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brujahinaskirt · 1 year ago

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Okay, I obviously made the above post as a leetle joke, but since it's getting not insignificant traction, I do want to offer a more serious note.

I love this about Arthur. It's probably my favorite thing about him, but let me use this fresh new RDR2 meta post to clarify exactly what I mean. Despite the aspects of his personality & appearance that are traditionally hypermasculine, and despite how often he is annoyed with people (especially incompetents or people who meddle with his plans), Arthur is decidedly NOT annoyed by the social performance of femininity or by traits that are/were frequently stereotyped as feminine. Ever. Regardless of subject. I might go so far as to say he seems to canonically prefer hanging out with women and with "feminine" men.

Your long-winded, bullet-pointed analysis is below!

The Girls. Most noticeably, Arthur actually sits down to talk with and actively confides in the camp Girls (Tilly, Mary-Beth, Karen) more than anyone else around. These three are the most traditionally "girly" (single, 20s, active, pretty, unattached, highly social, feminine, chatty) members of the gang, though of course they are still criminals and don't perfectly adhere to all period-typical standards of feminine comportment. He doesn't mock the girls** like he sometimes does with other auxiliary members of the gang (like Uncle and Pearson, playful or not). Notably, he doesn't even gently tease Mary-Beth for writing her "silly" romance novels, a highly feminized hobby which she speaks about in a self-depreciating manner, much like Arthur speaks about his own artistic hobbies. Rather, he talks to her about writing like a peer and encourages her to write more by going out of his way to get her a nice pen. Crucially, there is no canon romantic or sexual interest in any of the girls on Arthur's behalf. He just feels the most comfortable in their company and seems to value their advice/opinions on life the most. To me, this is much stronger proof than his forever-burning torch for the cultured & ladylike Mary, which is (or was once) rooted in romantic desire. ** Unless the player persists in Antagonizing them, and these lines (while sometimes shockingly cruel and offhandedly sexual in nature; see Arthur teasing Tilly about pursuing Javier) are largely about goading them for laziness or, in Karen's case, her alcoholism. That said, many of the Antagonize lines strike me as clumsily tacked-on & poorly rooted in canon, which could indicate: (1) an Arthur who is deliberately trying to be disruptive (a generous interpretation), or (2) writers instructed to add throwaway content that will make a certain type of childishly misanthropic gamer (think 13 y.o. boys) squeal in glee with relatively low impact on the overall story.

Campmates. Following the above point... who doesn't Arthur hang out with much? The manly men of the gang; the very people social mores suggest he ought to be hanging out with. Bill, Micah, Joe, Cleet, and even Dutch. (To some extent, this includes John and Sean, but I'd say John sort of lives at the edges of gang life anyway, and Sean is, well, Sean.) Conversely, which male gang members does Arthur hang out with a lot? Sweet little bookish Lenny, a wordy, positive-energy, breezy intellectual who has just barely become an adult. Introspective, soft-voiced, long-haired Charles, who is traditionally masculine by some standards (strong, usually calm, can be standoffish) but decidedly NOT so when his appearance/demeanor is judged by the white Christian American male standards that began to dominate masculinity concepts in the later decades of the 1800s.

Algernon. Oh, my, Algernon. Arthur clearly dislikes Algernon's fancy, loud, outrageous clothing. But weirdly, he seems to like Algernon, not just tolerate him. Arthur in fact goes through significant personal discomfort to avoid hurting Algernon's feelings (the awful hat, the POST.MAN. sobbing), and he immediately says yes to having tea with him without any awareness of a coming business proposition, though half the time Arthur clearly has no fucking clue what Algernon is talking about. I am left to conclude that on some level, he just enjoys hearing Algernon talk, which is word-for-word what he says while listening to the Girls argue about romance novels ("I just like listening to you [all] talk." Hello????). I mean, for God's sake, he meets the man while he's choking to death on a nut at a fancy party, and the second thing Algernon does is tell him he looks like a guy who wears a corset. If anything was going to set off the boiling defensiveness of a dude who worships masculinity, thirty seconds with Algie would have done it.

Margaret, Mistress of Fucking Danger. It's pretty clear Arthur doesn't like Margaret. But that has little to do with Margaret's femininity & cross-dressing (this doesn't faze him at all when Charles Châtenay does it; more on that below) and everything to do with Margaret's deceptiveness and highly selective memory. It's not until the bullshittery unveils itself that Arthur starts getting visibly pissed off at Margaret. Conversely, Arthur does seem more positively disposed toward Sally Nash. (That said, this quest has a lot of problems and poorly aged lines that are depressingly easy for a politically motivated jerkoff to soundbite and miscast as Rockstar being pro-bigot. Cue 800 heterobnoxious gamerbro ARTHUR MORGAN ULTIMATE ANTI SNOWFLAKE SIGMA MALE OF THE WEST YouTube videos.)

Albert, my beloved. Rather than goading him to man up, Arthur tries to persuade Albert (whom he very obviously likes) to pick safer animal photography subjects, e.g. horses, and doesn't insult him for his lack of wilderness knowledge (an aspect of traditional manliness that is highly relevant to Arthur's lifestyle). You'd think he would tear into him for this shortcoming, given that they share so many of the same interests and passions, and IMO his genuine eagerness to serve as Albert's protector and facilitate his art is highly convincing evidence that Arthur does not necessarily view masculinity as a net positive.

Arthur is a basic goddamn boyfriend-hater. He pretty much harshly disapproves of every husband, boyfriend, male partner, etc. in the game and is very, very vocal about it... except one extremely unlikely candidate: Beau Gray. Weak, dandy artist Beau Gray, whom Arthur takes one look at and promptly hands the only gun to Penelope. Arthur is curt and impish to Beau at times, but helps him in his relationship troubles willingly (without collecting repayment), and seemingly for no other reason than the fact he can see that soft, fearful Beau is genuinely head-over-heels in love with Penelope. Is he projecting his own young love for Mary onto them? Maybe/probably, but Beau could not possibly be more different from young Arthur, and Arthur seems to believe this difference will make him a good husband for Penelope. A good husband, in Arthur's view, seems to simply be a man who ardently loves his beloved, regardless of his ability to provide for/protect her, and whose only goal in life is to live that life at her side. This is completely antithetical to mainstream late-1800s views on what constitutes a good husband and what it means to be a man.

Châtenay. Arthur shows us some of the most obvious delight and mirth he experiences in the game when he's hanging out with Charles "Allo Boys" Châtenay, who is straight up in drag a third of that time. This baffles Arthur a little, but doesn't disgust or repel him. I've written about this mission elsewhere at greater length because it is one of my favorite disasters, but it's worth mentioning here too.

Trelawny. Arthur clearly enjoys Trelawny despite his grumbly claims to the contrary. Most of these "claims" are just Arthur's established way of affectionate teasing (he does much the same with Uncle and Pearson, both of whom he genuinely likes). His authentic gripes about Trelawny are all about a perceived flightiness/lack of loyalty to the gang, not about his flamboyance. And even these gripes are half-assed, in Arthur's usual way.

Bluegills & Daisy Chains. One of the most genuine moments of softness we have with Arthur in RDR2 is when he takes Little Jack out of the camp to go fishing. Arthur's usually a much truer version of himself when he doesn't have to play the Big Bad Gang Lieutenant role, but this moment of escape is especially important, and not just because Arthur reveals his fondness for children and his natural understanding of how to talk to them. I notice this: Arthur tries to gently teach Jack about fishing, and Jack is completely fucking uninterested. Jack prefers to make flower chains for his mommy. Arthur doesn't scold him for his drifting attention or his lack of attraction to masculine past-times; on the contrary, Arthur goes out of his way to encourage and protect Jack's natural sweetness and innocence. That's a wild stance for a murdering outlaw to have re: the "next generation" of his family. Hell, I've encountered far too many 21st century dads in my own family who flip their shit when their tiny sons prefer hanging out with women & partaking in "womanly" hobbies like art, cooking, and flowers rather than hunting and fishing.

"...and be a god damn man." This seems like classic masculine bluster on the surface, but what does this keynote line mean in the context in which Arthur says it? Well, it's complicated. This statement serves as (a) Arthur's goodbye to John, (b) Arthur's final call to action for John, and (c) Arthur's last wish for his brother's life. But it certainly does not mean standing and fighting or being tough; i.e., "dying like a man." In that moment, it means abandoning all masculine bluster and revenge fantasy, and running away: leaving violence and fighting and brotherhood and all that crap behind to simply be there (alive, present) for your wife and son.

The Best Women People. Who are the best people Arthur knows, by his own crystal-clear declaration? Abigail and Sadie. Sadie's a rough-and-tumble, super-violent gunslinger and Abigail's a stubborn thief & a former sex worker (in the time Arthur has known her), but they are also, critically, two wives: the most traditional feminine role for a woman of the time period (and indeed perhaps most of human history once the concept of "wife" subsumed that of "mother"). It's also important to note that Arthur doesn't truly give up on Dutch until Dutch abandons Abigail, which serves as Arthur's point of no return. The other men left in the gang at this point specifically note that she's "just a woman" and not worth going back for. Arthur is straight-up shocked by all of this; he obviously considers her among the most worthwhile and value-having members of the gang, and certainly one of the most core members of the gang. Without any hesitation or doubt, the instant it's clear Dutch is cutting Abigail loose, Arthur declares: "That's that, then."

tl;dr: Arthur unironically prefers hanging out with women and queens and I love that for them.

#rdr2 #arthur morgan #red dead redemption #i promise to wait an appropriate amount of time before hurling another one of these massive essays at you tumblr #redmeta

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anim-ttrpgs · 2 months ago

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Fairy Player Character Rules in Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

Eureka has six playable "monster" types, and about ten total supernatural character options all together. Each supernatural trait is taken basically as if it is a normal trait like the ones you have been seeing us post. You cannot give a character more than one supernatural trait--and from what you are about to read, you probably wouldn't want to. Playing monsters is recommended for "advanced" players only, people who like a lot of "crunch" in their games, as require you to keep track of a lot more mechanics than playing a normal human.

Here is the Fairy Trait as it appears in its overhauled state which will be coming in the next release. The August itchio beta does not currently have these overhauled monster traits(though, you could just use this post as reference if you wanted to play with the overhauled fairy rules, we don't mind! They're much better rules and we want people to have the most fun possible!)

If you are reading this past about October 24th, then there is a good chance that the itchio beta actually has been updated to include these improved rules, fingers crossed!

Anyway here we go. This is going under a Read More because it's long as hell but we really hope that you will check it out and comment. This is, like, the whole entire ruleset for playing a fairy in Eureka.

Stay tuned for the overhauled Wolfman rules next week!

Fairy (Monster Trait)

“Fairy” is a bit of a nebulous term, and has been used to describe all sorts of things which, thanks to modern fantasy literature, are now strictly sorted into all sorts of distinct categories such as elf, goblin, dwarf, fairy, pixie, etc. in our culture, when in the past when such legends were told, many of these words were just different regional names for the same or similar phenomenon in Northern Europe and the British Isles. Mysterious beings outside of normal society—and who may have an entirely separate society of their own—who live by a bizarre set of rules and are as likely to grant a boon as steal one’s child.

What a fairy can actually do is similarly often nebulous, though there are a small handful of through-lines which we extrapolate from. The modern categorization that most people would probably use for the fairy being described by these rules is “elf.” Pointed ears, magic powers, and a sense of superiority.

