#i mean it’s not uncommon for people to base their writing style off their favorite writers

[abyssruler]

shut up. 🗣️🗣️‼️‼️‼️

i love your writing style so much, like, what?

thanks you! my writing style is a little bit silly and a mix of all my favorite writers’ writing style because before i started posting fics, i read a lot of fanfics, like, a lot. would probably number at more than 10 million words or so. probably a lot more tbh, since i spent majority of the pandemic reading fics. so i kinda adapted a mix of their writing styles unconsciously, and i only realized this after i read a new update of one of my fav writers and thought holy crap we have the same style of writing outlandish and silly things. so yeah!

[helpme695]

Hello, hello,Hello,my dear!!

I saw that you were a brand new blog with barely any writings and that you wrote for IDV,so i HAD to jump on the occasion,you see?

Allow me to introduce myself (as this is most likely not the last time you will be seeing me!), I am Nina (or Weewoo!),self proclaimed platonic asker!

And I am here to humbly ask for headcanons (or a one shot,i don't know which one you prefer,but I'd be happy with both!!) For Jack the Ripper (except if you don't write for him,which i understand,He IS based off a real murderer...if you don't write for him,I'd love some Antonio! But I'd prefer Jack :3 or both if you're interested Or if you prefer to choose other than those two,that's okay!!) with a child!reader (platonic ofc) that loves all types of art? Like they like listening to music while drawing- sure they're not the best,since they're still learning,but they show their art to them when they're proud of it? And they give the Hunter(s) drawings of them?? They're just a small cutie that gives drawings to people?

Thank you for reading! I hope you like this prompt and enjoy writing it!! Remember to drink,eat and take breaks,Hun!

Stay proud,

-Nina <3

Helloooooooo Nina :D I'm glad to have you in my silly blog :) I hope you will enjoy it in the future <) I wrote for both of them since I like Antonio ^_^ I'm sorry for taking quite a lot to answer ;-; it will happen again if I continue with this writing style </3.

I didn't dive too much about child thing, so you can take it as an adult or little kid. Either way, it's definitely platonic. Oh and it mostly seemed gender nature sooo :)

Aaa i just did reader give art to these 2 lol , sooo yah </3 sorry for my mistakes

Both of them are not that experienced with children because of their backgrounds. Antonio is busy drinking his favorite wines and playing masterpieces for the nobles, and god knows what else. As for Jack, he's just being, well... Jack. :)

they don't mind children that much; it depends on their mood. Mostly, they act like 'the cool uncles'.

However, Jack is not as fond of babysitting as Antonio. He thinks there are better options, like Michiko or Leo! Or maybe, why not play with people your age? Robbie and Memory would be happy to have you around.

They recognize your unique and diverse interests in various forms of art, which is uncommon even among adults.

Sometimes, they will simply watch you to see what you are best at. That way, they could buy you something nice related to it. Of course, they would support you in other forms, as well. They just figure that if you are great at something specific, it means you love it the most.

Now, let's talk about each one :D

Antonio:

It's not unusual to find him friendly in matches if he's in the mood. A simple, goofy mistake was all it took to make this weird-haired noodle crack up (thanks to Tracy's terror shock and Martha's failed flare gun rescue).

You participated in this match. All of you were having fun in Moonlit River Park.

After this match, everyone said their goodbyes and left to do their own thing. You, on the other hand, felt you wanted to appreciate him more. So, you got yourself comfortable, put on your favorite music (or headed to the composer to listen to him), and started drawing. It didn't take you long to finish it, so you borrowed some clay from Galatea to make a small version of him. It turned out messy. Nevertheless, you colored it. Your paper drawing turned out better than your little clay Antonio, but it still looked adorable.

You would know if he's in his room by his usual violin playing. And today was no exception. You knocked on his door softly, and the long-haired man heard it. Which makes sense since he's hard to hide from.

"Come in,"

And with that, you slipped past his door. You were greeted with his usual creepy smile and a couple of bottles of booze around his desk.

"Hello (name), I thought you were tired from the last match. Especially for a little one like you. Do you want to listen to my latest work later? I suggested Mr. Kreiburg and I do a musical performance together for the upcoming season."

You didn't say anything, just smiling at him as you got closer, and so did Antonio's curiosity.

"Is there something on your mind you would like to tell me, (name)?"

He crouched down to meet your height, still looming over you. You smile only brighten when you got excited to show your work to him. Behind your back, you emerged two artworks of him. His eyes lingered on what your hand was holding before he took them.

The drawing was of him ballooning Tracy and holding you with his hair, while what seemed like a sad Martha with her gun, and Forward way back running at him.

And then he looked at your small clay sculpture. His hair looked like overcooked pasta and worms coming out of it, with some black coloring. implies you are still new to shaping.

You were overjoyed just looking at how his smile widened even more than it already was. You felt his eyes leave your art and look at your face. He honestly didn't know what to be happy about. Was someone actually spending time doing something wholesome for him? Or was it the sound of your laughter echoing in his room with the big smile of yours?

He placed your work on his desk and gently guided you with his hand to his embrace.

"I know you have undeniable talent, and I want to admire it and make sure nothing disturbs it. Today, you illuminated my heart with your caring light, crafting something priceless. I thank you for your gift, and if it was for that silly match, it's nothing compared to your kindness."

He patted your head for a few seconds and then stood up tall.

"As much as I like spoiling you with my masterpieces, you have to go to sleep. Ms. Dyer won't be happy finding you out of bed.

He placed his hand gently behind your back and guided you to his door. You were kind of disappointed; you don't like how Doctor Emily makes children go to bed so early. Nevertheless, you didn't complain. He didn't close his door yet, so you kept waving, saying your goodbyes and sweet dreams before your little form disappeared when you went downstairs.

He closed his door gently and went to his desk, which now held booze, paper art, and a mini clay Antonio. He stared at them for... what? Seconds? Minutes? He didn't care. Your pure soul made his usual lonely night better, and thanks to you, you gave him inspiration for his next musical piece.

⊱⋅ ──────────── ��⊰

He will cherish your gifts and art; they brightened his room and made him feel less empty.

I like to think he will force Joseph to take pictures of them and him together.

He's your number 1 supporter and fan of your work. Hell, even if it's horrendous, he'll be damned if he ever THINKS it's bad. He might as well show it to everyone and threaten anyone who says otherwise.

Despite many people and nobles gathering around him for his matchless skill, he appreciates you because you do what you want with pure intentions. He doesn't need to bother thinking about your actions (unless something is very odd), and you see him as someone to trust. Which is sometimes a bad idea because, you know... the devil thing.

He did consider having a child before, but he knows he would be an awful father. Having you around, not taking up all his time or responsibility of taking care of you, yet still filling that void, made him drink less than usual.

Jack:

If you are interested in the art of music, you just so happen to have the most skilled violinist in the whole world next door, and you might even catch him happily holding a small violin for you. Now, get ready for waking up every Friday to Monday at 6 a.m. for a teaching course. Will he make you as amazing as him? No. But you'll surely come close to amazing.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°••°•°•°•°•°•

He likes to go to the manor garden, especially at night, because he likes his "own alone" time. He is known for being mysterious, sadistic, and moody, so most survivors keep you distance from him, usually the women. You always wonder why; he's not that "bad," as you think. He even carries your teammates in bride style, and likes to joke around in serious, stressful matches at the end of the day. And very polite gentleman.

So curious about him, you asked the hunters you trust when he usually comes to the garden, and then you decided to do your activities in it, hoping to see him today.

You painted, grafted, shaped, played music, listened to music, and even helped Emma water the whole garden. You spent almost 3 hours just hoping he would show up before your match schedule start. And just when you were about to give up-

"Helloooo there, little child. I must say you know where and when to pick the most perfect time for a suitable experience."

You turned around to see the very man you waited for, Jack the Ripper, outside the matches and in the open? You must be lucky. A smile rose on your face as you greeted him.

"It's great to see you too. I hope you don't mind me bothering you with my presence."

You watched him as he went further into the garden, chatting with Emma for a few moments. You wanted to speak to him, but you didn't exactly know how. So all you did was paint one specific flower that you liked and show him. Maybe it wouldn't be so awkward.

In a good 10 minutes, you finished, and while you admired your art piece and prepared to show it to him, he was already bent down beside you to judge.

"Hmmm..... very impressive, I do notice improvements in your details. But I fear there is something off about it."

You looked between him and the painting, figuring out what was missing. After a long silence, he finally stated.

"You don't have any idea how to light and shadow a flower, do you?"

You shook your head, saying you did what felt right.

"I do like to believe this statement as well, but sometimes there are better ways, especially when you can improve it much better. Here, give me your brush."

You hand him your brush as he takes your place, watching him work his magic on your art piece and fixing any mistakes. He makes sure to tell you where you messed up.

You were surprised, to say the least. You ask him if he's an artist, but he shatters your little heart when he says he stopped being one a long time ago. For you, you did feel frustrated, angry, and sad, however. You didn't give up on your journey, even on days you wanted to pull your hair out.

A thought crosses your mind. A white lie. You tell him you don't know how to paint certain things and would like him to teach you. He remains silent after your explanation, which creeps you out.

He knows you're lying, but it's not harmful, and he understands why. However, teaching you to paint? Out of all the requests, he prefers bring you the supplies you need.

"Hm... I asked too much. Would you mind if I left for a few minutes?"

You only nod, and he takes off. You felt guilty. Maybe you shouldn't have asked him; maybe you missed your chance.

20 minutes passed, and he still didn't show up. Yep. Might as well cry a bit tonight.

You gathered up your things, only your paints and canvas left. Once you collected them, you heard a familiar violin playing inside the manor. You decided to stay a bit to listen to it before you leave. You wondered if it was a stupid decision. You could just ask the hunters and survivors if you really wanted to know more about him.

"Fascinating, is it? Antonio's violin charms everyone to enjoy the moment, as if they are just puppets he controls."

Jack almost gave you a heart attack, but you forgot about it very quickly when you noticed him holding different types of objects—a bunch of paints and canvases.

"I did say I would leave you for a few minutes. You should learn be more patient. Anyway, sorry for taking your time. That da Vinci boy wasn't pleased to see me."

He placed the canvases and objects in the proper way before asking you to take your place.

"You are a very talented child. Your previous request was too silly to believe, so I brought things rather difficult to test you out and sharpen your skills."

And he wasn't joking when he said it would be difficult. At least he was more patient and easygoing than (da Vinci young boy).

One hour before the matches started, he decided you had had enough for today. He was focused on drawing small sculpture. So you took a chance to draw something.

Just when he finished his painting, you quickly told him you had to get ready for your matches, then left so fast, leaving one standing canvas behind. Before he could call you out about it, you were already far gone. So he let out a sigh and mumbled something about children these days.

He gathered all the stuff and went to your canvas as well, only to see a full drawing of a person.

It was him, focused on his own painting, with many red and blue roses around him. You almost made him seem like an innocent art teacher who loves nature. And well... one or two of those is true.

He couldn't help but admire it. How you pictured him in your head, how clueless you are about him, almost making him pity you.

If it weren't for Emma coming back because she's forgot something and noticed him, he would be quite late for his match. Not that he would have a problem with it; he would rather watch the painting dry so he can take it to his room later.

⋅ ──────────── ⋅

Nobody truly knows him, especially with how his personality switches so fast, but when he's in a "normal" state, he does feel guilty about... everything. He would rather meet you outside this game, an artist teaching young people how to draw. Yeah, that would be much better than being "Jack the Ripper."

I'm sorry, but he can't really promise to help you with drawing; he doesn't enjoy it anymore. But he can give you tips and bring you what you're missing.

He tried to learn other forms of art but changed his mind too quickly when he failed miserably. No, he would rather sleep underground to have someone guide him.

High chance he would take your artwork and study it, did you improve? How much? Was it easy or hard? How did you feel when you finished it? He can tell more about it. And he usually comes up and tells what he thinks about it and what to improve (if you want, of course). He hopes that one day, you will beat your fellow artist survivors.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°••°•°•°•°•°•

♡

Hi hello I want to bury myself :3 I seriously need to buy a novel book or smth because I feel stupid using simple words lmao 💀 #help

Anyway Have a nice day :D

[alchemicallymoon]

Commentary for [Name Redacted]

(That's the actual name of the fic. Nothing's getting redacted here!)

I haven’t done one of these in a while! Even if you haven’t read the fic this is for, there’s a free headcanon for you in this post!

