail, the wings tied in the arm, but she doesn't looks as sneaky

Rafal bear similar features to Nel and therefore the same features as Sombron but the same features distinguishing Nel from Sombron. He however has horns unlike Nel.

Here we can see that Nel and Sombron's fang are different. Sombron's fang are more spaced and thiner and ressembles that of a royal cobra. Nel's fang are much less thiner and are closer. She also appears to have some teeth in the lower part of her jaw unlike Sombron and her fang doesn't shows up when her mouth remains closed.

This is obvious in that pic. She also have a snake tongue like Sombron's.

As you can see, Nel and Sombron also happens to have slightly different jaws.

All I said about Nel applies to Rafal as well. The twins have traits more alike to a lizard then Sombron, who is designed to look like a snake/cobra.

Their tails is also different the Sombron's as they seems to have some spikes on it whereas Sombron has none

And now finally, the biggest example of the difference between Sombron and the twins, comparing the Great Fell dragon form

As we can see, Rafal and Sombron shares similairties. Their arm are now independent from their wings who have rather similar shapes and they both have a hoodie. However, again Rafal doesn't look like a snake. His jaw is more triangular and massive then's Sombron, his tooth are different, the scales on his hoody are different, he doesn't have any of the pointy tips appearing on Sombron's much wider hoody, Rafal's wings are much wider but also, Sombron don't have whatever is happening to Rafal's lower body that looks like some crystal have been growing on his skin. There is also the horns, obviously.

Comparing the spirte makes it even more obvious

However, I noticed that Rafale in this form happens to have slightly similar features to... Lumera.

Those similarities stops at the shapes of the scales, the jaws being more similar to Lumera's, same for the horns and the teeth. And because of this, you might find some similar features to the statues of Lythos garden and the Brodian Bridge supposed to depict Divine dragons.

Those similar features are because of how the Fell twins bear many more similarities to lizard. I didn't managed to identify a proper species, however from what I already noticed : snake/cobra featured are supposed to something reserved to Fell dragon, lizard one to Divine dragons, and the Twins have both.

Now, fresh reminder. At the begining of the Fell Xenologue, Nel says this.

This world was originally a dragon less continent. 1 000 years ago, a dragon was born, the divine ancestor of the Divine dragon and the Fell dragon tribe

In the world where they hail from, Divine dragon and Fell dragon are relative tribe. We don't know what kind of species this first dragon belonged to, however he is called "the Divine ancestor". That aside, Sombron and Lumera are both related as long distant relative through a same ancestor in this world, explaining why they can share some feature. This obviously doesn't apply to our Sombron as he is from another world, therefore, how could he be related in any way to Lumera ? Sombron's comment on comming in Elyos where he mentionned how Elyos was already ruled by dragon treated like gods in his arrival seems to infer that the rival tribe of his world wasn't composed of Divine dragon. I think Sombron's form as a cobra is meant to stand out as pointing him as a stranger.

Nel and Rafal's form having more similar features with lizards would therefore shows that they aren't strangers, but are born to their Elyos as they are canonically representing the entirety of the alternate continent. So I think that Nel and Rafal's dragonic from is supposed to be remniscent of the fact that in this world, they share a blood link with the Divine dragon tribe, unlike our Sombron. Also, I know we don't know how the other Sombron looks like as a dragon since the only way to signify that he is a different Sombron is that his face is never properly depicted (like other Alear) but as far as I recall, Nel comment that Rafal's appearance and hers are supposed to look like Sombron's but we just saw that they are very different and in the boss fight of chapter 26, the boss conversation with Sombron only happens with Sombron in his.... humanoid form. Rafal and Nel obvioulsy recognize his appearance has being similar to the one of their father while Sombron, as always, shows he doesn't give a singly flying sommie as he fails to to identify Nel and Rafal as looking like one of his dead kids. So that's a question that's not going to be answered.

Another thing. Neither Veyle and Alear can turn into dragon and that's because they are hybrid. Remember ? Nel and Rafal have more chance to be pure fell blood. Veyle and Alear have none as Sombron was the sole representant of his species, therefore I think the lack of dragon form for Alear and Veyle is because of their hybrid nature whereas Rafal and Nel's dragon form is one way to assert that they are like Sombron : pure fell blood.