A fairy investigator could be born and raised as a fairy by fairies, or they may have been raised by humans as a changeling.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Unlike with the Changeling Trait, a character with the Fairy Trait is a respectable, fully capable fairy regardless of their origin. That does not mean, however, that they cannot fall into disgrace by means other than the circumstances of their birth.

The Fairy rules tackle some very different themes compared to most of the other supernatural character options, but, mechanically, certainly don’t fit anywhere but the Monster category.

A lot of a fairy’s powers hinge on them knowing someone’s “full true name.” What exactly is meant by a person’s “full true name” is a matter of discussion between player and Narrator, but as a general guideline, if a person is named Jeremy Matthew Jones IV, then “Jeremy Matthew Jones IV” is needed, and just “Jeremy Jones” or “Jeremy M. Jones” won’t be enough. Nicknames also do not generally count. A fairy cannot make their magic work by just guessing a person’s true name, they have to know the name with certainty.

Spiriting Away

Sometimes, a fairy wants someone to just go away forever, and they do.

So long as the fairy is not debilitated by a weakness, can see and is within 5 feet of the target, and knows the target’s full true name[1], at the fairy’s whim the target appears to simply pop out of existence, or at least out of this existence. If done while time is being measured in Turns, this takes one Movement. This can be done without the fairy knowing the full true name of the target, but under these circumstances, the fairy must make voluntary skin-to-skin contact with the target.[3] There are a number of explanations and possibilities as to what happens to them or where they go,[2] but for the purposes of gameplay, it does not matter, because the ‘camera’ of the story will never follow them there. They are out of the Scene, and potentially out of the adventure entirely. There will be no Scenes exploring the fate of a spirited away character.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] What exactly is meant by a person’s “full true name” is a matter of discussion between player and Narrator.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] They may be transported to a sort of “pocket dimension,” transported to the “fairy world” if such a thing even exists, still technically present but unable to interact with the rest of reality, or perhaps all or none of the above. It depends on the whim of the fairy - and they may not even know!

[2.1. Off to the side in the final formatting] A thorough explanation of fairy society and where they come from would be far beyond the scope of an investigative TTRPG, any fairy’ll tell you that.

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] “Voluntary” means that the target knowingly accepts the physical contact and does not do anything to resist it, or initiates physical contact themselves voluntarily. They do not have to be aware that the fairy is a fairy or that the fairy intends to spirit them away.

Spiriting Back

It is much easier to send someone away than to bring them back.[1] To return someone they have spirited away, when not debilitated by a weakness, the fairy must make a full Success on a Nature, Paperwork, Blacked Out, or Senses roll. Each Skill can only be used to attempt this once per fairy per victim, and each attempt costs the fairy 1 point of Composure. If another fairy knows both the full true name of the victim and the full true name of the fairy which spirited them away, they may do the same, but with a -2 modifier.[2]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] It’s possible that the fairy’s household may have changed the servant’s name to thwart efforts to retrieve them.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] The return of a spirited away person does not need to happen at the same location where they were first spirited away.

Taking Names

When not debilitated by a weakness, a fairy can be “given” a mortal’s name voluntarily, though the mortal need not fully understand the situation coming to pass.[1][this sentence sucks help me rewrite it]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] This could be anything from a formal signed contract detailing the transfer, to giving one’s full name in response to the simple request of “Can I have your name?” It is up to the fairy if they actually want to take the name or not. Voluntarily handing over a physical nametag could potentially count as well, if the nametag has the full true name.

A person whose name has been taken by a fairy will perpetually forget their own name, and will not respond to it when called by it. The fairy must take the full name of the victim for this to work, and a fairy will quickly become aware if they do not have the full name.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] A fairy does not have to take possession of someone’s name to use name-based magic such as curses or spiriting away on them, they just have to know the name.

Write the person’s full true name in the fairy’s inventory.

A fairy can relinquish a person’s name and return it to them at any time, from any place.

A fairy can also take possession of a person’s voice in the same way. If a voice has been taken, the person missing their voice will be unable to speak, and the fairy in possession of it will be able to speak in the taken voice at will.

Using Names

So long as a person is missing their name, no name-related magics, such as curses or a fairy’s spiriting away, will be able to affect them. These magics will instead affect the fairy in possession of the name.

Spiriting away has no effect on a fairy regardless of the name.

If a curse is put on a fairy through any of the names in their possession, they may instantly transfer the curse to any name they possess, and send that name back to the original owner, along with the curse.

A fairy can *truthfully* answer with any name in their possession when asked their name.

The Gentry

When not debilitated by a weakness, fairies have a +3 Base bonus to Wealth. Their Wealth Skill Rating and any Wealth bonus they get from any other Traits will also always be considered Base. While this means that Composure will cap their Wealth Skill checks during the adventure, it will not cap their Wealth Skill during the Wealth Point Roll in character creation.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Some kind of joke about exchange rates.

Fairies also seem to be able to pull things out of the most unlikely of locations sometimes. Add +2 to the Property Modifier of any home or vehicle owned by the fairy.

A backpack, purse, duffle bag, or similar personal storage device given to a fairy at character creation at a WP cost of 2 will be a little bit bigger on the inside than it looks like on the outside, and can be used to roll Wealth for items just as a home or vehicle could, with a Property Modifier of -3.[1][2]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] This already accounts for their +2 Property Modifier bonus. It would be -5 otherwise.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] Maybe they could even cram a person in there with a bit of effort. If the fairy does try to cram an unwilling person into their purse or whatever, consider this to require a successful Hold. Regardless of compliance, this will deal 2 Superficial Damage.

Glamor

When not debilitated by a weakness, fairies appear supernaturally attractive and supernaturally well-groomed at just about all times. They have a +2 Base bonus to all Interpersonal Skills except Social Cues and Threaten.

A Keen Interest

Fairies gain +1 Investigation Point for any Investigative Roll that involves asking or otherwise inquiring about someone’s family history or personal identity.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] “Personal identity as in how a person would identify and think of themselves. This would not apply to a fairy asking “Who is the killer?”

Weather Affect

When not debilitated by a weakness, fairies can exert very minor influence over the weather in a localized region of about a mile radius around them for the duration of a Scene. They could not turn a hurricane into a sunny day, but they could turn a storm into a drizzle, a drizzle into a cloudy day (or vice versa). They could raise or lower the temperature by about ten degrees Fahrenheit, cause the fog to thicken or dissipate, part the clouds to allow sunlight or moonlight through, or help block it out, etc.

With use of a Eureka! Point, the fairy can change the weather much more drastically, such as summoning a violent rainstorm out of nowhere, initiating a snap freeze or sudden thaw, or parting the clouds during a hurricane.

With use of a Eureka! Point,[1] a fairy can extend the duration of the weather change to last for the whole day, and one day per Eureka! Point after.

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] This is a separate Eureka! Point usage from the above option of making the weather change more drastically, though they can be combined to make the drastically changed weather last longer.

Poltergeist Activity

When not debilitated by a weakness, fairies have the ability to exert “poltergeist activity” in their general vicinity, such as within their line of sight or the building[1] they are in. This ability essentially causes chaos and unexplainable accidents. Equipment malfunctions, food mysteriously spoils, objects fall over or off shelves, people trip and drop things, unidentifiable banging may be heard, etc.

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] The wing or floor of the building they are in, if it is an exceptionally large building.

For each use of this ability, the Narrator rolls 3 hidden D6s. For each 4 or above, something advantageous to the fairy will happen, and for each 3 or below, something disadvantageous or at best unhelpful to the fairy will happen. When deciding what happens, use the same logic as Woo Rolls. Whatever is the most obvious thing to happen happens.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Beware, use of this ability can have catastrophic consequences in places where people’s lives rely on the proper functioning of sensitive equipment or strict safety regulations, such as hospitals or construction sites.

Curses

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, by speaking the intended target’s full true name,[1][2] a fairy can place a terrible curse on an unsuspecting victim from anywhere in the world.

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] This must be done with intent to curse, it doesn’t just happen every time the fairy says someone’s name.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] What exactly is meant by a person’s “full true name” is a matter of discussion between player and Narrator.

Casting a curse requires a supernatural ability Composure roll.

Casting a curse takes one Movement. The curse takes effect immediately, and will last for 14 days by default before wearing off completely. As the curse is cast, roll 1D12+1+[Relevant Skill]. Which Skill is used will vary depending on the curse. The result is the number of days by which the fairy may extend or reduce the curse's duration. If the result is a negative number, reduce the fairy’s Composure by the same amount. A fairy may use the Focus Eureka! Point ability to add an additional 1D12 to this roll and drop the lowest die.

If a curse is reduced to a duration of “0 days,” it will only take effect for the duration of a single Scene.

Fairies may place curses upon themselves if they so desire.

A second curse placed upon the same target will extend its duration, but only the effect of one type of curse can apply at once.

Effects of Fairy Curses

Each curse has a different Skill associated with it.

Curse of Transformation

This curse uses the Nature Skill. The target will be spontaneously transformed into an animal of the fairy’s preference.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Their clothes don’t transform with them.

The fairy must make a Full Success on a Nature roll to choose an animal that is not on the following list.

Cat

Frog

Mouse

Newt

Pig

Rat

Toad

Wolf[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] For the stats of a wolf, see p.xx “Werewolf”. The rest of these do not have official stats, but we expect you to be able to figure out what they would be good and bad at.

The target will maintain a functional degree of human intelligence while in this form, at least for some time. Once their human mind is lost, the curse cannot be removed, and will never revert after any amount of time. The curse will also never revert if the target dies while transformed.

For an NPC, the Narrator rolls a hidden 1D6+3. This is how many days the target will retain their humanity.

For an investigator, the Narrator rolls a hidden 1D6. After this number of days, if the transformed investigator ever reaches 0 Composure, their humanity will be lost.

Curse of Reduction

This curse uses the Visual Calculus Skill. The target will be spontaneously reduced to between 5% and 10% of their original size.[1][2]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Their clothes and items may or may not shrink with them, at the caster’s preference.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] For a 72” person, that would be between 3.6” and 7.2”.

If the target dies while shrunken, the curse will never revert.

Curse of Petrification

This curse uses the Chemistry Skill. The target, including their clothes, will be spontaneously turned to stone. At the preference of the caster, they may or may not retain awareness of their surroundings. If kept aware, they will lose 2 Composure per day, and if unaware, 1 Composure per day, until they are effectively dead, at which point the curse cannot be reverted.[1] If the curse is reverted, either by it wearing off before the point of no return, or being broken, any damage the target sustained as a statue will immediately take effect. For example, chips in their stone body become lacerations in their living body. If an arm was broken off of the statue, their arm is now severed. If the statue suffers fatal damage, the curse will not be able to be reverted. If unaware, then reverting the curse will feel like waking up from a long and restless sleep. The target does not need to eat or sleep so long as they are petrified.

[1 off to the ads in the final formatting] For NPCs, consider them to have 1D6+1 Composure to lose before it starts to eat into their Superficial HP.

Curse of Slumber

This curse uses the Medicine Skill. The next time they fall asleep, the victim will fall into a coma-like state for the duration of the curse. The target will lose 1 Composure per day until the curse either reverts or they die.[1] Unlike with petrification, the body must breathe and be fed during this time.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] For NPCs, consider them to have 1D6+1 Composure to lose before it starts to eat into their Superficial HP.

