#and because it's a full-spectrum blend

[hellotailor]

louis' final three costumes in S2 are so, so cleverly chosen. after the curated blandness of his interview wardrobe in dubai, this is our first glimpse of his personal taste in the present day. each outfit is full of meaning.

in the first half of S2, louis and armand’s coordinated interview outfits seemed like part of their performance as a happy couple. by the end, they have a more sinister subtext. louis has gone from having stylish, flashy fashion sense to wearing uniformly expressionless black and grey:

dubai-era louis exclusively wears the colors of depression and mourning, in a style stripped of personal expression, physically and spiritually separated from the outside world. i’ll write a separate post about armand’s costumes later, but you could interpret this as louis' taste being subsumed by armand’s nebulous 500-year-old absence of identity. at the very least, louis is blending into the chic minimalism of the apartment, presenting himself as part of the household unit.

with that in mind, his final three outfits signal a seismic change after leaving armand. his NOLA tour costume reflects the philosophy behind his 1940s wardrobe (ie. selected to blend into a human crowd) but he's also reconnecting with his home, wearing a New Orleans Saints hat with (in a potential piece of double symbolism!) a fleur-de-lis logo.

then we have the loustat reunion outfit, which is more enigmatic. he’s going for subdued colors (although not pure black and grey), with a silhouette echoing his mid-20th century wardrobe: high-waisted, wide-legged trousers and a bomber jacket - a cut he wears pretty often. IMO the reunion’s overall color palette is a major factor here, with lestat and louis' costumes and surroundings sharing a spectrum of dark brown, sepia and muted gold.

finally there's the last scene in dubai, arguably the most “pure” expression of louis' taste because he’s not wearing this outfit for an audience. coordinating with the apartment’s colorful makeover, he’s wearing a multicolored cardigan with yellow highlights, matching claudia’s dress, the yellow couches, and the gold background of his new painting. (i’ve identified this as a YMC cardigan retailing at £250; a mid-range english brand.)

this piece (paired with navy blue pants with a yellow stripe) is modern and distinctive; basically the opposite of his interview costumes, which displayed very little in the way of personality or cultural markers. you immediately understand that louis is expressing himself through fashion again, now in a more casual streetwear context than the tailored and accessorized suits of his youth.

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

There has been requests about getting a full body colour for Kook!Ford, so here he is, in all his beige, white, and brown minimalist glory <3 (THERE’S A REASON WHY HE HAS SUCH A BORING PALETTE I PROMISE)

Stupid colour rambles that are WAYY too in depth and probably mostly far fetched but this is my AU and I get to pick how much over-analysis goes into the characters’ colour schemes, fuck you:

Ford:

Characterised by pale, almost pastel-ish colours to emulate a sort of sick, unhealthy look.

The paler colours add to the illusion of Ford lacking presence, almost disappearing into the background, to convey how his existence often ignored or dismissed by most of the townsfolk.

Without any visually striking or contrasting colours in his palette itself, his own features blend into one another, blurring the details and diminishing any identifiable traits that would have typically identified him as Ford, or even a person (<- if that mindfuck of a sentence make any sense)

Hints of yellow to show remnants Bill's past influence on him. Because I’m dramatic like that.

Fiddleford:

Deep, rich forest greens with golden accents (influences of Bill appearing in his outfit) (I need to hammer Fidds out a lil’ more ngl)

Stanley:

Deep, rich blues and purples (opposite spectrum of yellow, aka. Bill's colour, which means = safety to Ford)

The inside lining of his jacket is vivid red, to reference his original colours palette and as a representation of his past self being hidden underneath the layers of his predominantly blue exterior, colours representative of his new identity (also red = warm and blue = cold)

His colours palette will eventually open up into something warmer on the outside, veering into purple.

Extra notes on his character: Stan (in this AU) is colder and quieter than his canon counterpart. After years of being in the mafia business, and years of running it as well, he has long since learned to mask his facial expressions and master the poker face (*cough cough* resting bitch face *cough cough*). But, his intimidating and serious air does not serve him any favours when it comes to literally anything other than his “work”, his inexperience when it comes to emotions all the more apparent with the twins. He has trouble expressing his feelings outwardly, and despises this part of himself, because it reminds him of his own father. He feels as though he is failing the twins by being too cold and distant, and tries his best to open up more.

Mabel:

Maintains her original colours palette with pink, but has more hints of red in her outfit, similar to Stan’s, particularly around her sleeves (allusion to “wearing your heart on your sleeves.” Yes, I know that it’s tacky)

The red shows she is more inclined to trust Stan, as she is willing to see past Stanley’s exterior facade of cold aloofness to see his “true” colours (good HEAVENS that is disgustingly cheesy to say but idk how else to really word this)

Extra notes on her character: Mabel trusts Stan fully. Perhaps a little too much. She I dolises Stan to an almost unhealthy degree, and is constantly plagued with the underlying fear of somehow losing Stan’s “interest”, as their mother seemed to have lost interest in her and Dipper. Deeply fears being abandoned again, and believes she “owes” Stan for having adopted them. She believes it is her fault that neither of their parents wanted the twins during the divorce.

Dipper:

Maintains original colour palette with blues, but pretty solidly lacks red in his outfit. He serves as the opposite spectrum of Mabel, instead being unwilling to fully trust Stan and takes him at face value.

Extra notes on his character: Dipper does not trust Stan, and is far more hyperaware of what kind of “business” their “uncle” runs. He is mostly worried about Mabel’s slight obsession with pleasing him, and fears that if they don’t behave, Stan might use his dangerous power and influence against them. He is convinced that Stan had ulterior motives to adopting them, cannot fathom what he, a seeming stranger with all the power in the world, could possibly hope to gain in adopting two abandoned children. Even more so, when even their parents didn’t seem to want them.

[the-real-dannix]

There are degrees of shipping people with the Batfam. Like a spectrum even for established relationships.

And each non-bat can be anywhere from full civilian to other JL to someone turned this character into a bat by proxy.

My favorite is bat by proxy because it's a hilarious thing to me.

I mean, the ships that come to mind where the later works really well are Birdflash and TimKon. Which makes it better. Because Wally is a Flash and Kon is a Super. Two of the other rather large clans of themed leaguers with two of the other more recognizable family heads. I mean, throw in JayRoy and it's three of the others and adds in the Bruce v Oliver fun.

And the Bat by proxy thing.

I don't mean they just side with the Bats over the rest of the League. I mean they start becoming Bats by virtue of always being around them.