In a nutshell, Nel and Rafal's dragonic form shows that they are like Sombron pure fell blood. However, the different features is supposed to be remniscent of the fact they hail from a universe where Divine and Fell dragon share a common heritage. In this aspect they are different from Sombron who doesn't share such a thing with our Divine dragon and the likes of Alear and Veyle. Sombron's serpentine form is way for him to stand out as comming from another world, the Fell twins as a way for them to be pointed out as being native to Elyos and sharing those features with the native tribe in both universe : Divine one.

As a conclusion.... Fell dragon cools.

[poke-muns]

PokéPride: Gender Associations

Sylveon = Transgender

Colours match the transgender flag.

Sometimes divided into transfem and transmasc using the standard and shiny colourations respectively, but a lot of the time a Sylveon symbol is inclusive to all who consider themselves trans.

Subtle Sylveon symbols often reference their bows or ribbons.

CW Transphobia = Some trans people also relate to one of the many sad Sylveon experiences, being loved until they’re open about their expression at which point they’re shunned.

Azurill line = transgender

Based on the fact that within certain populations, female Azurill can evolve into male Marill.

The symbols are often just Azurill and Azumarill. Marill can be used by trans communities, but it is also used by intersex communities.

Usage has different connotations than using Sylveon; where Sylveon are often reflective of a desire for acceptance, the Azurill line are used to show that one’s gender and expression of it was always going to happen regardless of others’ views.

It has also be used by trans people who embrace their previous assigned gender. They were A, now they are B, but that doesn’t mean they were never A and they do not want to discount how they were as A.

Amoonguss = transgender

Lesser known as this is a relatively new association and knowledge is limited to those at least interested in the competitive battling scene.

Used more as a symbol of allyship and solidarity with trans people, rather than being a symbol forged from kinship.

CW Transphobe mention = Became a symbol after a championship finals match where an Amoonguss was the main reason for the transphobic opponent losing, managing to put opponents to sleep and sludge bomb perfectly.

Croagunk = transmasc

A rare symbol used by transmasc folk who experienced hardships because of being trans, often using Croagunk instead of other symbols because said hardships are a key part of their identity.

The white stripes on its torso are reminiscent of makeshift binders; fighting is done to “ensure survival”; Croagunk poison specifically being used in medication for lower back pain while the poison in general can be seen as a defence.

Ditto = genderfluid, gender non-conforming & xenogenders

It makes sense the pokémon that can be anything is a symbol for so many things.

Ditto can be a symbol for genderfluid communities due to their transforming capabilities allowing them to change from one species to another with ease, correlated to genderfluid people’s changing gender identity.

GNC groups also identified with ditto due to it appearing however it wants but it being a ditto is still a core part of it’s existence.

Xenogender communities as a collective (since the specific communities within have their own symbols) also also adopted ditto because they are the only pokemon like them out of all pokémon species, hence their own egg group, and sympathise with only others like you understanding the deeper parts of you regardless of how else you present as or integrate yourself with.

The different communities often use ditto in different ways to differentiate what is being represented: in genderfluid contexts the ditto is between forms, showing traits of multiple species as well as the ditto itself; in GNC contexts the ditto is as another pokémon but with the ditto’s signature face; in xenogender contexts the ditto is as itself.

[vampstel]

You make very cute personas, but umm what exactly is a persona, is it some made-up character or a character that's made to represent yourself? Because I wanna make a persona, but I don't actually know what it is or how to make one😭

I understand your confusion so much 😭

I used to not know what a persona is or how to even make one since it’s such a fluid(?) word. The meaning of it just differs from person to person so there’s no strict rules set in place for creating them. But the basic gist of it is it’s meant to represent you.

How it represents you is entirely up to you. If you want to create a character that’s an identical copy to your real life self, that’s a persona. If you want to create a character that doesn’t look like you at all but you feel strongly connected to them/identify as them, that’s a persona. If you want to create a character that resembles you in a way, but is an idealized version of yourself, that can also be a persona.

There are endless choices when it comes to how you represent yourself in a character. That’s where most of the struggle comes from when creating personas and it’s such a hard topic to tackle and give advice for since, again, it all depends on you.

Really, the only thing I can say that helps me with making personas is trying to visualize who I am and what parts of me I want to show online. Like I ask myself questions such as:

Do I have any traits that stand out?

Do I see myself as a different species? Whether literally or just for fun?

Are there any interests that I want to show in my character design? Any clothes that I like?