Curse of Death

This curse uses the Blacked Out Skill. The target begins to take 2 Superficial Damage each day for the duration of the curse or until they die, and will be unable to regain HP or Composure through sleep. In addition, apply a -3 modifier to all their rolls.

Breaking a Curse

There are a number of ways for a fairy to break a curse. If the ailment is not immediately identifiable as a curse, a Full Success on any Knowledge Skill check by a fairy will positively identify whether it is or not.

The death of the curse’s caster will not remove the curse, and fairies cannot simply lift their own curses at will.

To lift any curse, the fairy must know the full true name of the victim, and must make a Full Success on a Nature, Paperwork, Blacked Out, or Senses roll with a -2 modifier. Each Skill can only be used to attempt this once per fairy per curse, and each attempt costs the fairy 1 point of Composure.

True Love’s Kiss

A kiss can sometimes be all it takes to lift a curse, and it doesn’t even have to be a kiss from a fairy. The Narrator rolls a hidden D6 once the victim has been kissed. On a 7, the curse will be broken by the kiss. If it fails, another kiss from the same person will not work either.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting.] Morgie’s kisses always lift curses.

Add +1 to the roll if the kisser truly loves the victim.

Add +1 to the roll if the kisser is female.

Add +1 to the roll if the kisser is of noble or royal lineage, or is a fairy.

Mage Power

Every fairy has one Mage Power by default. A fairy may have any number of additional Mage Powers, but for each additional Mage Power, increase the number of Investigation Points required for the fairy to gain a Eureka! Point by one.

Fairies can only make use of these powers when not debilitated by a weakness.

Misc. Fairy Features

Every fairy character must have one or more of the following features.[1][2]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] The expectations placed upon a fairy has affected them, whether directly or through rebellion.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] In many cases “what happens to fairies who aren’t cut out for the thing they’re prescribed at birth” and “why is this fairy hanging out with a bunch of humans” have the same answer. Other times, fairies just might want to unwind in a world where the stakes are lower and their riches higher.

[2.1. Off to the side in the final formatting] It’s only humans.

Pointed Ears

It is said that fairies with pointed ears are always eavesdropping on others’ conversations and internalizing their secrets, but who isn’t? This is the most common feature among all fairies.+2 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] These ears are articulate, and their position will often betray a fairy’s mood.

Antlers/Horns

It is said that fairies with antlers or horns are stubborn to a fault and should never be trusted with nuanced decision making, but are very fit for positions of authority.

The fairy is considered to be wearing a helmet when struck with bludgeoning weapons.

Irregularly Shaped Pupils

Some say that fairies with eyes like these eyes can gain very brief glimpses into the immediate future. That’s not how it works, but there is something going on. The fairy has a +1 Contextual bonus to Reflexes and Visual Calculus.

Tapetum Lucidum

The fairy’s eyes will reflect light and appear to shine in darkness. They are not affected by low-light conditions, unless the environment is completely lightless.

Unusual Number of Teeth

Fairies with unusual rows of teeth are thought to be liars.

Glowing Skin

At all times, the fairy’s skin emits a very faint glow and may even sparkle.[1] Apply a -2 penalty to Stealth in any darkened area. At will, the fairy may intensify this glow enough to dimly light a dark room.[2]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] This may be colored or white light.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] It’s said that these fairies always want to be the center of attention, but what fairy doesn’t?

Furry Legs and Hooves

The fairy’s legs are more like those of a goat or deer than a human’s. Any sort of kick from these hooves can deal Penetrative Damage. Fairies born with these qualities are thought to grow up to be sexual deviants.

Wings

The fairy has large insect-like wings on their back, such as resembling a butterfly or dragonfly. So long as these wings are uncovered, the fairy may fly and hover freely, in such a way that does not seem to actually be directly related to the intensity by of the wing beats, as long as they are able to spread out and flap.[1] When flying, the fairy has +5 Acceleration.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Fairies with wings such as these are thought to be flaky and noncommittal.

Marked Skin

The fairy has elaborate markings across at least a third of the surface area of their entire body, which could be passed off as regular tattoos to the untrained eye. Add +1 to all Composure rolls made by the fairy for non-skill supernatural ability usage.

Short Temper, Long Grudges (Fairy True Nature)

Fairies are able to regain Composure Points from restful sleep, and will take Flat Composure Damage if they do not sleep. Fairies will take Flat Composure Damage as normal for skipping meals, but do not regain Composure Points for eating three meals a day.

Fairies are known for their short tempers, long grudges, and difficulty letting things slide. Fairies must have “Disrespect” at some rank on their Tiers of Fear.[2] This Composure roll is made when the fairy is slighted, insulted, intruded upon, ignored, or otherwise disrespected by others, whether disrespect was the intent or not.[1] If the one disrespecting the fairy is a changeling, always consider this an exacerbating factor.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] A fairy might even consider accidental disrespect to be worse. To think that they weren’t even thinking about how rude that would come off…

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] Lying to a fairy, expecting them to lie, or accusing them of lying, is considered disrespectful. In this case, make it a Lying Composure Roll (see below), but all the same rules regarding Composure loss and restoration apply.

Keep track of how much Composure was lost as a result of a Disrespect Composure roll. If at any point the fairy enacts disproportionate revenge upon the person who slighted them, then this revenge will restore the amount of Composure that was lost +1. If the act of revenge results in permanent or otherwise life-altering consequences for the victim, then the revenge will restore double the amount of Composure that was lost.

Trickster

Pranking, humiliating, or otherwise “whimsically” exerting power over mortals will also restore a fairy’s Composure.[1] If the effects are temporary, this restores 1 Composure. If the effects are permanent or otherwise life-altering, this restores 2 Composure. Double these values if the target is a changeling.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] How well can a fairy establish a relationship with someone they have been raised to look down on so pointedly?

Exchange

Where fairies come from, nothing is given freely, and if no one else is going to name the price, they will. Fairies must have “Debt Discrepancy” somewhere on their Tiers of Fear.

If a fairy accepts aid, or accepts something given, they must provide something in exchange, or else they must make this Composure roll. If the other party does not name a price, then anything will do, even a smile.

If the fairy’s aid or possessions are accepted or taken by another person, and the other party does not name a price, the fairy must decide upon something that they are owed, and do everything in their power to ensure that this price is paid, or else they must make this Composure roll. The fairy also has a +1 Contextual bonus to any Skill check which will directly result in collecting on this debt. The price they name may be anywhere from something as inconsequential as a single penny, to eternal servitude.

Honest to a Fault (Fairy Weakness)

Segue?

Lived Under a Rock, or Maybe a Mushroom

Whether the “fairy world” is actually real or not, fairies certainly seem to come from a different world. Fairies have a -1 penalty to all Investigative Rolls using Knowledge Skills.

Cannot Lie

Fairies must have “Lying” somewhere on their Tiers of Fear. If a fairy tells a lie, they must make this Composure roll, but lies of omission or statements that are technically true but phrased in a misleading way do not count. Additionally, if a fairy learns that they have been lied to, or otherwise does not believe what they are told, they make this Composure roll.

Fairies have a -2 penalty to Social Cues.

Iron

Iron, and alloys of iron, will irritate a fairy’s skin on contact, often causing an itchy rash.

Iron, but not steel or other alloys, will also render a fairy powerless so long as it is in physical contact with their body, giving them a -2 to all rolls, and debilitating them. This will not undo any curses or spiriting aways that have already been enacted.

Their Own Name

A fairy’s full true name is perhaps their greatest weakness. If a fairy’s full true name is spoken to them with intent, the fairy will be debilitated for the remainder of the Scene. This must be the fairy’s own name, not one they have taken from someone else. This will break any ongoing curses by the fairy that have not already become permanent, but will not return any spirited away people.

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baronessblixen · 24 days ago

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Eyyyyy, saw your tags! :DDDDD

I will say: knowing more about an actor doesn't change my perception of their work; but I know a lot of people-- older generation, mostly-- who do think the way that he does. To them, the more they know, the more they can't "forget" the actor/actress in a role.

Maybe it's an older generation thing? A thought process left over from the world of 90s-and-before-media, before the advent of smartphones? Or maybe it's a broad audience thing: the type where people aren't so invested in someone's career or anyone in particular, and just want to go to the movies on a Friday-- the normies that fund most of the ticket sales. I do know I've been hearing a lot of sentiment lately from others who are over-saturated with celebrities talking about their opinions rather than marketing the product... maybe that's the modern day equivalent? Maybe that's what he was trying to articulate. (Sometimes he communicates in half measures when trying to work something out.) I think so, anyway.

But today's landscape is also so different: people are selling themselves-- branding, as he called it-- their personalities to sell their products. It just is that way. Hopefully he doesn't feel the pressure to do so, as well (I don't think he does, or would care. But it's a thought.) Maybe there's pressure there, but there's also freedom (or can be): the landscape for his professional fears have changed... but they've also changed in ways that are, to him, a net negative. So. XD

Hope you have a great weekend! :)))))))

When I read your ask, I realized that most people I know - regardless of age - don't care about actors' private lives 😂 that's slightly different though than not wanting to know as it might skew the viewing perception.

I guess it makes sense. DD was born in the 60s when Hollywood's star system was breaking apart. Back then the actors were brands too - though different than today. The studios gave them new names more often than not and a personality. They needed them to be certain types to lure the audience in.

The history of the star system is really interesting. Back in the very early days, actors didn't have a name. Audiences didn't know who these people were - but they wanted to know. Same with the first magazines. They'd be about movies originally, but people wanted to know about the actors instead. That's not at all a new thing.

So I don't think it has anything to do with social media and smartphones and more like you said with the broad audience. Before social media, tabloids were HUGE. That was the only way to glimpse more into the private life of your star. I just don't think any of it is new. The means are just different.

There's middle ground between putting your whole life out there and being private. It's not just DD, but one thing I've noticed with celebrities saying they're private is that usually, they have no problems talking about their kids or their family - people, weirdly enough, who didn't choose to be part of this life. Then when it's about their romantic life they're like, oh no, I'm private. That seems like a cop-out.

This is already half an essay but don't get me started on celebrities becoming a brand these days. Why do celebrities need to sell us products? That is a trend I really hate. Maybe I'm too old to get it and thankful for every celebrity who doesn't feel the need to create a drink/food/candle/skin product.

Hope you have a great weekend too 😁

#lovely asks #this got long #there is so much to say!#i feel like elizabeth taylor was one of the first to go entrepeneur back in the 80s?#she was the first in so many things #like just coming back to actors and private lives #cleopatra - once the most expensive movie ever made - drew in audiences #because of the real life affair of elizabeth taylor and richard burton #EVERYONE was talking about them #it's really nothing new #and oh i forgot #DD used to talk fairly freely about aspects of his private life #these days there are more consequences #and i think people don't like that #which is their right #no one needs to talk about anything

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doberbutts · 10 months ago

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Feminist theory is not the same as feminist activism, which is what I specificied in my ask, intentionally. There is feminist theory about men's issues (yes Bell Hooks is by far the most famous theorist in this space), and that is good, but it is not the same as activism to improve men's conditions in the here and now. I wanted to give a different perspective, and have a discussion about something that I feel is a problem that has lead to and continues to lead to a lack of progress for men. I mean, the other ask you got saying thst feminism persistently centers men just by talking about our issues, that proves my point. That is an incredibly common view. Not even working towards solving men's problems, just talking about them occasionally is considered too much. There is an obvious solution to that, which I said previously. Regardless, I am and will continue to believe in the cause of fighting to improve things for both women and men, because we all deserve better. Anyway, I won't bother you anymore, but I hope you know this was written in good faith about something that is important to me.