I’ve had this headcanon for a long time. Like, before I even started publishing Splatoon fics. The idea is that in the Splatlands, people are given names by different groups instead of having a single name that they introduce themselves by. The name can be many different things depending on the group. For example, your family would give you a more name-sounding name, while your school might give you a name based on what you’re studying. The closest thing they have to “standard” names are names based on notable skills or physical features.

This style of naming is very common in the Splatland deserts, but pretty uncommon in the city of Splatsville (though common enough that government forms and such try to have more concrete ways of determining identity.) It’s not a big deal to reveal your other names to a unit, but it’s weird and a bit invasive to use those other names for someone. In the desert, only wealthy and important people are given names at birth* that are used throughout their lives, regardless of unit. These are known as “common names,” as mentioned in the fic. Neo, in this fic, is pretty ignorant of city culture, and he assumes everyone uses the naming conventions he’s familiar with.

*In that one line, when Neo says he doesn’t have a common name, I really wanted to make a minor change, but decided it would mess up the flow a bit too much. I wanted to say “as soon as they hatch” instead of “as soon as they’re born,” but I couldn’t. Since the fic is already about cultural differences, I wanted the familiar parts to stay familiar. It’s less accurate, but saying “born” is more natural and familiar to the (presumably) human readers.

I tried some different characterization for Captain and Neo here. The most obvious part is that Captain is mute. I actually wanted to do that with my consistent series of fics, but I didn’t for some reason, and it would be quite the retcon to change it now. There was no reason to mention it in the fic, but they became mute after the events of Octo Expansion, which is why they haven’t learned much sign language yet. I gave them a sillier personality than I usually would, partly to be the opposite of Neo’s personality. Speaking of, I made Neo blunt and borderline rude, but kind of in the way you’d expect a fourteen year old to be (no offense to any fourteen year olds reading this—it’s a rough age to be.) He tries his best to be polite, but he happens to spend most of the fic being pissed off, so we get more of his rudeness showing.

Going back to Captain, I treated their lack of speaking the same way I treat dialogue. My personal writing style is to keep dialogue tags and actions to a maximum of one sentence per line of dialogue, and with no period at the end, unless it’s leading to more dialogue. That may sound confusing written down. Just re-read the first two lines of dialogue, then Neo’s first line in the fic and it should hopefully be clear. Anyways, since Captain didn’t have words in their dialogue, I only used dialogue tags. This was very intentional; just because there are no words doesn’t mean it isn’t dialogue in some way. I typically don’t do that for silent communication—at least not on purpose—but it seemed appropriate for a mute character.

This is one of my favorite and most well-developed Splatoon headcanons. Unfortunately, I don’t tend to add in-depth headcanons like this to my fics. It’s difficult to seamlessly explain a headcanon without it becoming the focus of the fic for at least a few lines. However, I did consider it when thinking of a non-agent name for Neo in my consistent series (which I haven’t revealed yet!)

Also, if anyone feels particularly inspired by this headcanon, you’re absolutely free to use it! Not sure if that needs to be said about a headcanon at all, especially if I’m explaining it in depth like this, but I just want to be clear. If you want to know more about this headcanon, I'd be happy to make something up on the spot give you a well thought out answer.

[astaroth1357]

request: an MC thats very good w playing games or like,,, is proficiently skilled in all game categories or smrhn

alsp hi xander i love ur writing

and can i giv u a kith? if so: mwah 😚

Well I hate to tell ya, sweetie, but I’m not Xander. I’m Jazzy. Hello! I can see why you’d want something written by Xander, though. He’s mad talented (better at this than I am quite frankly) and he’s on the list of people I wish I could write as well as. I guess we can both take a moment to be sad that I’m not Xander… *sigh*... to be Xander… 😔

Oh well, I am who I am and I don’t begrudge that fact. Meanwhile, I’ve wanted to do more shout-outs so everybody go read @sevendeadlymorons! If you’re not… I mean… why not? He’s more than worth your time. In the meantime, I hope I can entertain you despite my not-Xanderness.

Brothers React to an MC Who’s Good at Games and Stuff 

Lucifer

Honestly couldn’t care less about the MC’s game proficiency in most cases. So they’re good at games? Good for them, he’s sure they’re happy.

But when they’re playing against him on the other hand…

Well, Lucifer may or may not be skilled at whatever game you set him on (he’s a very quick learner so never underestimate him), but he’s whole new levels of competitive when he wants to be. ESPECIALLY if he already thinks he’s hot shit at something.

Video games? Not his forte. Table top games? One word for you: Chess.

Lucifer believes that he can and will whip pretty much anyone’s ass in chess. That includes Satan, Solomon, Levi, and even Diavolo. He is at grandmaster level.

So imagine his shock, no, his disdain to have lost a game of chess to the MC… The moment they said "Checkmate" he stared at the board in front of them for a solid five minutes trying to work out where he went wrong…

And he wasn’t having that.

He and the MC now have regular chess matches in which he wins some and loses some so the tally stays pretty evenly tied. Really it’s all good fun... (but if they think he’s going to let them go home when he’s on a losing count, they’re Dead. Wrong. He’ll drag them back to down just to play chess with him until the score is right again. He DOES NOT lose, you hear? 🤨).

Mammon

Guess who’s found his gambling buddy?? 

No, really. He and the MC can make a KILLING at a Poker or Blackjack table! He’s never seen anyone better at poker than they are!! They have nerves of steel and give nothing away, so he’s lost more than a few hands to them before...

Even past the casinos, they’re perfect for making bets on! He once arranged a Devil Cart competition between the MC and Levi and took bets around RAD for who’d win...

Naturally, everybody assumed the Devildom’s resident Super-Otaku would win hands down, but the MC had this insane last minute save with a blue shell and pulled ahead in the last lap!!

He was like, the only person that bet on the MC and he got soooo much money that MC found HIM crying and hugging a bag of Grimm after the match…

Any time they win a game that gets him money, he’ll treat them like royalty for the next week. Man knows not to bite the hand that feeds him!... and creditors at bay... 😬

It may get slightly annoying that Mammon won't stop telling them about gaming competitions where they can get him more prize money, but hey, at least he's supportive, I guess.

Leviathan

Oh they are either his best friend or mortal enemy… Sometimes both in the same day.

Our boy hates losing, can't stand it any better than Lucifer, you KNOW the second he knows there's someone out there who even has a chance of beating him, he gets serious. This is not a "friendly rivalry," MC.

When they’re playing any game against each other, he'll call them by their gamertag/online persona to keep himself focused (yes, even if they’re playing Monopoly). They can't be his MC right now, they gotta be the person he's going to beat...

He's NOT opposed to dirty tactics to win, either. Saying things that will get them mad or flustered mid-match? Check. Using his tail to distract or tease them? Check. Just being a general nuisance/annoyance in game for the hell of it? Guilty as charged!

He's both a sore winner AND a sore loser, so unfortunately MC, you really can't win here... He'll be obnoxious regardless of the outcome.

However… when they’re on the same team, it's really something special. They don't just destroy the competition, they bulldoze over them like an armored tank barreling through rush hour traffic!

These two are legends in the online gaming community and have even started a streaming channel on the side. Sometimes your worst enemies also make the best allies... Who knew? 🤷‍♀️

Satan

Is surprisingly impressed by their gaming prowess. Are they just supremely skilled or incredibly lucky, you think…?

That being said, he's not the biggest gaming man on the planet so he's not too competitive with them one way or the other.

When Satan plays a video game, he usually goes for story-based, single-person experiences anyway so it's not like he could compete with them even if he wanted to.

That being said, they do share an informal challenge of sorts when it comes to puzzle/detective games (a not so guilty pleasure of his). He likes to try and beat the levels first, so when they start playing a new one they'll both compare time spent and scores.

He even enjoys playing those Devildom-style AR murder mystery games with them! It’s pretty cute to watch Satan get into it, he dips into his inner Levi and cosplays as some of his favorite TV drama detectives for the occasion and insists they dress as his co-star (best just go along with him. It’s not a bad time, even if they have to carry around an old tobacco pipe for a few hours).

Asmodeus

Good at games? That sounds dangerously like they're another Levi… 🙄 What about party games? Oh oh, or drinking games??

Actually scratch that. How about ANY game while drunk? That sounds pretty fun doesn’t it??

Like Drunk Truth or Dare!! Oh that's a favorite of his… 🤭

To be fair to the MC, the booze does diminish their skills somewhat (because that's kind of what it does in general) but not by all that much… It's pretty impressive.

He once challenged them to a game of Drunk Twister figuring that they'd be too unsteady to actually win for once, but no. If anything, the alcohol must have numbed the stretching pains because they bent over him like a pretzel!

Not that he was complaining or anything… 😏

He likes to take the MC to parties where he knows a game or two will be played just to show off to the crowd and brag that they’re HIS lovely, talented human! You go, MC, beat that competition to a pulp! 😌

Beelzebub

Sports count as games too, right? Well, they aren't half bad at those either.

Beel found it surprising that he found a human who could actually keep up with him. His brothers rarely want to play practice games with him anyway so it’s pretty exciting to have a sports partner at home!

He likes to ask the MC to help him train with practice matches or to go over certain moves or maneuvers he’s having trouble with. It’s not uncommon for the brothers to come home and find the two of them tossing a ball around in the front yard or something.

And the both of them on the same team? Forget it. It takes the dream team of Lucifer and Mammon (who aren’t just arguing with each other for once) to even come close to a challenge for them.

He also enjoys playing the occasional video game with them, though he treats it a lot like playing with Levi and just assumes he’ll never win unless he gets lucky - which does happen from time to time.

He doesn’t mind losing that much as long as he’s having fun, and if nothing else he can always win against them in an eating contest… He’s got those on lockdown. Come at’em MC, he’ll pack away an entire fridge before you’re done with your first plate. Try him.

Belphegor

So Belphie enjoys a good game or two - video-based or otherwise - it comes with the lazy-bastard territory. He may not be as skilled as Levi, but he can hold his own in some genres.

But he’s given up on beating the MC looong ago.

Do you know how much practice it would take? How many hours that he would have to use?? The hours where he could be napping instead???�� Yeah, no thanks. They can continue to be the reigning Super Smash Devils champion for all he cares.

Buuuut even he has to admit, it’s pretty relaxing to watch the MC play something in the background... There’s a certain sort of satisfaction to watching someone who’s good at a game just play it straight through.

If they’re set up in Levi’s room or the Common area then Belphie may come over, set his pillow up on the floor, and watch them play. He may even throw in a comment or two like, “You missed a health pack,” or “Better save now,” but other than that he likes to just let them do their thing.

The MC has had many an all-nighter with Belphie spectating until about 4am or so. Then he’s dead to the world and they have to work out how to get his not-exactly-light demon ass onto a couch…

Or they can just leave him faceplanted and snoring on the floor. Up to them, really cause he did it to himself. 🤷‍♀️

[captainkurosolaire]

~ Mass Update ~

Mainly going into future plans and intents alongside ideas below cut.

