#dragon age hairstyles critical

[dragonageconfessions]

CONFESSION:

I hope when people saying they want better hairstyles, they include men as well. I mean we had a man bun, a mullet, 10 types of bald, and a dragon age version of Justin Bieber's hairstyle from 2009. Please give us something decent this time.

[perilegs]

i thought we were done equating looks with morality... why are there still people talking about solas' baldness and him being evil in the same breath 🤨

[sketchy-the-changeling]

Hey hun I just had a thought but befor I follow through with it, alot of people have been criticizing the killmonger haircut being used too much, is there something deeper then that to it or is that the jist of it

Both? Like, that IS the gist of it but there is a broader conversation to be had.

So to start off so we’re all on the same page, the reason why combover dreads are called Killmonger Dreads is because Killmonger is the most prominent character in recent memory to have them and the amount of characters to have that cut increased a lot since Black Panther came out.

So the reason why black audiences have been criticizing character designers (primarily in video games) for defaulting to the combover dreads is intertwined with a critique we’ve been making for much longer: the lack of variety in hairstyles for black characters.

As the video showed, satirical though it may be, for a lot of black gamers, if we wanted to make a black-looking character, we would only get a buzzcut, an Afro, or MAYBE some cornrows. That was it, and some games didn’t even have that.

So at first when we saw video game characters rocking the combover dreads, we were cool with it. Dreadlocks were historically characterized as “dirty”, “unkempt” or otherwise unattractive hairstyles (three guesses as to why that is), so we were all for video games normalizing them.

But then they did literally nothing else.

Instead of this being a gateway to explore more hairstyles for black characters, we just went from having 3 default settings to 4.

It was even more annoying when characters that were ALREADY known for having dreads inexplicably get their perfectly fine locks changed to the combover style.

Do a quick google search and you’ll find a PLETHORA of styles you can put dreadlocks in.

To put it in perspective: the TERF wizard game has better options for black hair than most games that came out the same year. The TERF wizard game, y’all.

The bar was in hell.

And I say was, because, to end on an optimistic note, I do believe that we’re turning a corner. The Twitter account @/blackhairinvg makes posts showing off the different black hairstyles in various video games from indie to AAA. Dragon’s Dogma 2 gave us 7 (Capcom in general has been getting better and better tbh. Both Monster Hunter Rise and Street Fighter 6 had great options too), and Guild Wars 2 gave us over 20! I think we’re on the right track, and while we may get jumpsared with the combover dreads every now and then, I think video games are getting better with this.

I think the dark ages might be behind us. Cause we were down bad at one point.

[empireofstarsandsmoke]

Dragon Age: the Veilguard Initial Impressions (Slight spoilers under the cut)

After seeing all the discussion around Dragon Age the veilguard I decided to upload my own impressions of the game. Some sources (YouTubers and podcasts I listen to and watch) both give contradicting opinions so I decided ultimately to play the game and make my own decision. Hopefully this helps you make a decision but I would recommend that if you are excited or interested try the game out and make your own opinion without listening to critics. What others may not like you may like. (You can also wait for a sale if you are still cautious of the game).

After about 3 hours of gameplay (1 in the character creator and 2 in the game), I like the game so far. I have not played a Dragon Age game before or a Bioware game so I am coming in new. So far I like the game. The tutorial was a bit slow for me as in it slowly introduced the combat and abilities. I often find myself pressing the wrong button trying to do combos. That's okay usually it takes me some hours to get used to the controls of a new game. The graphics are good. Initially, I did not like the character art style but after watching gameplay and videos on it, the art style started growing on me. The game (what I have seen so far) looks beautiful. I am playing in my PS5 in performance mode. After 3 hours in I would give it a 9/10.

After about 9 hours I would give the game an 8.5/ 10. I am enjoying my time so far. There are some things that I wish could be changed such as having 2 orb types available to switch between. I could have an electricity orb and a fire staff (the mage combo I currently have) but as someone who is focusing on using the mage knife, I wish we could switch between 2 (kinda like FFXVI switching between Eikonic abilities). Also, I would like an auto-loot pickup. I'm a loot gobin and my finger is starting to hurt from pressing X to pick up small valuables and gold. The dialogue is good overall. Some lines are meh but there are some lines that I could see myself saying in real life (I know I'm cringe and awkward) however I have yet to hear a good line. I don't hate the dialogue. I kind of got the hang of combat. I am still trying to find which companions fit my playstyle/ character the best. I like how there is a photo mode on day one (even if it's kinda basic). But I was not impressed with the character creator, I wish I could make my Rook taller and that there were more hairstyles.

I think at once I finish the game I would rate it between an 8-9/10. I am really liking it so far and I can't wait to play more.

Slight character creator spoilers below (meet my rook and inquisitor below):

I picked a female elf mage (Ire Mercar) and an elf female inquisitor (Esha Lavellan). I picked the Shadow Dragons background and I am playing in normal/ adventurer mode. For my inquisitor, I picked a female elf who romanced Solas, disbanded the inquisition, and vowed to save Solas. I plan on romancing Taash, Harding, or Pookie Bear Lucanis. (I am leaning toward Lucanis 😻). I also nick-named my Rook blueberry for her hair 🫐😂

[cannoli-reader]

I don't think it's the definition of the Aiel, that smacks too much of predestination and one group of people defining another. The Aiel have just as much right to redefine what it means to be Aiel as Egwene has to change her hairstyle. And arguably, what they chose is better and of more service to the world.

I think Solinda knew what was ahead for the Aiel, or at least aware of two different paths for them, and foresaw their breaking at the hands of the Dragon Reborn if they turned from the Way of the Leaf. Beyond that, she is a creature of the Age of Legends who wishes to hold on to a last idealized bit of her civilization, who hates to see the Aiel changing from how everyone knows them. Everything about her telling Jonai suggests personal regret and empathy for them, not some sort of definitive statement. She was not telling him what needed to be done or had to be, she was telling him what she wanted, or thought best for the Aiel.

And maybe it would have been better for Rand had he been reborn among a pacifist nation and taken in the Way of the Leaf with his mother's milk. It certainly would not have precluded anything necessary for his OTL defeat of the Dark One. But I think Rand and the Aiel took up violence to spare the rest of the world a lot of suffering and death that champion of humanity who follows the Way of the Leaf could never prevent.

At its core, according to its own standards, the Way of the Leaf is selfish. Its followers refrain from doing violence, even to protect themselves or others, because they believe that doing violence causes themselves more harm than the physical injuries, or death, that is the result of violence. Ironically, their running from danger is among the more selfless and courageous actions they take, because they do it for the sake of their enemies, to save them from the spiritual harm they would suffer upon inflicting violence on those of the Way.

The thing is, Wheel of Time never contradicts that belief of the Way, that violence harms the soul of the violent. To the contrary, we see it vindicated in the experiences of the main characters, especially Rand and Perrin, but even Mat, to a lesser degree. And I would argue, that they, and the Aiel teens who first took up the spear to save their loved ones, do the more admirable thing, in taking the spiritual hit themselves, to spare innocents the physical harm and their enemies the spiritual damage.

It's important to remember that the AoL people, at least by the end, were weak and wrong-headed on a lot of issues. They were not the ones who created a society of peace and plenty, but the beneficiaries of it. And somehow, they lost the plot, and never realized the real level on which the Dark One must be fought. They destroyed their world trying to fight the Dark One's evil on a purely physical & tangible plane. That's what Rand means when he says he was better raised in this life, with better people around him, than Lews Therin was or had. Lews Therin grew up in a world where being good was easy and rewarded, and a horrific number of people in that world failed the test the moment it became hard. Rand grew up in a world where being good was hard, and stayed good throughout his trials.

I will criticize the modern Aiel for a lot, but never for taking up the spear. The cowards who flee from the meaning of that choice are the ones who are weighed in the balance and found wanting, and that includes the Tuatha'an's ancestors, who gave up their mission because it was too hard, while adhering to the Way in an effort to retain moral justification in their eyes.

do you ever think about Solinda saying, "Keep the Covenant, Jonai. If the Da'shain lose everything else, see they keep the Way of the Leaf. Promise me" and just lose your goddamned mind over it

because every future clan chief and every wise one apprentice who enters the glass columns looks at the past through the eyes of their ancestors, they all understand that Aiel once followed the Way of the Leaf

but only Jonai is the one who is given these last and final instructions by Solinda

"If the Da'shain lose everything else, see they keep the Way of the Leaf."

in the end, only Rand knows that even Tuatha'an are more truly Aiel than Aiel themselves

[sahesha]

/// Mallow means forgiveness ///

Hello! I am happy to fulfill your request, and as always I added something new to the canon. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Thank you for your nice words, dear anon. I don't feel well due to my illness. However, I will try to make people happier with what I write, because it's great when people can feel loved and wanted. 💜

Doflamingo x Female Reader

word count: 7,8k

warnings: angst — it's a really sad story, but with happy ending, hurt/comfort, age gap (41/20~), NSFW in the end — first sex, cunnilingus, handjob, hips fucking, with no condom, ejaculation on body, no penetration (sorry, but right now, I can't write about penetrating sex for some personal reasons), very detailed descriptions

***

A moonlit night's silence enveloped your bedroom in the Pangaea castle. A yellowish flame of a candle stuck in a bronze candelabrum fluttered like a moth's wings. You let your hair down, getting ready for bed. You never liked the stupid traditional hairstyle that emphasized Celestial Dragons' noble status. So the lonely nights when you could take out all heavy gold pins, letting your long hair fall over your shoulders, always pleased you more than the blaze and noisy days you spent with other nobles. Unfortunately, you couldn't help it. These were the rules.

Suddenly, a window frame burst with a crash, and shards of glass splattered in all directions. You pressed yourself against the wall and covered your face with your hands so that the glass wouldn't have injured your eyes, the most significant part of the human body in such critical situations. A sharp gust of cold wind blew in and extinguished the candle, but the moonlight was bright enough to make out the room. You opened your eyes and saw a giant man lying on a floor in the middle of wood and glass debris. Elegant pink wings gradually unraveled into long, thin threads and retracted back into his mighty, broad back. The man tried to get up but fell on the floor again. Beneath him, a pool of blood was spreading, almost black in the silver radiance of the full moon.

You ran to him and tried to help him up, but he was too heavy for you. Finally, the stranger staggered to his feet, clutching his bloody side with one hand. A trickle of thick blood still was streaming from a wound, staining his striped prisoner uniform. The man looked around as if he didn't know where he was. Most likely, it was. You noticed that his left eye was white, and the other was bright red.

You swallowed. The current leader of the Donquixote clan, Mjosgard, had the same eye color. The unknown man even had a distinctive gold ring around his enlarged pupil, unique to that clan. It was the most honorable family among all the Celestial Dragons. Few people had left in the Donquixote clan. Maybe, this mysterious night visitor was Mjosgard's close relative, so now, you were at a loss for what to do.

Then the man saw you. He attentively examined you with his seeing eye. His gaze settled on your accessories that clearly showed which Celestial Dragons family you belonged to and what your hierarchical position among the nobles was. You hadn't had time to take them off before this unexpected accident had happened.

You were the last of the Althaea family. Your parents had died when you were five years old. That's why another, more prosperous family had taken you into the care. Your rich jewelry left to you as a legacy from your dearest mother could tell someone who knew the nobles' culture about you more detailed than ordinary people could guess.

Judging by the spark of recognition in his eyes, the man knew this culture well enough. He smiled insanely. His thin, blood-stained lips parted, revealing white, wetly gleaming teeth that even sea beasts would have envied, so strong and healthy they looked. "Still, a bird always knows where its nest is," he said and collapsed back down.

You realized you couldn't do without servants right now, and you ran out into a corridor, not caring about your tousled hair and your dress stained with his blood. A loud beating of your heart seemed to echo the pounding of your little heels.

Perhaps it was your chance to change the hopeless situation you were in since childhood.

***

"You will marry my son when you grow up, so get used to him beforehand," said Saint Yejua, the old clan leader of the Isenberg house you came to see in his cabinet after he called you in. At the moment, you were ten years old, and you didn't know what was going on.

"All right, master," you said obediently, making a clumsy, child curtsy. Heavy gold pins spilled out of your unskillfully piled hair. When you had woke up in the morning, you decided you could do this weird noble hairstyle yourself without the help of a maid, who always pulled your hair too painfully.

The clan leader made a disgusted face. "Get Maya here quickly. She's doing her job so badly," he yelled into a hallway. There was a faint sound of rapid footsteps outside the door as a servant hurried to call the maid.

After receiving a reprimand with a submissively lowered head and fixing your hair, Maya took you by the hand to your room, greeting with a wooden smile at the palace staff you both were meeting on the way, and there she slapped you in the face. You clutched your reddened cheek. "Don't you dare lie to me again, you little whore," she hissed. Her eyes were crimson because of hatred, and a vein had swollen on her forehead so that her pretty face became ugly angry. "Don't ruin my dream."

You didn't even understand what the word "whore" meant, but it sounded too offensive. Searingly hot tears welled up in the corners of your eyes. You had told Maya that another maid, Rosie, had done your hair because you couldn't wait for her. And you were telling the truth. The woman had been late today, and she was looking a little tousled when she had come.