Theory informs activism, so if you want to see feminist activism that does what I'm talking about, find the feminists talking about what I'm talking about.

Respectfully, despite referencing the other ask, you seem to have not read it if your stance is still "what has feminist activism done for men", because I gave pretty direct examples there.

But you're right. That sort of feminism is harder to find especially nowadays. A lot of people's feminism regards men as "ewwww boys are icky" and "men are 100% solely responsible for all of women's problems". Which was the entire point of my post that started this conversation. It's also compounded by the fact that a lot of times this doesn't look as big and loud as rallies and marches, and so it gets ignored. In reality, the feminist activism that follows the theory I'm describing looks like parents teaching their sons that gentleness and femininity is not bad. Dads who wear nail polish and tutus to support their sons' interests. Boys being encouraged to watch and read the "girl books" and "girl movies". Dads who do not abandon their sons' need for physical affection as they age out of fear of homosexuality.

It looks like restructuring the ways we look at sexual assault and rape so it doesn't automatically exclude the most common way men are attacked. It looks like teaching young men that they do not need to take abuse from a romantic partner or family member on the chin just to be a man. It looks like teaching men that "masculinity" does not need to be defined by stoicism and that the concept of "manning up" is harmful. It looks like teaching boys that there are ways to communicate affection that aren't violent or sexual in nature. It looks like teaching teenagers that playful ribbing is one thing, but tearing your friends down all the time so you can be the biggest man on the block is toxic behavior, and only leads to more isolation because all your friends learn to be mean to each other.

It teaches young men that pleasuring your partner involves more than just a penis, and sometimes doesn't even require a penis at all. It teaches them that their worth is far less in the length of their shaft or the hardness of their muscles or the number on the scale, but far more how they treat others. It teaches them that height and beard length and shoe size and how much alcohol they can consume or their favorite sport team aren't indicators of "manhood", because they are men regardless of the answers to any of those things. It teaches them they can be any type of man they want to be, they don't have to be what the patriarchy tells them are their only options.

And I know this, because I have watched plenty of my butch friends who are devout feminists and have been their entire lives teaching these things to their sons. This is established feminist theory that has existed for a long time. Many followers of this theory do in fact practice what they preach.

Genuinely, I don't really care what you call it. If you want to call it "man's liberation", go for it, I don't care. But to me, this is just feminism. I'm not going to call it men's lib because the feminism I was taught by the women in my life covered these things. Same as how I don't use the word "transandrophobia" because the trans theory I was taught by the trans women in my life told me "transmisogyny" covered these things.

Anyway. I urge you to go read some black feminist theory and then spend some time talking to practitioners of said theory. It might just surprise you how similar the conversation is. It might surprise you to see how their kids and families interact. I'm not saying all black people, because not every black person who is a feminist is specifically a *black feminist*, but when you find someone who fits this description you will know.

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genjispeace · 1 year ago

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genji and cassidy hcs

a/n i typed this rlly quick on my phone to give you guys something :( i feel bad that i still can’t rlly type out entire fics. anyway, here ya go my loves. i know it isn’t a lot but i hope you enjoy

genji

-words of affirmation/praise is HUGE to him. it’s his love language, regardless of if that love is romantic or platonic

-i’m serious he probably constantly reminds the people around him that he cares about them

-that means he would constantly reassure you by saying things like “i’m so proud of you”

-he’s also really good to go to when you’re upset. he understands you in a way nobody else does and he always seems to know what you need

-as soft as he seems, he’s also fiercely protective. like he has a lot of control over his emotions, especially anger, but it snaps when somebody (you) is in danger. genji has the biggest “touch them and you die” vibes

cassidy

-he flirts with everybody so words of affirmation aren’t huge to him, though he does enjoy reassurance. he’s big into touch.

-seriously, he wants your hands on him all the time. you could be out and he’ll find an excuse for the two of you to be touching.

-while he’s known to be flirty, all it would take is you telling him it makes you uncomfortable and he’d stop without hesitation

-obsessed with people knowing you’re his. if you’re out in public and somebody is watching you he will wrap his arms around your waist and press a kiss to your neck all while maintaining eye contact with the person watching. you’re his.

#genji shimada #genji x reader #overwatch 2 #overwatch #blackwatch genji #blackwatch #cole cassidy #cassidy x reader

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howlsofbloodhounds · 2 months ago

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I need to start screenshotting posts i like but anyways

There was one where color tried to get nightmare to learn what mortals need, that at first they didnt have a kitchen so they had to eat while they were out terrorising people.

Just stuff like that, n just generally being bad. Ripping the heart out of a childs chest infront of their mother, forcing someone to eat their pet etc.

Like nightmare is horrible yk

And yk how some people say he does that because of trauma, he doesn't know better and allat.

Okay so take ALL THAT, and let them learn nightmare can love, he has loved, he had a spouse and a friend group, he knows what mortals need, he knows what to do when they are sick he has taken care of his sick spouse before etc.

Basically im just thinking about their reaction when learning nightmare knows their needs, has felt love before etc. But he does it because he can, and it makes him happy (dude is def a sadist after them 999 apples ykyk)

Like obviously its also a fear of being vulnerable and stuff and needing to be the one in power because not being that scares him because villagers decided to hate on a 6 year old, but also he can just be cruel and sadistic 🤷‍♀️

I also feel it’s important to realize that there are those who don’t feel love, or describe themselves as loveless, and has never or would never do half of anything that nightmare has done.

but ultimately, i feel the ones who’d have an issue with it morally off the top of my head are swap, dream, color, delta, cross, epic. possibly many more but that’s my first thoughts.

killer definitely wouldn’t care about it. It’s the least of his concerns. hes too busy surviving nightmare to care about if the man is capable of love or not. he’d only care about it in Stage 2 if it means he could manipulate those emotions in his favor.

i have no doubt that the fawn response is something deeply ingrained in killer—whatever hes had to do to either survive, avoid inconvenience (stage 2) and pain (stage 1), or just whatever will get it over quicker or will make nightmare/chara leave him alone faster.

;would be interesting to explore how killers trauma responses would play out in the context of his dissociative disorder/stages. Especially in the context of one sided killermare where killer has to play his new role as nightmares lover. at most he’ll find small, easily deniable ways to inconvenience, annoy, anger, or upset nightmare. just because he can.

Murder and Horror, i find a little harder to say mostly because neither are exactly free from “sin” themselves so to speak, but they also arent killer; who has lived in this type of environment for years. killer does not have things like shame, anger, embarrassment, guilt, pride, morals, things like that—hindering him, he will do whatever he thinks he must. any emotions like that are greatly suppressed and dissociated—even in stages such as stage 1 where they’re very intense.

i can see this actually being something killer struggles to actually unpack and allow himself to feel in therapy—any anger or hatred towards nightmare or chara. i can see a lot of emotional outbursts from stages 1 and 3.

this is because killer has learned that emotions are dangerous, and wouldn’t get him anywhere. murder’s entire thing is fighting back in an endless loop against his human, and horror refused to be sacrificed to help his AU, fought back, and then went even further by destroying the core, lobotomzing alphys, and then leading Snowdin into eating humans seemingly just to spite Undyne.

I doubt they’d care at all if nightmare is capable of love or care or not, they’d probably not like him regardless. and whereas killer is unable to even really hate nightmare due to the danger surrounding such emotions (especially in stage 2, although im sure he’s very capable of despising nightmare in stage 3), horror and murder definitely could hate nightmare. which would mean their negative emotions are directly making nightmare stronger lmao.

{ @brokenramunebottle }

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zukosdualdao · 5 months ago

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despite my lack of enjoyment for most of the atla post-series comics themselves, i'm very fascinated by the discussions around them because, as with many post-series comics, two of the biggest questions are: are these canon? and does that matter?

it's interesting, too, because i have never seen a single post-series comics continuation that was widely well-received. which is not to say that no one enjoys them - you can find avid supports and avid detractors for just about any property and any storytelling medium you can think of - but that the contention around them is not contained just to atla. (the buffy post-series continuation comics, for example, are pretty controversial as well.)

i think part of it comes down to fan resentment, because as much people say they want more of a certain thing, it's actually often better, at least i think, for a creative project to be self-contained and not try to keep milking the cash cow. and when creators are doing that and not delivering a story fans are happy with, it shows.

but then that also leads to this question, right, of are these post-series comics canon? i think the answer is genuinely more nuanced than some have given thought to. bryke would say yes, as they are the official creators and have been heavily involved in the production of the comics. and anyone who subscribes to the idea that the original creators of a thing hold the final word on the idea of what's canon and what's not would therefore agree also.

but if someone was more inclined to think that once a creator puts their work out into the world, they're sort of giving up the the idea that they have total control as to how people interpret the thing they've created... then it's a lot murkier.

i guess, to be clear, i do not, strictly speaking, see the atla comics as canon. i'm not the type (at least these days, there's a lot of past fandom follow-the-leader-ing i was doing that i now cringe back at, i was sixteen, it's fine) to declare something as 'not canon' if i simply don't like it. i think that's important to acknowledge because sometimes canon is worth criticizing. this is, incidentally, where i (again, these days) find myself uninterested, by and large, in deriding a character for behaving 'ooc', and instead far more interested in contextualizing and analyzing their behavior. after all, if it's in the thing, it’s in the thing.

... except the comics aren't the original thing. they are influenced and backed by the original creators and presumably a lot of people on the original team, but they're an entirely different medium, and presumably not entirely the same team, and they may well have had a very different artistic mission statement or way of brainstorming ideas, etc, etc. (also, to anyone who says the medium does not matter, i implore you to think about how different the show would be with a different musical score! for an instance. and then think about the fact for as big an influence as the music had on the series, the comics inherently cannot translate that.)

which leads me to a rabbit-hole train of thought question there is, i think, no clear answer to, but i will pose it regardless: can something made (at least in part) by the original creators be a 'transformative work'? if you're defining 'transformative' as: "adds "new expression, meaning, or message" to the original work", then i think you could easily argue that the new medium, if nothing else, constitutes a 'new expression.' but then you could also argue that the whole point of the term is to protect creators of transformative works from copyright claims made by the original creators, arguably making that irrelevant.

anyway! even more than the nebulous nature of what a post-canon comic even is, i find fan engagement - or lack thereof - pretty important to the conversation, too. because i think those of us deeply entrenched in fandom spaces tend to forget that casual viewership probably takes up a much larger percentage of most audiences than those in fandom, and that's probably true even years after a show has ended. that being the case, a lot of the audience has probably never even heard of the comics, let alone read them.

there are, naturally, nuances and variables to this, such as the idea that someone who goes back and watches a show from twenty years ago might be more likely to engage in fandom, and the way that 'fandom' has a concept has evolved (as i do think what i'd term 'casual fandom', eg. tweeting about bridgerton but not necessarily consuming or creating fan content is a lot more common now than it was twenty years ago due to social media), as well as the fact that you don't have to be involved in fandom to say, receive the comics as a gift from an uncle who knows you like the franchise.

but all of this can be true and it can also still be true that a pretty big percentage of people who have watched and even love atla haven't read the comics/have no knowledge or interest in them. and so that gets to the issue of does it matter whether they're canon or not? i've seen some KA shippers, for instance, argue that the comics 'fixed' the issue of aang kissing katara without her consent in teip because there's a comic (iirc) where he asks if he can kiss her, she says not right now, he listens, the end. and to be clear, i'm not trying to demean the creators for including that scene, as i think it's important to model healthy examples of consent for kids. but i also really empathize with the idea that it's sort of too-little-too-late because the original issue was never addressed in-show and, again! many people who did watch the show have never and will never read that comic.

so when i hear the debates back-and-forth of whether they count as canon or not, my head hurts, and i just can't find it in myself to care. who knows, right? maybe the real canon is the friends we made along the way. etc.

what it boils down to for me is this: generally speaking, i don't enjoy the comics and have no need or desire to incorporate them into my understanding of atla's series narrative. there are elements that i can appreciate, and they are largely zuko and the fn royal family backstory details, because, unlike the additive adventure narratives, it primarily serves to deepen and contextualize things we already saw in the show. i know some people see this 'i take what i like and dump out the rest' philosophy as, idk, a cheap cop-out or something. maybe they're right! i just can't find it in myself to care. at the end of the day, i think the big important thing for me is that i am able to define and decide on these things for myself. i think we should get more comfortable doing that in fandom in general, tbh.