Like Wally just accidentally learning to be better at hearing people sneaking up on him because if he's gonna go to brunch with Dick at the Manor he has to be able to dodge these near silent people. Especially Damian, who will stab him if he fails a vibe check, and Tim, who will steal and solve your cases or hack your phones ringtone to be stuck at the loudest setting and playing Barbie world for every notification and there is no in between our way to tell which kind of day it is. So none of the League can sneak up on Wally. And he's smiling and capable like Nightwing but has also picked up that steal slightly crazy smile and no other flash is quite as scary as Wally.

Or Kon, after being constantly threatened with kryptonite by Steph, Jason, and Duke at various points just gives up and learns how to fight through the weakness and goes through enough bat training to be able to survive when he and then he's one of the best trained Supers in hand to hand and no one understand how. And because he's always around Tim, he gets really good and reading people. Because his life can and will depend on being about to tell if Tim is approaching someone at a gala for WE business or for RR business. Even the other supers are confused at how quick his is to pick up in the slightest shift in body language.

And Roy. It was easiest for Roy, going from Arrow to Bat. But that doesn't mean he didn't have to just get used to casually collecting blackmail as some kind of twisted way of showing love. The first time Tim gave him and Jason a photo of them on a date where neither of them knew Tim was watching or talking pictures Roy is shook. By the tenth he's finding it endearing and hoping that Tim manages to get around Jason's traps to get done candids of Lian. No other arrow is quite as stealthy, despite the red of his costume.

And the JL, even the 'families' they came from, know that they have the ability to appear normal. To blend with the rest of the League, but the longer they're with their Bats the more cryptid they become. Until Flash finds himself unsettled by Wally in the same way as the other Bats. And Big Boy Blue refuses to train with Kon for a different reason than before, no longer because of the clone thing but for the same reason he avoids training with any of the Bats. And Green Arrow finds himself looking over his shoulder for Bruce and Roy on the Watchtower.

And their secrets are more and civi identities locked down. No names in my the field and they never slip these days. Like any good Bat.

New Leaguers meet these converts and can't tell the difference between the Bats Batman chose and the ones the other Bats brought into the fam.

And the rest of the League starts to wonder: is being a Bat contagious?

[wordsfrombudha]

Chitra Male Appearance

Chitra men have a modelesque look to them. In my research, they appeared in media more than any other Nakshatra.

Their faces tend to blend a balanced, somewhat rectangular structure with a hint of a triangle, supported by a strong and well defined jawline. It is not the dramatic, chiseled jaw you find in some nakshatras, but it is definitely tapered, sharp, and noticeable, adding a sculpted edge without feeling overly domineering. They usually have foreheads that are medium to large in width, framing their features and giving their face a certain openness.

The eyebrows are thick, dark, well defined, nearly straight with just a slight lift toward the outer edges, adding a touch of confidence and character to their expression. The eyes are medium sized, deep set, and spaced evenly across the face. The color falls somewhere in that rich, neutral spectrum of blue, green, or gray, making their gaze intense. Their upper lids fold distinctly above the lash line, adding depth and a piercing, dramatic look as well, and their eye tilt is usually medium to slightly positive, but they have very heavy eyelids that can make their eyes look somewhat droopy. Of all their features, the eyebrows and eyes are what people tend to remember most. They bring a vivid soulfulness to their face and become the center of attention. Personally, I find them a tad creepy because they remind me of spider eyes for some reason.

The nasal bridge is medium in width and shows a slight bump or bony projection. The nasal tip is well proportioned and either sharply pointy or mildly fleshy, with a neutral or downward angle. The lips are medium in thickness, with a smooth vermilion border and a subtly defined cupid’s bow. The upper and lower lips are nearly equal in fullness, although the upper may curve downward slightly, giving the appearance of a slightly smaller upper lip.

The chin is strong and mildly squared or triangular, adding structure to the lower face. Their hair is usually medium thickness but high density and falls within a light brown to blonde spectrum most of the time (Mars men dye their hair blonde a lot), with a slight wave and texture. It is frequently kept neatly styled and close to the head. The skin is clear, smooth, and of a warm, fair to medium tone. They also appear to care about fitness more than average. Even in their later years they will be adamant on exercising.

[saintfelina]

very good reasonably priced ($25-$120) indie/niche/designer perfumes so you don't have to buy a dupe of whatever perfume tiktok told you that you need

$27 on fragrancenet. a creamy almond scent that's almost like lotion if you prefer things that are smoother in that way. (link)

white rabbit by d.grayi is $90 for 30ml and $50 for 15ml. i dont own this but i have smelled a sample from a friend and its a very interesting gourmand. creamy, smooth and semi sweet without being cloying. i dont get the hay note (link)

purr by hexennacht is $60 for a spray but they have oils at $15-$16. i bought this for a friend and its divine if you loved and miss elizabeth & james nirvana black you may wanna try this. it's a similar woody-vanilla scent to that one that i haven't been able to find elsewhere but with an added creaminess from the lactonic notes. (link)

if you love a bright sparkling green fragrance than parfum d'ete is your girl. it's great for spring and summer if you aren't into citrus scents. about $60. (link)

if you're on the opposite side of the spectrum and want more of a lush almost jungle type of green there's the classic eden by cacharel. ranging from $18-$25 this one is potent, almost most like the mother of all the forest scents we have now just with a more feminine edge (link)

Mademoiselle Ricci is a beautiful rose chypre. I owned this early in my fragrance journey and while i enjoyed it, it wasnt my favorite so i gave it away but i'd love to revisit it. It's uber feminine musky rose and is only about $30 (link)

want to experience animalics on a budget? pure honey is a reat foray. despite being listed as a white floral it opens very green to my nose, like the stems of a flower not the petal and it has a very waxy-honey scent. a great intro to the scent family, it's available on ebay (full bottles and partially used) for a range of affordable prices. its on fragrancenet but i refuse to support the kardashians but it's up to your discretion (link)

craving cherry? we'll try sweet. it's both a fresh cherry pie and a cherry gloss all wrapped into one with a powdery musky iris drydown. available between $9-$50 (link)

A classing amongst goths for a reason. Anna Sui classic is a powdery iris scent that blends into a soft lipstick scent. It's a cool sort of powdery, that feels delicately dramatic. $25 (link)

Want a cola scent but not mancera prices? Cola by Outremer is that, leaning more towards the citrus than the sticky sweet syrup. Because it's citrus it won't last 8+ hrs but it doesnt need to. It's $22 (link)

Tuberose and overall plasticy doll smells are becoming more popular, and one of the best to do it is Pop. Smells just like a barbie doll's head. Nostalgic. $30 (link)

[specialagentartemis]

Aro- and Ace-Spectrum Murderbot Diaries headcanons

For the beginning of Aromantic Awareness Week, I thought I’d write out some of my a-spec headcanons for TMBD characters!