Ton's of things I've in store this will prove difficult to vent it all out. But here we go... First off rehashing and appropriately learning to tag and organize things better on my blog. Each category will have their own corresponding content, I seek to bring or share. [Tales of Goldbrand] -- I intend this to carry a Compendium of all my writes soon that'll have everything neatly in-order including a glossary, so it'll have highlights of stories that even matter or the best stuff. I've written here for a very, long time, there's been many shifts. I want to make it more accessible. While coloring what matters for people who want to learn Captain or his Crew with less chapters. While also giving choice to find it all easily. This is essentially a step-above master-lists. I'll be doing that after the Saga I have going on, right now is done. [Captain] -- Will provide you strictly with Captain screenshots, gifs, photo-sets. This is still his blog despite the Crew thing's will sort of make this a scuffed Multi-Muse blog. I've few more things to edit and tag fix to get all his stuff though. [The Wild Crew] -- Afterwards this story is done Immortal Age Saga, It's something that I mainly wrote as a passion project within three days to get my warm-up process fixed. It's to allow me to get a feel for all his Crewmates and casts, in combat, in-general, to feel their presences. While also giving a bit of their backstories. At any point, I can go back and polish or tweak things in. They're NPC's but... not entirely. All will have their own 'Dreams' and their own 'Disapproval's' they have their own missions even. These things will factor eventually, they might set seeds, to betray or disagree with something, but that's all angst and more stories to be created, but overall, they'll probably always be Crew, eventually. -- I plan on making character-profile sheets of them and putting them in this Tab, it'll have their screenshots, their likes/dislikes. Some RP partners or people can also be shipped with them, but they'll all be monogamous and originally start off probably Pan. This allows them to figure out what they like on their own stories. I've always been someone who likes organic-flow. Although this one story contain all 16 characters or more, the rest will probably be shortened to a Squad of 4 and dispersed when on adventuring missions. Until I do a War Arc, that's my main goal to build too. [Roster] -- Will contain this Crew in just screen-sets dedicated to them, I'll probably randomly produce those. I've PC players among this Crew too. I may not be done either adding more, but this Crew is mainly built around Quality. Most pirate crew's mainly, have hundreds, thousands. Even Fleets. This Crew has personalities, monsters, people who are living life's that exist with piracy. He's an particular leader that had PC players the same way, he's had split-personality serial killers aboard, tribal chieftains, succubus, all sorts of various people once on a Crew. It's often an outcast style, pirates default are chaotic in nature, so this really isn't any different, it's a Fantasy version of it. There's humanization characters aboard too though, so this cast is really decked, everything and person is vital, they matter because they remind or covet something that others can draw upon. If ever played (Three Houses or Mass Effect / Dragon Age Origins) A lot of things like that are relatable too this structure and format. Which, Is something I want to be able to give when RPing. I want a genuine feel of this new world someone else's muse will be the main-character too. Depending on what's interacting everything they'll be scale appropriately to follow the genre they're in and environment even. [Aesthetics] -- Already explainable what you'll find here. [Asks] -- Same thing. [Prompts] -- Trivial things I was tagged too, I plan on compiling later. [Writing] -- Another alternatively to randomly go-down and it works right now. [Logs] -- Will have more individualistic master-lists and posts there, my poems from Sheik Sphere the Bard, etc.

Things of that nature, I'll probably add still. It's where a lot of my creative writing is summed. [Gems of Hydaelyn] -- My main #tag for other characters and artists, creationist. Lot of amazing people easily to find their zones or follow them optionally if you like. Ton's I intend to support and bolster, be a lot less unspoken. I'm never the type who's been strictly inclusive. But I'll do that when I've time to even explore the dash, I'm always still planning ahead with things and projects. [CKS] My original character-sheet it's outdated on something's but not too terrible. I'll give him polishing someday, I swear? [21+F-List] -- Just purely degenerate stuff of Captain. I'm a pirate blog. I will represent that with openness and furthermore. I'm never projecting you some false-image. I started off a smut-writer by stripping that, I no-longer represent the same aura and identity. But those are strictly his stuff and kinks, I'm effective in executing them but they're not all relatable to me OOC. This blog will always be 18+ containing crude or dark material sometimes, romantic things, this Captain is blunt, will literally put his cock on the table in conversations. Swearing and being censored would be too uncommon and displace most of him, but there's more about him then all this. [Other] -- I pay homage to a lot of characters, I originally am a Concept Designer. Which mean's I make characters and ideas like my addiction. Bad characters / villains or other little things I like to share in designs, I'll put there. Some villains might get little photo-sets, even if they died. Just cause I like their design, or maybe I'll give them an AU, where they won. When I've wrapped up things. [Collabs + Ships] -- Is a new project idea. This isn't going to be something limited too romantic only ships. It'll contain, platonic, romantic, friendships, rivals, frenemies, family, PC Crew, all ships. I am desperately working on improving my gif, screenshot, posing game so I can supply 'Screen Stories' this is not only a way to RP that's accessible with even people who are upon time-crunches from work, It gives visual-representation. To impactful stories shared with others and establish bonds. That are all-valid and impactful matter. Lot of people take a lot of their characters attributes into them and are them dialed up, I work with that and bit more, differently. I'm disconnected from my characters and they'll get hurt and injured and killed by me, that's my duty as their Author to give them conflicts and struggles. I'm their major antagonist, but that doesn't mean at-all, it's always SET that way. The characters I like to make have their own life, they live in this setting and are abide by it, they're often nothing, nobodies, and by the interacting with others, they slowly gradually building, more... Through emotional impacts, they alter, these are REAL people by all their beliefs. Each person they come in-contact with are legitimate and treated like that too. They've always impacted or given them insights to grow, or represent more. Otherwise it'd be criminally disrespectful if I allowed any emotional I felt OOC be the grudge to something IC. Captain in-particular is set on defying me. I cannot have that. ...But I can't stop him. He's met and encountered so many people and lived so many scenarios based on the actions of others, he's giving a chance right now to actually do things a lot further than impossible. The more people he meets and encounters, experiences, the more I lose. These stories are emotionally interactive where everything is a factor and adds to the dice, where the other people are the one who get to roll the dice for him, not me. That's something I want to color in. People range in emotions, they have their down's, ups, their own wholesome-grounding people, spending time with your favorite people, there's nothing more cherishing than that, being in your own comfort-zone or 'safe-space' these are all treasures that we live under, today. Contrary if what people assume of me, I'm not another 'blogger' that's came

before, who's wanting to force a harem, then constantly is bewildered when that falls to pieces cause of selfishness or a lack of communication, or the skeletons they have in their closets and beliefs they hid behind and swindled fooled everyone. I'm not looking to be popular or anything really, I just create stories and want to share in those, and I want to also boost others included, upward with me, especially those who make me. There's no ego in anything I do, this is purely love. I've never cared about being replicated or duplicated, I've had stalkers, I've gone through more then anyone would imagine, I've been used OOC and abused, just for my writing and cold-harshly told, i'd never amount to anything other then that or vice-versa. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Passion. That's all I got and am anymore. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Passion is the hardest thing to keep. It's something that can be stolen, quite effortlessly. Few words of discouragement, a bad negative representation, a lack of confidence, or small amount of time, there's many thing's that can put that flame out. Once you lose it. The difficulty to reattain is hundred-times harder than climbing any mountain for real. I've watched the greatest creators crumble from under the pressure, from beaten down by others. I watched many of them do it to themselves because they put a grand vision of needing validation of another and once lost, felt uncompelling to press onward. But passion also can be given BACK and drawn. It can be shown and encourage others, with a soft-triggering, that pushes them. That motivates, that constantly sticks to it. There are many that fuel me. If I ever quit, I let them down, I spit in the faces of people who're better than me in every-way. Or people who've came and given me their precious Time. That have given their character's or dedication to the abundant stories and community-driven things I've done. There's ONLY things you can do, create, give and provide. It cannot ever come to life without YOU. This is a fact. ...I swear, If you let your creativity soar, you'll be amazed by the heights you get. Constantly polish and learn and hone the best you, challenge yourself day after painstaking day, to draw better improvement on something, no matter how trivial or unfamiliar you are. You'll find a confidence only you can give yourself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Future Plans --------------------------------------------------------------------- For me, I've got so much more stories to give and also explore, I might be taking up soon some other artists and more skilled people from community and hire them for some of my future writes, to up my game or cause something thing's can't be done in-game cause no background carries it. I also got a lot of-set up things and more angst stuff I want to practice, plus I'm adamantly on that grind to produce screen-sets with the intent's to some sort of improving daily. Additionally more people I'll be reaching out too soon for these collab's ideas and things. I look forward to shaking your hands, giving some hugs, show you my respect and admiration, then creating some enchanting stories and giving plots light. Feel free to reach out to me, I get scattered-brain but I'm working on getting better about it. Eventually will get to you though, my goals, if uninterested just say so when I poke, no bites, unless you kinky. Anyways, cheers hearties.

[no-brand-gays]

okay here are my thoughts on and a very loose rating of the discographies of the major idol anime franchises (disclaimer that i haven’t listened to Every Single Song of any of these series and i’m 

-love live: i think...i’d be biased in saying ll has the best idol franchise discography...but i don’t think it’d be a stretch to say that they pour a LOT into their music production. i do think there’s a lot of ll stuf that sounds the same and none of the full groups have a sound that differentiates them from each other but ll’s also good at mixing up sounds and concepts, so there’s no character or unit that’s really locked into just one style. i feel like ll prioritizes catchiness and energy a lot of the time so there aren’t many songs that aren’t fun to listen to, which i definitely think is one of the most important things in idol music. there aren’t even that many bombs which you’d think would mean they play it safe but i don’t think you can talk down the variety in the discography. aki hata is also a lyric writing god and i do think it’s saying something that even 10 years into the run as a series we’re still getting songs that sound new. you can tell when they’re being lazy but that’s a pretty uncommon situation and you’d be damned to find a ll song that isn’t at least fun to listen to. favs: mermaid festa vol 2, blueberry train, angelic angel, snow halation, ps no mukougawa, shoujo ijou, doki pipo emotion

-idolm@ster: before you come at me i want you to know that i have felt this way about idolm@ster’s discography for the last 7 years and my opinion Has gotten better over time but wow. so many idolm@ster songs are so boring. i think one thing you can really say abt love live is they’ve mastered the art of making OPs and EDs and group singles that all kinda sound the same but are still fun to listen to. i think what makes im@s discography good is that they’re not afraid to really jump into weird concepts for their more out-there characters. like what other franchise is delivering to us ai like hamburger. nobody. so those more unique songs are almost always hits but a lot of the generic idol pop songs feel pretty watered down and hard to get into. they do get that right pretty often too but bc their discography has gotten so huge over the years there’s a lot of filler. favs: kyun! vampire girl, do dai, s(mile)ing, romantic now (uzuki mix)

-aikatsu: honestly? i would place aikatsu’s discography at LEAST at 2nd place. they’ve gone through a lot of changes in producers in the last few reboots but there are sooooo many consistent hits and i feel like it gets written off for being a kids series when the music is honestly so top tier. aikatsu doesn’t do big group songs all that often and each season only comes w a few one-size-fits-all generic songs so most of the discography is tailored to one or two characters in particular which makes for some amazing variety. the fact that it’s for kids even means the songs are more catchy and energetic so even the ones that are kinda dumb stick in your head. i don’t know how much i can speak for these past few seasons but you can really feel the passion that went into most of the songs. the general sounds of aikatsu are clean and bright pop and emotional pop rock and theatrical ballads and genuinely i have no clue why the music alone hasn’t made it mega popular. there are definitely duds though, especially when it comes to songs that weren’t made to be performed. favs: diamond happy, koisuru mitai na caramelize, summer tears diary, hello new world, heart skip, dramatic girl 

-pretty rhythm: kinda similar to im@s in that a lot of their music is kinda boring in its early 2000s idol sound but i’d honestly argue that pririzu does that sound better. like it all sounds very nostalgic and classic and gets this quality of timelessness from that. this is probably the franchise i’ve listened to the least though so i’m not the best authority on this. favs: you may dream, cherry picking days

-pripara: pripara is definitely an acquired taste and the franchise i’d be least likely to listen to with my friends in the room but the one thing you can’t deny is that the production is so crazy tight. pripara definitely gets most of its fame for how off the walls crazy it is and since that’s such a part of its identity i can’t fault it for how many songs are similarly whole hog wild but even though i never want to hear the omurice song again in my life pripara has continuously delivered hit after hit. their generic idol songs (like make it and dream parade) are some of the best in the genre and whatever subgenre they’re pursuing they never fail to bring the energy. i do think a lot of their out of the box songs (like the ones that are made for visual-based performances that aren’t really meant to be cohesive songs) are flops but the entire first season is made of 10/10s which is so crazy. the crazy concept songs usually hit too. favs: marble makeup a ha ha, zero week old, suki suki sensor, realize

-bandori: hot take but bandori has some stinkers. i don’t know why the first few months of bandori songs had so many flops (tokimeki experience...yes bang dream...that’s how i roll...) but i do think they’ve stepped up their game since then!! i think...as time has gone by bandori has become a franchise people really care abt and with it the content has gotten better too. like holy shit. NOW you can see how much the producers are putting their hearts into the music but it definitely took a little while (not that there weren’t good songs at the start too, shuwarin dreamin is one of my absolute favorites). i think it’s really impressive how much they’re found their footing w each band’s sound, they all really feel believable as artists, and it’s blown up so clearly they’re hitting it out of the park these days. favs: hidamari rhodonite, kimi ga inakucha, shuwarin dreamin

-bonus shoutout to zombieland saga bc the production is so all over the place. when they wanna write a good song holy shit do they write a good song but sometimes you get To My Dearest. which im still sort of baffled by. could the writers not figure out how to rewrite those 20-syllable lines to sound even half singable or 

[farfromtommy]

black and white (tom holland x singer!reader)

request: all too well part two? Maybe happy ending

a/n: this is a continuation of all too well! i left this one with kind of an open ending. not angsty like the previous fic. i really loved writing this and i’ve been thinking about making this sort of a mini series with different songs. please let me know what you think! based off of the song black and white by niall horan 

requests are open!

word count: 2,200

warnings: quick allusion to sex

masterlist  social media au masterlist  taglist form 

part 1

You walked calmly off stage wiping the few tears off your face. You kept your head down as you walked towards your dressing room to get ready to leave, moving as quickly as you could to avoid any familiar faces. With the last of your things packed, you grabbed your bag and followed your assistant  out of the building. Right as you rounded a corner you heard chatter and Tom’s voice right ahead of you. He spotted you immediately and said ‘if you’ll excuse me for just one second’ before walking towards you. 