#i swear i had a point with this. BEGGING someone to tell me what it was lol. this is not well-worded or particularly coherent sorry #this is a post that interests me and maybe three other people and to them i say what's up besties ily!#long post //#atla #sort of?#is this metacommentary. am i using that word right.#it's been a long day.#for entirely unrelated reasons lol #antikataang #jic

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lananakay · 5 months ago

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Have you been watching AMC's adaptation of "Interview With the Vampire?" Have you read the book(s)? If not, you may not know that Anne's vampires are on the Asexual spectrum! You also may have noticed that in AMC's adaptation...them vampires be F***in on the regs! This is one part of the adaptation that I don't mind, but don't necessarily love. You may be thinking "but Lana! I read the books and those vampires are NOT asexual, they have sex all the time!" Are you sure about that? Are. You. Sure. About. That?

Like everything in this world, asexuality is on a spectrum. Different orientations fall under the asexual umbrella. If you are interested, here is a short introduction. If you would like to see a more in-depth list of orientations, you can find it HERE.

Pictured Above: Lestat Rejecting the sexual advances of groupies before draining them. (Circa the 2002 adaptation of "Queen Of The Damned")

I am Graysexual.

Sometimes referred to as “gray ace” people who are greysexual are primarily asexual. However, these members of the asexual community may enjoy sexual behavior under very specific circumstances, or they might experience sexual interest on rare occasions.

IMPORTANT: Please Read Below

“Asexuality is different from abstinence, where someone chooses to not have sexual contact regardless of their sexual urges. Someone with an asexual identity is not necessarily someone who has never engaged in sex...(asexuality)is also considered a type of sexual orientation. It is important to clarify that asexuality is not a medical or mental condition or diagnosis. It is a sexual orientation in the same way that homosexuality, bisexuality, and pansexuality are.” – Talkspace therapist Bisma Anwar, LMHC

I've gotta work on having long ass intros. Anyway...I've always loved that Anne's vampires were on the spectrum. I loved how the connections, romances, and intimacies weren't predicated on sex.

I find it surprising whenever I run into VC readers who've missed or not picked up on the asexual themes in the series because 1. it's explicitly stated in almost all the books in one form or another, and 2. It makes me realize how many people don't fully understand what Asexuality is as an orientation.

May times people will cite that there is sex in the books and thus negates that the vampires are Asexual. What they are forgetting is that not having sexual desire does not mean you can not or do not have sex. I know we've all heard of people having sex when they don't feel like it. Just because you consent and willingly participate does not mean you are aroused or even want to.

Some asexual people have allosexual partners and engage in physical intimacies up to and including intercourse to satisfy their partners. On the flip side of that, others may not enjoy intercourse but enjoy other forms of physical intimacy that don't include genitalia. Again, it's a spectrum. I like the idea of sex but don't like engaging in it. I enjoy watching, reading, and listening to porn, and any sexual satisfaction need I'd prefer to address on my own.

It also seems that a lot of people don't know the difference between sex and romance. Sexual orientation and romantic orientation are two different things. Just because a person is asexual does not mean that they aromantic. I am Hetero-romantic. Most of the vampires in the books are Bi/Pan-romantic.

Romantic Orientation: also called affectional orientation, is the classification of the sex or gender which a person experiences romantic attraction towards.

Romantic Attraction: attraction that makes people desire romantic contact or interaction with another person or persons.

Going back to people not knowing the difference between sex and romance, this is one of the reasons why I loved the asexuality of the vampires in this world. For me, when reading the books there was an extra layer of truth in their emotions knowing they weren't forged in lust, but something deeper. It made them seem that much more non-human. More, in control. More above a mortal life. It also deeply enhanced the physical displays of affection that did happen.

Also, It really frustrated me soooo much when Claudia was raped by Bruce. It broke some of the fantasy of the VC world in my view...That there was at least one thing you wouldn't have to worry about with a vampire. Yeh, they might kill you, but they would never violate you. Plus it's lazy writing. You can have a female character go out into the world and be traumatize without raping her. It reinforces the whole "you need a man around to stop other men from hurting you" thing and it's kindaicky.

It also kind of...cheapened the love between Lestat and Louis. At times it made Lestat's actions seem sexually motivated, which isn't how he operates. Especially when he did the whole "Let's have an open relationship so I can screw who I want but when you do it I'm going to get jealous and have a problem with it." thing. It reduced Lestat to a stereotypical asshole that thinks with his dick. Mixing love and sex always leaves you wondering if the love is true.

Now that last statement has gotten me in trouble a in the past so uh...

I do not think that relationships are diminished, illegitimate, or otherwise untrue inherently because they are sexual. I say this from an asexual point of view where I've regularly heard people say/post the following:

"if you're not having sex with them, then why are you with them?"

"If you're not having sex then you're nothing more than friends."

"if they stop having sex with me (or if the sex isn't good) I'll just divorce them or cheat."

"if you're not having sex with me, you don't love me"

As a person (specifically a woman) who has very low sexual interest but still has romantic interest, it makes me side-eye people a LOT. Movies/books/TV and even real life put sooo much emphasis on sex in relationships that it makes one question their authenticity. The books were a nice departure from that.

Now some people have suggested that there hasn't actually been any sex in the series thus far and that I'm just assuming there is based on context. But, no. It was said several times. Here are 3 examples:

annnnnd everybody's favorite!

Now, to cite my sources! Here are several references that brought me to my conclusion of asexuality in the books.

After drinking Akasha's blood in QOTD Lestat looks himself over and notes the following-

"And the organ, the organ we don't need poised as if ready for what it would never again know how to do, or want to do, marble, a Priapus at a gate."

Which means one of two things to me. Either strong vampires always have an erection 24/7 or it just happens after they feed because of the blood flowing through them...either way, it explains this quote from chapter 2 of "The Vampire Armand".

"I put my hand between his legs. Oh, he was so wonderfully hard." -(Human Armand about Marius)

Then in chapter 3: when human Armand tries engaging in intercourse with the vampire Marius, Marius says:

"haven't you lain with me enough to know what I can and cannot enjoy?"

When first brining this up online, several people pointed out that in the book "Pandora", Marius and Pandora have penetrative sex, and thus dispelling the asexual theory. However, Anne Rice is quite consistent, even this novel. During this scene Pandora asks Marius to:

"Fill me and hold me".

Marius responds with

"This is stupid and superstitious"

She then very clearly states that it is not for pleasure but the symbolism of connection.

"it is symbolic and comforting"...our bodies were one, connected by this sterile organ which was no more to him now than his arm.

Others also point out that in "Tale of the Body Thief" one of the first things Lestat does is have sex. He also eats. lmao! My point is that the whole reason for switching bodies was to be mortal again and do mortal things. Sex for pleasure is a very mortal thing.

In conclusion. I'm ace and I think that's one reason why I loved Anne's vampires so much. I was a little disappointed that they didn't stick with that in the adapted series but whatevs, it doesn't ruin the show for me.!

#think piece #interview with the vampire #Lana #lananakay #asexual #graysexual #vampires #lestst

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omegapheromone · 8 months ago

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I was thinking about this post and the ensuing conversation about retail and customer service workers. In the notes there is a lot of talk about the more scent-oriented stuff, but in this post, I wanna talk about something else that occurred to me.

Karens/Kevins in Omegaverse.

I should immediately state that I'm not from the US, so my personal experiences with Karens may differ somewhat, and my overall understanding of the "trope" or "personality type" is based on both my own non-US experiences and personal anecdotes and stories/footage/other posts I've encountered online. To me it seems Karens are quite universal and have very similar traits regardless of where in the world you are (entitlement, selfishness, bigoted opinions, thinking themselves better than others and just the sheer audacity), but I figured I should state I'm not personally familiar with the US Karen specifically, only through online accounts of encounters.

Anyhow! In the post I linked above I talked about the concept of "alpha males" and "incels" except translated into actual omegaverse- but I don't think I've ever seen anyone talk about what KARENS (or just, shitty not-alpha-male or incel/niceguy/nicegirl types) would be like in Omegaverse. Here are some things I personally feel like would be very common to Karens and Kevins, and the different kinds of them one might encounter.

Types Of Karens in Omegaverse/A/B/O/+

(Or in other words, a look at different types of shitty people in general, using the term Karen/Kevin rather generously.)

*note: while I'm classifying the different types of Karens into omega/beta/alpha, it doesn't mean that all Karens of said type MUST be of the dynamic mentioned- any dynamic or subdynamic can express the behaviors of a specific Karen-type, it's just more common for certain dynamics to embody a specific stereotypical karen-ness.

Omega (Ω) Karen, type: "Bitter"/"Bitter&Entitled"

Often, when speaking about "Karens", this is the type that comes into mind first. Karens of this type are the most likely to be similar to the perfect stereotype of a soccer mom parent, who believes they're entitled to anything and everything simply because they exist. They will not hesitate to use their kids/pups as an excuse to demand special treatment, and are exactly the type to berate a teacher for their own brat misbehaving in class, because "my McKaylwynn could NEVER, she's an ANGEL!". Almost always, they are trying very hard to live through their own kids, and often show favouritism towards any alpha children they may have. These are the type who will wonder why their kids move out at 18 and almost never talk to them. These Karens almost always stay in unhappy marriages at any cost, as they believe their alpha is what gives them their status and worth to a large extent, and often factors such as religious views on divorce being bad or a belief of bonding being "for life" is a part of this. They can, and in many cases DO cheat on their partners, however (and the partner likely does the same anyway). Military wives (the stereotypical kind) are a subtype of this Karen.