—

Murderbot: its opinions on romance and sex range from “I didn’t give a shit about [it]” to “No!” to “No, no thank you, no. No.” This one’s not a headcanon these are all direct quotes haha.

ART: Because of its limited socialization and its only very recent introduction to deeply feeling the things depicted when watching media, I have a hard time imagining ART conceptualizing romance as something it would want or has any reason to want. Its articulation of closeness, commitment, devotion, and duty is crew. I think upon meeting Murderbot, it kind of got friendship for the first time. But Murderbot is also very much part of crew now as well. I don’t see it feeling the need to add romance to that emotional-relationship framework. It’s adventurous with experiences, though, especially with things it might consider gaps in its knowledge; it may be willing to try certain types of intimacy, experience, or sensation out of curiosity.

Three: Still very new to the freedom to name and articulate its feelings and desires, let alone take initiative to act on them when they involve other people. It had a weird and unique kind of closeness with its squadmates: you’re the only one I can trust. We can’t ever trust each other. You understand me. We aren’t allowed to talk about it. Our communications are closely monitored and limited. We know what the limits are and how to express ourselves within them. I care about you. I want you to be safe. Three wouldn’t call it romance but wouldn’t know what to call it at all besides squadmates. If Three identified as anything it would be quoiromantic, quoisexual, quoi-everything: how can it fit its experiences into a framework of sexuality and romanticism.

Ratthi: Aromantic allosexual with a strong belief in relationship anarchy. Takes the viewpoint of, every one of his relationships is different because every person is different! Hierarchizing them or categorizing them is kind of beside the point! Every relationship, family or friend or colleague or coauthor or person he knows from board game night or sexual partner, is something special. Though the most important people in his life include his best friends Arada and Overse, and they consider each other family.

Gurathin: Aromantic asexual. Limited social energy. Spends a lot of time quiet and alone and likes it that way. A few strong friendships, a few work friends, a few scientific colleagues, a cat.

Pin-Lee: Gray-aroace. Romance, dating, or sex is not a particular priority she wants to spend time pursuing, and she gets an uncomfortable stomach-churning feeling if she feels like she’s being expected to tie herself down to a relationship too fast. There’s a lot about her work and her goals and her life she’s not willing to compromise on. If her friendship with Bharadwaj or Mensah became something more squishy and boundary-blending, she wouldn’t be opposed, but she won’t actively pursue it either.

Arada: Demisexual lesbian. Ideal family household is her wife and her best friend.

Volescu: Aromantic heterosexual. The aro allo het man that tumblr warned you about~ Devoted father and husband. Comes from a culture where marriage and romantic desire are a venn diagram of optional overlap more so than a necessary expectation. (This dovetails with my Divarti political refugee backstory headcanon because as you may have noticed I am going full My City Now at this point)

[sophieinwonderland]

Hiveminds and Multiplicity

When thinking about Hiveminds, I realized that hivemind connection is a spectrum, with many plural or plural-like experiences across it.

At the same time, both the beginning and end of this spectrum are singlet experiences. I decided to represent this with my own horseshoe theory.

Unconnected Individuals

This is pretty self-explanatory. These are totally separate individuals with their totally separate bodies. These are not even the slightest bit plural. Or, at least, not for any hivemind related reasons.

Mind-Linked

Now we drift into plural territory.

At this point, the individuals have some sort of mental link to each other. Mind links can range in levels of complexity.

At a low level, this may mean feeling each other's emotions or sensing when something really bad happens with no words or other communication. The most basic form of this might be "twintuition" in shows, where twins can magically sense when something happens to another no matter where they are.

At high levels, this can come with full verbal communication and other hallucinatory experiences.

Mind-linked systems often have strong barriers between them, only being able to transfer limited information, and maybe only in specific circumstances.

But the mind-linked are having plural experiences. They have someone else feeling their emotions, hearing their thoughts. It's very similar to sharing your mind with headmates. As this connection grows, they may end up becoming...

The Multiple Hivemind

At the top most point of the horseshoe, all mental barriers have been torn down.

They're still multiple people. They still have their own individual identities. But the link has become so great that they can read each other's thoughts whenever they want. They can share memories and skills freely between them, being both multiple and completely connected at the same time.

The Median Hivemind

Having achieved perfect connection, identity starts to erode. The median hivemind starts becoming its own collective identity.

Individuals in the median hivemind still retain agency and sense of self, but are also blending together more now and feel less like separate people.

The True Hivemind

At this point, there is no distinction between identity of the members. The hivemind is now one singlet spread across multiple bodies. A contrast and opposite to traditional plurality, which is multiple agents in one body.

...

We Can Get Weird With This...

Okay, that's a basic overview of how hiveminds work and evolve with singlets. But... what if some members of the hivemind aren't singlets?

Now things are going to get weird because hiveminds and mental links enable a lot of peculiar things that wouldn't be possible otherwise.

What if an old headmate goes dormant for years. In that time, the system becomes linked to a hivemind and specifically become either a median or true hivemind where they all identify as the same thing? What if that headmate comes back to find everyone else in the system is part of this hivemind with their identities melded into it, but the new headmate is still separate?

Or what if a multiple hivemind enabled headmates originating in the same body to front in multiple bodies at once, essentially allowing system hopping as a thing in those specific circumstances? What one of the members of an in-sys relationship used someone else's body (consensually) to be with their partner?

Or what if, for whatever reason, only one member of the system had the connection to the hivemind while the rest didn't?

Or... imagine that there are two systems with a strong mental link. They become a multiple hivemind with headmates able to speak freely to each other and even share an inner world. Then two headmates, one from each system, interact more and end up fusing. What does this mean? Which body is theirs? What happens if the link is severed?

Or in the same vein, what if a hivemind starts out as existing between 5 singlets? They become connected and end up being a multiple hivemind, and share an inner world. What if the hivemind created a tulpa together in this inner world, and none of the members are sure whose tulpa it actually counts as?

...

Anyway, if there's any takeaway from this, it should be that plurality is weird. Hiveminds are weird. And put them together and you get a weird sandwich. 😁

[terraswallows]

What are some things you've noticed that many trans people have in common?

Some other things I’ve noticed a lot of trans girls seem to have in common:

Dyeing their hair (especially bold, unapologetic colors like blue, purple, or magenta—because why blend in when you can stand out and sparkle like the trans star you are?)