Should I keep most of my real life physical traits or should I go completely fantasy?

Do I show my flaws or should I just create an ideal version of who I am?

It all sounds very overwhelming but when you start writing down the things you like and the traits you think are most memorable about yourself, creating a persona can be easy. But if you struggle with your sense of self and, in my case, correlate your identity to your interests and your interests change a lot, it can be extremely difficult and it’ll take many retries to create a persona that sticks.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. I feel like that’s the best advice I can give you. Don’t stress on making a perfect persona because your identity will always be fluid in some kind of way. You’ll change as you grow and learn and that’s the best part of having a persona because you can see that change whenever you create a new one.

As for experimentation… You can have multiple personas to show multiple sides of you or your interests. You can have one persona that’s extremely versatile so they’re easily changeable or fit all your traits. You can have one persona that just fits the biggest part of you you think is memorable. Just go crazy lol

Me personally? I decided to go down the “I’ll just fit all my interests in one character” route and it’s how I made Niko. I got my biggest interests such as dolls, bunnies, and fantasy and put them all into one messy conglomeration and so far it’s been working really well for me. But that may not work for you.

Creating a persona is honestly a journey of finding yourself, in a way. Especially if you’re a creative. Don’t rush it and just go with the flow :]

BTW: There’s another definition of persona which is essentially the “mask” you show in public. But that’s a completely different conversation and isn’t really needed unless you wanna become a professional in your line of work :P

[silken-threads-bah]

Hello! We'd like to request a headmate to be an in-person socializer for us!

The following are the most important traits: -Likes going to concerts and karaoke, especially if the goth, new wave, or heavy metal genres are involved (this is what a lot of our in-person social life revolves around) -Has a standard American accent (we're American but we often split alters with accents from other places and people in person frequently ask us where we're from and we'd rather they didn't JSDIOFGJSD) -Uses all pronouns, is asexual, and presents masculine but wears makeup (feel free to make the specifics of their identity whatever you want, as well as giving them preferred pronouns, especially neopronouns for use with our online friends) -Identifies with the body's age of 30 and ages with the body

The following are optional but appreciated: -Non-human in some way (species we get a lot include angels, demons, aliens, void entities (eldritch creatures comparable to both angels and demons and associated with creation and/or destruction), anthro animals, and asexual incubi/succubi/concubi* who prefer kink to sex) -Likes learning about different cultures/countries (especially France, Mexico, and Germany) and likes cooking the food and learning the languages. (We are bodily of French, Mexican, and German descent so if it's possible to include that they are too in some way, we would appreciate that.) -Has some kind of manager/responsible role, especially concerning managing finances, making appointments and phone calls, running our Etsy store (e.g. making the crafts, going to the post office to mail them, etc.), and/or managing our substance use*.

*Please disregard references to adult themes if you are a minor or if you aren't comfortable with them! I am an adult and the phrasing of one of your pages on this blog gives me the impression that you are too, but I could be mistaken, and I understand if you do not want to put those things on the template even if you are an adult.

I would like it to be one of the longer templates.

Thank you in advance for your time! ^_^

(Also, as per your rules and for the sake of transparency, we're letting you know we MIGHT submit this request or a similar one to another build-a-headmate blog at some point later, but this isn't a mass request and right now you're the only blog who has this request.)

Thank you so much for all of those details, wow!!! Sorry it took so long btw, we wanted to make sure we got enough detail in it since you went so in depth in your request! I hope this is okay, I went with the longer template since you gave so many specifics! - Eden

Name: phantom, wraith, ambrose, dorian, kieran

Age: 30, ages with the body

Pronouns: all pronouns, hy/shx/xey/fang are preferred though (could also use shade/shades, voi/voids, fog/fogs, ny/nycts/nycto/nyctoself,

Gender: pangender, masc presenting, sanctudark, gothcoric, moricrow

Orientation: asexual, loves to flirt though

Source: n/a

Roles: in-person socializer, manager, nummica, forportian

Personality: extroverted: loves to be in loud and chaotic places while surrounded by other people. responsible: takes charge of tasks that others find boring, tedious, or overwhelming because shx doesn't mind doing them. creative: xey love working with xeir hands and creating new things, hy will frequently front just to write down or work on creative projects for fun. Fang also fronts to fulfill orders and ensure the etsy shop is being kept under control. Xey're basically the type of person that does the things others don't really want to do because hy likes looking out for them. Like the friend that can't typically order unless they're with someone that hates ordering more than they do, then all of a sudden they're able to. Except hy doesn't mind being responsible.