As it turned out later, she was having an affair with your fiance, Saint Zachary. He was fifteen years older than you. Gossips have always spread quickly in the castle, and she probably learned about your engagement before you did.

"He loves me! And you, you little slut, are interfering with my plans!" her chest was heaving with rapid, ragged breathing. You covered your face with your hands. You didn't understand anything.

You found out about their affair five years later when he got so tired of Maya that he demoted her to a slave. Maya was hoping she would marry him and become a noble. You knew it was impossible, and you felt sorry for her, even though the woman had been rude to you ever since, but you still didn't complain about her — you knew you should have. Maybe you had been too soft-hearted. You even bought Maya out of slavery with a part of your inheritance.

"You're free now, Maya. You can go anywhere you want from here. I've got some things ready for you to go and some money," you told her as you led her by her hand to a dock where a ship was mooring, soon to leave for Grand Line. You were holding a large travel bag with your other hand.

Suddenly, you remembered the day Maya yelled at you, and you stopped abruptly. She paused beside you, as passive as an autumn leaf falling to the chilled ground. You bit your lower lip several times, then shook yourself and moved on fast. You didn't care how she had been treating you back then because all that mattered now was her safety and life.

"Sir, take care of her, please," you said to the captain of the ship, an old acquaintance of your father's, handing him a substantial sum of gold in a leather purse that would have been enough for a year of well-to-do living. The man, gray-haired and sunburned, bowed low to you. You were sure he would grant your request since your father had always spoken of him as an exceptionally loyal man.

"But, mistress, there's too much here! I can't take this sum!" he was confused when he saw exactly how much gold you gave him. "Don't object," you replied, in the tone your mother had used when she was besieging her relatives who were prying into her family life with their instructions. "Consider this as an investment for my future requests and in memory of my father."

"You're very kind to me, mistress," he bowed his head again. "Your parents would have been proud of the daughter they have."

"Thank you," you said shortly because you already knew they would have been proud. You turned to Maya, who was staring at the distant horizon shrouded in a bluish haze. "Maya, take this, please," you said to the woman, handing her the bag. She gave you a blank indifferent look. You breathed out and spoke more slowly, trying to convey the meaning of your words to her. "Here's everything you need for the first time. Take care of yourself, Maya."

The woman didn't thank you, just turned around and went on deck. She didn't even take what you prepared for her. Her hair, once long, thick and pitch-black, was short and dusty-gray now. Her body was painfully thin, and her narrow back scarred. A leather whip, a collar, and a maroon slave brand — Flying Dragon's Paw — had left deep scars on her skin and in her heart.

The captain shook his shaggy head. "Bad business," he told you and then shouted to his crew. "Getting ready to sail, fellows!" He put on his battered old cocked hat. "I will take care of her, so you have nothing to worry about, mistress. Trust the old sea wolf."

You smiled faintly, and it seemed to you that something in the depths of you cracked. "I trust, as my father did."

Soon the ship cast off its moorings and sailed away, so you left standing alone on the dock with a now-useless bag. The cold wind was creeping under your clothes and your sensitive skin. Your heart was aching out of heavy sadness. "No, it shouldn't go on like this," you thought. "Is something like this waiting for me?"

According to Celestial Dragons' Culture, a woman always became her husband's property from the moment she espoused him, and it didn't matter what her origin was. Of course, a noblewoman always had much more privileges than a commoner one, but still, there was too little pleasure in such a life. Often marriages were arranged, and there were no sincere feelings between the spouses.

You never liked Saint Zachary Isenberg, and you'd rather die than marry him.

***

You gently knocked on a simple wooden door to the maid's room with a convulsively clenched fist. A lump in your throat still wouldn't go away. You were having a hard time breathing. The stranger may have been dying at the time.

"Rosie? Rosie, I'm sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night, but I need you," you whispered. "I need you. Help me, please."

"Mistress? What happened?" Rosie peered out of the half-open door. She was up and dressed in a matter of minutes. Her red, voluminous curls pulled into a tight bun, but one unruly curl crossed her broad olive-tanned forehead. The maid looked genuinely concerned. "Mistress, you look very pale. Are you feeling ill?"

"Not me, don't worry. Call Gabriel, please," you asked her. "In the meantime, give me your first aid kit."

"Yes, of course, mistress," Rosie rushed inside her room, then returned to you. "Here, mistress," she handed you a light wooden box covered with white lacquer. After that, the maid ran, lifting her long black dress slightly, down the corridor to the room of Gabriel, your physician. The sound of her footsteps was barely audible. All the servants moved without making a sound since this ability was one of the basic service rules.

You went back to your bedroom and almost fell to your knees next to the stranger. You checked his pulse with your shaking hands. The man was alive, and you breathed a sigh of release. Then you barely rolled him onto his back and covered his wound with a thick roll of bandages without unwrapping it to stop the bleeding. There was so much blood, and it kept flowing, soiling your arms, your sleeves, and your skirt. Time dragged on like wood resin and seemed endless. Finally, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" you said, continuing to clamp the wound.

Gabriel, a tall, gaunt elderly gentleman leaning on a long cane and holding his heavy medical valise, stepped inside and, seeing the man lying on the floor, threw up his hands in surprise. "Mistress, how did he get here?" Rosie loomed behind him.

"It doesn't matter how he got here, Gabriel," you retorted, almost crying. Your eyes burned a bit from the hot tears that were coming. "Help him, please. Also, Gabriel, Rosie, my lovely friends, don't tell anyone what happened, even if someone asks you. I'll take full responsibility. I ask you from the bottom of my heart."

Gabriel pulled himself together and went from a confused gaffer to a solemn doctor with steady, skilled hands. He propped his cane on a nightstand, then opened his valise and put on medical gloves. "It was well done, mistress, that you clamped his wound. Okay, be careful, please, and give it to me."

You slowly removed your hands and moved away from the wounded stranger. Your heart was racing. Gabriel put his solid hand over the wound, then glanced at you, assessing your condition. You knew that even though there was a person in the room who needed help, you were still more important to Gabriel. He's looked after you since you were a toddler, and he's been almost like a grandfather to you.

"Do you mind if I give directions, my mistress?"

You nodded weakly.

"Thank you. Rosie, take the young mistress to her living room and keep her company. Help our beloved mistress change there, please. Then, when I've finished my work, you can come and help me move this young man to another room. I think the deceased master's room will be proper for such a purpose. Have you understood me, Rosie? Good. After that, you will clean up here. I'll help you with it."

Rosie nodded gravely and gently lifted you to your feet and took your arm. "We should go to the living room, mistress. Mistress, how are you feeling? Is there anything else I can do for you?" You buried your face in her shoulder. "No, Rosie, it's all right. I only need to..."

"They're all dead," came a barely audible, low, and hoarse voice. "All dead, my whole family. I couldn't save them..."

The man opened his seeing-eye slightly and saw the three of you. Gabriel, ignoring the patient, who had came to his senses, took the necessary tools out of his valise with one hand. His other hand was being busy with the wet wad of bandages. After that, the old doctor said: "Young gentleman, I'm surprised you're still alive. You've lost a critical amount of blood. Now try not to move. I'll stop the bleeding and sew up your wound, and it will take some time, but I promise that everything will be fine."

"Everything will be fine? Huh. What's the point of the word "fine" now?" the man grinned wryly with an insane gleam in his eyes, even in the white one, then fell silent, allowing Gabriel to take care of him. Rosie tugged on your hand, reminding you that you both need to leave.

You took one last look at the stranger. In the bright moonlight, his profile was noble-looking. His beautiful forehead line, an aristocratic aquiline nose, and a well-defined chin were a masterpiece of nature. A shadow of his long, almost white lashes made dark circles under his eyes even darker, and there was something peculiarly tragic about his whole appearance because of this.

You turned away with difficulty and left, supported by Rosie. In the living room, the maid took off your dress stained in dark blood. You slumped into a chair and leaned back. Your strength left you at all, and you watched Rosie fussing around you with indifference.

It was going to be a long night.

***

The following three weeks were like hell on the Earth. The man was refusing to eat, despite all your requests and persuasions. Besides, during all this time, he didn't react in any way to you, Gabriel, and Rosie. In your late father's bedroom, the man was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling with no emotion on his sharpened and pale face. His skin was almost the same shade as the white silk pajamas Gabriel and Rosie had changed him into that night. Day by day, he was becoming wearier and wearier and losing weight. Now, he looked like a sick bird.

You were about desperate.

"Stop it! I can't take it anymore. Stop tyrannizing me, please. I understand that you have great grief, but why should I suffer with you? Have mercy! I'm trying to heal you here, you stubborn piece of depression without a name because I don't even know what to call you, and I'm still trying to help!" you were pacing up and down the room, wringing your hands out of extreme concern. "Okay, what I have said is selfish. But I have one more thing I want to tell you. If all of them died to save your life, then don't make your life like this! Don't fight imaginary windmills!"

Finally, the man reacted to you by following you with his right eye. His left eye didn't move and seemed glassy, but it didn't frighten you off because your father was blind in both eyes at the end of his life. Noticing this little change, you stopped walking around the room and approached him. "Do you have something to say to me?"

"I'm Doflamingo from the house of Donquixote," he said barely audibly and closed his eyes as if he was tired of saying his name.

You closed your eyes, too, and counted to three. You were right in your guess. However, it was still unknown whether this unexpected acquaintance would help you avoid an unwanted wedding, and now you should have found out everything about him. Although you had already become indifferent to whether this help will bring benefits since you followed the principle read as follows — if you had the bravery to take responsibility, then bear it to the end.

Maya was slowly healing physically and mentally on her home island under the care of her loving husband, who was the same captain's son.

"You're from the house of Althaea, aren't you?" Doflamingo asked you in a faint voice. But he was looking at the ceiling again. "So I'm in the Flower Tower. What do you want from me, you restless child? Leave me alone with my Donquixote windmills."

There was a well-known legend among Celestial Dragons. The founder of the Donquixote clan was an eccentric man who fought windmills, imagining they were giant monsters from the depths of a sea. Locals could still trace such a cultural heritage: the Donquixote clan's tower in the Pangaea Castle looked like a high windmill, and it even had mill blades on which the family coat of arms emblazoned. Celestial Dragons commonly called it the Donquixote Windmill.

As for your family's tower, the nobles called it a Flower Tower since your coat of arms had mallow flowers on it. Mallows of all kinds and colors grew freely on its balconies, and so the white, slender tower looked like a garden of Eden.

"Yes, I'm Y/N from the house of Althaea. And I'm not a child. I'm twenty years old," you snorted, crossing your arms over your chest. Doflamingo turned his head towards you, looked you up and down, and his whole appearance suggested he still considered you an ignorant child.

"I'm twice your age, kid. Now listen to an adult and leave me alone," his voice grew louder, and there was a clear hint of exasperation in it. You attentively watched for the slightest changes in his facial expression. His mismatched eyes flashed, nostrils quivered, thin lips curled in annoyance, and a thick vein on his forehead became more apparent. It made the man look much more alive than before. You decided it was a good sign and it worth continuing to tease him.

"Well, no, this is my tower in the castle. I can go anywhere I want. You're a guest here, and while you're here, you must follow my rules." You chuckled.

Doflamingo exhaled loudly and rolled his eyes. You saw him mentally asking all heavenly saints for what unforgivable crime they sent him such tiny but annoying punishment as you. Then the man looked at you with narrowed eyes. "Okay, you have won, little pest. What do you have there? Bring it here. But if it's porridge, I won't eat it for anything. I hate it since childhood."

You clapped your hands happily and ran into the living room to call Rosie. She was waiting there until you came back with new orders. Before the door closed, you heard him grumble softly: "What an obnoxious child."

You giggled, then told the worried maid you'd feed him yourself, and carefully and even solemnly carried into the bedroom a tray with a plate of appetizingly steaming porridge.

***

"I've never had such a capricious patient as you, sir," Gabriel said calmly, and his pleasant wrinkled face was smiling brightly. The old gentleman sat heavily in a high velvet armchair across from the bed where Doflamingo was lying propped up on a pile of pillows. "And at the same time, there was no one as hardy as you, either. Another person wouldn't have survived. You fully justify your title."

Doflamingo made an irritated face. "I don't have any title right now," he snapped. His upper lip twitched, revealing snow-white teeth.

"Really?" Gabriel smiled warmly. "No one can take away the title of Heavenly Yaksha from you since you have created it by your activity. Of course, I couldn't call this activity honest and humanely, but such a terrifying nickname proves you are worth something, sir. Yes, it still bears a hint of your origin, but you deserved it not because you were born in a certain social class. You have a bright mind and great force hidden in your mighty body. I won't be afraid to tell you that you are wiser than many people I have met. The opportunity to rebuild your life is in your hands, sir."

Doflamingo snorted and turned away. But in his heart, he was glad that Gabriel wasn't calling him "young master."

"You probably don't remember me, but I knew you when you were a small and playful five years old boy. When I had seen you that night, and afterward, your appearance was giving me a vague suspicion of your aristocratic origin. But when our beloved young mistress found out your name, sir, everything fell into place," a little quieter than before, Gabriel said. "Do you mind if I smoke, sir?"