Getting into alternative fashion (goth, punk, cottagecore, or anything that screams “I’m too fabulous to follow mainstream trends”—basically, dressing like a love letter to yourself)

Gender euphoria from certain clothes or accessories (crop tops, rings, thigh-highs—anything that makes you feel like a goddess in the body you’ve always deserved)

Getting way too good at voice impressions (especially when you’re training your voice to be not just pretty, but cute as hell)

Hyperfixating on a queer-coded character from media—because, really, who doesn’t fall in love with that one character who feels like they could’ve been made just for us—especially when they're gorgeous and queer-coded?

Starting to collect plushies—because cuddling your soft, plushy friends is the most comforting act of self-love you can give

Becoming obsessed with skincare, body care, and anything that makes you feel like you’ve got a full-on pampering routine that celebrates your true beauty

Experimenting with different names or pronouns because it feels like shedding layers of who you were and finally finding your true self—and loving every part of it

Speaking in a soft, feminine voice and constantly getting more and more excited about it because it feels like you're finally being heard and seen in the way you've always needed

Watching every LGBTQ+ TikTok or reading every trans meme to make you feel seen and heard, and suddenly feeling a deep sense of community—because being trans is a lifestyle, and we love it

Feeling so much pride when you can pass, or when your voice feels like it aligns with your true self, and owning it like the queen you are

Piercings, piercings, and more piercings—because nothing says "I'm here, I'm trans, and I'm not going anywhere" like a sparkly stud or hoop

Having some form of autism or being on the spectrum—and knowing that makes you even more of a unique and beautiful trans person (sometimes awkward, always amazing)

Growing up as an outcast and finally realizing that your uniqueness is the very thing that makes you fabulous and worthy of love and celebration

Embracing your awkwardness, because you know it’s part of what makes you so charming and relatable, and hey, who doesn’t love a little bit of socially awkward fabulousness?

An affinity for weapons or anything that makes you feel powerful—because there's nothing wrong with wanting to feel strong and fierce while still being a total sweetheart

It’s wild how so many of us end up following similar patterns. Do you feel like you fit any of these, too? 😏

[pseudophan]

nora speaking of gifs, do you have any special settings when you save in ps? idk if its real anymore but i saw a long time ago that changing if it saves in pattern or the other options affects how it looks in tumblr??

some people have very strong opinions on this and are practically married to one specific setting, but it honestly very much depends on the gif! i'm definitely partial to pattern and often use it even if diffusion would probably look nicer just cause i cba to go through the options and check lol, but if you want every gif to look the best it possibly can then ideally every time you export a gif you would change between pattern/diffusion dither and selective/adaptive/perceptual colour reduction and decide which one you prefer. but if you're like me you just have it defaulting to adaptive pattern and then if it looks extra shitty or you're just feeling particularly fancy that day you might actually go through and see which one looks the nicest lmao

basically diffusion will give you little dots and pattern will give you a grid-like, well, pattern. which one looks the best depends on your personal tastes. i find that if there isn't too much dither then diffusion is less noticeable and sleeker, however i like the way pattern blends colours better so if there's a lot of it then pattern looks more cohesive to me. i hate the way diffusion makes bigger gradients look, which often comes into play in dnp videos because their fuckass coloured background lights make it so every background is full of gradients that make the 256 colour limit on gifs cry, and so sometimes diffusion will give you these long ass lines of dots on their wall or something and i don't like it 😔 whereas pattern is technically fucking the entire gif up more than diffusion is, but it still all blends together better imo

if you want to know in technical terms what all of these settings actually do then i'll put what adobe's website says under the cut

colour reduction methods:

Perceptual Creates a custom color table by giving priority to colors for which the human eye has greater sensitivity.

Selective Creates a color table similar to the Perceptual color table, but favoring broad areas of color and the preservation of web colors. This color table usually produces images with the greatest color integrity. Selective is the default option.

Adaptive Creates a custom color table by sampling colors from the predominant spectrum in the image. For example, an image with only the colors green and blue produces a color table made primarily of greens and blues. Most images concentrate colors in particular areas of the spectrum.

dithering methods:

Diffusion Applies a random pattern that is usually less noticeable than Pattern dither. The dither effects are diffused across adjacent pixels.

Pattern Applies a halftone-like square pattern to simulate any colors not in the color table.

Noise Applies a random pattern similar to the Diffusion dither method, but without diffusing the pattern across adjacent pixels. No seams appear with the Noise dither method.

[jenniferchaulam]

MLP G4 LU Chain HCs!!!!

/inspired by @kenvamp 's (check the art out here)and @cheatsylu 's (check over here)

I had.. cutie mark head canons for Pony LU chain and I need to talk about them (these are my own HCs and you guys don't have to agree btw!!!!!!!) So, how and when each pony gets their Cutie Marks: Warriors: same time as his scarf. He was given the scarf and then the cutie mark appeared. He got it a bit later than his peers, but it's a very cool cutie mark. Fitting for a captain.

Time: can i be spicy? i want to be spicy, he got his cutie mark when he was 20. Not when he did OoT, not when he did MM. 7 year nap and woke up hoping for a cutie mark only to see a blank flank. and during MM, Everyone comments on it! like he never gets the mark of adulthood ever! okay not "ever" i want him to get it when he's 20 or sth and his cutie mark sucks,. and even twilight doesnt know what it looks like like he got it during a battle

a battle when he was TWENTY and it looks like the FD

and like, yall know Trouble Shoes who HATES his CM, yea Time loathesssss his

first he wishes he has one and now he wishes he didnt - only person who knows what his CM looks like is his Wife btw

Wind: OHO OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM- Bro probably helped his sister and taught her how to swim or sth and get his CM at age 4 like by the time he does WW his cutie mark has been there for a While. He is a Big Boy. He deserves it

Four: Would it be funny if he has four different cutie marks and when he's merged they're like, blended together - and his cutie mark gains another shape each time he upgrades the four sword - but like, instead of the four elements for the four sword,.his cutie mark is the forge and it just becomes more detailed and has different colors - like a red fire, blue hammer, green anvil, purple tweezers

Twilight: Yall know Yaks and Cows exist in MLP as like... high sentient beings that also go to school and talk and stuff. What if Ordon Goats. like Twilight's Entire Village. Twilight stuck out like a sore thumb. And he's Very very disappointed that his cm isnt a goat. he got his cm at age 14 when he was helping everyone on the farm, and it's some generic rancher stuff like a hay bale or sth.