Usually, on the inside, these Karens are bitter omegas who grew up in conservative enviroments and internalized the idea that their purpose is to have kids. Now that they've had those kids, they feel entitled to special treatment, because they've supposedly been a "model omega" and believe that they deserve to be praised. These Karens are the type to ask other (often young) omega family members invasive questions during family gatherings, and tell them "they'll get it when they have pups of their own!". These Karens also cannot fathom the idea that an omega may choose to remain child-free, and does not approve of any same-dynamic relationships, especially omega/omega ones, as they believe it's "just a phase" and "they just need to meet the right Alpha to change their minds".

Deep down, as I mentioned, these Karens are likely just extremely bitter individuals, who have convinced themselves their lives are "good" and that they are "happy" because it follows the conservative ideal for an omega's role. Almost certainly, these Karens actually had dreams and ambitions of their own that were squashed by the enviroment they grew up and lived in, so now they are hellbent on taking out that bitterness on anyone who dares to step outside the mold for the "ideal omega", even more so if those individuals are clearly happy doing what THEY want. Usually, these Karens aren't aware of any of this however, so introspection and therapy are rarely going to help as their protective barrier of entitlement and self-impotance is simply too strong at this point.

Common phrases of the Bitter & Entitled Karen:

"I want to talk to your manager!"

"The HOA rules clearly state that..."

"Don't you KNOW who my husband is????"

"You'll get it when you have children of your own."

"Excuse me, don't you see that my child wants to play with your (valuable personal item, i.e. phone). Give it to them NOW! They're a CHILD! They deserve it MORE!"

"What do you mean you don't sell organic, dairy-free, gluten-free, gmo-free butter here? I want to speak to the owner of this place."

"Speak (language), this is (country), or go back to where you came from!!!"

"My husband knows the mayor. I will have you fired for talking like that to my precious child! They are NOT a bully, they would NEVER do something like that!!! Are you saying I raised MY CHILD badly? Do you even have kids of your OWN?"

"I shouldn't have to WAIT for service, don't you see I have KIDS?"

"Those two alphas shouldn't be holding hands in public, it'll confuse my child"

"My child started saying they're 'transdynamic' or something, I don't accept that kind of stuff in my house so I sent them to a camp to set them right. It was that or moving out at 15."

"No, my husband is never home, he's a BUSY man!"

"I wonder why my children don't talk to me"

Bonus: (Excessive use of a public f*cebook profile where they share increasingly personal details and very misinformed articles and talk about how it's the fault of 5G/gay people/vaccines/etc that their kids refuse to call them on mother's day)

☆

Omega (Ω) Karen, type: "self-centered" (outdated term: "Narcissistic")

This is another type of omega-dynamic Karen, however, this type is less focused on their offspring and the entitlement they feel over being a "good omega wife/partner/husband". They're also less of a traditional Karen in the sense that they'll rarely cause public disturbances that inconvenience others, but they definitely aren't incapable of doing that.

The "self-centered" type (Omega) Karens are usually the children of wealthy, or at least upper middle-class families, but this is not mandatory as they can be found in any and every "class" of society. It's mostly about how they were raised in said families, than the financial background: either very spoiled, or not really paid much attention to and given no rules as a kid. These Karens also tend to be women, though exceptions exist- this is mostly because they've grown up believing themselves to be superior to especially Beta, but also Alpha females. Male omegas of this subtype exist as well, however their sense of superiority often comes from a deep sense of insecurity, and they've adopted the self-centered personality as a defense mechanism against said insecurity.

These Karens are demanding, self-centered, and have a sense of superiority over everyone except maybe people in high positions in society. Almost certainly, they were a "mean girl" or bully at some point in their life, and you can often find these types of Omega Karens going into nursing, child-care, and other traditionally "omega" professions: not because they enjoy it, but rather, because they enjoy the power they have on the people under their care. This is the main difference between this type of Karen and the previous type; These ones tend to use their status as an omega to their advantage, rather than their children/husbands/role as a "model omega wife"/etc like the Bitter one might.

Unlike the more conservatively-minded "Bitter Karen", these "self-centered" Karens are not afraid of break-ups or divorce, and often actually use it as a threat to manipulate their partners. These Karens are less likely to use the "don't you KNOW who my husband is?!?!" Sentence, but will do so if they happen to be dating someone even moderately important (which could mean anything from "the general manager at the local grocery store" to "talked to the mayor's secretary once" to someone ACTUALLY important, such as a CEO or the mayor, etc.) Often, if these Karens end up having children, it's to try to baby trap someone, whether it works or not. They usually don't actually care about their kids at all, but WILL use them as ammo/shield for any criticism the same way a bitter Karen might. These Karens are also more likely to date Betas, unlike the previous type who often believes that an omega should only date an Alpha. The self-centered type Karen often is a more manipulative type, where they'll use others to get their way, while the bitter type tends to demand things more directly. Their goals also tend to be more about themselves than their status or kids, i.e. they may buy themselves luxury items while ignoring their own children's needs.

This Karen is somewhat less likely to fall for Antivaxx/Conspiracy theory stuff than the "bitter" type (however, not immune), but the ones that do usually end up being the especially dangerous "crystal mom" types. These Karens, unlike the Bitter type, still retain their own interests and hobbies, though these hobbies and interests almost always are centered around whatever will increase their status and make them seem more desirable and good. Their sense of "perfection" does not come from being the "perfect omega" as in mother and wife, but rather, being as desirable as possible, usually to alphas, but honestly, even a sufficiently well-off Beta will do. While many Karens of this type could be called gold-diggers who are attempting to climb the ranks of society, this isn't necessarily the case: rather, it's the APPEARANCE of being "better than", that drives them, in whichever social circle they happen to be in. This could mean becoming a recruiter for a MLM scheme, becoming the "leader" of their local crystal mom group on f*cebook that everyone looks up to for advice, posting to social media about going on (fake) luxury trips and about spending (nonexistent) money to induce envy in family members and so on. Basically, these Karens seek power and acceptance/admiration, or at least, the appearance of it- whether that is in the form of wealth, knowledge, or by being the head nurse at the local old folks home. They crave being envied and admired more than they crave actual status, hence why they're prone to exaggerating on social media. Often, this chronic desire for power is a result of growing up as an Omega and feeling powerless because of their status and enviroment- only to eventually realize they can actually use it to gain power. This type of Karen loves to use their scent/pheromones excessively to affect others around them, and doesn't like to be told to control their pheromones. They will claim a disease or state that their pheromones are just naturally strong and act like the victim, if told to reel it in for the sake of others.

**Various people may refer to this type of Karen as "Narcissistic" or "Narcissist", however, having NPD is not a requirement to behave this way, nor does having NPD automatically make anyone behave this way- it's considered offensive to Cluster B Personality Disorder sufferers to refer to these Karens this way, which is why "self-centered" is the appropriate term to use.

Common phrases of the Self-Centered Karen:

"Are you saying I'm a bad person? I did my best! It's not my fault you feel that way!"

"I'm going to break up with you if you don't ...."

"Heyyy girl!! Long time no chat bestie!!! So, I have this business proposal I was wanting to tell you about, ..."

"Umm, what do you mean I need to wear a scent blocker patch here, I'm allergic to the adhesive!!!"

"It can't hurt that much, shut up already. I already gave you paracetamol, just wait for the X-rays, will you? It's probably not even broken, jeez..."

"Umm what do you MEAN my coffee isn't ready, I'm gonna be late for work!!! I'll report you to the branch manager if you don't hurry up!"

(Posts a picture of a [possibly counterfeit] Louis Vuitton/etc expensive brand bag on instagram and facebook with a caption such as "love treating myself a little♡" or "a little gift from my darling😍", clearly trying to one-up someone or cause envy in gheir social circle)

"My pheromones are naturally really strong sorry :'( I caaaaan't do anything about it!"

"You don't know what it's like to raise three kids alone! I'm basically a super-mom! Just ask my kids!" (Forces the Kids to say their mom is their role model)

(Aggressively flirts with any alpha/beta in a nicely pressed suit in the hopes of luring in a lawyer/CEO/rich man)

"SHUT up Jessie, don't you see mommy/daddy's busy talking on the phone to someone? Go to your room already!"

"My Ex was so abusive" (the Ex was actually the victim)

☆

Beta (Β) Karen/Kevin, type: "hateful bigot"

This type of "Karen" is more likely to be of any gender, rather than usually being a woman, hence why Karen/Kevin in the title.

These Karens/Kevins are practically always Betas, however their gender (male/female/other) can be anything. The reason they're called the "Hateful" type is because this type embodies the "Beta that absolutely hates all alphas and omegas" stereotype seen in some works of fiction. Interestingly, this type can be divided further into two subgroups based on their political views- the conservative types have likely grown up in families that have instilled the belief that alphas and omegas are bad for generations, and their ideology tends to be more "alphas in power are always bad and entitled and are only there to make betas suffer and don't deserve their positions" and "omegas are disgusting sex creatures meant for making babies". Meanwhile, the more liberal type tends to mask their hatred of alphas and omegas under the guise of advocating for "equality", while in reality they still share a very similar view- that Alphas should be treated as "lesser than" because their positions of power seem "undeserved" and "gained through nepotism" (regardless of the actual circumstances. They simply believe that Alphas should NEVER be in power, no matter what) to these people. The more liberal subgroup often has less to say about omegas, given they're already often at a social disadvantage, but will occasionally pretend to campaign for "omega rights" as an attempt to have sex with omegas by appearing supportive. (A real-world equivalent would be men that pretend to support feminism in order to try to make themselves seem more progressive and thus desirable for women, even though deep down they don't actually care about feminism at all.)

This type of Karen/Kevin-ness usually forms from a deep-rooted sense of insecurity and inferiority, a belief that as a Beta, they're seen as secondary or unimportant (which, in modern society, is very rarely the actual case), and thus they find themselves hating all Alphas for the power they perceive Alphas to possess, and being disgusted by omegas because of the perceived lecherousness and sexualized idea of the omegas they have. It should be emphasized that this is all born from their personal perception of the world, either through their upbringing or negative personal encounters and/or some unadressed insecurities, and not the actual reality. This type of Kevin/Karen isn't actually all that common, but they do exist.

This type of Karen/Kevin is the type to scoff at or be rude towards workers of Alpha/Omega dynamics, no matter what their position is. An Alpha cashier might get a nasty look and be told they "probably didn't even apply for the job, just got accepted because they're an Alpha" and an Omega construction worker might get a nasty look because "what is that omega doing working a manual labor job, shouldn't they just be at home carrying pups for some shitty alpha, what if they go into heat in the job, also they're probably weaker than any Beta coworker anyway..." -the discrimination can come in any form, and occasionally, these Karens/Kevins can actually end up causing public disturbances just because they happened to have a bad day and took it out on the nearest alpha or omega just trying to do their job or mind their business.

Common Phrases of the Hateful Karen/Kevin:

"Aren't you ashamed? You stink of filthy omega/alpha pheromones, that's disgusting."

"I'll bet that Alpha CEO is a nepo baby who got her position because daddy was another rich Alpha as well"

"That omega celebrity is disgusting, who talks about slick and heats on national tv. They should lose their career."

"I bet you don't even know how to do your job, you just make others do it for you since you're an alpha."

"Why are omegas even allowed to be high school teachers, don't blame anyone but yourself if some young alpha goes into rut and takes it out on you. Your fault for being there as an omega. The alphas are just as bad. Why don't they just separate schools by dynamic, they used to do that back in my day..."