Doflamingo shook his head with no words said. His odd eyes seemed to look through space and time, simultaneously into the distance and the inner core of himself. Gabriel took a pipe from his frock coat's pocket and filled it with tobacco. Then the doctor lit his pipe with relish. "Sir, I was your botany teacher for a while."

"Mallow means forgiveness," Doflamingo mouthed.

"Yes," Gabriel smiled. "However, the clan's name which our young mistress belongs to is derived from a flower of a different species from the same family. I think I may as well continue our botanical lessons, sir Doflamingo," Gabriel took a drag on his pipe and then blew smoke in a few small neat rings. "So. Althaea Officinalis is a plant used as an herbal medication since ancient times. Perhaps that's why the young mistress is so eager to help other people."

Doflamingo was listening to him in silence. He liked Gabriel's measured speech, his courteous tone, and that he tactfully didn't mention either Doflamingo's parents or Rocinante. He remembered he had attended those lessons with his younger brother. His crystal clear memory brought back from the depths of his mind an image of three years old Roci, diligently writing names of various flowers in a clumsy hand. "Mallow means forgiveness. Doffy, will you forgive even if I accidentally snap your house of cards?"

"No," had replied him Doflamingo, who at that time was very fond of that house of cards, the creation of his little hands. Now, forty-one-year-old Doflamingo pursed his lips, and two bitter lines appeared on his thin cheeks.

He closed his eyes. Every night since he had broken out of Impel Down, he had dreamed of the same nightmare. In that horror dream, he shuffled a thick and richly decorated deck of cards. Then each of them slipped out of his suddenly weakened fingers and disappeared into stormy darkness without a trace. Maroon and Pitch-Black Aces, Queens, Kings, and Jacks were slowly sinking into an abyss, and there left only one card in his hands.

A skeleton depicted on it was looking at him with its head slightly bowed and its cheek resting on its hand. A velvet jester's hat was on its bare, villainously grinning skull. "The Joker & The Death," read the inscription, embossed in luxurious gold on glossy black background. He dropped this card, too, and then realized his hands had long since rotted away.

Doflamingo returned to reality and let out a shuddering breath. His hands were healthy again, with mighty flesh and beautifully tanned smooth skin. He put them on a heavy blanket and looked around.

Gabriel was smoking without interrupting Doflamingo's thoughts. In that manner, some time passed. Finally, the doctor ventured to say: "Our flower mistress has a very kind heart. Please don't ruin it."

"You smoke too much for a doctor."

After saying these two phrases simultaneously, Doflamingo and Gabriel looked at each other in silence, and then Doflamingo responded to him coldly: "I won't."

"I'll take your word for it," Gabriel puffed smoke again. "But about smoking — it's my little weakness, which I still can't overcome." He smiled his fatherly smile again. "You're a particularly clever man, sir Doflamingo, so you should know, we all have our weaknesses. And sometimes, the greatest humankind wisdom is to accept some of your weaknesses and maybe even enjoy them. However, I was talking too much. Forgive the old man for his love to chat."

"I forgive you," Doflamingo replied. Gabriel laughed. "And yet you are still the same little sir Doflamingo that I remember! You are charming in your peculiar way. Well, I have to go. You are now in perfect order, so the care passes entirely to the young mistress." Gabriel stood up, leaning on his cane, bowed, and left the bedroom.

Doflamingo left alone, reflecting on the weaknesses he had. He suddenly remembered how the young mistress' soft, small hands had deftly wielded a knife, peeling the pears and cutting them into neat slices to feed him. "I don't care what you have done in the past. Since I have taken responsibility for you, I must bear this through to the very end. You'll only get rid of my care when you tell me to stop and go away. But as long as you need help, I'll be there for you."

"I don't need any help," he had grumbled then, and she put a slice of pear in his opened mouth. He gave her a harsh warning look, but she was smiling at him. A sugary fragrance of mallows made him dizzy a bit. The young noblewoman was carefully looking at him with a pure gaze without fear. That innocence unnerved him, and he wanted to do something to see the dark truth inside.

Doflamingo craved to reach out and grab her tender, delicate skin with his long, mighty fingers and tear it open to see dirtiness hiding under fair grace. He was sure that something was wrong.

"Is something wrong?" the girl asked, looking deep into his eyes. She wasn't intimidated even by his ugly gaze. In the light of day, it was clear that the shape of his right eye's pupil was irregular — as if several black cracks were spreading out from its middle. The left eye seemed to hid under a white haze. Doflamingo covered his face with his broad hand to not see her and not show himself in such a state. It was unacceptable.

"Eat it already," she scowled, shoving another slice of pear into his mouth. "Don't be naughty, you Heavenly Yaksha." Doflamingo felt an unexpected outburst of anger and pushed her hand away. He did it ruder than he planned, causing the pear slice and a silver fork she was holding to fall to the floor. "You're just like a kid, Doflamingo," she muttered, picking up another fork and another pear slice with it. "You were the one who said I was a child. I can't believe it!"

Now, lying in bed all alone, Doflamingo understood that you were one of his weaknesses, and there was nothing he could do about it. But he couldn't afford it because any attachment in his life ended in loss.

Sooner or later.

***

The meeting with Mjosgard wasn't an easy one.

Recovered Doflamingo sat across from him in a chair with his arms crossed. A place where he was now didn't please him, as it brought all of his painful memories back. It was the old Windmill, a high and white tower built in a solemn, majestic style. Donquixote Mjosgard was observing him, and Althaea Y/N was silently sitting aside.

"The Donquixote family is in a difficult position right now," Mjosgard said after a moment of exchanging glances. "The thing is, there are very few people left from our family."

"It's not my problem anymore. It was you who refused us to return," Doflamingo replied in a quiet but threateningly roaring voice. He was much taller and physically mightier than stunted, chubby Mjosgard, so he looked down on him.

"Reputation was above all else," Mjosgard countered, his puffy lips curling and his thick brows furrowing. Unlike the other members of the Donquixote family, he had dark emerald hair — they looked like glossy seaweed at the sea bottom. Doflamingo's hair, grown over a long time, tied in a casual but elegant ponytail, glittered like a celestial golden halo in the sun.

"Has anything changed since then?" the younger man grinned insidiously and maliciously, cocking his head to one side like a giant tropical bird, as was his old habit. Mjosgard's frown deepened, and a shadow crossed his face, broad and high-cheekboned.

"You guessed it. Something has changed," Mjosgard looked thoughtfully out of the window. "Thanks to one queen, I realized, regardless of origin, race, status, political views, and personal disputes, intelligent beings must remain intelligent."

"Otohime, isn't she?" chuckled Doflamingo more viciously than before. "That incident quickly spread around the world in the form of gossip among World Government officials."

"Yes, it was her," Mjosgard said with no expression on his face, but it was clear that Doflamingo's words touched his nerves. A vein bulged on his forehead. "But this idea didn't come to me immediately. It was many years before I realized this uncomplicated truth. As for you, at that moment, you were already an independent adult, so I decided not to interfere with what you were doing. Who knew that the salvation of our historical homeland was false..."

"You're kidding me," Doflamingo's upper lip twitched like an animal's, exposing his strong teeth. "I don't care what you realized or didn't realize because, at that cursed time, we were still a family! Where were you when we were surviving in that God-forsaken wastelands of the North Sea? Where were you when those savages crushed my skull with their heavy bludgeons? I'll say to you to know, from then on, when I get exasperated in my suddenly risen wrath, I can't help but start laughing like a mad clown. What you're telling me is fucking pointless bullshit," his growling voice gradually turned into a howling, hoarse laugh. "Damn you, uncle. If you're going to apologize, don't even try it."

Doflamingo grabbed his head while laughing almost inaudibly and started rocking from side to side. Althaea Y/N looked up, alarmed, and then went to him. He pressed his head against her tiny hands and soon calmed down after taking a few deep breaths. The man looked cold-blooded and collected again.

The girl, the last of the Althaea family, stood beside Doflamingo, her hand on his broad shoulder. Mjosgard thought she was looking like a blossoming plant growing under the long shadow of a centuries-old stone tower. That tower was ready to fall from the cliff on which it stood into a dark sea abyss, but the plant slowly entwined its foundation with flexible stems, helping it not collapse.

"Well, that's what I expected you to say," the older Donquixote said calmly. "Where have I been? Where you're now. I was in a dark place where any human is blind. And I'm talking not about physical sight at all. However, I see you already have problems with your vision. Don't you ever think it's just a reflection of who you are? Because you only know how to destroy."

"You didn't see everything that happened to me. What right have you to judge me?" Doflamingo was breathing hard. "You are not a saint yourself, Saint Mjosgard."

"You're right," Mjosgard said quietly, looking like a cold stone block. The same heavy stone blocks were the foundation of the Donquixote Windmill. Its long blades turned slowly and with a soft creak, telling him of time passage. "But it's better to realize all of this later than never."

Doflamingo leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Without his branded glasses, he felt unprotected, naked, and vulnerable. He had lost them when he was flying over the Grand Line all alone, in quiet, cracking madness. Now the man regretted he had allowed himself such a display of weakness as sincerity.

"And sometimes, the greatest humankind wisdom is to accept some of your weaknesses and maybe even enjoy them."

Doflamingo exhaled. What pleasure can he had found in a razor-sharp headache due to outbursts of uncontrolled wrath? The veins in his forehead nearly burst from the strain every time. Althaea Y/N was stroking his palm. He squeezed her fingers unconsciously, but she said nothing. "So, what do you want from me?" he asked.

"I want to include you back in the Donquixote family since we don't have any strong heirs right now. Your brain works excellently, even though your skull was damaged a long time ago," Mjosgard gazed straight at him.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll go crazy and start slaughtering everyone indiscriminately?" Doflamingo chuckled already calmly. The warmth in his hand he felt was soothing. "I understand this is only the initial stage of your plan. What are you going to do next? Revolution?"

"Don't scare me, little nephew," Mjosgard snorted, rising from his chair. "I won't tell you everything at once because I need to make sure that you're adequate. Think about it for now." He looked at the girl. "Young lady, allow me to take my leave."

Althaea curtsied. "Thank you for listening to my request," she said softly. Mjosgard just nodded back at her and walked out of the hall they were in slowly, in a heavy gait. Doflamingo and Y/N left alone.

"Not so bad," the girl said after a moment of silence. Doflamingo looked at her and then at his hand, in which he held her graceful fingers. He didn't even notice how he had squeezed them earlier. She smiled at him. "It was painful, but I'm okay. It was worth the effect."

He leaned down and kissed her fingers. She blushed slightly but didn't take her hand away. Doflamingo pulled her close, kissing her thin wrist, and her clean, delicate skin smelled of mallow flowers, which always spun his head, sweetly, slowly, deeply.

"If I should enjoy my weaknesses, it's only this way," he thought.

***

"I have a confession to make," you said softly, looking down at the floor. You were in your father's library. A vinyl record was playing on a gramophone, and the room resounded with noble, pure sounds of classical opera. "I hope you won't be enraged at me." After these words, the music became quieter.

Doflamingo put down his book and cocked his head to one side, studying you intently. He was sitting in a chair by an open window. In the distance, the sea was tossing slowly, like a living being, its blue and wrinkled skin shimmering in the bright sun with silver highlights.

"I knew something was wrong here," he said calmly. "Tell me what you want to tell. I don't bite." You weren't looking at him, but you knew his teeth as white as alabaster flashed between his lips carnivorously.

"I had plans for you since you had appeared here," you said quietly, not daring to look up at the man. "I thought if I reconciled you with Saint Mjosgard, I would be able to get out of the situation I was in."

"And what kind of situation did you find yourself in?" he asked in an insinuatingly low voice. The bows struck the strings, and a sudden rise of the music made you shudder.

"I don't want to marry a man I don't love! The House of Isenberg wants me to marry the heir, Saint Zachary Isenberg. But I don't like him because he's a nasty and ugly man. He will treat me like I am his non-living property," you replied quick and squeezed your eyes shut, waiting for Doflamingo to get angry when he found out about your mercenary intentions.

"Oh. Is that all?" Doflamingo asked you. The music faded again, and you could hear him laughing. However, it was not his usual, malicious laugh, which sounded almost every time he got mad, but a cheerful, even kind one. "I thought you were up to something scarier than that. God, what an idiot I am..."

"Y-yes, that's all," you said, confused. "I thought maybe you could somehow help me get out of these obligations... And what did you think?"

"I don't even know," he admitted, still smiling. "It's all nonsense and doesn't matter now. That's the kind of person I am. I have a very suspicious nature."

"Do you hate me?" you asked him cautiously, fidgeting with your long lace sleeve. The music smoothly flowed as if enveloping both of you in exquisite sounds, forming a tremulous symphony. The soft rustling of plants that encircled the Flower Tower, the distant sound of gentle tidal waves, and occasional cries of gulls didn't spoil the atmosphere at all but organically intertwined with it.

"Silly," he chuckled and gently cupped your chin, forcing you to look at him. "Mutual assistance is a completely ordinary thing. Also, if you can do something for others, don't do it for no repaid. Of course, if it's someone not important to you."