Hyrule: is the triforce. id like to imagine that full triforce wielders gets a triforce as a cutie mark. He has a bunch of magic of his sleeves, and if you know anything about MLP G4 naming conventions, magic-adjacent ponies are named after light-emitting things. So, Triforce emits a BUNCHA LIGHT

Legend: Oh my god I imagine he hides his cutie mark because its something very soft (bnuuy) and people wont take him seriously - he got it when he was very very young, before his adventures. But the rabbit cutie mark depicts a rabbit that's shaking an apple tree. (proof of courage. or sth. that's what im aiming for as a symbol of bravery, but I am no writer)

Sky: Got his CM at the same time as Sun!!!!! They have matching cutie marks. His is a sword and a Crimson Loftwing's feather, while hers is a pair of wings, one white (like the goddess, but she didn't know that before the adventure) and one blue like her loftwing.

Wild: He DID have a CM before the clammy, but one of the side effects of the Shrine of Ressurection is that it also erases that pony's cutie mark. he woke up with a blank flank. and my guy fought the clammy and found his own new cm that fits him. honourable mentions: Spirits! He got it when he got on a train for the first time, it. was. magical

the train

the train was magical. i hc that he didnt thought much of his CM

[catenary-chad]

wacky train society thoughts: virtually NO all-electric trains claim diesel-electrics as “electric trains”. That is a very one way street where only diesel electrics claim to count as “electric”, it’s like how “Judeo-Christian” is 99% used by the latter vs the former. Yes, larger diesel locomotives became practical in the 20s-30s when they started using electric transmission technology from existing electric locos…. but they’re WILDLY different politically and economically (and culturally) because depending on external electrical infrastructure for power vs an onboard generator totally changes where and how you live. Whether you care about the condition of the power grid and catenary tension or emissions laws and compression ratio is a HUGE divide.

There’s a whole spectrum of assimilation and blending with bimodes, who are somewhere in between and open about that. Some are mainly electric with some diesel backup, some are just diesel-electric with a third rail shoe for puttering around tunnels. Of course anyone can be converted to one or the other with enough effort and is pretty much instantly accepted because cultural divides between traction is based on very utilitarian things.

Battery trains are allowed the electric label since technically they did have it first, but they’re not culturally or politically the same as non-battery electric.

hilariously enough, electric trains DO claim electric models as their own because they more or less run like tiny versions of full-sized third rail (and two-rail systems were used once or twice on early tramways). The very first electric train was technically model-sized (Thomas Davenport’s in 1834) and their early history had a lot of fine lines between “oversized toy” “really tiny freight railway” and “we’ll count this as light rail”. I think they see them like fairies.

[myheadsgonenumb]

OK - round two of my obnoxious in advance Brit picking for authors wanting to write Hogwarts authentically,

(Post one here)

This time I'm going to go into meals - times, names (it can be complicated) and what they eat.

First off, something that fans from overseas (and Brits who just aren't as old as me) might not realise is that Harry Potter isn't just an urban/low fantasy book but that it also very much sits within what was once a very popular genre in Children's English Literature - which is Boarding School books.

Like HP, these would be a series of books which followed students (usually girls) through their time at a fictional boarding school. There were many many different series set in many many different school and by many many different authors. Throughout the whole of the twentieth century, these were big business. One of the most iconic series, which JKR almost certainly read and was inspired by, was The Malory Towers series .

As I said, these were popular throughout the 20th C (The Chalet School series started in the 1920s, Malory Towers was published in the 40s, Trebizon was published in the 80s) and as such are very Traditionally British and set in a Britain which was not as diverse or global (in the modern sense, some are from the days of empire) as it is today.

And, like I said, these types of books were huge and when JKR wrote Hogwarts she was almost certainly leaning into the aesthetic of these books, and using what she learned from them to write boarding school life (she did not go to boarding school herself). This means that Hogwarts is also very Traditionally British - and that includes the food.

Everything the students eat at mealtimes in the Great Hall are real British dishes. The sweets are made up just for HP, but the actual food is real (again, this is something I learned from the internet that other people did not just "know").

Hogwarts students are not eating curries and pasta and croissants because, in tradition with the boarding school genre, they are surviving on good, hearty stodge. Nor are they eating things like burger and chips, because they are too modern and do not fit the traditional aesthetic.

So - what are they eating and when?

Breakfast

Most British secondary schools start their day between 8:30 and 9:00 am (as the students are already in the school, they probably start at the later end of the spectrum). Which means breakfast probably starts serving at about 7am for the early risers, but we see plenty of them are still eating when the bell for first lesson goes (teenagers like lie ins).

Hogwarts students canonically eat porridge (which is a bit like oatmeal), toast and kippers for breakfast. There is a mention of Harry feeding Hedwig his bacon rinds, so it is likely bacon and eggs and perhaps sausage are also served (these make up part of what is know as a full English breakfast which was presumably considered traditional enough to include).

Students spread Jam (which is like American Jelly - though it tends to be raspberry/ strawberry and blackcurrant whereas grape is relatively unheard of) and marmalade (which is sort of like jam but made of oranges) on their toast.

Muggle characters might also use peanut butter*, marmite or nutella - but these would never be seen in Hogwarts as they don't fit in with the traditional aesthetic (though wizards do appear to have peanut butter because Florean Fortescue uses it in ice cream - but the plastic jar and the blue lid? no, that can't go to Hogwarts).

*PB and J is not a thing in Britain, it is just something American we have all heard of.

They drink both coffee and tea at breakfast time. Tea is always a blended black tea (asam, ceylon and Kenya is in the blend literally called "English Breakfast tea"). It is always hot and is taken with milk and sometimes sugar. They also drink orange juice at breakfast.

What they are not eating is pancakes and waffles! seriously, step away from the waffles! biscuits and gravy, grits, bagels, breakfast potatoes and bear claw are also not a thing that will ever be seen there.

Similarly, from the European side, they don't eat little pastries (though I don't think that would be too world breaky as British people will eat pastries for breakfast if they want to treat themselves), cheese, fruit or cold cuts of meat.

Porridge is the closest thing they eat to cereal (apart from once, Neville has cornflakes), though cereal is a popular breakfast food in the UK. I assume it just doesn't fit the aesthetic. As a person with a sweet tooth, I would pour syrup on porridge - syrup is golden, not maple. Some people might sprinkle sugar on, hard core people add salt.

If you want any muggle characters to eat a bowl of cereal, cornflakes is a safe and international bet - but Rice Krispies, Frosties, weetabix and Coco Puffs are also popular ones. There are no Lucky Charms in Britain!

Lunch

Lunch can also be called dinner, but - regardless of name is always the midday meal (probably served at some point between 12 and 2). Calling lunch "dinner" is regional and class based and mostly used in the north, I think. But "school dinners" is a very common phrase and means the midday meal and Christmas Dinner in the HP books is also the meal Harry eats at lunchtime (I will do a separate post dedicated to Christmas Dinner).