“Hey, Y/N. It’s uh.. It’s really good to see you.” Tom mumbled quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. Your assistant looked at you questioningly. “I’ll be out in a minute, just have the car pull around.” You said to her and she walked off. 

“Yeah it’s good to see you, too.” You rubbed the side of your arm and met his gaze. “They didn’t tell me who was going to be on the show tonight. I probably wouldn’t have put us in this position if I would’ve known you were here with everyone.”  You told him truthfully. Regardless of how things ended for you and Tom, the last thing you wanted to do was put him in an uncomfortable situation. 

He had an unreadable expression on his face. It was uncommon for you to be unable to know what Tom was feeling, it had become a sort of superpower of yours. 

“It was an amazing performance, I’m glad I was able to see it. You know I always loved watching you perform.” He said, gesturing his hand to the entrance to the stage. He was nervous, you knew it. You saw movement from behind him and saw your manager waving you to hurry up the conversation. 

“T-Thank you. Uh, look. I need to go. Tonight is the last show on tour at O2 and I need to get to rehearsals.  Um. If you want to go, I’ll have my assistant put you on the guest list. Bring whomever you’d like, there won’t be a guest limit. We can talk more after the show, if you’d like.” You moved to start walking towards the door, nodding towards your assistant. 

“Yeah, I’d really enjoy that. I’ll be there.” He said, saying his goodbyes as you said yours and he watched you jog off. You looked over your shoulder as you walked out the door and saw him still staring at you. 

~~ 

Tom walked into the VIP section, nerves radiating off of him. He was recognized by a few other celebrities there and by the fans sitting close by. Flashes started going off in the stands and screams were heard as he looked around and waved. He was wearing a lanyard with your new album cover and ‘special guest’ written along the bottom. 

He greeted the handful of people he knew and took a few pictures as well. He ran into a few of your friends who seemed shocked and a bit skeptical to see him, knowing the history. He shot them a tightlipped smile and a polite nod before grabbing a beer and heading to a spot where you could see him from the stage.

He had been in this spot like this many, many times before. Him and Harrison had often gone to your shows as special guests for support. This was the opening night of you opening for Harry Styles. He did his first musical feature on your latest album and you had been really good friends for a while, so it made sense to have you open for him. It was a dream of yours to perform in O2 stadium alongside an amazing artist like him. He knew one day it’d be your name in big letters all over the stadium. 

The lights dimmed and the thousands of people screamed as they heard the beat to one of your songs. You walked out with a huge grin on your face and started singing the lyrics. All the fans joined in and even Tom caught himself singing along. The song ended and the screams of the crowd made Tom’s whole body vibrate. He looked around and saw the pure joy spread across the faces of the fans at the mere sight of you. 

“London, how are we doing tonight?!” You screamed into the mic and pointed it towards the crowd. 

“I’m so overwhelmed with joy, excitement, and a little bit of nervousness to be here tonight. This is the biggest crowd I think I have ever performed in front of. Everyone give yourselves a round of applause for selling out all 20,000 seats!” You giggled into the mic as the crowd continued to go crazy. 

“I just want to give a quick shoutout to my amazing friend for allowing me to join him on tour this year. Travelling the world with such an amazing group of people has been the adventure of a lifetime and I’m so grateful to have been a part of this. Let’s give it up for Harry Styles!” The crowd went nuts at the mention of the headliner and Tom politely clapped and cheered. 

One of Tom’s favorite things in the world was watching you perform. He loved the energy that came out of every pore in your body, and the crowd loved it too. His favorite moments were hearing the crowd singing along to your songs and watching your reactions to it. Your time on stage seemed to go so quick. He hadn’t realized it was almost time for you to wrap up your set. 

“I’m having a blast with you all tonight, but unfortunately our time together is coming to a close. I have a few more songs for you tonight. I wrote this next one a few years ago, kind of as a personal message for me and someone really special to me and I never recorded it and only performed it for one person.” You paused, grabbing your favorite guitar and clearing your throat. 

“This song means a lot to me, personally. I performed on the Graham Norton show today and while I was there, something reminded me of it and I had to dig it up so I could share it with you all tonight.” You looked around the VIP section until your eyes landed on Tom. His heart sped up as you shot him a smile and he sent you a small wave. 

That first night we were standing at your door Fumbling for your keys, then I kissed you Ask me if I want to come inside 'Cause we didn't want to end the night Then you took my hand, and I followed you

He remembers the lyrics to this song vaguely. You wrote this song for him. You would spend hours with your guitar on the couch humming along to lyrics you came up with. You had performed it for him once, when you finished it. He remembers the smile on your face as you sang to him and the blush that spread across your cheeks as he got emotional listening to you sing. 

Yeah, I see us in black and white Crystal clear on a star lit night In all your gorgeous colors I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life See me standing in my dress Swear in front of all our friends There'll never be another I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life

This is the song I’m dedicating to you on my album. We’re gonna tell the whole world about us, Tommy. I want everyone to know how much I love you. This is how I want to do it, is what you told him when you set your guitar down after you finished singing the song. He told you he was finally ready to tell the world about your relationship. It had been over a year already, and he was getting tired of sneaking around. He was ready to show you off to everyone. 

Now, we're sitting here in your living room Telling stories while we share a drink or two And there's a vision I've been holding in my mind We're 65 and you ask "When did I first know?" I always knew

You always knew Tom was it for you. Even after the breakup, you knew you’d never love anyone the way you love him. Even after meeting Harry and falling into his arms and into his bed, you both were aware of the deep love you still had for Tom. You thanked him for those intimate moments you had with each other and swore it never had to come up again. He stuck by your side and helped you heal from the heartbreak. The friendships you developed with him and his band were the reason you managed to stay afloat and allowed yourself to enjoy life again. 

Yeah, I see us in black and white Crystal clear on a star lit night In all your gorgeous colors I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life See me standing in my dress Swear in front of all our friends There'll never be another I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life

The fans could sense the emotion through your words and stayed silent as your voice filled every corner of the arena. Flashlights were out and hands were in the air as they moved in sync with the people around them. Tom could feel the eyes of your friends burning into his skin as he kept his eyes glued to you. All he wanted to do was jump on stage and tell you everything he wished he could’ve told you after you ran out of his house. He reached out to you handfuls of times after the breakup, wanting to apologize to you and to try and fix what he had broken. 

I want the world to witness When we finally say I do It's the way you love I gotta give it back to you I can't promise picket fences Or sunny afternoons But, at night when I close my eyes

Your silence spoke volumes to him. You never returned any of his texts or his calls. The only thing he had heard from you was a message that had been passed onto him by a mutual friend. Y/N said she needs to find out who she is without you. She said that maybe one day your paths will cross again and maybe take another shot at it, but for now she wants to be alone and hopes you understand why. She also wanted me to tell you that she’s never going to stop loving you and if you find someone who makes you happy, she hopes you’ll love them the way you did her. I’m sorry, Tom. I wish I could’ve passed along a better message. Take care of yourself.  

I see us in black and white Crystal clear on a star lit night There'll never be another I promise that I'll love ya

Your eyes scanned the crowd and you watched them as they felt every word of what you were singing. You continued your scan to the VIP area and smiled as you saw your friends and they blew kisses to you. Tom’s gaze never broke even as you met his eyes. He felt the emotion bubbling in his gut as he continued to listen and watch you. Your eyes never left his as you kept singing. 

I see us in black and white Crystal clear on a star lit night In all your gorgeous colors I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life See me standing in my dress Swear in front of all our friends There'll never be another I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life

He mouthed the words with you as you sang them so powerfully. He let a few tears fall and wiped them away. Your voice wavered a bit as you started to get emotional as well and the crowd heard the slight dip in your voice. Some fans followed your gaze that landed on Tom and went crazy as they saw him in a similar state as you. A few noticed him mouthing the words to the song you had said you only performed for one person. You smirked as you watched the handful of fans put the pieces together and whisper to the people around them. You winked at Tom and he blew you a kiss. 

There'll never be another I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life

[theheavenlymoon]

I totally did this out of order, so let’s try this again!

I would like you to meet Uzuki Hanako! (うづき- Uzuki はなこ- Hanako)

(My first introduction was a hot mess, so I wanted re edit that one and put up this one instead!)

(I can’t draw for crap so I’m using picrew.)

This will basically be me talking about her rather than all the fandoms she’s in. I’m gonna be making post about her and the fandoms later, but for now it’s all about her!

First Name: Hanako

Last Name: Uzuki

Gender: Female

Race: Demigod

Age: ??? (Depending on the fandom, her age changes)

Birthday: December 27

Zodiac: Capricorn

Height: 6’3.3

Sexuality: Bisexual

JP CV: Ami Koshimizu

ENG CV: Amanda Céline Miller

FRENCH CV: Indila

(Couldn’t find a Greek CV 😔)

Nicknames: Shachi-chan (Floyd), Child of Hearth (Malleus), Ms.Herbivore (Leona), Princess, Wifey (Gojo)

Favorite food: Cheesecake, literally anything sweet

Least favorite food: Hummus, mushrooms, candy, and beans

Likes: family/friends, cooking, singing really loud to her music, working out, making clothes, nail polish, memes/vines, rain/cloudy weather, animals, purple, doing anything around the house, video games, anime, fictional books, roughhousing, and day dreaming about her crush/significant other

Dislikes: Fights between friends and family, Candy, crying in front of people, and bookshelves

Since I can’t draw I have to use picrew, but sadly some of the makers that I find have limited options so allow me to go into detail about her looks. (I’ll probably make another post about her abilities later)

Hanako has bright gold eyes and long lavender hair that goes all the way down to her mid thigh. She has two beauty marks, one under her right eye and one on the left side of her lip. Her signature hair style is space buns with the rest of her hair down in the back. Like I’ve said before, I can’t draw so I’m using characters I know as reference! This is what her body looks like.

(^ This is Flare, a character from fairy tail! I recommend watching it if you have time. Fairy tail is a very long series, but it’s really good!)

(I’m pretty sure you can look at almost all the women in Fairy tail and get the idea.)

Obviously I know that Hestia doesn’t have any demigod kids but demigods don’t have to be born the normal way. Hanako was born from fire and was given to her father. With that being said, when Hana was first claimed she was given a fire place poker but traded it in for a sword so she it could help control her pyrokinesis. (Her sword is disguised as a charm bracelet!)

As for her sword...

Hana’s sword helps her control her pyrokinesis a little better and it’s fun to try and see who can pick it up. Her sword can reach up to about 2000°F (1093°C). She has a few special moves but those are for another time.

Although Hana acts like her mom in some moments, she met Apollo and Hermes when she was quite young and those two have had a big impression on her personality. One moment she giving motherly advice, and the next moment she screaming vines across the room.

Random facts about Hanako 🌸✨

Since Hana means flower I use cherry blossoms and lavender to represent her.

Has a huge soft spot for children!

Hanako is super understanding and open. Wanna try something new? She’ll come with you, so you aren’t lonely and scared. Skydiving? What time are we leaving? Want to be left alone? Call her if you need something! Wanna try working out? She’ll be your personal trainer! Feeling down? She’s coming over with movies and snacks! Can’t make it to game night? It’s alright just be safe with whatever your doing!

Once Hanako falls, she falls hard.(Romantically speaking) She is a SIMP. She’ll wear the most giddiest smile after talking with them. Probably screamed in her pillows at least a few times. “They make my heart beat so fast, and they make me feel like the happiest girl in the world!!” - Hanako.