You looked him in the face. His right eye glittered like a flame, and a black pirate blindfold was covering his left one. Doflamingo liked to shock Celestial Dragons, so the man hadn't hidden what he had been doing all the time he hadn't been here, in the Pangaea Castle. In contrast, Doflamingo was emphasizing he had combat experience and incredible physical strength. By comparison with him, they were just spoiled mortals who relied only on their wealth. Besides, the nobles inherited that wealth, not created independently, by themselves, with their hands. Among them, he was like a gem among cheap fakes. He was the Heavenly Yaksha in the perfect flesh.

"Am I important to you?" Doflamingo asked, pulling you by your waist to him. The music grew again like a sea wave during a violent storm. The wind was getting faster, and tender-pink mallows outside the window were swaying with quivering excitement.

"Yes, you are," you answered, gathered all your courage, and kissed him on the corner of his lips tenderly. Doflamingo took the initiative and deepened your kiss. His long, flexible tongue slipped between your lips, and his hand slid down your back. You exhaled, feeling your body flare-up everywhere he was touching it. "Wait..." you barely managed not to moan it out.

"Now is not the time," Doflamingo retorted, lifting you and putting you on the nearest table. "I need you right now, Y/N." He pulled up your long, silk skirt, exposing your hips. You had never been alone with a man before, much less with a man who wanted to undress you, so you clenched your legs and covered your face with your hands.

Doflamingo pulled away from you. "Don't be afraid. All of it's not that scary. But I can stop if you don't want to, of course." You took your hands off your face and looked at him. His hair was tousled, and there were sparks of craving semi-madness in his eyes. You swallowed, and he followed the movement. "You don't mind, do you?" the man inquired. He kissed you again, pressing close to you. With a gasp, you laid back on the table, pulling Doflamingo with you. He was on top now and started kissing your neck and caressing your hips with his palms, gradually rising higher to the soft buttocks. You spread your legs and wrapped your arms around his back, holding him close. "Teach me everything you know," you asked him.

"Be a good student, Y/N," he said, licking your collarbones and unbuttoning your dress. "Your skin smells wonderful, and I feel like I'm going crazy because of this aroma," he kissed your round, naked breasts. You were squirming under his caresses, like a brisk lizard in the claws of a bird of prey that, instead of killing it, started to play dangerous games with it. And that felt so good.

Doflamingo ran his hand between your legs, touching your already wet vulva. You slightly flinched as you felt his fingers slide between your labia. "Don't be afraid," he whispered in your ear. "I'll just make you feel good. I won't penetrate you now because you're not ready for my size yet." When you heard that, you felt a fast ripple of shyness rose inside you. "Y-yes..." you replied.

Unveiled and defenseless, you were lying on your dress, among lush laces and silk, and you were like a pearl slipped from a necklace and fell in a floral bud. He was kissing your body, leaving traces of hickeys and soft bites, gradually descending to your lower belly. Finally, his quick tongue slid between your legs, touching your unbearably sensitive, slightly swollen because of lust labia. You barely managed not to bring your knees together. He kissed your vulva loudly, then clasped with his lips your wet folds, so you moaned and squeezed his head with your trembling hips. Without being distracted by your reaction, he began to suck them, from time to time touching your clitoris with his tongue. From an abundance of pleasant sensations, you tightened your toes, hoping that nobody wouldn't disturb you both. With every sound he made eating your pussy, you were letting a quiet groan. Suddenly you felt Doflamingo's tongue slowly slid inward, filling your hotly pulsating core. The tip of his nose was rubbing against your clitoris, and his tongue was moving smoothly inside, prompting you to squeeze your walls to feel it inside you as best as possible. Loud squishing sounds accompanied all of it, and you blushed and trembled because of their very existence. His actions were a bit painful to you since his tongue was quite large, and also, he was holding your thighs firmly, but you felt both pleasant and sweet at the same time. You grabbed him by the hair, pressing him closer to you, and unexpectedly cummed right in front of his face, trembling and with a half-suffocated scream.

Doflamingo pulled away from you, smiling from ear to ear, and then whispered to you: "You deserved the highest grade, my flowery girl."

"W-what about you?" you asked him after you took a breath. You felt like you'd run a few miles.

"You can help me, precious," Doflamingo took your hand and held your palm across his supple, firm muscled belly, lowering it down. When your fingers touched his groin, you realized you couldn't stand this size for your first-time sex. He untied his belt and pulled down his tight trousers along with his underwear, showing off his giant dick. You gently took it in your hand, feeling a pulsation of the veins under its delicate skin, which was slightly darker than his general skin tone. Its large glans was crimson from blood flow and wet, and at its end came a drop of pre-ejaculate. You smeared that semitransparent drop with your thumb, feeling its humidity and warmth. "It's gorgeous," you said softly. Doflamingo bent down and kissed you on the lips, simultaneously squeezing your hips together, slightly tipping them to one side, and pushing his dick between them. The contact was sensually exhilarating and incredibly intimate as the thin skin of the dick touched your newly wet pussy. Doflamingo thrust his dick, rubbing it between your hips, your juicy folds, and your quivering belly. You pressed it with your palm to your stomach, making contact tighter. The man was moving slowly, enjoying the touch of your tender skin and making loud snarling groans. He put his index and middle fingers in your mouth, and you started sucking on them, feeling almost exhaustion from lust. And when Doflamingo cummed, his sperm splattered your breasts, and a few drops hit your swollen, reddened lips. You licked them without thinking, and he exhaled noisily. "You're an awesome student," he said and kissed you. "I have to take you away from your unloved fiance. He doesn't deserve a divine gift like you, my flowery mistress."

"I'm yours," you exhaled into his lips, your chest quivering like the sea in the distance, like mallow flowers outside of the window. "Never let me go. Never hurt me. And I'll be yours forever. I love you, Doflamingo from the house of Donquixote."

"I love you, Y/N from the house of Althaea," Doflamingo replied, holding you tight. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. You're my family now, and I'll stay here for you," he stroked your tousled hair, looking into your eyes, and repeated: "I love you, my flowery girl, my forgiveness, my temptation, my redemption. Maybe one day I'll lose you, but I don't see the point of not being with you right here and now. I love you."

The music began to play again, swirling under a high ceiling of the library, the resident of all nine Muses, and the whole world spun too, within a feast, bright chaos.

And you both were happy.

[hello-nichya-here]

Rough Draft of Fire Warrior (Fake Kemurikage) Headcanons

Note: Hi Nichya! I am currently writing a long fic dealing with how post-Imbalance Avatar would go for the Fire Nation Royal Family and their close friends and I was wondering if you could please look at my headcanons and critic them? Cause I don’t want to engage in the usage of stereotypes, or bad writing in general, especially since I am writing about characters with mental illness. Also, I have been trying to send you an ask about lighting bending for the past couple days, and it keeps on not getting through to you. Considering my asks only had trouble getting to you around the same time you very recently IP banned that one dumbass who tried roasting you for liking Azula, could it be you accidently banned me as well (I am using a coffee shop to upload this)? If so can you please unban me for your answers to my asks have enriched my understanding of Avatar greatly. Thanks!

Here is the ask: How would you write Azula and/or The Fire Warriors teaching Zuko lighting and smoke bending (as part of their reconciliation/rehabilitation) while Zuko teaches them the true meaning of fire, the dragon dance, and the philosophy behind lighting redirection? Cause I thought part of Azula’s and Zuko’s reconciliation would have been teaching each other the bending/skills the other one was lacking, uplifting each other instead of trying to compete with each other or hurt each other. But canon is what it is.

Anyway, my headcanons are down below

Starting from left to right I am going to list the names, backstory, and mental illness(es) of the non-Azula Fire Warriors:

Beam (DID plus avoidant personality disorder)

Born in 84 A.G., as the second child of three, and the only daughter of an upstart noble and a stay at home mother, Beam was expected to marry into nobility considering how well her father had done selling steel to the Fire Nation Navy and the fact that she had inherited her mothers’ good looks.

But Beam, for a lack of better words, was often detached from reality and quickly became a source of shame for her family. For Beam would often drift out of reality into her own little world whenever confronted with large amounts of stress. 

And what causes stress in Beam? Being around strangers, especially large numbers of them like parents’ hosted one of their frequent parties in an attempt to move up in Fire Nation High Society.

In fact, Beam started wearing her distinctive hairstyle plus dye in an attempt to avoid having people come to her much to her brothers and parents displeasure. And when that didn’t work, she started to wear masks such as those based on the dark water spirit or the dragon emperor.

On a side note, the only thing that really helped Beam was firebending, where she had a natural gift. However, due to her performance issues, whenever her brothers and/or parents came to watch, she always messed up her routines, leading them to cancel Beam’s lessons when she was 16 in order to focus on making Beam marriageable. 

This caused Beam to despair and undergo a nasty episode in which she wholeheartedly believed she was the dark water spirit and almost killed her older brother, who was “obviously” the Dragon Emperor. Said brother also happened to be the one who suggested her parents cancel the firebending lessons and make Beam a proper woman since he was going to get married soon and didn’t want his fiance’s family to revoke the marriage contract once they better got to know his “weirdo” of a sister.

The above incident was the last straw for her parents, who had her involuntarily committed after coming to the “conclusion” that nothing would fix their “madwomen” of a daughter.

Aiko (Clinical Depression)

Born in 87 A.G. as the unexpected last daughter of a merchant and a very low level noblewomen, life has always been a struggle for Aiko. Her mother had her in her early 40s after unexpectedly getting pregnant and giving birth to Aiko prematurely. Aiko and her mother barely survived but her mother ended up suffering from postpartum depression, hurting their mother-daughter bond.

Aiko grew up seemingly loved, but in reality she was always sad. And no amount of gifts, such as some of the best firebending tutors in the land, could ever make Aiko happy for it appeared from Aiko’s pov that her mother never wanted to do anything with her while she happily gave her love and time to her oldest two kids, who were both boys and going to join the war effort. 

That and she was relentlessly bullied in school for her demure size; one day she tried standing up for herself by getting into an impromptu fight with her main bully, but she accidently badly burned her due to being actually quite skilled in firebending. While Aiko managed to avoid jail or getting into trouble, the trauma of almost killing some made Aiko withdraw further into herself much to her parent’s grief.

Her brothers were the main positive thing in her life, for they were understanding of her and didn’t really push her that hard…except in firebending where they were the only people she felt safe enough after her incident.

However, things took a turn for the worse when her brothers finally joined the army and died in the very same maneuver that Zuko talked out against as a 13 year old. And in her grief, Aiko tried hanging herself though the noose broke just before it went taunt and she ended up knocking herself out.

And when she woke up, she found herself in the asylum….

Chyou (Bi-polar disorder)

Born in 84 A.G. as the adopted child of two low tier Hu Xin Provinces (colonial) nobles who were unable to have kids of their own. Her parents tried their best with Chyou, but she was a very difficult child to raise, for, in their perspective, one moment Chyou was a hyper energetic girl who was all too willing to do anything to achieve her long-term goals and whims. Goals that included being the best firebender in her school and being a proper noblewoman. And whims including a desire to shave half her head though that particular fulfilled whim didn’t really harm Chyou for she liked the hairstyle and kept it much to her parent’s dismay. 

But in other moments, Chyrou was a heavily depressed girl, who couldn’t even be bothered to get out of her bed no matter how hard her parents tried to encourage/bribe/threaten her. 

However, these “cycles” were just subtle enough that with her parents covering for her, Chyou could pass as a normal kid…that is until one night, she overheard a conversation between her parents talking about how much Chyou looked like her mother’s sister. Confused since she thought she had no blood relations with either of her parents (they told her she was adopted from a young age since Chyou doesn’t share that much in common with either with her parents), she confronted them and the told Chyou her true origin.

Chyou was in fact the love baby of an Earth Kingdom soldier and a Fire Nation noblewomen who was Chyou’s “mother’s” sister. While the Fire Nation is progressive in terms of gender roles, it is against the law for Fire Nation noblewomen to copulate with the males of the other nations. 

For Sozin’s reasoning was that the strong men of the Fire Nation could civilize the demure women of the other nations while the barbarians’ uncivilized blood could easily overwhelm the wombs of their wombs. Wombs that were needed to make sure their great nation would never lack loyal citizens. In reality, due to the patriarchal nature of inheritance and property ownership, Sozin feared the colonized enemy would marry into Fire Nation nobility and basically overthrow him once their numbers reached critical mass.

But getting back on track, it wasn’t discovered that Chyou’s real mother was having the baby of an Earth Kingdom soldier, let alone she was going to elope with him. So the Fire Nation tried to capture the soldier and kill him, but he ran off. However, after allowing Chyou’s true mother to give birth, the Fire Nation had her killed off. But, Chyou’s Aunt and Uncle took pity on Chyou and successfully begged the authorities to let them raise Chyou as their own kid.

Chyou’s Aunt and Uncle begged for Chyou’s forgiveness and she gave it to them…though she later had a manic episode that caused her to sneak out of her Aunt’s and Uncle’s house to search for her father, hoping she would get to meet him.

It took several weeks and all of the tracking and survival skills she learned in school, but she found the last place her father inhabited. But when she knocked on the door, her bio grandma opened the door and, once Chyou explained who she was, told the “lying ashmaker to get away from me and never come back unless you want to die” in addition to telling Chyou that her father died during General Iroh’s march to Ba Sing Se. 