"Of course I support omega rights! It's so awful how much discrimination you guys face, honestly, it makes me feel so sad. Oh, by the way, I really like your scent, do you wanna hang out some time ;)?"

"Jeez, you work retail and can't even do your job right? I always knew Alphas were useless, and still get so much favouritism. I don't care if its your first day, you should know how to (do a difficult job task) already"

"Honestly I think we should just send all Alphas and Omegas to live on some isolated islands together. The society would be so much better with only Betas around."

☆

Alpha (Α) Karen/Kevin, type: "superiority complex"

This (almost always Alpha) Karen/Kevin is, unfortunately, like fuel to the fire of the "hateful bigot" beta Karens/Kevins. They share some similarities to the "alpha alpha-males" mentioned in the post linked at the beginning of this one, however, they're not exactly the same.

These Karens/Kevins come in a variety of different flavours and convictions, in the sense that some of them are flat out alpha supremacists, while some of them simply have this internalized belief of superiority that they aren't necessarily aware of, resulting in micro-aggressions and shitty behavior, but not necessarily flat out discrimination towards the other dynamics. This type is common for some specific families, who have a belief that they should try to keep their "Alpha Blood" pure by only having children with other Alphas- in some cultures this is a remnant of historical social structures and often specifically something family elders believe in. In other cultures, it's more of an individual family belief, where at some point it has simply become a custom because Alpha children were seen as more desirable and valuable (be it for labour at farms, for more education possibilities, etc) and thus marriage between female and male alphas was the encouraged pairing. Any beta or omega offspring would often get treated unfairly in families like this, and often, especially the male alphas of the family, would almost always go into the same profession (for example, lawyer, law enforcement, doctor, business, etc).

On the more severe end of the superiority complex karen/kevin spectrum, there are Alphas who genuinely believe Omegas should not work at all and that Betas are below Alphas in terms of rank and thus should obey whatever the Alphas demand. On the less severe end of the same spectrum, there are Alphas who don't necessarily consciously discriminate, but will make insensitive jokes, behave inappropriately towards omegas in work enviroments believing that the Omegas must like it or expect it since they're working there, and not really understanding why anyone thinks its a problem if an Alpha CEO favours hiring alphas, especially their own family member alphas, as the higher-up staff.

While this type is rarely a public menace, they share some similarities with "alpha male" alphas in the sense that they may harass omegas in public, though they'll often be a bit less trashy than your standard "alpha male guy"- these karens/kevins aren't too likely to catcall or yell obscenities at omegas who refuse to pay attention. Rather, these Karens/Kevins might interpret a customer service smile from an omega barista at the coffee shop as an invitation to keep coming back and being uncomfortably flirty with that specific barista even after they have expressed that they're simply doing their job. They may also be the type to stand uncomfortably close to omega coworkers and make belittling comments, for example questioning an omega's ability to perform a task as well as a beta or alpha, or recommending only menial tasks far below their skill levels to omegas working with them.

This specific type is actually more often a Kevin than a Karen, however both exist in fairly equal numbers.

Common Phrases of the "Superiority Complex" Karen/Kevin:

"You sure you can handle that, cutie? Isn't that something better suited for a Beta or an Alpha?"

"You're really smart/strong/etc for an Omega"

"I don't know if we can hire you, you're at that age where you'll probably start having pups soon and you'd have to miss work a lot because of them... maybe you can apply for something part-time instead? Or maybe your partner can just take care of you, you focus on delivering those healthy pups and being a good parent!"

"Well aren't you a cute omega, working in customer service like that! The regulars here must be coming back just to see you! I see why they hired you, must be great for the business to have a cute face like yours here!"

"Honestly, I don't really get why omegas wanna work so bad. They'll just end up having pups and being stay-at-home-parents eventually anyway?"

"Sorry, we don't hire omegas for positions like these, they're too demanding"

"You know, I could consider giving you a raise, in exchange for something you could do for me... of course, no pressure, but do consider it"

Note: these are just the more dynamic-specific ones I headcanon to exist- there are WAY more different kinds of Karens and Kevins than just these, I just wanted to come up with a few examples of my own of types that could be more prevalent in specific dynamics. You can see a lot of traditional/real-world sexism reflected in these specific tropes since it's something Omegaverse can often explore in different interesting ways, and I didn't go into a lot of detail since the post is already long. Feel free to add your own karen/kevin type headcanons, commentary, or observations in the reblogs/replies!!

#omegaverse #a/b/o #a/b/o dynamics #omegaverse headcanons #a/b/o verse #miscecanis #misceanimalis #gamie originals

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kwillow · 2 years ago

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Ambroys basking in his cache of gifts and sweet words from secret admirers. Gotta be careful, though. If his ego is inflated any more, he'll pop.

(I wanted to doodle something to accompany a post answering some messages regarding this candy-colored cad but got a bit carried away. :P Well regardless, asks under the cut!)

Why thank you! He would drunkenly insult people, though he tends to be more passive-aggressive and backhanded rather than outright insulting - well, most of the time, anyway. He thinks he's a lot more subtle in his derogatory comments than he actually is.

Aaaw, this is too sweet!

Older Ambroys is much more reserved about seeking and accepting physical affection than his younger self, for myriad reasons (that one day I will expound upon in more detail, fate willing). He still enjoys it, though.

He's still proud of the stars on his cheeks and the gold in his hair and all that, but the signs of age are something he is not at peace with. For some, like the wrinkles, they're a sign that his time on this earth is finite - and death terrifies him. For others, like his paunch, it's more just embarrassing to him in a more mundane and vain "I was voted Prom King in high school and I was on the Varsity track team now look at me I'm an old man boo hoo hoo" type of way (though he's actually more physically adept in his older age than he was when he was younger for Magical Heritage Bullshit reasons, the sentiment remains).

As for your question, it's totally fine with me for Ambroys to be portrayed as non-heterosexual in fanfic or fanart or one's secret imaginings. Even though all of his "canon" love interests are women, I wouldn't rule out of the possibility of him developing affections for someone who isn't a woman. Chase your bliss!

Haha well both furry and aasimar Ambroys would bask in the attention, though poor aasimar Ambroys' jealousy is not going to be helped!

No shame on being a furry though. I didn't consider myself one either but I feel like it's harder to make the argument that I'm not given the sheer number of ponies I've drawn by now...

He would accept this, so long as you don't mess up his hair.

He would say: "good!" I would say "don't waste your life on him!"

Oh he would be pleased to be so distracting, I'm sure.

And sometimes we can't help but to have a type... I know I seem to have a thing for rich effete douchebags with buck teeth and big pointy noses... not quite sure what's up with that.

Yessss... yesssssssss... or perhaps I should say "I'm sorry."

I didn't mean to make him this way... I guess I underestimated the power of a brushable mane.

Ambroys DOES like being worshipped (way too much and way too literally, as you might be able to tell) but he wants to have his imperfections hidden if he can!

He's just horribly, horribly vain and unwilling to let go of his youth... even though he got to enjoy being youthful for three times as long as a mortal would.

YES that song is on his playlist (which I have for all my main characters because I'm a dork). It's just too perfect. One of the many ideas on my miles-long to do list has to do with depicting a scene from that song. The trouble is that it has to do with dancing, and boy am I not very good at drawing dancing poses. xD Oh well, gotta try for the boy!

Heh well I think we could agree that a normal horse probably couldn't pull off the breeches he wears quite so well... I'm flattered that you think of him when you see horsies in the flesh! Huzzah, I've ruined one of the Earth's beautiful creatures for you! >:)

Oh wow, my guy is stepping out of my brain and into other people's subconsciouses... I need to put a leash on him. :P But this was a fun read!

It's very in character Ambroys to try to undercut a rival's self-esteem by framing it as something OTHER people say, but oh no, he'd NEVER say something like that, of course. Mean girl behavior. He does have friends that don't actually like him - and he doesn't like them either. But one needs to have friends for appearance's sake - just one more accessory, really!

OKAY, I think that's everything! Or at least enough for this post, ahah.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words on my not-so-kind character.

Unlike him, I'm really humbled and grateful by the positive reception he's received. I deeply appreciate your kind messages... even when it takes me eons to reply to them, gah.

#my draws #ambroys #amaranthine #asks #technically?#furry #unicorn #some of these are months old i'm so sorry Dx #my excuse this time is that I have what I fear is an RSI developing in my wrist/arm #so I'm trying to limit drawing/typing #alas... just can't catch a break between work and the limits of my weak human form

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chaifootsteps · 10 months ago

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"Under a pay per second system, the more an animator produces the more money they make. It's rather elegant as it rewards more skilled animators with better compensation and motivates them to work harder thus ensuring production moves at a steady pace. A salary system doesn't have that advantage. Regardless of output, everyone would be paid relatively the same which means there's less incentive to go above and beyond and instead do the bare minimum in terms of efficiency." [emphasis mine]

it's kind of disturbing to see someone make this argument. they're essentially admitting that they think animators do not deserve equal pay or a steady salary. Instead they need the fear of God about earning a living wage being put into them so that they will crunch - or rather, 'go above and beyond', there's a classic capitalist euphemism if ever I saw one - in order to put out as much as possible. (also it ignores that not all shots are the same - more complex shots take more time, but I don't see them suggesting more complex shots should be paid more per second completed?)

Does it not occur to these types that having a steady pay rate produces less stressed workers? And less stressed workers can be relied upon to (in their words) go above and beyond anyway, maybe because people also like fulfillment in their jobs?? That there's no reason to believe they'll do 'the bare minimum' because the employment process exists for the purposes of finding animators who will put their heart into their work?

Back on the pilot someone made a whole video about how they added in a little joke about Freckle being tired after dragging the coffin, because they trusted the studio to reward them for adding a little flavor to their shot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5ZDGNRDZN4

Do these people making 'animators need the whip cracking and only care about money' type arguments not realize that a lot of people actually care about their work, and a job well done? And having stable pay actually helps them do more of it, not less? And there are studies showing this exact phenomena across other disciplines??

Sorry to get heated, it just baffles me seeing this kind of pro-crunch pro-capitalist nonsense being peddled. Maybe they're young, maybe they're acting in bad faith. But anyone else who sees this kind of post should know that Lackadaisy fighting to make better standards for animators in indie studios is what we should expect everywhere, including production studios who already have the budget to do better. But it's so noticeable they're trying to staple onto Lackadaisy the attitude that, according to employees, ruined the indie atmosphere at Spindle - the underlying assumption and attitude of that post is that the art and end product matter more than the people

And that needs to change

No, no apologies for getting heated, that one gave me a bumper crop of the creeps. It's the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from a 19th century coal baron, or the manager of an Amazon fulfillment warehouse.

Kudos to Lackadaisy for being the change they want to see in the world.

#Anonymous #Lackadaisy #actual blog post

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bitchliteraria1906 · 6 months ago

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Romantic Loki x reader headcanons!

Warnings: NSFW in the end, long post, he/she/they pronouns for Loki, reader's gender is left ambiguous, some small angst.

•Slow burn. Besides obvious trust issues, I also headcanon Loki as demiromantic, so it's gonna take a while and a lot of emotional connection.

•The pining phase could go a lot of ways. Maybe she hides it well, maybe he becomes distant to avoid the feelings and angst ensues, leading to the tearful confession cliché.

•Anyways, the first few months of dating are definitely a bit hard for them because it's all so new, but with a little bit of patience and work on both parts the relationship is actually pretty stable.