Attempts her best not to be obvious about her crush, and for the most part it works. Until anything other than platonic stuff comes up. Her face is gonna turn crimson if ANYONE mentions her crush in not so platonic ways, gods forbid anything even more intimate. Children of Hestia are so shy when the idea of sexual things is even bought up that they blush deeply and cannot articulate any coherent words, and any fire nearby also turns crimson as if it were blushing like the child of Hestia. This shyness is amplified if they are around their crush.

Gets kind of anxious when she’s beside a bookshelf.

She’s a smart ass. It’s gotten to the point where she does it automatically. It doesn’t even have time to process, it just comes out.

Hana is actually really good at acting and singing. She was in a few commercials and videos when she was younger but only as background characters.

Hana is amazing with kids. She grew up with 3 little brothers before she was moved into the orphanage, which meant even more kids to watch over. (she takes her big sister role very seriously)

Since she was born from fire, she can raise her body temperature up if she wanted too, and she rarely gets hot or cold. Heat based attack have no effect on her. Hana’s hugs feel like a warm blanket wrapped around you while sitting next to a fireplace, all in all just really comforting

Hana grew up around a lot of guys and so she calls everyone ‘bro’ and ‘dude’ a lot. She has a few friends who are girls but most of them are guys. That being said, she grew up rough housing and yelling.

Hana also comes from a very affectionate family. (Hugs, kisses, feeding food to each other, smashing food into someone’s face, etc.) So it’s not uncommon to see Hana tackle all of her friends into hugs and kisses.(platonically)

Hana also likes to tease a lot (curtsy of Hermes) so don’t be surprised when she tease about you burning food.

Is super flexible. I’m talking like, Mitsuri flexible. Her friends have at least saw her in the scorpion pose a few times. The more flexible she is, the easier it is to move in battle.

The woman is a tree. I’m pretty sure all of her lovers (with the exception of Gojo) are shorter than her.

She can not, for the life of her, wear heels. Anything above a 3 inch that isn’t thick, would make her snap an ankle. Besides she’s already tall enough

In terms of anger, Hana has the patience of a saint. She still gets annoyed here and there, but very rarely does she get genuinely angry. On the rare occasion that she is angry, she gets pretty violent. Veins showing from her forehead, her body temperature spikes, and she wears one of the most nastiest glare ever. (from what she’s been told) Only a select few have seen her mad.

When thrown into a new situation (or a new world-) that isn’t familiar, Hana will come off a bit sarcastic (more than usual) and aloof. She wants to get a feel for her surroundings before she can actually be herself. Give her some time to come around and she’ll be back to hyper and happy.

Hana has a bunch of hobbies. She plays volleyball and is known as the queen of the court. She loves to paint her fingernails and her toes as well. Her cooking is top tier! As a Hestia child obviously she would excel at anything that has to do with domestic and home type things.

She 100% would/will make her own dress. Once made a huge ball gown dress because none of the place had what she was looking for.

When she isn’t doing any of her hobbies she’s working out and practicing her pyrokinesis. Hana trained a lot back where she was from, so she could master her pyrokinesis and her sword. She’s gotten to the point where she can lift a car. Just because she’s in a different place doesn’t give her the excuse to slack off!!

Ironically her mother is a virginal goddess and isn’t married to anyone. Hana on the other hand, wants to get married and have kids. She shooting for 4 but it all depends on what her partner wants. (2,6,8 it just depends)

Hestia children can induce serenity and make tense situations a lot more calmer. Hanako has defeated a lot of enemies and monsters this way.

Hanako knows 4 different languages. English, Japanese, Greek, and French. She was taught Japanese by her father and Greek by her mother. She learned French and English herself

Even though Hana loves to do girly things, makeup is not one of them. She always thought it was pretty cool but she never had the time to sit down and practice it.

Thank you for reading✨ I had a lot of fun making this and I can’t wait to write more stuff about her! I’ll probably have to learn how to make a master post so her stuff is easier to access. If you have any questions about Hana my inbox is open, or you can message me in private, either way works!

I hope you stick around for more content with Hanako! 🌸🔥✨

[littleeyesofpallas]

Bleach - Name Games

Not a family by name or blood, but a kind of found family. (at least the way they were originally presented)  This time I’m tackling the Visored! And while I’m at it I want to address some of the broader thematic elements going on with their original character designs.  Buckle up, this is a long one... 

Hirako(平子) Shinji(真子)

Shinji’s name is actually kinda of a false start to this one.  His names read as “Flat-Child“ and “Real-Child“ but that’s keeping in mind that -ko(子) for “child” is actually just a really common suffix for names, and not one generally used to ascribe literal meaning.  (Typically because of its diminutive implications it denotes a female given name, but it applies neutrally to family names, and even generally is not uncommon in male names.)  So his name kind reads as “Flat Reality“ or “Flat Truth.“

But this one isn’t actually about the meaning of the words, it’s a different kind of name game.  As we all remember, when Hirako introduces himself to Ichigo’s class at Karakura High during his original entrance at the start of the Arrancar Arc, he writes his name on the board mirrored and mentions how he’s “good at doing things backwards.”  At the time it was a reference to him being a hollow (Remember that when Ichigo’s inner hollow was given a chapter cover, his “name” was Ichigo’s but written mirrored) and would later influence his zanpakutou, Sakanade(逆撫)

As an aside here, Sakanade(逆撫) has been kind of erroneously translated as “counter stroke” in English, which is technically accurate as a literal translation but is kind of needlessly vague; For one the word “Stroke” here specifically refers to the act of stroking as in petting, patting, or smoothing over, and not something like a sword stroke; secondly the “counter” here should read more obviously as “reverse,” “opposite,” or “inverted.”

Moreover, Sakanade(逆撫で) is an actual verb already, so it doesn’t actually need to be broken down in the first place.  The word actually means exactly what it sounds like as well as having a colloquial use as, “rub the wrong way.”  Yes, other than just meaning to literally “pet in the opposite direction” (as with petting a cat or dog from tail to head) it means “to irritate” or “to annoy,” (which the former action invariably does) and that is an apt description of Sakanade’s powers.

Anyway...  About Hirako’s name not being about the meaning: the joke is that whether you write the name forward or backwards 平子真子 -vs-  子真子平, you still get Shinji(真子) out of it.  As in, his name is still legible both forwards and backwards.  Plus both kanji, 平 and 真 have horizontal symmetry, so they don’t change when mirrored..

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Okay... let’s do an easier one...

Sarugaki(猿柿) Hiyori(ひよ里)

My personal favorite Visored, has a nice straight forward name Saru(猿) as I’m sure anyone amply familiar with anime knows means “Monkey” and the Gaki(柿) is the word for the fruit “Persimmon.”  The image of a monkey in a persimmon tree references an old folktale present in various east-asian cultures about a greedy monkey who cheats other animals before eventually receiving its comeuppance at the hands of the animals it has wronged.  In this case it’s reflective of Hiyori’s general image, sandles, track suit, decidedly tomboyish and unladylike; the “mountain monkey” is a poor, rural character type in Japan, not dissimilar to the American hillbilly of the Appalachia.

In that same vein, the name Hiyori(ひよ里) has a peculiar rural slant to it, in that it uses hiragana in place of the first component.  The ri(里) is a common place indicator in surnames meaning “village” or “hamlet” but like many Japanese surnames that reference landmarks like -kawa(川)“-river,” “-yama”(山)-mountain,” and “-da”(田)”-field,” the important part isn’t actually the locale but the descriptor preceding it; Which mountain?  Which river?  Which field?  Which village?  In the case of Hiyori, it’s not clear...  The fact that the village she appears to be named after doesn’t have a kanji again lends to this impression that, like the peasants of Soul Society’s Rukongai, the person who named her didn’t know how to read or write kanji.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ 

Muguruma(六車) Kensei(拳西)

I think this one has gotten pretty good visibility in the fandom already because of the relation with Hisagi Shuuhei.  The eventual explanation of Hisagi’s 69 tattoo would be that it was copied directly from Kensei’s, and that Kensei’s comes from a mix of his name Muguruma, and the fact that he was captain of the Gotei 13’s 9th squad. (Personally I don’t like this explanation, and I think there’s pretty reasonable cause to assume this was a later decision and not a part of Kensei’s original conception or design.)  But the reason behind that being Muguruma(六車) Mu(六) which is the Japanese numeral “6″ and Guruma(車) meaning “wagon” and later updated to mean “car.”  In the Turn Back the Pendulum sidestory, this name is played upon in how Kubo styled Kensei’s 9th squad as a Bousouzoku(暴走族) the term for a Japanese biker gang (although they often include sports cars), where the “Six Car” reading becomes emblematic of his gang.

There’s a lot about the Bousouzoku that is culturally specific to Japan, but much of the familiar American cliches do actually carry over.  One distinct aspect of how the Bousouzoku opperate however, is that they are predominantly a youth culture phenomenon, as any wide spread, organized criminal activity among adults quickly steps on the toes of the much better established Yakuza scene.  For this reason it is very rare for Bousouzoku to persist in direct group activity into their adult years, although often bikers become easy recruitment targets for Yakuza.

Kensei(拳西) is actually an odd one for me.  It’s both super straight forward yet somehow together really obtuse.  Ken(拳) for “Fist” and sei(西) for “West;“ both are pretty singular in their meaning, so it’s not like there’s any uncertainty to what each one means, but I can’t make heads or tails of the two together.  For one,  Ken(拳) is usually something you’d see put on the end of a compound, and when it’s used that way it tends to denote a kind of martial arts style or technique.  It might still be meant to read as “Western Fist” or essentially “Western [style] Fist” and Kubo just liked the sound of Kensei over Seiken.  It might be a reference to the fact that Kensei’s original design was largely reminiscent of a kind of military look and feel, with a combat knife for a zanpakutou, short hair, combat boots, and pants that look like they could be part of military fatigues. (the tank top sorta throws the look off, though.)  But this was a theme that was dropped by the time the Visored got reincorporated into the story after their long absence.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Yadoumaru(矢胴丸) Risa(リサ)

...is another odd one.  Her surname, Yadoumaru(矢胴丸)  has pretty clear implications, Ya(矢) means “arrow” and dou(胴) means “hull” as in the part of a ship, and maru(丸) doesn’t actually have an explicit meaning.  The kanji does generally mean “round” or “whole” both in reference to a circle, but it is most notably a suffix used in naming both naval ships, and frequently boys.  Given the rest of the name the imagery seems clear, Yadoumaru(矢胴丸) is meant to read as “Arrow-Hull Ship.“*  And although the uniform has heavy ties to school girl aesthetics and fetishism (which in turn link to her preoccupation with adult books) the tie here actually seems to be to the origins of the Japanese school girl uniform as a modification of the European naval uniforms introduced to Japan in the 1800s.

*edit: I’m an idiot.  A Yadou(胴丸) is the sleeveless chest plate and skirt piece in traditional samurai armor, which also carries over into kendo sports armor.

Adding to this, the name RISA (sometimes romanized as LISA) being written in katakana and not kanji or even hiragana works together with the naval associations would seem to imply she’s of mixed birth?  Possibly the daughter of a foreign naval officer stationed in Japan, hence a Western name and a ship as a surname?  In fact, most Japanese ships would be named after some mythical figure or indeed named like a person, so the literal descriptor of “Arrow-hull” actually sounds like what someone would call a ship they didn’t know the name of, tacking “-maru” on to the end.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Let me also take a moment here to complain about the fact that Kubo originally wrote Rabu(ラヴ) and Roozu(ローズ) as katakana, pretty clearly denoting them as the English words LOVE and ROSE and while those seem pretty implicitly like nicknames it also implied in conjunction with their designs that they were both foreigners.  So the fact that he retconned them to being nicknames based on more conventionally Japanese when he decided to make them previously SoulSociety shinigami names bugs me...  But that being said

Aikawa(愛川) Rabu(羅武)

Man, what is it with Kubo and black people and “love” gimmicks?  Zomarri’s Amor, and PePe’s The Love, Love’s whole thing...  The name Aikawa(愛川) means “Love River,” and Kubo’s clever shorehorning of kanji into the phonetics for Rabu that he’d already used for the nickname Love use  Ra(羅) for “silk,” but specifically a thin or sheer kind, and bu(武) for “warrior”/”soldier.“  The associations with sheer silk and negligee seem very intentional, so his name really is basically “flowing love, [sexy] silk soldier.“  And that’s it, it’s actually super straight forward.  I dunno why he looks like an unemployed slacker, in a tracksuit and sneakers, lounging around reading manga, though.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Otouribashi(鳳橋) Roujuurou(楼十郎)

This might be my favorite as far as name games within the Visored.  The given name Roujuurou(楼十郎) means “Watchertower 10 Son;” Rou(郎) being an exceedingly common suffix in boys names meaning “son.” (this is incidentally how anyone with a rudimentary familiarity with Japanese knew for certain Yuushirou(四楓院) was a boy at first glance, where as a bunch of other people thought he was a girl.  In case any of you were around certain fandom circles for that whole drama...  More on him later though, because he’s got a fun name too.)  It’s not super clear if the arrangement here denotes the “Son of the 10th Watchtower [family],” or the “10th Son of the Watchtower [family].”