For Chyou’s bio grandma never knew about her son’s relationship with Chyou’s mother, let alone that he was going to have a child with her and thus thought the young firebender was punking her…not that it would have made a difference for after she couldn’t even bury her son due to him being completely burned to ashes, she developed an intractable hatred towards the Fire Nation and especially firebenders. And that hatred wouldn’t dissipate even if her own granddaughter was one of those “ashmakers.”

Heartbroken at the rejection, Chyou then fell into a serious depressive state and was going to kill herself until she was apprehended by June and returned to her family, who had been paid by Chyou’s parents to find her before the colonial authorities did. For if the “mixed breed” had been found going “back” to her Earth Kingdom family, Chyou would have been killed for her “genetic disloyalty” caused by her parentage.

And when Chyou kept uncontrollably talking about her failed trip, Chyrou’s parents made a hard decision and had her temporarily involuntarily committed since they would rather have her suffer at the asylum (as well as get help for her myriad of issues) than have her rambling expose her “genetic disloyalty” and have her brutally executed, making all their pleadings to allow them to raise her pointless.

However, bigoted political hardliner healers in the asylum saw her history and decided unilaterally that she was a threat to society and so manipulated her record to make so she had died, leaving Chyou’s Aunt and Uncle (who were pretty old) heartbroken to the point they died within a couple of months of each other and turning Chyou’s temporary stay into a permanent stay.

Chyou, depending on whether she is having a manic episode or depressive episode, oscillates between believing her Aunt and Uncle haven’t given up on her and believing that they have finally given up on account of being a disgrace due to her mental issues and bloodline.

Zirin (Oppositional Defiant Disorder with mild Conduct Disorder)

Born in 85 A.G. as the only daughter of some minor nobles who live in Caldera City. She has ODD, which manifests in her explosive temper, which her parents tried solving by doing everything, including getting her training in firebending, which Zirin has a natural aptitude in considering she became a master by 16.

But despite her parent’s best efforts, her anger still didn’t really subside, leading up to an incident where she burned a highly sought out suitor for rubbing her the wrong way, leading her reputation to sink and make her unmarriageable, making Zirin worthless in her traditionalist parents’ eyes.

Zirin offered to join the Fire Nation military so she could be useful, but her traditionalist parents said no since the military is not the proper place for a young noblewoman. So they had her involuntarily admitted to the asylum…

Ting (Schizophrenia)

Born in 82 A.G. as the daughter of a minor Fire Nation noble and an Earth Kingdom commoner (that her father took a liking to) who lived in Yu Dao, Ting on the surface supposedly lived a charmed life. But her life was anything but charmed, for she didn’t not inherit her mother’s slim face and body, but had the stout body and face of a typical Earth Kingdomer. Meaning that it would be next to impossible to marry her off to another noble family for even in the colonies, there was a preference for Fire Nation traits among the nobility.

Not helping was just after Ting was 6, she would suffer periodically from hallucinations of her father whenever she messed up in school or in court, often having her speech deteriorate into “incoherent” babbling (ex. Ting asking “him: to stop hitting her) and often fighting back against a person who wasn’t there.

Obviously, this was just another thing that made Ting a massive disappointment in her father’s eyes.

So upset as his “mistake” Ting’s father often beat up his wife and daughter and seeing how Avatar takes place in fantasy land 19th century Asia, there was no one who they could turn to. In fact the only reason why Ting was “tolerated” was because she was an elite firebender, who naturally excelled at Sozin Style firebending due to her rage and self-loathing caused by her “madness.”

Thus, even if Ting was unmarriageable, she was likely going to have a good career in the Fire Nation Army. That is until one night when Ting was 16 witnessed a really bad argument between her drunk parents that ended up with her father breaking her mother’s arm.

Enraged and having enough, she fought her father and ended up badly burning him in public as he tried to escape her. 

The authorities then restrained her and tried to put her on trial, but horrified at what she had done, she had a severe episode that made the authorities doubt her sanity.

So sensing an opportunity to save face and not have his dirty laundry aired, Ting’s father authorized the colonial authorities to ship Ting to a homeland mental asylum for “treatment” damn well knowing they would most likely never let Ting out. And he had authorized Ting’s involuntary committal at the dead of night so Ting’s mother could not disapprove.

Gamon (Higher Functioning autism)

Born in 83 A.G. to two high functioning autistic former soldiers living in Hama’s village, Gamon would have been raised in a loving family. That is until her parents one night disappeared during a full moon and never came back (they were captured by Hama and tortured to death but the little shred of humanity left in Hama caused Hama to leave the baby alone despite wanting to spite Gamon’s pleading parents). So Gamon was given to her next of kin, who were mid tier nobles. 

It turned out that Gamon’s mother was once a noble, but renounced it so she could join the Fire Nation Army due to her special interest being the military alongside firebending. This had caused Gamon’s maternal grandparents and Gamon’s Uncle great shame and had also caused them to disown Gamon’s mother. And the sad thing was that despite Gamon’s mother wanting to reconcile, her parents died just after she got pregnant.

So when Gamon’s Uncle and Aunt got a hold of her, they promised that they would raise her into the proper noblewomen Gamon’s mother should have been.

And they were very harsh in doing so, making sure Gamon took to heart what her tutors told her what was necessary to do to be the perfect noblewomen. However, lightning struck twice, and Gamon developed a special interest in both firebending and military history, which she hid from her Uncle and Aunt by practicing firebending in the morning before either of them woke up and reading military history at night after they had gone to bed.

Gamon managed to hide it until she was 15 years old, where, after being suspicious of Gamon knowing an obscure military battle that took place during the start of Azulon’s reign while also giving pointers to a boy she was courting, they had one of the maids spy on her and report to them.

This, combined with Gamon’s symptoms such as her stimming (she likes to rub her knuckles because she likes how they feel) plus her social awkwardness (no matter how hard they drilled her, Gamon always floundered in noble get togethers), made her guardians give up her.

And not wanting a repeat of what happened to Gamon’s mother and the resulting loss of face, they had her involuntarily committed to the asylum and washed their hands of her.

***

1 - I absolutely loooooooooooove the idea of Zuko and Azula teaching each other, and it could start with Zuko playcating Azula by letting her bend again (which he knows she desperately wants) by making it clear she’s going to have to do it his way - seeing fire as a source of life, not just death. They’re likely to end up fighting a few times because of course, but it would mostly work out as intended, and Azula would then teach him what she knows.

2 - Zuko sharing what he learned from the dragons (while still keeping the secret) with the people who needed to learn it the most is what he should have done from the begining, especially with his sister, and it fits with his new goal of guiding his nation towards peace and showing them that this idea that war and destruction is “the Fire Nation way/culture” is absolute bullshit.

3 - It’s hard to say how “accurate” your portrail of mental illness is since I’m seeing just “your notes” so to speak, but it looks like you’re in the right path. Just be sure to remember that, while mental illness and disabilities do play a huge part in someone’s personalities that is not ALL of their personalities and you’ll be good to go.

4 - I recommend you either retcon some of the most ableist bullshit the comics pulled (like Zuko straight up abandoning Azula and not thinking about her until he needed something from her, not noticing the clear signs of abuse she was showing, all the times he and his friends physically assaulted her when she wasn’t doing anything, and him taking her on a mission knowing nothing about her condition) or make the characters realize just fucked up that was and then genuinely trying to be better.

[lavalampelfchild]

Lava’s Art Masterpost

Hey, all!  Welcome to my art masterpost!  I have no idea if this is a thing that is done typically for art, but oh well, I like organizing things, so here we are!  What you’ll find here is mostly Dragon Age, with a few non-DA pieces in there, and there’s a range of styles I like to use, depending on my mood.  But a lot of what you’ll see will most likely combine lineart with some other form of coloring/shading.

Feel free to browse at your leisure, and I hope anyone who stumbles upon this enjoys what they find! :D And thank you to anyone who sees this and likes, or reblogs, or even just stops by to peruse a bit!  

All that said, away we go!

Digital Portraits:

1. Portrait of Nameless Woman, 2020 - This one is just an experiment with a watercolor brush that I did.  It’s not anatomically perfect, but I enjoyed playing around with shading.

2. Sketch of Aja Amell, 2020 - This one is basically sketch practice with my Amell~  Not really the most expressive pictures, but it’s a start toward drawing her more expressively.  Full disclosure: Aja is one of those OCs of mine that I have had trouble with deciding on a definitive appearance for several pictures, and I really want to work on upping my level of consistency when drawing her.

3. Long-Haired Fenris, 2020 - Exactly what it sounds like; this was for practice drawing Fenris’s features (I love how distinct they are), but with long hair because I am weak for it.  This one was a fun piece to shade, and mixing the stylized lineart that I normally use with a greyscale shading spectrum was really enjoyable.

4. Portrait of Ilorin Lavellan, 2016 - This is an oldie.  Basically practicing expressions, and it is technically a WIP, but I’m still very happy with how the shading turned out, especially because this is actually (aside from the unfinished hair) one of the more minimal pieces I’ve done in terms of lineart  It’s still there, and it still shapes the flow of the picture in some ways, but it also ends up flowing with the shading instead of standing out next to it, which I like.  (Both styles are good, though, and I love seeing other artists try both too.)

5. Old Portrait of Aja Amell, 2016 - Much older picture I did of Aja; she... honestly looks very little like the newer one, I think, and that consistency is something I’m still working on, but this one was the first picture of Aja with that particular hairstyle I drew.  What I like about this picture is how young she looks; it fits with her image as a fresh and sheltered Circle mage who’s only about 20 years old at the time of DAO.

6. Old Portrait of Trilyn, 2016 - They very first piece of art I posted to tumblr~ It’s not exactly how I envision Trilyn anymore, but it was still very fun to draw, and helped me get a feel for drawing him in the future. 

Dynamic Movement Pictures/”Moment’s in Time”:

1. Tabris in Arl’s Estate, 2020 - TW: blood.  I am super proud of this one.  My ultimate goal is to draw all of my Warden DAO OCs, and I could not believe I’ve never drawn my Tabris, and so here she is.  This was, in large part, practicing expressions because I absolutely love art that depicts characters in motion, or capturing some kind of expression.

2. Velyn in the Rain, 2017 - This one was actually based on some art that I saw in a Teen Wolf fic!  It was an experiment with a more expressive style (and one of the first pieces I did without lineart left in the finished version) and it was a huge step out of my comfort zone.  But overall, I am extremely happy with how it turned out.

3. Jem Nocking an Arrow, 2016 - And here is the lineart version.  This was entirely an excuse to draw my DAI baby, Jem, and to do a cool archer pose because archers are my fav, and I love characters in motion.

4. Solas Teaching Trilyn Fade Magic, 2016 - This one was a painterly picture that was also (like the Velyn picture) something which I tried to keep lineart out of.  Overall, I am proud of a lot of parts of the pic, but I think I would definitely go back over it and change a few things now if I had the patience.

5. Trilyn Closeup WIP, 2016 - TW: injury, blood, mention of abuse in the author’s note.  A lot of early pictures I have are of my OC, Trilyn, and this is one of my absolute favorites.  His entire upper body is technically in the picture, but I hadn’t finished rendering it yet, so this was what I posted.  And it was an experiment with a cross-hatching style with the pencil tool for some texture, with air brush shading and a blurring tool.  It’s a style I had fun playing around with!

6. Trilyn Blood Ritual, 2016 - TW: blood, injury (the slight cut used to supply the ritual with blood).  This one was definitely a sort of “captured moment” from a backstory I gave Trilyn, and I think what I was really going for was an atmospheric piece that could fit with any potential fic I wanted to write for Trilyn.  And then it ended up being practice for extreme lighting/shading techniques, and drawing the blood and the gross mass of demon ichor (or whatever the heck that is) turned out to be highlights of making the piece for me.

Art + Text:

1. Freedom and Control, 2020 - TW: scars, but very difficult to see.  This one was ambitious for me!  It started originally just as Solas and my Tal-Vashoth OC, Saara, facing each other, because I love the dynamic I’ve built for them in my head, but then it turned into an attempt at a tarot-esque background, and just sorta grew from there... Overall, I’m happy with how it turned out, especially with how Solas and Saara themselves turned out.  The version you can actually see a larger view is here.  

2. Marianna and Delia Codex and Art, Pt. 1, 2020 - I love writing my own codex entries, first off, and I love combining art with text to create a (hopefully) seamless work.  This work was an attempt to flesh out these OCs of mine with both art (because unique facial structures are hard for me to get down, but so important regardless) and text (because writing~).  I think it turned out well overall, but there are elements of the portraits that I might at some point touch up a bit.

3. Marianna and Delia Codex and Art, Pt. 2, 2020 - Part 2, with what I refer to as a “DAI Outfit Change” because I have always loved seeing fans show their own OCs as they look in DAO, DA2, and then finally DAI.  So I absolutely wanted to jump on that bandwagon myself.  The skin tones are a little off (and I’m sorry about that!) because I was playing with the watercolor brush at that point, and it dilutes the colors I use.  Still working to figure that out, but I was very happy with the overall lineart and structures of the faces.

4. Alistair/Aja Amell Picture with a Blurb, 2017 - Ooooold, old, old, old, OLD!  I still love the art, and I’m soooo happy with how the interaction between Alistair and Aja turned out (drawing kisses is extremely difficult for me; I always end up creating a distorted weird lip-creature, instead of realistically puckered lips...).  I’m not as happy with the blurb that went with it?  At that point, I was still very much figuring out my own DAO worldstate, and the characterization for everyone, so, eh.  Take it with a grain of salt!