Hogwarts serves hot lunches and the type of food served is generally the same as they eat in the evening and is mostly casseroles, shepherds pie (which is not a pie in the traditional sense), steak and kidney pie (which is a pie), steak and kidney pudding (which is similar but is wrapped in suet not pastry) and pork and lamb chops. Molly Weasley also cooks a chicken and ham pie.

Other traditional foods, in the same vein, you could use to add a bit of variety are: toad in the hole, bangers and mash, cottage pie (not a pie - its shepherds pie with beef not lamb), fish pie (same) and steak and ale pie (some of these even I'm not hundred percent sure what they are - but they are traditionally British).

Traditional British fare tends to follow the "meat and two veg" rule. So if the steak and kidney pie is representing the meat, then it will be served along with two types of vegetable (carrots and peas being the most standard) and some form of potato - usually boiled or mash.

The students seem to only drink pumpkin juice with their midday meal.

Dinner

This can also be called "tea" - again this is regional and class based, though "Christmas Tea" is the turkey sandwiches Harry eats in the evening of Christmas Day. "tea" is the name of the meal and not the drink, in this instance - and there is no assumption that tea- the-drink will play any role. So if a Brit ever tells you they are having their tea - the don't mean they're sitting down to a fancy afternoon tea or daily ritual surrounding the drink, they mean they are about to eat their evening meal.

The timing of this at Hogwarts is a bit of a conundrum, as the students often leave their last lesson, go straight to eat and then straight to their common room, where they stay for the rest of the evening. UK Schools usually finish at 3-3:30, so this is very early for them to eat and means they are spending hours in the common room and must be starving by bed time.

The reason this happens is because timing isn't actually important in the narrative, the students just need to move from place to place to place - and so its not worth trying to "correct" this or make it makes sense, as that just bogs your story down in needless minutiae. However, it is possible that the evening meal is served over a few hours - so students can go straight there from lesson if they wish, or wait until later in the evening. Leaving it open for an extended period means you can send you characters to the Hall whenever it is plot relevant without worrying about it being consistent.

In the UK we do tend to eat earlier than our European counterparts - between 5-6, especially for children. Eating at 8 is considered late to eat (and a bit middle class). As Hogwarts is so Traditionally British, I would expect the evening meal (apart from feasts) to be over by 6:30 at the latest.

The main course is much the same as is eaten at lunch, but deserts get added in. Desserts in Britain are often called "pudding" and this is a catch all term and has nothing to do with what Americans think of as pudding. So, in the films, when Luna says she "hopes there's pudding", she means she hopes there will be dessert - not that she is hoping for American style chocolate pudding.

(as a side note, pudding does actually have a specific meaning - which is a dish which has been cooked by being boiled or steamed in something such as a piece of cloth or even an animal intestine and can be sweet or savoury but, though many traditional dishes have the word "pudding" in their names, most people are using it to mean dessert).

Traditional British puddings that appear in HP are Treacle Tarts (Harry's favourite), Spotted Dick (it's safe to click!) rice pudding and trifle .

Others you could add for variety are apple or rhubarb crumble, jam sponge, sticky toffee pudding, jam roly poly and Eve's pudding.

Custard is a popular accompaniment for pretty much all of them (though I think a treacle tart would go better with ice cream)

Again they seem to only drink pumpkin juice in the evening.

How tea fits into it all

Like I said, tea can refer to a meal or a drink.

"Afternoon Tea" is a rather fancy affair with little sandwiches, jam and scones and miniature cakes. This is usually done as a treat (cake culture is huge at the moment, probably thanks to "The Great British Bake Off", and afternoon teas as nice things to do are popular). Day to day when people refer to tea, they are not referring to this. I don't think there is any reference to Afternoon Tea in HP, though I imagine Aunt Petunia would love it.

The type of "tea" you eat every day is just your regular evening meal.

Tea the drink is - like I said - a black tea, always hot, usually with milk, sometimes with sugar - and is drunk much as other places would drink coffee (and coffee drinking is also popular in Britain). With breakfast, as you sit at your desk and work, while taking a break, watching TV etc etc. It's never not time for tea (the drink).

Culturally, Brits drink hot tea all day long, all year round - it can be 30 degrees (80 degrees to Americans) outside and a Brit would still make themselves a hot cup of tea and consider it a refreshing drink.

That's all I can think of for food now. I will do a separate post specifically for Christmas. But if you only take one thing away from this please make it: no pancakes and waffles at breakfast!

If you have any more specific questions, please leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them ❤ 🇬🇧

[arcandoria]

OC Deep Dive

tagged by @baldursghaik!

I considered doing a DA OC but reading Thyneron's made me think of trouble worm daughter so we going with Nathrae instead.

-> Phobias and other fears: Prior to the events of BG3 Nat was considerably chill on the phobia and fear area, but the tadpole and the looming threat of mind control installs a profound dread on her and loss of control and shots to fear number one. She's an orphan, an outlaw and a runaway, the only thing she fully possesses is herself, and to finally have that threatened is... yeah.

-> Pet peeves: Nathrae abhors complainers. People who constantly find a reason to lament and moan (about anything and everything) or are overly nitpicky just REALLY annoy her. Also really hates being interrupted or spoken over, she will walk away from a conversation if she keeps getting interrupted.

-> 3 things you can always find in their bedroom: Nat doesn't have a bedroom or anything akin to a house until like... farther post-BG3. So I'm going with things you can always find in her possession - her adamantine lockpick kit, a sketchbook and hygiene items (mainly for haircare, she can find body soap anywhere but she is strict with her hair upkeep).

-> First thing they notice in a person: How they fit the people around, and their general body language. Nat is on the "guarded" end of the spectrum so before she even notices any physical qualities, she's trying to have an idea if they fit in with the place, and if they seem tense, nervous or comfortable.

-> On a scale of 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance? Six to seven. That threshold is definitely passed during BG3 but as a drow and ex-Lolth sworn she's grown quite accustomed to pain.

-> Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? Really situational, but Nat is generally on flight mode because she'd rather go for self-preservation than going on offensive right away. She will fight back if she's backed into a corner though.

-> Do they come from a big family/are they a family person? Nathrae is an orphan, and was "raised" in the community on the Braeryn in Menzoberranzan, which still didn't provide her any adoptive family. She doesn't really consider herself a family person after being on her own for so long.

-> What animal represents them best? Foxes. They're opportunistic predators rather than fully dedicated hunters, but they're also extremely adaptable and can do well in whatever environment they're in. Symbolic-wise, foxes are associated with cunning, playfulness and resilience, and that also matches Nat perfectly.