The surname Otouribashi(鳳橋) is a great little work of poeticism, where Outouri(鳳) is the Japanese name of the Chinese Feng(鳳) which in the most colloquial sense could be translated as “Phoenix,” but there’s a little more to it than that...

See, the Feng is itself the male half of the mated pair of mythical birds together called the Feng-Huang(鳳凰).  The Japanese pronunciation Outori is actually directly taken from Ou(王) meaning “King” and Tori(鳥) meaning “bird.”  The mythical Feng-huang is in fact king of birds, but more broadly represents a union of yin and yang, and is a common visual element of Chinese weddings evoking harmony.  As a part of this theme of unity it is said to share features of many different birds, and also of the 5 fundamentally opposed colors associated with Chinese daoism and fengshui: Red, Blue/Green, Black, White, and Yellow.  This particular feature has been tweaked over time to depict the Feng-huang as more broadly multicolored, and associated with the rainbow.  (it’s also the basis of the Pokemon Ho-oh, if that wasn’t apparent)  For a number of different mythological similarities, the Feng-huang have become erroneously thought of as “the Chinese phoenix,” but I’m not going to get into all that here...

So, getting back to the name, Bashi(橋) means “Bridge.”  The, again false equivalence based, but more easily understood translation of Otouribashi(鳳橋) thus being “Phoenix Bridge.”  But what is shaped like a bridge and directly associated with the Feng?  A rainbow.  His family name is just a really fanciful and kind of poetic reference to a rainbow.  In conjunction with the “Watchtower” referenced in the name Roujuurou(楼十郎) I’m tempted to take to the meaning of “10th [Floor of the] Watchtower Son” as it implies a high floor, and in the common mythological motif of rainbows as actual physical structures, a high tower would be the sensible entry point to a rainbow bridge. 

Also this is why he has a bird mask.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Kuna(久南) Mashiro(白)

Let me just come right out and say that I haven’t got a damn clue on this one.  Mashiro(白) means “White.” Ku(久) means “long time,” na(南) means “South.”  She dresses like a super sentai character, specifically one of the original Himitsu Sentei Goranger team, and her mask is a nod to Kamen Rider, with its antenna and big round bug-eyes.  I don’t really see a connection with the name and the tokusatsu theme though.

Small aside, Tokusatsu is a genre of Japanese TV and film that was originally named for its emphasis on special effects like camera tricks and editing in post, used most noticeably in children’s shows like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider.  That distinction became less and less relevant as special effects became more widespread, and so it is now used mostly to refer to live-action costumed super hero shows.

Super Sentai is btw the source material for the American franchise, Power Rangers, from which Saban Entertainment originally bought the footage that they would cut together with their own original footage, and later from which they would buy the costumes in order to shoot their own shows from scratch.

Also of note is that Ishinomori Shoutarou, author of the original Cyborg 009, was also the original show creator of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.  His work created the transforming(henshin) hero, the body suit and helmet aesthetic, and the heroic billowing scarf, effectively inventing the Japanese superhero almost single-handed.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Ushouda(有昭田) Hachigen(鉢玄)  

Another funky one...  “[To] Exist [in] a Shining Field” might be the best way to read Ushouda(有昭田)?  Its really the U(有) that gives me trouble here, as it just means “Exist”/”Existance.”  And Hachigen(鉢玄) seems to read Hachi(鉢) meaning “bowl” and Gen(玄) meaning “deep,” “mysterious” and in certain contexts “occult.”  I’m not sure if that “deep” is really a physical deepness or just a sort of “profoundness” that would fall more in line with “mysterious” and “occult.”

Either way I think the general meaning is actually pretty clear, “bowls of rice from a shining field” evoke an image of kind of mythical field of magical produce, eating from which grants a kind of magical quality and sustenance.  In other words, his name is saying that Hachi is such a huge guy and so gifted at magic because he ate a lot of food that grants magic power.

I have no idea why he has the tux or the shaved hair though.  Stage magician?  Fancy gourmand?  But again then why the shaved head and the cross bones?  And Kubo did eventually come up with for him is strangely Balinese looking?  It seems reminiscent of Barong, king of spirits; A benevolent lion/bear monster that defends mankind from Rangda, the demon queen and master of blackmagic.  But apart from the superficial appearance and broad ties to magic, there’s not a lot really tying the two together.

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

It’s hard not to just go off on all the weird little design choices, and loose ends, dropped plot points, and retcon’d details that surround the Visored in Bleach.  They really were just such a great concept utterly wasted by terrible pacing and some truly confusing priorities as far as publication goes, eithe ron Kubo’s part, editorial, or both...  But that’s a story for another time...

[spyoikawa]

Hihi! I'm alive! Battling this history competition, but I'll make it!

So let's jump back into these requests starting with, @wakatoshiswife

(sorry I lost the request so I'll copy/paste below the line break!)

(and I am once again on a different electronic, so sorry if this looks different, I will format it to look correct later)

Request: Hello! I saw that you’re doing matchups for valentines! I’d like to request for one too if that is okay :) I’d like to matched up with a guy please...I’m a 160cm girl, ISTJ/ESTJ (I’m an ambivert), my enneagram is type 8. My zodiac sign is cancer. I have black curly hair (type 3B hair) and my eye colour is brown. At first glance, people often think I’m mean bcs I have really think eyebrows and I have a resting b face. However once you get to know me, I’m pretty fun. My hobbies are gaming, baking and editing. The characters I kin are Sakurajima Mai, Light Yagami & Osamu Miya. I enjoy working out as well! Especially jogging on a cold morning/evening. I love watching formula 1 and I would watch football if it means getting to bond with my partner/friends. I play any sports but I like volleyball and badminton the most. I also enjoy cooking Asian cuisine as I am asian, I’m a mixed Persian-Indian. My favourite weather is Autumn as it matches my aesthetic and overall aura and vibe. My favourite colour is red as if I were to be a colour based off my personality, I’d be red. Although I look best in nudes, black, white and purple...I also have the best music taste ever. I’m the chill friend in the whole group. I am very very laidback, in fact I can be a little too laidback at times but it’s nothing bad, I know when too loosen up and when to get serious, hence this is why I’m often (almost every time) a leader. I’m quite the procrastinator and the last minute person but I always know what I’m doing so its all good. I’m confident in what I do and I stand strong for what I believe in. Words, will not hurt me unless it’s said by directed to an insecurity of mine. I hate losing. I’m that one competitive friend that hates losing but I never go too much yk. I’m pretty chill when it comes to competition, that meaning, I don’t show how competitive I am. I have a blank face as I’m competing with others. I always strive to win even if it means winning in a ridiculous way, however I won’t drag it too much as I hate when a small problem gets really really big bcs people keep making it big although it’s just a minor problem (I’m so sorry if you don’t understand T^T). I’m kind, polite and pretty mature but not too mature as I don’t want my adolescent to go to waste. Therefore I try my best to loosen and up and relax! If I were to go on an outing with my friends and they’re being noisy and loud in public, instead of telling them to quiet down, I’ll leave them there so I don’t get embarrassed 🗿. I hate creating a scene in public. I’m not a fan of popularity unless it’s for a good cause. Therefore, I’m a private person with around 15 people in my circle and I enjoy it this way :) I’m also very passionate in what I do. I’m very ambitious and my hogwarts house is syltherin. I know what I’m doing as for now and I love to plan ahead so it won’t be chaotic. I’m 100% a leader and my personality is very dominant. However when it comes to relationships, I’m 100% the submissive (or switch? I’m not sure) one bcs I am very shy to actually initiate anything. My preference in a partner is someone who’s dominant and he wouldn’t mind losing for me. If I were to be an animal, I’d be a wolf or a tiger but as for my partner, I’d like him to be a wolf or a lion but deep down he’s just a bear 🥰. I also prefer guys who aren’t loud, like quiet guys but not too quiet. Ones who talk when they need to, as I’m not rly fond of people who talk a lot a lot. It can be quite annoying and I’ll probably end up accidentally hurting them. I’m so sorry if this is too long bcs I think I went overboard. Thank you so much and have a nice day :D

Alright, thank you so much for this request, and thank you for being patient with me! I'm glad I got a nice long request to get back into the jist of things! And I never like to assume, but I feel like I've been bugging you, so I'm gonna assume you were requesting tulips-

anyhoo, without further ado (lol that rhymes)

Rion's Flower Shop! Today we have Tulips! I match you up with

Kuroo Tetsuro

relationship dynamic

- its actually quite nice! A perfect balance of similarities and opposites!

- and those said opposites are harmonious!

- you guys are both admirable leaders in your own way, and can often cooperate together, and despite different approaches, reach the same goal

- both of you are really confident in your talents and areas and you use that a lot to your advantages

- he's lowkey scared of your poker face but will never admit it

- despite this, the little perks and habits the two of you have are quite amusing

- he still struggles to see how tf you get work done when you procrastinate so much, but is honestly amazed by it

- and the competitiveness you share drive the 2 of you to keep moving forward

- it's always nice to have someone supportive of you (and you 2 are, don't get me wrong) but it's also nice to have some friendly banter and competition, whether it be over music, which teams are better, opinions, which food type is best, etc.

- it keeps you two on your toes

- and (as I mentioned earlier), although the two of you can keep going back and forth, you can also lean on each other, and trust one another for support.

- he can count on you to show up to some of his games and you can count on him to have your back you want to try something new or show him your hobbies

- you guys are also there emotionally, he will always be there watching your back, and cheering you up or proving people wrong after particularly harsh, uncalled for comments, because he knows how you really are and that those people are talking bs :)

- and you do the same for him, to cheer him up, let him know he's a good captain and friend. And although he doesn't show it as much when he's older, he still gets nervous in social situations and he can count on you to be a constant in new areas

What you guys do together/ What's it like with them

- this can either be the most fun relationship or the most comforting, laid back one ever!

- and honestly both are good choices

- neither of you really want to lose your childhood, cause you only get it once

- so it's not uncommon to try out new hobbies or experience new things together to make the most of this time you have

- there are a lot of firsts with him because of that

- he doesn't mind having fun out in public, like that's the point of going out to him, but he also agrees with not wanting to cause trouble, one) that shit's embarrassing 2) he knows it'll make you, himself, and others uncomfortable, so there's really no need to do something uncalled for

- however, despite all the fun of childhood, it's also good to have calm, quiet moments in certain relationships, such as this one

- he doesn't mind, and actually quite enjoys indoor dates, like studying together or watching your favorite movies/shows

- that gives him a chance to be and focus on you only, and maybe get to know you better

- no matter what you do, you two have a silent understanding of what you enjoy, don't enjoy, and what each others needs and wants are

- and he also understands how you might not like to initiate things, he can understand to a degree

- for a while it's a matter of who will make the first move, but once he gets comfortable, he won't mind initiating it for you :D

What they like about you

- he likes your overall personality tbh

- how you can be so laid back yet confident at the same time

- yet also sweet and nice to others

- it's a nice mixture where he doesn't need to force his personality out and express everything that comes his way, but he also doesn't need to shrink to avoid overwhelming you

- and although he likes to take the charge, he likes that you can be dominant at times too, sometimes he'd rather just leave things to you, because he knows he'll like what you like

- it also feels easy for him to talk to you

- he doesn't know why but he finds himself expressing his opinions and sharing things he'd usually keep guarded with you, because he trusts you enough to understand and not share with others

- overall, its the understanding for him :)

- and he's taking this to the grave, but he's also a firm believer that slytherins should stick together

alrighty, to be completely honest, idk how I did on this one, so please, if you did not like the style of writing or the character I matched you up with, please let me know! I will gladly rewrite it for you!