Unfinished Costume Designs:

1. Ancient Elvhen Armor with Dwarven Influence, 2018 - People who do costume design work are amazing and mystical beings, and I wish I could do what they do.  This was an attempt at merging the Keeper robes from DAI with a more dwarven armor aesthetic, solely because I created an ancient elvhen character, Ceda, who was taken in by the Cad’halash dwarves mentioned in the Witch Hunt dlc, and I wanted this character to have a mix of the elven style of armor and the dwarven style.  I’m overall decently happy with it, but there’s still that persistent level of self-criticism present.

2. Herald of Andraste Outfit WIP, 2016 - This was a very old picture, not one I showed around a lot, but the idea for this was entirely born of my intense interest in how fashion and outfit designs could be used to create a symbolic image for the Herald of Andraste.  In general, I love the combination of ceremonial armor with long and flowing cloth, so that was what I went for here.  I’m still actually very proud of how this came out, and headcanon something similar for my Herald in my canon DAI worldstate.

Pencil Sketches:

1. Quick Saara Sketch, 2019 - TW: saarebas mouth scars.  Exactly what it says; very quick sketch of Saara I did in a small notebook I carry around with me.  This was basically a test for myself to see if I could manage to draw Saara with the features and facial structure I envisioned for her without needing to use a lot of references.

2. Mass Effect Character Sketch; Jesse, 2018 - Similar reason for drawing this one as the above Saara sketch!  With these characters, I love sometimes the way they can turn out with the specific character creator used for them, and when I draw them, I enjoy trying to create a definitive look for them using what I get from the CC, and my own knowledge of Hooman Faces.

3. Saara Sketch, 2017 - TW: saarebas mouth scars.  A more detailed sketch of Saara than the one above, and one I definitely put more time into overall.  It’s currently the profile picture I’m using for ao3, and is the definitive go-to reference picture I use whenever imagining Saara in a fic, or for other Saara pics I make.  I am extremely proud of this picture, and feel like I should work in graphite more often.  It’s such fun, and the texture is so nice to look at.

4. Sketch of Nameless Alamarri Woman, 2017 - This was a sketch I did of what I envisioned some Alamarri tribes to look like; I used artistic depictions of Gaul tribes and hairstyles for inspiration, and have used this as a go-to reference for my version of Alamarri tribes.  Nothing super notable about this one, but I really liked the way the shape of her face turned out.

Events and Gifts:

1. Another Scar, 2020 - TW: blood, injuries, gore.  The most recent piece of art on the list, and a gift for @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold; featuring sisterly love between Rica and fem!Brosca, which was her requested prompt.  This was a tough piece for me because of the difficulty with the lighting I dealt with.  For some reason, that one particular element of it gave me so much trouble.  Overall, I’m very happy with how it turned out, though, especially the skin tones of the sisters; Brosca I always sort of like as having this greyish, more gaunt look to her, while Rica I like seeing with a darker, richer, and warmer tone to her.  

2. A Very Cousland Christmas!, 2019 - This was for a holiday exchange for a server, and I drew a friend’s Cousland (Elissa, the girl on the left) with my Cousland (Gazza, the girl on the right).  I love kid-fic, and I love kid-art, and so I decided... baby Cousland art!  Drawing kid proportions was the toughest part, I recall, and I thiiiink it turned out well, and I’m still quite proud of it overall.  Elissa’s design came entirely from my friend, but I added the holly~

3. Exchange Gift with Dis Brosca and Mabari, 2018 - This was an exchange gift for @fanfoolishness, using her lovely Dis Brosca, and was my first real attempt at backgrounds... I struggled with the coherence of the foreground and background a bit, but I’m still very proud of how it turned out, especially with the colors I had to work with.  What I also really enjoyed working with was the lighting and the expression on Dis’s face.  Backlit subjects are always fun to play around with!

4. Inktober Picture, “Deep”, 2017 - TW: scars, injury, mentions of abuse in the author’s note/attached dialogue snippets.  This was for an Inktober prompt (the only one I’ve ever done, sadly... because I am bad with deadlines...), and again features Trilyn.  Trilyn’s backstory has him a former slave in Tevinter, and a lot of the early works I do for him are sort of deep-dives into his life there.  It’s all meant to be an exploration of the things he endures, and then those moments when he overcomes it all and takes back his own autonomy and self.  This art is definitely provocative, and I can understand if not everyone likes it, but to me, I just wanted to show just what he faces (without glorifying it) before showing the moment of his own triumph.

5. Christmas Holiday Picture with my Brosca and a Friend’s Amell, 2017 - This was a piece of art drawn first by a friend of mine, @nanahuatli~  She drew the Amell, the background, the mistletoe, etc.  All I did was add my Brosca to the mix to finish the image.  It was a lot of fun to do, 1) because it was fun trying to match her style so that the picture looked cohesive, 2) because I love doing collabs with friends, and 3) because it was just such a fun thing to imagine my surly short Brosca, looking at this weird plant/fungus/thing dangling over some puckering human!  It was an absolute joy to do this collab with her!  

6. OC Kiss Week Pic of Jem and Saara, 2017 - TW: saarebas mouth scars.  A spur-of-the-moment thing meant to demonstrate just what kind of dynamic my OC, Jem, has with my other OC, Saara (both of whom are members of Leliana’s network in DAI).  This was a very quick picture (deadlines...) and was mostly just to have fun drawing these two characters interacting, and to see if I could make them look like themselves.  I think I did a decent job with it overall, especially with Jem’s kissy-face!  (Again... drawing kisses are the bane of my existence, although hands and feet take a close second.)

[dragonageconfessions]

CONFESSION:

As a guy I'd like some better hairstyles too instead a multitude of bald choices, the ones that make my character look like Cletus or the wispy one that looks better on females and makes males look like a boy band reject            

[qualitytacolover]

Megan Thee Stallion Hair is a symbol of pride for black women anime fans

New Post has been published on https://www.easypromhairstyles.com/megan-thee-stallion-hair-is-a-symbol-of-pride-for-black-women-anime-fans.html

Megan Thee Stallion Hair is a symbol of pride for black women anime fans

The highly anticipated release of Megan Thee Stallion's debut album Fever (May 17) has doubled as a national holiday for your sultry and self-confident fanbase. Although hip-hop heavyweight Juicy J and newcomer DaBaby make appearances, the Houston-bred "hot girl" remains the center of the show. And that's how we like it.

Megan's rise was one of the books. In early 2017, she catapulted into fame after attending a hip-hop cipher at Texas A & M University. People all over the country quickly noticed their conscious, deep-drawn river and so their fans, called "hotties", were born. Fast forward to 2019, and you stallion has hosted your own Spotify event, found fans, Rihanna, Kehlani, and SZA, and continues to release hard-hitting freestyles and other repeatable bodies of work.

She is also the first rapping woman signed at 300 Entertainment, home of Young Thug and formerly Migos. But with each ascent comes a humming crew of haters. One of the first sightings of this sad collective, properly known as "hotties," came in March when she shared a photo of her half-white, half-radiant red hair.

TODOROKI TINA pic.twitter.com/NSuvkATAxZ

– HOT GIRL MEG (@theestallion) April 22, 2019

The title was "TODOROKI TINA", a reference to the My Hero Academia character, Shoto Todoroki. Although a considerable number of people celebrated Megan's love for anime, there were those who questioned their affinity, men. For example, Twitter user @CourtneeHendrix user wrote, "No way Meghan the stallion watch anime. Your public relations team is firing. "

@TrippyTrxv also shared, "ngga yea i want to know what anime megan you stallion watches. Why? bc i love the shI and I like you. If she does not really see it, but dresses in anime halfway cosplay, I would be hurt. I would still do your music fw maybe tho. "Ultimately, these reactions ask the question: what would the stallion gain by showing people that he has fun?

The targeted criticism of naysayers is, to say the least, frustrating. After all, she's not the only woman who shares her love for anime (look at Southern rap goddesses Bbymutha and Purp Goddess), nor is she the first rapper, male or female, ever to do it. Emcees like Lupe Fiasco, Robb Bank $ and Migos' launch are also anime fans but have not been criticized to the same extent. If flagrant racist sexism is not the culprit, then what?

After the Global History of Anime, the first anime was probably released during World War I and created by Shimokawa Oten. The short, colorless rolls of film were either "disassembled", "disintegrated" or "destroyed", so little is known about the early days of this art form. Over the next few decades, anime developed into longer animations, with sound and color to boot. A report by Marwah Zagzoug states that during World War II, the Japanese government took control of the arts by threatening the artists who had also criticized the government. Those who disagreed with the new orders were forbidden to write and pushed to the margins of society. But those who stayed were supplied with artists' companies, militarized and charged with anti-propaganda propaganda.

After the war, anime finally returned to its original purpose: an outlet for joy and honest expression. One of the first visuals that had great success was the full-length feature Hakujaden (The Tale of the White Serpent), which also produced an American adaptation in 1961. Although Global History states that this was not the first crossover, it proved that anime could be a lucrative industry. Finally, television expanded its reach and consumption ballooned in the 1980s with the release of Dragon Ball, the third best selling manga ever. The introduction of Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon in the 1990s soon followed and until then, anime had become the monolithic Global Phenomenon that continues to generate revenue and inspire people of all ages. The Black community is a proud and important part of your loyal fanbase, and women have always been just as invested as men.

The "I liked it before it was mainstream" statement is still a pretty youthful, 2011 Tumblr-era vibe.

Although easy-to-find literature and the Internet have undoubtedly enhanced the profile of this art form, the statement "I liked it before it was mainstream" is still a rather youthful, 2011 Tumbler era sentiment. Unfortunately, there are people who continue to operate out of this logic and in the case of anime, the culprit party is mostly men. When it comes to Megan Thee stallion and her hairstyles specifically, you either wanted to prove to you that she is really interested in or just did not believe that she was even interested. How dare to invest in an attractive, popular, talented black woman in it?

It's another reminder that people continue to pursue the hobbies of black women, no matter what they are. So much so that the stallion himself addressed the controversy in an interview with XXL: "You must stop thinking that way. Poor B * tches may also like anime. "Luckily, a number of supporters, Black Women, have not been afraid to defend Megan and also speak their peace.

"It felt really good to me [weil die Leute] have this misunderstanding .. that black girls did not see anime like black guys when most of us had the same channels and caught the same Miguzi or Toonami block lol after school, "says Taylor, who pokers on @ sheisresting on Twitter , "We were definitely separated from the American anime wave back then. It was fulfilling to see a black female rapper with one such..mainstream potential not only acknowledge anime, but also call himself a fan, while loosely cosplaying your favorite characters. I had the feeling that there are also many black cosplayers who are constantly being told that you can not disguise themselves as Japanese characters because you have the wrong color. "

Taylor was not alone. In fact, over 100 responded when I asked a tweet for black women who were fans of anime and Megan thee stallion. User @dualityofman wrote: ".. I thought your hair would be cool! I'm from Texas and I live in Houston, so I have a lot to do with her. Their liking anime was just another thing we had in common … .I feel like many men hate to see women happy and enjoy things. It's as if you could not call you ugly because it's obviously NOT YOU. Can not say that she is untalented because she is just near everyone [Männer]comes out. She can not insult your intelligence because she is at school. So, let's SH * t like you for anime. I'm just looking for a reason to be mad at a black woman. "

Todoroki Tina

pic.twitter.com/nXycHk0izm

– HOT GIRL MEG (@theestallion) April 1, 2019

Misogynoir is a term used by the black feminist Moya Bailey and is intended to emphasize the way black men interact negatively with black women. It is also part of the root problem Black men have with Megan Thee stallion music, looks, interests and behavior. What confuses you most is your conviction about it. You can not believe that you are interested in anime, and you hate it for it.

Also worthy of note is the close relationship of Japan to the Black community outlined by Cecilia D 'Anastasio for Vice. It has included the mistreatment of mixed-speed (Japanese and Black) people and in the context of anime, a tiny number of non-stereotypical depictions of Black people. Japan is also notorious for its ubiquitous use of Blackface, which made headlines last year. D 'Anastasio notes that regardless of all these racial crimes, blacks continue to cherish anime and honor him through cosplay and songs.

Rare moments that acknowledge the enduring power of Japanese animation and an underrated part of your fanbase should happen more often.

In 2016, writer Amber Dixon also talked about the hurtful separations she saw and experienced as a black anime fan. These include observing brown skin as a metaphor for dark energy in Sailor Moon, the minstrel – like face of Mr. Popo in Dragon Ball Z and Blackface, to cosplay black characters. Like D 'Anastasio, Dixon continues in the worship of Anime Fort and notices the early and emotional connection she felt specifically with Sailor Moon.

Twitter user @imninm adds, "I know more black girls who see anime more than any race or gender. Personally, I have anime look as I could remember, from Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Sailor Moon, Hamtaro, Dragonball Z. I never felt like it was showing a "boy" or anything like that. I just liked what I saw and I still do. "In other words, anime will always have a special place in the hearts of female viewers, including high-profile rappers like Megan Thee Stallion.