-> What is a smell they dislike? Heavily sweet or sugary scents, safe for the smell of sussur blooms (she tolerates it because she likes the flower). She also doesn't like the smell of surface leather after being used to drowcraft armor for so long, but again, she endures it because oh well.

-> Have they broken any bones? As a thief she's had her share of broken bones, though nothing major that would rend a full limb useless. Nat relies a lot on her ability to be as functionally mobile as possible, so she's careful.

-> How would a stranger likely describe them? Overall, Nat intentionally aims to be as ordinary as possible. Being a drow definitely gets in the way specially on the surface, and if she doesn't have her head covered people are likely to refer her hair color (as it stands out compared to the typically light-haired drow). The scarring on the left side of her face is also a potential physical descriptor. But other than that, a stranger won't have much behavior-wise to describe her. She blends in quite nicely.

-> Are they a night owl or morning bird? Night owl. As a drow, pre-tadpole she couldn't even reliably stay in the sun, and as a thief it's not like the light would do her any favors. BG3 is the most active she's been during daylight in her life.

-> What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love? There's nothing she hates to the point of not eating because food is food and she doesn't have room to be fussy, but Nat doesn't really favor bland/delicate food and isn't too fond of sweets. She has a thing for wine though, and good wine at that. But generally speaking she loves trying alcohol of all sorts and recipes.

-> Do they have any hobbies? Drawing! Nat likes to pick up charcoal or any other medium that can stain paper and just do observation drawing. Her sketchbooks are mostly filled with botanical illustrations though, normally accompanied of alchemical notes of said plant.

-> Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises? Any person who truly knows her would not throw a surprise birthday party, so it'd definitely be coming from someone that would just have her walk right back out and fucking disappear. Don't surprise Nat at best she will walk out on you at worst you'll get stabbed.

-> Do they like to wear jewelry? Yes! Though she limits how much she wears at a time and avoids wearing rings (they get in the way of having quiet and quick lil' paws), she does like earrings, necklaces and other accessories she can add to her clothing, notably silver.

-> Do they have messy handwriting? Nat has decent handwriting, simple and legible to anyone who can speak the language she's writing in. The Lolth priestess were really stern on being able to read reports and she was strongly forced conditioned to write neatly.

-> What are the two emotions they feel the most? Before BG3, uneasiness and loneliness, though she'd never admit the latter. Nat's always lived with suspicion of other people (possibly wanting to take advantage of her), but deep down craving connection to someone she can trust and let her guard down a bit.

-> Do they have a fabric? You'd think leather, but it's actually linen, specially expertly crafted. Her "guilty" fabrics though are satin (chiffon more specifically) and wool, but she only really indulges in owning/wearing clothing with these when she sort of settles down.

-> What kind of accent do they have? More eloquent and well-spoken than you'd expect for someone with her background, but still not quite hitting the super well read mark. She's learned how to talk to nobles in her line of work, but hasn't invested too much time honing it. When speaking drow, she has very little of the lyrical undertone often associated with how the noble houses talk, and lands firmly on the Drowic heard out in the Stenchstreet with borrowed words from other races.

I have a feeling this does very little to show her as anything to what I've often said: a feral street cat who deep down enjoys scritches fmsdlkkgm But- there she is!

Tagging, no pressure: @camelliagwerm @pinkyjulien @nokstella @lordcaptains @bardic-inspo

and @togepies!

[satansagereranch]

James and Baxter Headcanons!

TW: Mentions of emotional abuse, traumatic events, violence, and death.

James (Blue and Purple in their text)

💙Died when he was 23. Goes by the pronouns he/him.

💜Has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Has slight echolalia and is always fidgeting.

💙Is an Age Dreamer, age range around 10-16

💜He passed away during an unfortunate encounter with his father, who was verbally abusive towards him, though not always intentional. Long story short, James, fearing for his life and thinking his dad was out to kill him during a particularly aggresive bout of anger, killed his Dad accidentally in an act of self defense trying to protect himself. He tried hiding the body at sea, but realizing he would be found eventually, drowned both his and his dad's bodies, which explains his current form.

💙He tried finding his father, but when he did, his father almost tried to beat him within an inch of his life because of what he did to him. He couldn't bring himself to knowing he was his son and it was a simple misunderstanding, but he couldn't bring himself to forgive him either, leaving him in Hell without a family and alone, something that still traumatizes him to this day.

💜Works as a delivery service that gives people goods throughout Pride quickly and efficiently. He learned quickly how to blend in and get around safely in the ring. He's really good at it and is a real pathfinder. He isn't the cheapest, but you won't find a better one around.

💙He had always put down his feelings as immature or not valid. Because of this, he always puts himself down and his emotions and tries not to bother others for fear of verbal retaliation

💜Has Rejection Avoidance and will immediately shut down and/or go defensive if someone tries to put him down for serious stuff. One has to be very gentle with how they say no and tell him stuff in cases like this, something Baxter has taken to heart as his big brother.

💙When he's little, he's much like he is when he's big, though even less willing to interact with anyone who isn't his big brother. He's trying to improve on that though, which is why he joined the ranch with his big brother.

💜Loves 90s, 2000s, and early 2010s nostalgia. Has a room full of stuff from the age and when he's alone he's always playing with it in some way

💙Loves video games too. Because of his age, he's cool with playing more intense ones as well as more gentle ones. All depends on his mood. Sometimes, Baxter joins and plays with him.

💜Has a fondness for tomato-based dishes. Baxter often indulges him and cooks him food with tomatoes like Spaghetti and Meatballs, Cacciatore, and Shakshuka. Nutritional and tasty!

💙His favorite snacks are BBQ Pringles and fruity candies of all sorts, though he's more than happy to have fruit as a healthier alternative. He likes sweet apples, grapes, and watermelon.

💜Loves his big bro Baxter. Often found around him and rarely wants to be without him to feel safe. Thankfully, since Baxter's work is often in his lab, that's no problem.

💙Has an axolotl plush named Cubert. It's his second best friend and he often keeps it near him while at home.

(Author's Note: Art was made by me with an online character creator I sadly cannot remember where it was for the life of me. If anyone could look for it and figure out which one it was, I would be happy to give credit. Also, ignore the tail and rope, I decided to remove those part of his design.)

Baxter

💙Angler-fish Demon, aged 21. Died in the 1910s. Goes by the pronouns He/Him.

💜Found James one day while testing a death ray invention. He took pity on James and found something in him that reminded him of his own youth, so he took him in as an apprentice. This would soon blossom into friendship an agedre partners when he started age dreaming with him.