[gunmaestro]

My Problems with Bungou Stray Dogs.

I want to preface this by saying that Bungou Stray Dogs is my favorite animanga. I’m not trying to tell Asagiri how to write the story and I’m not saying these things make it a bad concept--I just wanted to share my criticisms about the show and manga. These things absolutely don’t ruin it for me, and most of them are about the anime only anyway. Note that this list will NOT include the Tanizaki siblings although I do have a problem with their relationship because I’m focusing mostly on storytelling and character analysis. But without further ado, I’ll get into my first criticism. This one, my biggest problem with the series, will be above the cut, but the rest will be under it for length.

Dazai Osamu.

Given that Dazai as an author is a very significant presence in Japan, it’s understandable that he would play a large role in a series based largely upon Japanese authors. The fact that he has a large role is not the reason I dislike him--in fact, he’s been getting a lot less screentime in the manga recently. The reason I view Dazai as a problem with Bungou Stray Dogs is because of his mental prowess which borders on omnipotence.

It shouldn’t come to a surprise that Dazai would play a role in every major arc, given that he’s a main character and all. However, it’s very frustrating and almost boring to have arc after arc resolved because of Dazai. It’s even more frustrating when it’s implied that everything our protagonists do has already been specifically calculated by Dazai, as if their actions are not their own. Having an overpowered character like him makes the narrative seem boring.

At the time of this being written, the manga is in the middle of its arc with the Hunting Dogs and the Decay of Angels. I’m not sure if this is just me, but because of the characters (Ango, Atsushi, Dazai himself) admitting that Dazai had planned for certain events all along, I feel almost no stakes for the arc as a whole. It’s very hard to feel suspense whilst getting constant reminders that everything bad happening is all according to Dazai’s plan. I won’t even bother going into the dick measuring contest between him and Fyodor, either, because I’m sure we all know how that sort of thing can get annoying very quickly in stories.

Dazai being the super genius he is also weakens other characters around him. A striking example of this is Edogawa Ranpo, a character whom I have no problems with at all, speaking in terms of characterization. Ranpo’s entire character hinges on the fact that he is a brilliant detective and the smartest person in the agency--and to people like gifted kids, he’s a very relatable character. It greatly diminishes the quality of Ranpo’s character to introduce the idea that there are characters who know more than him; though Dazai has admitted to not being as smart as Ranpo, the narrative does not reflect this statement. Ranpo as a character works because there is grounds to his bragging--take away his status as the smartest in the series and he becomes nothing.

Similarly, Dazai negatively impacts the characters of Atsushi and Akutagawa. They’re two very interesting characters, but part of the reason they seem to fall flat to me is that they only ever act together when forced into it by Dazai. In fact, it feels like every single character on the side of good in this story would be helpless without Dazai there to guide them--and that makes them far less impactful characters.

Unresolved Plotlines and Bad Math.

Maybe I’m being nitpicky, and I didn’t mind this at first, but there are a lot of cliffhangers and inconsistencies throughout the story. Examples of the latter are easy to come by--Kunikida was initially stated to be a math teacher before joining the ADA, despite being only 22 at the present time in canon. Fitzgerald’s daughter would have been at most 14 at present assuming she was born when Fitzgerald was 18, which is hardly old enough for her to be sent to a boarding school in ANOTHER COUNTRY. These are small, but they somewhat decrease the quality of the story when questioned.

The unresolved plotlines and cliffhangers have a much bigger impact on the story during a time where it is still being released one chapter a month. John Steinbeck’s return has not yet come after two full arcs, despite it being teased by his appearance during Fitzgerald’s return. Going back further, we’ve seen astonishingly little of Agatha Christie--even though she was introduced around the same time as Fyodor.

In smaller cases, there’s the fact that we didn’t get to see what happened with Yosano, we don’t know where Akutagawa is at this point in the narrative, and we weren’t told what happened with the truck containing Margaret. These are small things that won’t be as annoying to read back on once they’re resolved, but having a story set up where everything is left open after every chapter is very disengaging for readers who just want to know what’s going on.

The Anime.

I know what I said at the beginning. The truth is, though, that there’s so much about the anime adaptation that bothers me that I have to summarize it by just saying the anime as a whole bothers me. I’m also aware that it’s very uncommon for mangas to get a perfect, spot-on anime adaptation.. but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a problem with it.

Here’s a speedround of things I don’t enjoy about the anime.

The art style. I’m sure we’re all very tired of the fish-eye lenses, and the weird smiles they’ve incorporated from Dead Apple. This being said, there are times when it looks good, but that doesn’t help the fact that I actually physically cringe whenever there’s a character who’s afraid or overly cocky making a facial expression that reflects this emotion.

The focus on certain characters (Dazai). I’m among the group of people that wanted untold stories to be animated this season instead of Fifteen, because it would have fit better with the plot of the season. The fact that the anime chose Fifteen was a good decision for drawing more attention to the show, since the fans of Chuuya and Dazai are in the majority, but it fits very poorly with the rest of the season. In fact, sorry for the spoiler, but Dazai and Chuuya aren’t even shown interacting in the main season, whereas Fukuzawa plays a major role in the cannibalism arc and Ranpo was visibly shown to have an important connection with him.

The tone. There’s not much to say, here. The anime takes everything very seriously, and one of my favorite parts of the manga are its humorous lines.

The humor. Speaking of humorous lines, they’re always said in a very obnovious way in the anime that makes it seem like they’re trying too hard. This is an opinion rather than an analysis.

The left-out details. Though the conversation between Fyodor and Agatha was not very important to the plot and nor was Steinbeck’s removed appearance in season 3, they both served as teasers for future arcs, and removing them shouldn’t have been completely necessary. 

The changes to characters. The Guild is a particular victim of this particular point. Whereas the characters in this organization don’t come off as a completely serious group of people in the manga, they sure do in the anime. Logically, I can understand why this would be done--they’re the arc’s antagonists, and they’re more intimidating if they aren’t funny. But it completely changes some of their characters if you remove certain aspects of their personality.

The Fandom.

It goes without saying that no fandom is perfect, and a lot of them aren’t even good. The Bungou Stray Dogs fandom comprises mostly of s/skk fans, which is unsurprising, but what makes me compelled to put the fandom on a list of my problems with the show itself is how much they completely warp the characters of Dazai and Chuuya.

I know I have a whole section explaining why I think Dazai is a major flaw of the series, but despite that I actually do find his character interesting, if a bit annoying with how big his presence is. I dislike the fandom’s interpretation of him, specifically the way he interacts with Chuuya. Did he not blow up Chuuya’s car? Did he not let Chuuya suffer for a few more seconds just because he thought it was funny? Did he not make Chuuya embarrass himself for no reason other than his own enjoyment? It’s very disheartening to see him portrayed as someone who would never betray Chuuya’s trust and who is completely devoted to Chuuya.

Speaking of Chuuya, he’s probably the fandom’s biggest offense in terms of making a character unlikable. In my particular case, the way the fandom treats him has driven me away from his character, which I actually do like. Because of how often I’ve seen the fandom treat him like nothing more than a blushing tsundere whose feelings for Dazai are soooo obvious, I’m impacted by these interpretations when I read the manga.

To Conclude + A List of Things I Don’t Mind

No, I don’t think the series is bad and I don’t think these listed things make it bad, but I’d be lying if I said they didn’t bother me. But since I’ve been nothing but negative, here’s a few things that bother most people but don’t bother me at all.

Mori Ougai. I don’t condone his behavior or “preferences”, but I do not believe he is a problem for the show. He is not supposed to be a good character and, as we see with his behavior towards Yosano, his actions are not portrayed as good. There is nothing wrong with the villain of a series being a p*dophile as long as it is not treated as something positive, which it is not.

Tachihara + The Hunting Dogs. This is a spoiler for the more recent chapters of the manga, but despite the lack of foreshadowing I am not bothered by Tachihara’s reveal as the fifth hunting dog. I also don’t care that the dogs are hunting the agency, because it makes sense, story-wise. The agency are technically international terrorists because of what was written in the book.

Lucy and her supposed crush. Romance is not the focus of the show and, likewise, Lucy’s “crush” on Atsushi is not put at the forefront of the plot. However, I have seen fans get annoyed by the fact that she seems to like him.

I’d like to thank everyone who read this for taking the time to do so. I’m not the most coherent with my thoughts and I’m bad at putting said thoughts into words, but I hope you liked the things I had to say.

[mrscullensrutherford]

OC Interview

My lovely Alvad sis, @oops-gingermoment tagged me in this, and since I have done very little writing lately, I’m throwing back to my original OC.

The rules: Answer the following questions as your OC of choice.

So, this is Scarlett Jean Trevelyan. I began writing her story ages ago and it is a story that is near and dear to my heart. I Didn’t Ask For This was based on a one-shot I wrote and then continued to grow. The fact that Spirit Healers didn’t exist in the world of the Inquisition bothered me. I couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be for Cullen to have someone like that around. (She is also my icon. Though, Scarlett’s hair is VERY long. Typically worn in a braided style, a la Katniss.)

1. What’s your name?

Depends on who you ask. Some call me Scar, others, the Herald, Inquisitor, Inky... I’m not one hundred percent sure anyone knows my name is actually Scarlett Jean Trevelyan. 

2. Do you know why you are named that?

I assume because my mother was feeling cheeky. (She runs her fingers through the long bangs that have fallen into her face as a gesture to her hair color.) Though, Jean was my mother’s name. 

3. Are you single or taken?

Oh, very much taken. (She takes the hand of her Commander. Her fingers play small circles over his exposed skin.)

4. Have any abilities or powers?

(She laughs and flips her hand over to reveal the mark. It glows green even in the brightly lit library.) Besides me being a mage of rather remarkable note, (the sarcasm is clear in her voice.) Let’s see... I can seal rifts. That’s something, I suppose. 

5. Stop being a Mary Sue.

Who is Mary Sue? And didn’t you just ask my name? That’s a new one. (She nudges Cullen’s side, “See, people call me anything but my actual name.” I sense a hint of embarrassment coming off of the Commander and smile when I realize this must be an inside joke of some sort.) 

6. What’s your eye color?

uhh, blue. (”Saphire,” the Commander intones. She rolls her eyes then turns back to me for the next question.)

7. How about your hair color?

Is there a point to this? Haven’t we covered this? My mother was being cheeky about my name... Red... Scarlet... Maker’s Breath.

8. Have any family members?

My family abandoned me just before the conclave. But, if I’m completely honest, I have found a new family. A better one. One that exists in my heart. (She smiles fondly at Cullen and then her eyes scan the nearby railing. I see a few familiar faces from the Inquisition and as she meets the eyes of her companions, they exchange smiles and nods.) 

9. Oh? How about any pets?

(Cullen cannot contain his laughter. Scarlett casts him an irritated glare.) As you know, Ferelden’s have a fondness for Mabari. I have yet to obtain one but that hasn’t stopped someone from going ga-ga every time someone brings one into the keep. And I guess you could say, my horse is a pet. Though, I don’t consider him such. He is my battle companion. He is treated well. 

10. That’s cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don’t like.

This interview... kidding... I really don’t care for fake people and false pretenses. 

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?

When I was in the Circle, my one major love was cooking. It’s rare that I get the chance to do it now and if I attempt, people act like I am committing some kind of sin. The Inquisitor surely has better things to do than to take on the job of a servant. (The sarcasm drips from her words.) Pish, that’s a load of... (Cullen clears his throat. Scarlett rolls her eyes but doesn’t finish her sentence.)

12. Have you hurt anyone in any way before?

What kind of question is that? I am the Inquisitor. I dole out justice on a daily basis.

13. Ever… killed anyone before?

Too many.

14. What kind of animal are you?

Uhh, what?

15. Name your worst habits?

I have trouble sleeping. Sometimes I wander the Keep in not enough clothing. This irritates some and gives people something to gossip about. I have never really been the modest sort, so I see no harm in wandering about in my night clothes. 

16. Do you look up to anyone at all?

My advisors. Cassandra, Dorian, Varric... All of my companions, really. They all have such a fire in them to see real change. It is inspiring to keep that level of company. 

17. Are you gay, straight or bisexual?

In the Circle, you will find that sexuality is fluid. We seek companionship above all else. There are some more traditional than others but for the most part, bisexuality is not that uncommon. For men or women. 