View this post on Instagram

Bulma Snow

Make up @akilaface

A post shared by Hot Girl Meg (@theestallion) on Apr 22, 2019 at 5:57 pm PDT

In November 2018, and again this past April, she emphasized her devotion with a different hairstyle inspired by Bulma, a predominant character in Dragon Ball (the first is Goku). This time, instead of an overwhelming amount of criticism, Megan's cascading, Seafoam green locks initiated a tender co-sign from FUNimation, a dubbing and distribution company. "Love the style!" Wrote the company, with a cutesy gif attached by Bulma. Rare moments that acknowledge the enduring power of Japanese animation and an underrated part of your fanbase should happen more often.

Men should be proud that such a celebrity woman like the stallion shares a common ground with you, increases solidarity, and makes room for even more people to become fans. It could also force certain men to accept that women did not want to interact with you or go out because they were nerds, but because they were unbearable. Conscientiousness, happy black, female fans and good music? Thanks, Megan. Stream fever now.

[spiralwanderer]

✨Complete Updated Azuli StarDust Reference✨

For anyone who wants to see all her information (its v long be warned), it’ll be under the cut down below!

Character Chart

Character’s full name:  Azuli StarDust

Reason or meaning of name:  Lapis Lazuli; its her mother’s favorite gemstone; StarDust is a family name

Character’s nickname: Az, Z, Ziggy

Reason for nickname: shortened version of Azuli

Birth date: April 15th

Zodiac: Aries

School: Storm

Physical Appearance

Age: 18

Weight: 115 lbs

Height: 5’5

Eye color: green

Skin tone: Light tan

Distinguishing marks: Storm symbol on the back of her neck

Hair color: Black

Hairstyle: Short fluffy bob; when she’s older she has two long wavy strands of hair

Voice: British Accent, Calming and charismatic (Voice is similar to Alice Liddel from Alice Madness Returns)

Physical disabilities: Seizures/epilepsy, ADHD

Jewelry or accessories: Necklace with a rose quartz gemstone with a spiral pattern locket, given to her by her sister before she vanished.

Personality

Good personality traits: Outgoing/extroverted, bubbly, adventurous, dependable, observant, helpful, loyal, imaginative

Bad personality traits: obnoxious, impulsive, erratic, gets distracted easily, goes on outbursts, competitive, jealousy

Character’s greatest fear: Being hated by others; failing/disappointing; drowning/suffocating

Character’s soft spot: Cute things and being flattered

Greatest strength: Being the main attacker in the group, has the highest damage and critical

Greatest vulnerability or weakness: Being unprepared and not being very defensive, also very impulsive

Biggest regret: Not being able to spend more time with her sister

Character’s secret: That she comes from a very wealthy, Victorian household from Marleybone with an important name in the crystal mining industry.

Goals

Drives and motivations: Save the Spiral just as any other wizard with good morals. Also the need to be there for people when she knows how it feels when there’s no one there for you

Immediate goals: After fighting the Storm Titan, just rest easy.

Long term goals: Keep the Spiral safe.

Past

Hometown: Back and forth between Marleybone and Wysteria, mostly stayed home in the family’s Wysteria Villa.

Type of childhood: She grew up in the family’s Wysteria Villa and was raised to be the proper ideal child to make the family name look good. Things were tough between Azuli’s older sister Lillian and their parents. Lillian got into frequent arguments with them at a young age and at 14, went to Dragonspyre Academy instead of Pigswick academy like her mother wanted to. Azuli was 4 years old at the time, and when the Dragon Titan Army attacked, Lillian went missing at 16 years old. Azuli was 6. Because of how young Azuli was, she only has vague memories of her sister. At 11 years old Azuli was forced to attend Pigswick as per her mother's request after Lilian’s disappearance and she became a Tempest student. During her time at Pigswick, she felt really uncomfortable about how often people bragged about being rich and how magic really wasn't taught at Pigswick, it was all just really lenient work and sleeping. Azuli spent lots of time in the Pigswick library, trying to teach herself storm magic. She eventually became more advanced and others taunted her for being so ahead of everyone. Azuli did have a couple friends and she organized study groups for others who felt the same way she did about the way magic was taught at Pigswick. There were many snobbish students who tried to break down their group and one happened to get in a fight with Azuli and it was Bleys Flamerender who him and other students dumped all her schoolwork into the Fountain. After this fight both are sent to Headmistress Crisp where both their parents are called to. Azuli gets angry with her parents and says she's dropping out of Pigswick. Azuli is grounded at home for a good while and both parents try talking with her about why she shouldn't have done what she did and they get into a pretty big arguement. Azuli ends up running away and tries to go to her Aunt and Uncles place. She makes it there and her relatives look after her and speak to Ambrose about her getting into Ravenwood

First memory: Watching her mother singing at a sold out Marleybone pub

Education: From 11-13 years old she attended Pigswick and then transferred to Ravenwood and attended from 13-18 years old, and then the Arcanum at 18-20.

Family

Mother: Madge Stardust

Relationship with her: She used to love her mother and looked up to her as a child but began to hate her as she grew into her teenage years and hated how strict she was and how she always forced her to do and attend things she didn’t want to. Her mother was very abusive towards her after Lilian went missing.

Father: Abbott Stardust

Relationship with him: Kind and calm yet hardly present as he would always be away for work or shut in his office.

Siblings: An older sister (by about 10 years) name Lilian

Relationship with them: Azuli only had vague memories of Lilian and she was one of the only parent figures in her life and she protected Azuli or kept her calm as a kid whenever Lilian and her mother would argue.

Other important family members: Michael (Uncle) and Rose (Aunt) who live in Triton Avenue. When transferring to Ravenwood, they took her under their wing and looked after her. Michael is a myth wizard and Rose is a fire wizard. Rose is also Azuli’s mothers sister.

Present

Current location: Red Barn Farm(home)

Pets: Not exactly a pet but a storm grimoire, and a leviathan

Occupation: Protector of the Spiral, Spiral Geographer

Favorites

Color: Royal Purple

Music: Lo-Fi

Food: Sushi

Literature: Mystery

Form of entertainment: Exploring, watching PvP matches, hanging around the commons and listening to people

Mode of transportation: Her Astral Unicorn Mount

Most prized possession: Quartz necklace given to her by Lilian

Habits

Hobbies: Singing, playing piano, and experimenting or crafting

Usual body posture: Sits up straight always

Mannerisms: Posh but tends to fade away after a while. Comes up when she’s trying to prove something to somebody

Traits

Optimist or pessimist? Is an optimist 99% of the time

Introvert or extrovert? Extrovert; she gets her energy from being around people

Daredevil or cautious? Little bit of both

Logical or emotional? Thinks logically but acts more emotional.

Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat? Because of her childhood, she can’t help but keep everything as orderly as possible

Prefers working or relaxing? Depends on the day but prefers working to keep herself busy

Relationships With Others

Opinion of other people in general: She hates annoying people but loves listening in on drama

Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others? Most of the time but she'll tease or play off how she actually feels as sarcasm

Best friend(s): Roxanne SunShard

[themildestofwriters]

Character Creation Tag

Tagged by the illustrious @gottaenjoythelittlethingzz and thought that it would probably best to get some kind of content out from my OCs. For this one, I plan on doing Josephine Williams because Babette Melwyn is a bit more complicated and divulges into territory that I do not wish to discuss when it comes to the creation of her character.

1) What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?

Basic appearance and name. She was always a Josephine and she always had that general outline of appearance (Long curly brown hair; dark skin; that kind of stuff). The rest just developed over time and the more I considered Josephine critically.

2) Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

Yes. Josephine was thought up as someone who’d help begin Babette’s happy ending. I needed a character who’d bring out the best in Babette, who’d get her on track to healing whether through giving her the confidence to go through with therapy while also reconnecting her to humanity. I feel really bad for just creating a character who’s sole purpose is to be a love interest, but fortunately, I feel as if she’s much more than her original concept would have some think. There’s still much I need to develop around her, but the same can be true for other characters such as the two leads families and even the main character (Babette) herself.

3) How did you choose their name?

I always liked the name Josephine and I was inspired by the character of Josephine Montilyet from Dragon Age: Inquisition.

4) In developing their backstory, what elements of the world that they live in played the most influential parts?

She a lesbian woman of colour living in Australia, Earth (2016), there would be a lot influencing her. Her life isn’t abhorrent, but she does face issues that I’d rather not discuss here. What counts is that her family and friends love her and so do most the people she interacts with. This story won’t explore these themes as a main focus, because that’s not the point of the story, however they will be brought up and do effect her as a character.

5) Is there any significance behind their hair colour?

There’s nothing significant behind their hair colour. I like it, is all.

6) Is there any significance behind their eye colour?

Not really. I just thought the colour fit her character. Though, if you wanted to, you could just google “Green Eye Colour Meaning” and get a few links, one of which tells you that the symbolic meaning behind green eyes, but it won’t have much baring on the character aside from the fact they’re pretty.

7) Is there any significance behind their height?

Relationship Height Difference. One of my favourite tropes is where you’ve got a very tall character and a very small character dating because of all the cute things they can do. Originally, Josephine was something like… 5’5” or 5’6” but I changed it to 5’8” because a height difference, even if it is just 5” is adorable AF and I’m pleased I decided on this.

8) What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

Well, aside from the fact that I’m quite literally giving her my High School life, not much else I’d say. Josephine’s quite a bit different then me and we’ve both had very different lives. She doesn’t live in a broken family, my brother still breaths (as far as I know), she doesn’t have any sisters, I’ve never had a relationship as successful as hers, she doesn’t have to worry about what her parents will think about her non-heterosexuality (she’s already out), I don’t really have a choice about my religious practices. About the closest things I could relate to about her is how I’ve written her dealing with people and noise and whatnot.

9) Are they based off of you, in some way?

*Looks up at the previous question* Nope, not really.

10) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation? 

Due to her original concept being a companion for Babette, yes. I needed to create a character who’d not only be able to engage with Babette as a friend but also as a significant other. Josephine was always going to have a preference for women one way or another and it just seemed right to make her gay as well.

As monogamy vs polyamory, the choice was simply as not only is Babette monogamous (making a healthy poly relationship impossible) but I’m monogamous myself so the character trait was there from day one.

11) What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

Face claims. I could say the difficulties in finding how to write her character, but that can be worked on easily and I’ll be constantly improving my portrayal of this character. No, the real issue is that I can fecking find a good faceclaim that fits! Worse, I can’t do it for any of my characters!

12) How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

While I haven’t gone as far as mapping out before her birth and the preceding years after, I’ve gone far enough that I know when her story definitively ends and it’s incredibly heart-warming and cute and I can’t wait to write it! At some point, I might reach a point where I’ll decide to take a few days to just 100% full-dive into worldbuilding and fully flesh out these characters backstories in complete detail (events preceding conception to what grades they got in year 2 of Primary School) but until then, I know the basic outline of the events from their childhood to they’re old and greyed.

13) If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

Her personality certainly. Without her personality, her entire position in the story changes and it would also effect how healthy the relationship is between Babette and Josephine as well as the overall result. The second one, however, is her part in the story--not necessarily as a romantic interest for Babette, but for acting as an anchor to not only reality but also humanity for her godly girlfriend.

Dating or not, it doesn’t matter, but Babette wouldn’t reconnect with humanity on her own and without a character like Josephine existing, she would’ve flown off to Pluto or something and buried herself waiting for the heat-death of the universe to kill her.

14) What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

The fact that I’m not sure if I should make her go full butch or femme or just stay somewhere alternating between. She’s fast enough to out run you at a marathon, strong enough to beat you at arm-wrestling, would absolutely rock certain short hairstyles and a leather jacket, but at the same time she’s leaving lipstick marks on Babette’s cheeks and rocking absolutely stunning dresses.

No heels, though. She hates heels.

15) What is something about your OC that can make you cry?

The fact that when she begins learning magic from Babette, one of her first thoughts goes straight to necromancy and the idea that she could possibly maybe resurrect her late older brother.

16) Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

Just as @gottaenjoythelittlethingzz said, I’ll tell you when I find it.

17) What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

The most recent thing I’ve discovered about Josephine… She’s was extremely hopeful for the Wonder Woman movie and absolutely adored it when she watched it in theatres. She saw some issues but overall, she loved it and not just because Gal Gadot was a thing.

18) What is your favourite fact about your OC?

Josephine is a massive, massive, greek mythology nerd. Literally, her computer wallpaper is probably some picture of Athens or the pantheon of greeks or something like that. When Babette gives her a pet raven, she names it Cerberus. When she and Babette adopt a kitten together she names it Sappho (I blame @sunlight-melodies). She really likes greek mythology which makes interesting parallels considering her favourite greek god is Persephone and her girlfriend has been known as the God of the Dead.

Tagged, in no particular order, is: @sleepy-and-anxious, @ariellaskylark @cometworks @focusdumbass @rose-writes-and-drinks-tea @truebisexualdragon @fallen-angel-nightshade @pyr0clast @i-tried-and-i-loose @sunlight-melodies

I’ve realised that i need to keep a list of writers I follow to tag in these things because I’m absolutely horrible at remembering them all...

[mcrololo]

According to my memory this backstory was two episodes long but I couldn’t have been more wrong lmao. Anyway, wow, the lost fable, amirite? 