💙He started age dreaming to fill the void of a childhood and teenage years he never felt he got to experience properly. Age dreaming range is around 11-17 years old.

💜Is a scientist first and foremost! He enjoys doing fun science experiments when he's little and making inventions that a teenager would like making (Making Soda easily, pranking his enemies, things like that).

💙Tends to be a the bratty and (relatively) more confident one of the pair, always leading and taking initiative. He thinks highly of his ingenuity and genius.

💜His favorite food is, funnily enough, Fish and Chips. He makes a really good version of it. He has a secret recipe he won't tell anyone about as his reason for why it tastes so good. Not even James knows it!

James & Baxter

💙Are an inseparable little bro/big bro age dreaming duo. They love each other dearly and will come down on anyone who hurts the other. Even James can go pretty ballistic if someone tried to seriously hurt Baxter.

💜They can both swim and breathe underwater because of them being fish. You sometimes can find them relaxing away and having a chill day in a pool or in a water tank they have in their rooms.

💙They have a pair of shark onesies they both wear sometimes and play shark, where they (very gently) bite one another to show affection. It's a silly game, but they love it dearly (inspired by this pic: https://x.com/Opilka_/status/1308334084570185729)

💜They've both wanted a caregiver to enhance their age dreaming experience, but they've never found one they think could work and they trust enough to do it, so they're stuck with themselves. Not that that's a problem, necessarily. They can both easily take care of themselves without a cg... but they'd really love someone to do it for them somedays.

💙Their favorite snacks as a duo are Saltwater Taffy and Chupa Chups (James like the Orange and Cherry flavors most while Baxter likes the Creamy Strawberry flavor most). They also both love Root Beer!

💜They have rooms like the ones shown below, but each is customized to their particular tastes. They have beautiful view of the water around the base they live in (they can close the window if they want privacy and darkness).

[sophieinwonderland]

Personally, I’m coming to believe plurality is the norm and that all would benefit from connecting with themselves through a plural lens. I see it as a spectrum, wherein those with a greater innate propensity towards imagination may experience a more fantastic sense of plurality. Those with less imagination may appear as “singlet” but still have the ability to connect to themselves in a plural way and may even do so without awareness. This can be as mundane as accessing a “work” self to present as professional within a job. These selves are all extensions of the core self. DID may be different however, in that the core self never had a chance to fully develop and form, so that these selves become more like fragments, perhaps akin to different pieces from different puzzles, which can lead to discord within the whole. My thoughts aren’t fully fleshed out quite yet.

Thanks for sharing your perspective!

This is sort of the philosophy behind the internal family systems therapy. I think there are definitely some truth in this.

Although my host would claim that he was 100% a singlet before I came around. (Well, aside from Eria.) So I don't know. 🤷‍♀️

I do think that plurality is a spectrum. But I'm not sure if I would go so far as to say that everybody or a majority is plural. At least not in the way that the system community experiences plurality. Because even if a singlet does experience other parts of themselves that might have some division, those parts aren't necessarily self-aware. They're more like just... different modes of the same person.

Maybe if two modes communicate with each other then they could become separated into fully-developed headmates.

I've always been a big fan of John Locke's definition of a person, and how it relates to headmate identities.

This being premised to find wherein personal Identity consists, we must consider what Person stands for which, I think, is a thinking intelligent Being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider it self as itself, the same thinking thing in different times and places

To me, this gives a good basis for what I'd consider a full headmate.

It needs to...

Be capable of independent thought.

Have some level of self-consciousness.

Have some level of autobiographical memory and be able to recognize itself as its own self.

The difference between a full headmate and a singlet's work/home self is that a headmate at work will think "I'm working and Jack ate bacon for breakfast," while a singlet at work will think "I'm working and I ate bacon for breakfast."

That's not to say that there can't be blending and confusion in systems. But a singlet in different modes will never think of those modes as different people in anything other than a metaphorical sense. The modes won't ever really recognize themselves as separate, because they often aren't.

I guess where I am is that I think everyone has the propensity for plurality. There are probably far more that have had plural experiences than is known. And with Internal Family Systems therapy being beneficial, I do agree that taking a plural approach could be useful to many.

I'm just hesitant to hop too far onto an "everyone is plural" or even most people are plural train. And I worry that we might risk devaluing the concept of plurality as to make it functionally meaningless.

[shineemoon]

SHINee ✨ Femina India Interview FULL Interview → HERE

You’ve always been completely ahead of the curve when it comes to genre, often blending several sonic elements in one album. In this album, for instance, you have wobbly drum and bass and soulful vocals on The Feeling, a really fresh take on the clear drum breaks of ’90s hip-hop on HARD, and dance-pop on Identity. Yet, you can tell a SHINee track from a mile away. How do you connect so many diverse sounds to the SHINee colour, and what – in the first place – would you say is SHINee’s colour? KEY: Rather than defining SHINee with one colour, I believe SHINee’s colour consists of all the colours each one of our fans sees us as. MINHO: SHINee is quite an interesting team because we have the ability to make any song into SHINee’s own colours. It’s our biggest weapon. We’ve built up this skill since our first album, and it only strengthened as we tried out various genres and concepts. Now, all our members know how to make any track SHINee-like. TAEMIN: SHINee’s colour is a combination of the various music styles we’ve experimented with. Without being limited to a specific genre, we capture several different colours and find SHINee’s own way of uniting everything into one.

SHINee has a way of tapping into a collective sense of nostalgia – whether we go back to View, Married To The Music, or 1 of 1 even. Yet, you somehow manage doing this in a future-forward way with both your look and sound. How do you access and communicate a wide spectrum of emotions for people across borders and gender? KEY: Songs and melodies are very effective in expressing emotions and conveying messages to different people and genders. Though the lyrics might be interpreted differently depending on one’s culture, I believe a melody has a relatable power for everyone. MINHO: We try to convey emotions directly instead of hiding them. One of those characteristics is being upfront about how one feels and not hiding one’s emotions. TAEMIN: Even if we do not speak the same language, it’s the energy we’ve poured into this album that makes it possible for us to connect and communicate with those who listen to it.

Often, when you’re with a group of people who end up knowing you inside out, it helps you to see yourself more clearly. How would you say the close bond that exists between all of you has affected or changed you? TAEMIN: I was able to learn a lot from my (fellow band) members since they are all very talented. The bond we’ve formed through our time and experiences together is such a valuable gift to me.

How does the future look? KEY: SHINee will always remain the same. MINHO: The future will always be SHINee. TAEMIN: I’d like to live a happier life by giving back to our fans with good music and maintaining the precious relationships we have together. And I hope to perform overseas more often.