•Let’s talk about Loki engaging in the 5 love languages!

•The love language Loki finds easier to express is acts of service, and that comes in acting like a stereotypical gentleman (opening doors, walking you home, etc) and favors. The logic is simple: it's less akward. He can pretend it's just being polite. She also receives this pretty well, despite sometimes feeling like you're doing too much for her.

•Gift giving is also easy. Loki simply pays close attention to the material goods you have (the clothes you wear, the trinkets in your room, etc) and then trusts his good taste to buy similar ones, but even better. As for receiving, I think they'd be happy that you saw something and thought of them, regardless of what the object itself is. Handmade gifts are also appreciated.

•Quality time is very important to him, after a life of constantly feeling excluded and neglected. This includes fancy and super well planned date nights, but what really matters for her is conversation. Most of the time Loki is more of a listener, he enjoys learning about you and hearing your voice, but when she gets going, she really does, and will talk and rant for hours. Comfortable silence is also highly welcomed, and some days he actually prefers it. Reading together is peak.

•Pysical touch is tricky. Loki has this weird thing where they kind of run away from physical touch while also craving it. After he gets used to it though, he's all over you, at least in private. Personal favorites include you sitting on her lap, receiving or giving massages, having his hair played with and cuddling.

•WORDS OF AFFIRMATION. That's literally the thing they crave most, despite not realizing it: to have someone tell him he's good and loved, and actually mean it. She's really taken aback when you compliment her due to not being used to it, and tries to hide how much it affects them, with mixed results. When the reality (that he is very praise starved) sets in and Loki accepts it, their response is to try and get better at believing you when you praise them, and start praising you more often too. She knows how much feeling underapreciated sucks, and doesn't want that for you.

•Uses pet names like "Darling", "My love" and "Sweetheart", and used to make fun of people who used "Baby", "Honey" and similar things.

•Then one day you use one of these on her and he's like "Oh no I love that actually". They do threaten to stab you if you tell anyone, though.

•Scary partner privilege: any bully, harasser, stalker, etc you might have tend to back away at the sight of Loki.

•Protective, even if you don't ask for it.

•A bit of the jealous type due to insecurity and fear of losing you. Nothing creepy, they just get a bit grumpy when she feels you're giving someone who can be competition a little too much attention. Nothing a talk can't fix.

•Will find you 10000% more attractive if you're able to answer to their sarcasm with more sarcasm.

•One of his biggest insecurities is that they think they're putting too much on you. You shouldn’t have to comfort her after nightmares, or when it's the anniversary of Frigga's death and he can barely get out of bed, but you do, and they don't completely understand why, at least not in the beginning.

•I hope you enjoy eating because Loki will ask you to finish his drinks and food for her when you guys eat out.

•Probably teaches you how to fight, if you don't already know.

•Also teaches you to slow dance.

•Is more than happy when you're the one teaching and explaining stuff too. Asks for your help with Earth tecnology sometimes and will let you explain your favorite books, movies and music to them.

•Does magic for you (both to help you with tasks and just to make you smile) and gets all happy when you compliment her abilities.

NSFW headcanons start below!

•Preference for subbing, but will switch it up sometimes.

•Enjoys both giving and receiving degradation and praise. Mostly praise.

•Light bondage and pain play are welcomed, but not necessary and it depends on mood.

•Forced herself to supress some of their preferences due to shame and fear of the vulnerability that came with it.

•Will try almost anything if you ask, except stuff involving playing with body fluids (scat, blood, etc) and exhibitionism.

•As a sub he's either really bratty or really sensitive and needy, depending on the day. Had a bit of trouble with communication and safe words initially, which led to some nights of silently crying in your arms because of sub drop. It eventually gets better, and she starts slowly but surely melting at how well you take care of them. The feeling of being able to let their mind go blank and know you'll be right there and make sure he's okay is immaculate to him.

•As a dom, she's a big teaser, while also trying to copy the stuff you do to them when he's the one subbing, because to her that's the best treatment anyone could ask for.

•100% uses magic to spice things up sometimes. Just don't ask them to drastically change his looks, she will get self conscious and wonder if you're not attracted to them the way he is.

•Goes crazy (in a good way) at the idea of receiving hickeys.

#loki #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki friggason #loki laufeydottir #loki odindottir #loki friggadottir #loki laufeychild #loki odinchild #loki friggachild #genderfluid loki #he/she/they loki #loki x reader

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matchbet-allofthetime · 7 months ago

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Can I ask if you have any Boone headcanons? I’m a little bit obsessed with the strong, silent, devoted-to-my-love sniper and there will never be enough content about him for me haha

This ask is wonderful and I thank you for it by smooching you on your forehead 😻

Also, I am so sorry for my ramblings about him, I've loved him since the game released + love all interpretations of him, so I smushed all my favourites I've seen/developed over the years into one (sfw) post.

(I also might've been a little high as I wrote these out, so sorry if I repeat anything or it's misspelled.)

Anyways, enjoy below the cut!

Boone HCs:

-around 6'-6'5" (shorter than Arcade, who I hc as 6'9"); frankly think he's 6'0" solid but built like a brick house

-Bulky, built with wide hips and wider shoulders

-he has ass. I don't make the rules, you can SEE that ass in-game just like you can his meaty tits. I speak more on tits later.

-Soft stomach (the type that you can lay on and spills over his pants some when he bends over or sits down)

-brunette with thick hair, but just shaves it all down.

-INTENSELY bisexual (preference for men, likely just because he was around more men than women in the NCR. But if he likes you in any capacity, you're fair game to him regardless of what you've got)

-very, very tanned. He's not a very pale man and wasn't ever really pale

-GREEN EYES BAYBEE!! Vibrant green, actually has central heterochromia. Green with brown around his pupils ✨

-dimples. He has dimples. Fight me.

-i have this HC that all wasteland-born folks have sharper teeth- he absolutely does. He opens his mouth and he's got four sharp canines and six additional incisors that are shorter but equally able to tear through gecko and brahmin meat

-can and will use that 7 strength stat, and also that matching 7 agility

-this mf is FAST and can sprint like hell

-big hands and arms and thighs- this man doesn't have visible abs, but he's got SO much strength under his softness

-his pecs are soft and heavy. Give that dilf the tits he deserves.

-ABSOLUTELY the strong, devoted silent type

-however, that doesn't mean he isn't playful. He can totally be a snipe, sassy, snarky man, as well as a tease.

-he'll side eye someone he cares about after he's opened up and teased just to see their expressions when he quips when they aren't expecting it.

-him and Arcade get along well, and Arcade talks with him about the world enough to convince Boone that the NCR is better as a military which serves the people, rather than a major power to run the Mojave.

-boone comes to agree easily, but only once they've known each other for a few years

-thinks Arcade is beyond genius, and the two sassy men mutually snark at others when well-deserved

-is more inclined to take off his beret in the Lucky 38 around the other companions, but still is particular about when and where. He likes it and will always stay on him when out and about

-but if the Courier takes it off of him, once they've been through a lot together in the first year or so, he'll let them do it. he knows and trusts that they'll take care of it

-considers it an extension of himself, much the way he considers his rifle and extension of himself, so it's very intimate in its own way

-achingly fond of sweet cakes

-wears sunglasses because his green eyes used to freak people out. They are incredibly sharp- and quick- and can catch movement across miles of desert sand.

-couple that with his agility and happy trigger finger, he makes one of the finest snipers in the wastes

-doesn't sleep well for the first little while after meeting the courier and their companions- keeps thinking he'll wake up to something happening

-does finally manage to relax though, and starts sleeping better than he has in years most nights

-his dog tags ever come off. Can and will stab a bitch for trying to touch them

-very good with combat knives and straight-up punching someone, but forever prefers using his rifle and being a ranged shooter.

-talked more at one time to the courier after defeating Caesar and taking down the camp than he ever had before

-actually fond of having Ed-E around during their missions

-lots of body hair, the shorter hair this mf has is on his head. Prefers his hair short mostly because of being NCR; it just gets in the way of his beret

-polishes and cleans his gun NIGHTLY. If he doesn't have the right wax for the barrel, he will go out and either trade for some or will slaughter for some. He doesn't care which he has to do, so keep it around. A small tin goes a long while, but make sure to keep it closed ✨

-wears a .50 caliber shell around his neck with his tags on the same chain- it's an old soldier's way of remembering their mortality as well as those lost, and he can move entirely silently so the metal doesn't click together as he walks or runs

-comes to find that he loves heavy military rifles

-give him a power fist or brass knuckles. I beg you. This man will fuck someone up at long and close range.

-could kill you with his arms AND thighs.

-sits with his thighs spread apart because he hates when they touch- texture nightmare for him

-can straight up rotate his irises around his pupils. Can ALSO retract and swell his pupils to make them larger and smaller at will- helps in the desert sun to keep his eyes from taking in too much light, but it also makes his eyes focus different, which can be useful

-hates alcohol, but will drink to forget

-started smoking cigarettes because the smell made him physically ill as a child- it was the only way for him to stop being sick. Now it's a bad habit he can't kick

-mostly it's because it's such a long-standing habit, but also he's got the 'tism and an oral fixation which requires him to have smthn in his mouth at all times. Will hold anything between his lips- an unlit cigarette, a toothpick, a bullet shell, the rare wasteland lollipop lmao

-this guy is big enough he can palm a milk jug like it's a can.

-prefere combat boots to anything else, especially steel toe combat boots.

-hates round laces, they've gotta be flat or he loses his shit and seethes internally.

-has tattoos. I don't make the gd rules, he's a military boy- he has ink. You just can't SEE any of it because it's under his shirt/pants.

-would actually have wanted an eyebrow piercing or the like pre-war and I will die and kill on this hill. He wouldn't have many piercings, but he would have a few, I feel. I think he'd get both eyebrows so it'd be even, maybe his nipples, and another secret one 👀

-doesnt like people much, very much a silent, brooding type. Doesn't open up for a LONG time, but when he does, he's warm

-affectionate as hell, but only once he's gotten to the warming-up point

-he more he opens up, the more snark he sends outward toward those he doesn't give a damn about. Will open his fat mouth and those brooding inside thoughts quickly become outside thoughts. Knows when to stay quiet as always, though.

-big spoon or little spoon, he doesn't care. Careful though, he runs VERY hot and will tuck a hand against your stomach to KEEP you against him, even in sleep

-likes tucking his face into someone's throat and WILL wake a lover to kisses on the shoulder and neck

-likes kisses and likes holding hands whenever able.

-hand will always be on lower back. If you're standing on something, he'll have his hand there in case. If you're sleepy and stumbling into the Lucky 38's kitchen, his hand is there to make sure you stay upright as he guides you along. If you're dealing with folks who are shady or make you uncomfortable or make Boone uneasy, his hand is right there to soothe you both.

-only puts his hand on the lower back of two people- the courier and Arcade. I take no criticisms.

-can kill for those he loves. WILL kill for those he loves.

-when cuddling with him, tuck your hand over his heart or around his dog tags and he'll melt in your hands. It's very important to him to silently be with someone, and he's hopelessly devoted to the few people he cares about.

#craig boone #fallout #fallout new vegas #fnv #boone fallout #boone fnv #asks #i have many many n/sfw ideas too but ykyk you didnt ask for that so. enjoy!

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