Constructive criticism under the cut.

Alright, I’m gonna skip the talk about cheesy overused tropes because that’s not my main issue for once (note: I’m gonna go off on tropes later anyway lmao). I’d like to talk about the worldbuilding in this episode so buckle up. 

To start things off, I actually liked Ozma dying to an unknown disease. It’s a very subtle way of saying magic and aura have their limits when it comes to healing (regardless of the fact that this might get retconned sooner or later, if it hasn’t happened already). 

Salem being a dumb greedy bitch plays nicely into her humanity. We all do crazy things for our loved ones, especially when they’re all we have left. Salem only had Ozma. When he died she was left with nothing. Of course she’s gonna try everything in her power to get him back. I would go to hell and back if it meant I could see my beloved alive and well again! Putting her next to the brother of creation is a nice way of showing their differences. Salem is human. The brother is a god. That was a good parallel. 

That being said, I have several issues with these brother gods. 

The most obvious one is the trope of good/bad god. It’s incredibly cliche to have a white/yellow/vibrant good god and a purple/black/dark lord. I can’t say they put their own spin on these brothers because neither of them seem to have more personality beyond ‘righteous’ and ‘sassy/impulsive’. They’re incredibly flat when it comes to characteristics, not to mention the good one has abs and broad shoulders and the bad one is a bit lanky. Where have I seen that before? I understand the need to show your audience who’s good and bad in just a second, but neither of these two seem to have a feud with one another. So why? 

If we look at their powers there’s not really a distinct difference other than the colors used. Both brothers can create whenever they please, they can both take away/destroy at their whim and they both have the ability to shapeshift. You can't even argue that the god of creation can give and take away life, while the god of destruction can take life and bring back from the dead because ultimately it’s the same thing. They even talk in the same manner. There’s really no difference. The only difference they have going for them is their swimming pool. One gives eternal life, and one grants the desire of destruction. That’s it. They could have easily be one god, but then there’s no feud. Oh wait. There wasn’t. The little tension there was was thanks to Salem and was almost immediately disputed. 

And this is just a minor bit but personally I’m tired of seeing gods talk all posh and proper. Give me brother gods who prank war each other and talk in ‘YEET’ lingo. I understand that this takes place millions and millions of years before Remnant’s recreation, before our heroes take part in the story, but who says these gods can’t be like that? It’s a fantasy setting. 

That aside, what’s up with their forms? During the whole episode they switch between two forms: humanoid and dragon. Which one is their regular form? Is dragon form a battle form? Do they switch to humanoid as to not scare their own creation? If the god of destruction doesn’t like humans entering his domain, why does he take on his humanoid form for Salem then? And if the god of creation doesn’t want to fight his brother, why does he switch to dragon form? When we see them again after Salem riles up all the humans, they’re in dragon form. Am I safe to assume that’s their regular form, or is it really just a battle form (considering they ARE under attack)? None of my questions really get answered. 

I really don’t understand the need to destroy the moon, unless it’s because the dark lord couldn’t keep his impuls in check. If someone could explain that one to me, I’d be grateful. 

Jumping back to the pools for a bit. Specifically the destruction one. We are told Salem felt the extreme desire to destroy after jumping in there but when we see her again she’s in a cabin who knows where? She’s not going out of her way to kill, and she doesn’t try until Ozma decides to ditch her. Then what’s the point of making her jump in that pool BEFORE Ozma ditches her? She could’ve jumped in after, abandoning what little humanity she has left in a desperate attempt to really kill herself. Her true love betrayed her, after all. 

Let’s talk about her true love for a bit. Didn’t Ozpin say his reincarnation was a curse bestowed upon him by the gods because he couldn’t stop Salem? Was that just another one of his lies or was this a convenient retcon? I honest to god can’t tell with this show nowadays. And why did the god of CREATION choose for Ozma to reincarnate in an already living being, eventually effectively DESTROYING the other soul? He’s going to end up alone anyway, so his excuse of ‘you won’t do this on your own’ doesn’t really add up. 

Oh and while we’re talking about Ozma and Salem: They really just invented an entirely new religion in what seems to be, what, ten or twenty years? Salem is immortal so I guess she doesn’t age, but Ozma is still the same reincarnation he was when he met Salem again. Assuming by the change in his hairstyle he aged a little, but other than that they really just... Made a whole religion in barely one lifetime, huh? 

I had issues with some of the lines/scenes too. Since I’m already making a post out of this episode I’ll just dump them here. 

‘It was here where mankind would fall to ruin’ that’s not… Why would you spoil that? Why give this line right here, when you’re showing the exact happening later on? These few seconds could have been used on something else, like more worldbuilding or something. I understand that someone is telling us a story, but why would you give away the core so easily? Does anyone even do that? 

‘None dared to enter his home’. There’s a skeleton right there. A human skeleton. Yeah you can argue this is to ~show~ he’s the god of destruction and death, but then it’s not ‘none’. Then it’s ‘very few’. I know this is nitpicking but even the small bits count. It can take just one word to throw someone out of your story and they may not return to it.  

‘And so you must understand the dark lord’s surprise’. Don’t tell me what to do. Viewers and readers usually don’t like it when you do this. This line is easily overlooked because she continues her story immediately after, but seriously. Don’t tell a viewer/reader what to do or feel. This is why people usually say ‘show, don’t tell’. Also why does he greet Salem like that? You know what I mean. 

Not a line but w/e. I don’t know what it is about Ozma’s brief return, but it feels a bit weird? His fear makes sense because he probably accepted death and suddenly he’s back alive, but his reaction is almost immediate and his fear is very intense. Was he in hell or something? Like the dude just opens his eyes, doesn’t even register his surroundings and immediately goes into panic mode. Why? At least give him a few seconds to look around. 

The god of creation destroys the Grimm like immediately after this scene. I wanted to point that out.

They mansplain immortality to the viewers. That’s literally mansplaining. Do they think we’re dumb? Salem can’t be that dumb, can she? Listen, I don’t WANT to straight out shit on RWBY’s writing anymore, but I really hate mansplaining. 

Alright, I get that the stabbing scene needs to be censored. I really do. But don’t let Salem walk around as if nothing happened in the EXACT same scene. There’s no cut, there’s no blood. If it had to be bloodless Salem, they could’ve transitioned from here. It feels like a small, unnecessary continuity error, but important either way. 

‘But it is nearly a remnant of what it once was’. I fucking LOVE this line, but if this was a shout-out to the world’s name it makes no sense unless edgy Salem thought ‘oh cool, that’s what I’m gonna name this planet now’. Actually that might be canon. Who knows.      

[mllemaenad]

Putting mods back for Dragon Age: Origins is just ... an amazing experience. I mean, I don’t want to be too critical: I can’t even make a face in the character creator screen properly. I could never make a hairstyle or anything. But ... gah.

this cool armour is for humans and elves only – no dwarves

weirdly, this horrifying skimpy armour is available for everyone

this mod requires six things that were exclusively available on the Bioware projects forums

the wayback machine is apparently useless for retrieving that stuff

clicking past about six pages of ‘prettier Alistair’ mods

did we need that many?

most are not prettier

is ‘making his hair ever more blond’ prettier?

weird

same for Zevran

why is Zevran human in some of these?

wait, why would I want to slap Morrigan?

‘this is compatible with a, b, and c if you remember to delete these seven files’ – okay

‘now this is compatible with b, c, and d if you delete these eight files’ – um, still okay, I think

‘so from here, this is compatible with a, b, c, d, and e if you delete these four files from a, another two from b, and four of the previous set of eight from c and d’ – oh what have I done?

shit, what tab was I on?

what did I just download?

I’m going to get two thirds through the game and find out I accidentally made Shianni human or something and then have to spend an hour working out what file did that

aw, this was clearly released before the CharGenMorphCompiler program

damn it, I’ve lost track of my required mods again

solution: just download everything from the hair and face section

wait, no, bad solution, don’t do that – what the hell are some of these?

oooh, pretty, want

I am never going to remember the console commands for all this stuff

It will be hypothetical cool armour

There’s a thing that lets me wear proper Warden armour, somewhere ... must find

I will sort this out eventually. :)

[citizentrust]

Dragonball ht scannerz toy

#Dragonball ht scannerz toy movie

#Dragonball ht scannerz toy skin

He also wears a green fur pelt draped around his waist and flows on the backside (which had been made from the fur of an old friend in memory of him) and blue wristbands. By adulthood, he no longer wears his armor, and his new attire consists of blue skin-tight pants with white boots that have a yellow striping at the toes, presumably taken from Beets' corpse when he came to adulthood. He also at some point gets a shock collar on his neck (akin to the counterpart's crown). He also wore dark jumpsuit shorts and light boots with dark legging and also dark armguards. It had a full-body model with dark-colored chest protection and light-colored outward-pointing pads on his shoulders and at the hips that hang over his upper legs. As a child, he lets his tail hang out, although it was removed by Paragus.Īs a child, he wore a standard Saiyan armor. His standard facial expression also appears sterner than in the counterpart (who appeared melancholic when not unhinged). He has a scar across his left cheek, left bicep, and an "X"-shaped scar on his left pectoral reaching over his left shoulder and two smaller ones on the upper-left of his abdomen, which is his most notable feature. Broly's hairstyle is also different while it's still spiky and reaching his upper back, his counterpart had hair split down in the middle while Broly's hair is more overgrown.

#Dragonball ht scannerz toy skin

Appearanceīroly is a middle-aged man whose appearance differs greatly from his Dragon Ball Z movies counterpart, although it retains the same general concept while still tall, he is noticeably shorter (but taller when using the Legendary Super Saiyan form compared to his Z counterpart) and is more muscular, including having noticeably tanner skin compared to his counterpart. While Toriyama created most of the character, he chose to ignore the Legendary Super Saiyan form's green haired appearances when creating his design, and so Naohiro Shintani decided to create his own green-haired design as Broly's "Full Power" in order to implement it. Toriyama also made changes to his behavior from a sadistic and vengeful person to a very closed, confused and kind-hearted character. This incarnation of Broly is Toriyama's attempt to add him into the " Dragon Ball canon" as he put it. After watching the previous Broly movies, Toriyama decided that Broly could be quite interesting if he rearranged some things about him.

#Dragonball ht scannerz toy movie

It was suggested to Akira Toriyama by his editor to have Broly appear in the movie due to his overwhelming popularity and critical acclaim. Broly is based off the previous Broly from Dragon Ball Z's Broly film trilogy.

[illegiblewords]

A thoroughly subjective design test for hyurs in the FFXIV character creator! Main point I wanted to check was whether the creator can pull off a range of races as well as various fantasy designs.

Midlander

The most common criticism that I’ve heard people level against Hyur (but mainly Midlanders) has been that they are just humans and therefore boring. I disagree on the grounds that it’s possible to pull off some truly inventive, unearthly looks with Hyur if you want to--using a huge range of strategies. Hyur also present the option of reflecting real world ethnicities with some nuance if desired, which frankly many character creators don’t manage. Lookin’ at you Dragon Age lol.

One of the great things about Midlanders though is that they have a huge number of default face options and hairstyles compared to other races. This lends itself to many possible tones and again, many different ethnicities. Additionally, Midlanders have the most options for natural black hairstyles in either gender. You can’t get skittle skin like say Au Ra or Roegadyn, but the range is still pretty impressive.

Overall Midlanders have a major strength in terms of versatility, allowing them to go anywhere from cute to badass to sexy to elegant to cool to spooky. If you want to make a very fantasy looking character who would not exist on earth you can do that here too, but it’s a little trickier in the same sense that it’s trickier to make a spooky Lalafell. It CAN be done. Just requires some determination.

Highlander

When people talk about wanting a statuesque race option, like very tall and muscular and badass looking, I admittedly want to shake them a little and ask WHY ARE YOU NOT USING HIGHLANDERS THEN???

Highlanders have dramatically different builds compared to Midlanders. The men can hit almost 6'7" feet tall and the women hit almost 6'2". Women tend to have sharper features while men offer the beefiest race available short of Roegadyn males. An advantage to Highlander men over Roegadyn men though, frankly if you want a sexy muscle man you’re more likely to get that with a Highlander than a Roegadyn. XD No offense to Roes, I think there are some insanely fun and cool looks available there too. If we’re talking pure mainstream spot-the-hottie though, Highlanders got it.

Highlander men, however, in my opinion often need some facial hair or stubble to help keep features look proportionate. Additionally, there is one default face where I straight up do not know how to work it effectively. While male Highlanders pull off a buff look in ways male Midlanders can’t compete with, they do lack the Midlanders’ versatility due to being unable to pull off delicate aesthetics. Small eyes, larger noses, larger chins, larger mouths, BULGING MUSCLES. Same rules apply to male Roegadyn. You can definitely do badass, sexy, or spooky here though. For female Highlanders, you can do cute and more delicate but it’s less intuitive compared to the amazonian approach.

As with Midlanders,Highlanders offer more face and hair options compared to other races. Also as with Midlanders, skin tones are more limited.

If you want to do different ethnic features again it’s super doable. Same rules as Midlanders apply here too, if you feel like making an otherworldly Hyur who would not look like an Earth human there are ways to do that by playing with features and color palettes in funny ways.