Likes/interests: going to concerts and karaoke, goth music and the subculture in general, loves to learn about different cultures (hy likes learning about german culture the most because shx loves the sound of the language), the color black, the phases of the moon (hy keeps track of when the next full moon will be), watching the stars, the nighttime in general, going out with friends, when hy makes a to-do list and then manages to get all of the tasks crossed off, makeup and skincare, discussing and engaging in kinks

Dislikes: people who overreact over nothing just for attention, flashing lights, when hy can't get hxr eyeliner to be symmetrical, seagulls (one pooped on hymn once and now hy can never trust them again), squeaky chairs, stairs, walking long distances (unless it's at night, then fang enjoys it)

Kins: fallen angel kin

Other/extra info: hxr ears twitch when shx's mad or excited, fang has knocked things over with xeir tail multiple times and sometimes claims it's difficult to walk while fronting because xey aren't used to walking without a tail. Has an American accent but will talk in an exaggerated German accent for fun sometimes and likes to mimic other people's accents in the system to tease them.

Species: incubus

Faceclaim:

[thepluralmaster]

We Should Have a Shapeshifter Body

By various members, compiled by Yuika Mitsumine ☔ (No pronouns)

(crossposted from Dreamwidth)

Ever since our childhood, we've always been fascinated with the idea of transforming into different creatures and back again to human. We grew up with Ben 10 among other things that kickstarted our long-lasting interest in shapeshifting tropes and works. It affected us so much to the point where we often daydream about shapeshifting into various creatures, usually Pokémon because we got into that series later down the line. and on present day, after our syscovery and everything, we've been studying this connection of ours under a lens. What alterhuman identity is this? A kintype? Tropetype? Vaguetype? It took a while for us to settle with one answer we're satisfied with.

Shapeshifting themes has always been present in our system's headspace in some form or another. At the very least, we use it to change our headspace clothes. At most, we transform into our kintypes fully. When we switch, we "see" our outward appearance immediately going "poof" to the next fronter's appearance, though one can say this is just a matter of each member having their own constant envisage shifts that switches when we switch fronters, for lack of a better way to describe it. Sometimes we'd compare it with Touhou's perfect possession phenomena, where a person can be immediately "replaced" with a different person in their place who "possessed" them. Some of us would cause some parts of our body to feel more dissociated from another fronter when they're co-fronting, and we imagine this as seeing that body part (usually an arm) as that member's arm, appearances and all. In addition, when we're feeling blurry, usually upon waking up or when we're feeling sick enough to dissociate, we'd sometimes feel like we have a mess of various mismatched body parts we'd feel as cameo phantom shifts, or these phantom limbs become more easily induced than usual.

In some cases, it impacts our way of seeing species identities as well. We often can't be sure if the phantom limbs we feel are truly ours or if it's a cameo shift which may or may not be the result of bleedover from another member. It makes identity questioning considerably more difficult if we only have shifts for reference, so we ended up having to figure out our own ways to question kin identities and what nonhuman body parts we do have as individuals.

All of these eventually led us to thinking, have we actually collectively agreed that we have the body of a shapeshifter, or at least we're supposed to?

Few of us identify as nonhumans, fewer identify as any sort of shapeshifting being, even fewer identify as certain kinds of shapeshifting beings with the capability to transform between more than a single form excluding their human form. Regardless, we all seem to agree that we should have the body of a shapeshifter, or at least have a shapeshifting ability as a collective. We collectively have a generally unified idea of our ideal shapeshifting traits and limitations, even though we have different levels of interest in using it if we have this power in reality. Most would only be interested in using it to look more like themselves, some would maybe try out some nonhuman forms for fun and see if they like it, and some others would go all-out with those powers if given the chance, though in most cases they still have to "learn" how to see themselves in those other forms regardless. We see this collective identity as separate from our individual species identity, so for example, we have someone who only identifies as human and nothing else, but also accepts shapeshifter as their body's kintype. One can say it's more in line with a human who's given shapeshifting powers one day, but was not given the level of expertise possessed by shapeshifting beings born with those powers. They don't always consider themselves nonhuman just for that power alone, but they acknowledge that they have a superhuman ability that affects their daily lives.