18. Do you go to school?

I was in the Circle for years. Most of my life has been schooling and education of some sort. And Solas and Vivienne have continued my education here at Skyhold. 

19. Ever want to marry and have any kids one day?

Of course, that is every Mage’s hope and dream for the future. We have been forbidden from such for so long. I am hoping to change that. 

20. Do you have any fangirls/fanboys?

Does Cullen count? (The Commander blushes again. She seems to enjoy making him do so.)

21. What are you most afraid of?

Fear is something I live with every day. I didn’t ask for this mark on my hand and we have yet to learn the extent of its power. I fear the coming days, Corypheus, the Red Templars, the Orlesean court. But fear keeps you on your toes, keeps you ready to face what is coming. There is no good solider, still alive, who doesn’t go into battle without fear. 

22. What do you usually wear?

My Inky jammies. (Cullen sniggers.) Mostly leggings and a tunic, but some people have referred to my wardrobe as too casual. I prefer to be comfortable. Though, I do miss my silk gowns from the circle but they are no longer practical. 

23. What one food tempts you?

Fish. I am from the Free-Marches where fish is abundant. In Skyhold, it seems to be somewhat of a delicacy. 

24. Am I annoying you?

If you were annoying me, I would simply leave. It’s nice to be asked inane and boring questions sometimes. Not many people ask me about myself anymore. It is usually people asking for something or asking about “the Herald of Andraste.”

25. Well, it’s still not over!

Well, let’s get to it it then, shall we?

26. What class are you (low/middle/high)?

I don’t know anymore. In my past, high born. I am the Inquisitor. I have rank and am leader of the Imquisition. What does that mean when this is all over?

27. How many friends do you have?

A few close companions. 

28. What are your thoughts on pie?

I love pie. Sweet and savory. Starkhaven is famous for a fish pie that is to die for and I can’t say no to a good apple or berry pie. 

29. Favourite drink?

COFFEE!!! I need it to survive, it is essential.

30. What’s your favorite place?

The battlements. I really love the view from Skyhold. It reminds me of the vastness of this world and all of the many people in it. It gives me hope for the future. 

31. Are you interested in anyone?

Really?

32. That was a stupid question…

Yes, it was.

33. Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean?

I guess a lake. Though, I do not get the pleasure often.

34. What’s your type?

A sharp mind. A witty sense of humor. Someone who isn’t afraid to show their weakness and be therefore stronger for it. Someone who can keep up with me in battle and has the heart to match their strength. 

35. Any fetishes?

Well... (Cullen nudges her in the side, trying to quiet her words.) What? I was just going to say, Templars! Quit poking me. 

36. Camping indoors or outdoors?

Camping is outdoors, you silly goose. There is no such thing as camping indoors. 

Tagging @headspacedad @littlesnowarrow @valaloy @mightylauren @kaijulover142 @fogsblue and anyone else who has an OC they are dying to share. Just tag me. I want to see them all. 

[fireflysummers]

Delta Rune: Addendum

People have asked me if my opinions have shifted at all in light of Toby Fox’s FAQ.

The answer is yes and no. 

Also, I’ve gotten a fair amount of...unasked for feedback on my other post, which was mostly just my own musings and opinion? So I might as well just kinda...address a bunch of things here, based on a couple observations over the last 48 hours.

What People Didn’t Like (And Why)

The Repetition of Plot Elements from Undertale in the Dark World

This one’s pretty common, and very justified given that, when the demo first launched, we had no idea that it was a demo. For all we knew, it was some kind of finished product. 

Although I didn’t want to believe that this is the case, it’s not uncommon for creators to accidentally fall into a sophomore slump of sorts, where under the pressure of measuring up to their freshman fame, they end up creating something dull and uninspired. 

Despite that, there wasn’t any level of self-awareness that indicated that the Dark World was supposed to be a cheaper version of Undertale. And then it ended by falling into the “it was just a dream” trope (not entirely, but close enough), which is one of my least favorite tropes, so I was just turned off altogether. 

The Battle System

I didn’t really enjoy the new combat system (that’s definitely a personal thing though...turn-based jrpg games have always been a struggle for me, and I straight up don’t have the time for the strategy that it often takes). That aside, Fox himself admits that the system is rough and really unbalanced.  

Also, I get the sense that he wants to bring home that theme of your choices mean nothing, but isn’t exactly sure how to do that yet, which explains a lot of the issues with ACTing in the demo.

Even after he gets it fixed up, I’m not sure I’m really going to enjoy the battle system, although I do commend him for his creativity and the attempt to integrate Undertale’s bullet hell into a turn-based game style.

Underdeveloped Characters

This one I can forgive almost entirely, by nature of it being a demo rather than a finished piece of work. I can relax my criticism of the Dark World NPCs as a result.

That said, I still failed to really feel anything other than aww...cute a couple of times (usually as Ralsei)

Oh, that and a shit ton of existential horror at Undyne and Alphys not knowing each other, the world being generally indifferent to whatever made Susie the way she is, and that everybody is turning a blind eye or actively punishing Asgore for some unknown crime. 

But I’ll talk about that a bit more in the next section.

The Vague Relation to Undertale and the Re-Use of Characters

Okay so like. I understand that Toby Fox insists that it’s Not Undertale.

Except that like.

I don’t buy that for a second.

Like, it’s Not Undertale only in the sense that it’s not related to the pacifist ending, but doesn’t disqualify it from being a follow-up to the genocide run (and therefore a direct sequel of sorts). 

That aside, if it truly was Not Undertale, then he wouldn’t have named it Delta Rune, brought Gaster into it, and drawn visual and flavor text metaphors to the original game. It’s related, it might be an AU, but that doesn’t make the OOC meanness of the familiar faces easy to swallow.

It could easily interpreted as “unsettling and OOC to show the player that their expectations will be subverted and that there is something Seriously Wrong with this world,” and a lot of people have interpreted it that way! I’m on the fence there myself, but you gotta understand that not everybody shares that interpretation.

For others, including myself to some extent, the message was: 

In the absence of dire circumstances, the characters that you were led to believe cared deeply about each other and you, are indifferent, apathetic, and  downright mean.

I mean, even if Kris on their own is a total dick? That doesn’t justify the way that the other characters treat each other. 

And that lack of warmth in the story was felt like a gut-punch to a small number of people.

On top of that, the weird twist ending didn’t do much to subvert that message. It gave no sense of whether or not the entire thing indicated a fundamentally sick world, or disprove that sense of they only cared about you and others out of a mutual need.

And if you can put yourself in that mindset, you can understand how that could be painful.

What People Didn’t Like About Me (And Others) Not Liking It

You’re Complaining Because it’s Not Undertale

No, I’m complaining because it’s Too Much Undertale. Because my personal prerogative is that Undertale is perfect the way it is and any additional content would only detract value from the original.

I was sincerely hoping for a totally new game, with maybe cameos or nods to Undertale, because I didn’t want to risk that horrible sequel syndrome. 

And while we, as fans, can opt to ignore horrible sequels (see: the entirety of the Harry Potter fandom), at the same time...sometimes you can’t unsee what you’ve seen. Sometimes sequels are enough to mar your affections and feelings for characters, especially because it comes from The Voice of God Dog.

You’re Can’t Complain that Things are OOC When It’s an AU!

-rubs forehead-

Look. I don’t know if you know this, but I adore AUs. Not every AU, of course, but I loved the concept and how the community came together to create some kind of semi-cohesive multiverse.

I mean, I literally drew over 100 different AUs:  SET 1 || SET 2 || SET 3 || SET 4 || SET 5 || SET 6 || SET 7 || SET 8 ||

But there’s a difference between fandom AUs and canon AUs--namely in that fandom AUs can be as out of character as they want, because it’s a fan creation.

There are multiple series that play with that multiverse theory as well, within their own canons, starting with the entire body of Osamu Tezuka, but also including the works of CLAMP (most notably XxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles), Adventure Time, the Final Fantasy series, and so on.

And the key to making an effective multiverse? The thing that makes it work? 

Keeping the characters in-character. There has to be that kind of consistency, otherwise it doesn’t function on a narrative level. You’re just reusing character designs and assigning new personalities, because you’re too lazy to design new characters.

Or worse, you’re baiting in previous players on a sense of nostalgia which is a trick I do not appreciate. 

You Shouldn’t Rely on Fictional Works to Aid Your Mental Health

Screw you. 

Everybody has Real Issues in their lives. Sometimes we need a hand from something or somebody else to keep moving.

Fine, But There’s No Reason To Be Publicly Upset by DR

It’s okay to dislike additional material, for whatever reason, so long as you’re not attacking others for liking it. It’s okay to be upset by something, even if it’s not rational, and you don’t need to force others to like what you like, nor should you feel guilty that somebody else doesn’t ‘get it.’ 

Will You Play Chapter 2?

I will purchase it to support Toby Fox on his endeavors. 

But you gotta understand, I straight up don’t play video games most of the time. Don’t have the time or the energy.

I only played Undertale after I’d had the whole thing spoiled to me, and knew it was worth the investment of my time. I should’ve waited on this one too, but I was too eager, and instead lost 4-5 hours of critical time for my graduate coursework (which definitely contributed to my annoyance).

TL;DR

You guys realize it’s okay for people to dislike deltarune? It’s okay for them to have been hurt by the characterization in deltarune? And people don’t have to write an essay in order to hold those opinions?

And that you don’t have to aggressively convert people to it like you’re some kind of church missionaries?

-sighs- At any rate, beginning to feel a bit more optimistic overall, and after that interview I can feel Toby Fox’s enthusiasm (he had something cool and he couldn’t wait to show it off!!), and I can get excited for him and others, even if as a whole the entire game experience fell flat.

Some day, I might even warm up to the game well enough to draw some stuff some time. I’ve got some fun ideas and theories, but still refuse to be hopeful that it’ll actually shape up. 

Because I am made of salt. 

[muggle-writes]

do I have that book challenge

tagged by @elizabethsyson and while photos were absolutely helpful (for example, in explaining the first question) I did this mostly from memory in downtime at work so I couldn't exactly take pictures as I went, and tbh I don't trust tumblr not to eat my post if I upload a bunch of pictures at once

Do you have a book with deckled edges?

thank you so much for the picture because if that's the thing with the pages not exactly matching up, (but within a small deviation from perfectly square) yes, my copy of the first three Dragonriders of Pern books in one volume has deckled edges. also probably some other books, but I've been reading that one recently so I'm sure about it

Do you have a book with 3 or more people on the cover?.

yeah: Inverloch (Volume 1)

it's the printed version of (the first portion of) a webcomic, which I didn't know when I picked it up at a garage sale or something. I hadn't even heard of webcomics yet

and. hm. don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the premise of the story and it was never really bad... I was thrilled when I realized it was a webcomic and still online and i could read the whole thing.

but

the major plot twist, one the author had apparently planned from the very beginning, honestly had some very unfortunate implications that would haunt me if I ever attempted a reread.

Like, it was set up well enough to be a surprise but not a shock. and it enabled the happy ending. but I probably would have preferred almost any other happy or vaguely positive ending, or even a meaningful depressing ending, I was that disappointed

on the other hand the rest of it was written well enough that I cared so.... eh. it is what it is

I'm just not sure I still love it enough to recommend, but I also wouldn't stop someone from picking it up off my shelf to read, you know what I mean? Especially just that first part, which was plenty good.

Do you have a book based on another fictional story?

D&D guidebooks are totally based on Lord of the Rings, right?

lol in reality uh

the copy of Scandinavian folk tales including my favorite fairy tale ever was always my dad's, not mine, no matter how many times I read it before moving out

uh

my wife has several Halo books? like the video game. I'm not actually sure which came first and I haven't read any of those, but they are on "my" (our) shelf

I also have a lot of Harry Potter meta/derivatives, including that themed Haggadah I think I posted a picture of recently. But the phrasing of this question makes me think the intent is "fiction based on other fiction" so none of those quite count.

so yeah, Halo's the closest I've got. also there's a Star Trek book on that shelf that I didn't even know we had until I went looking for clocks on covers

Do you have a book with a title 10 letters long?

Sadly I don't have my own copy of Dragon's Kin, which kicks off an excellent subseries of Pern books, (nor Dragonsong but I didn't expect to have that one) but what I did find was

The Visitor (which is animorphs#2)

Do you have a book with a title that starts and ends with the same letter?

Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye

Do you have a Mass Market Paperback book?

does my solid half of the animorphs series all on one shelf count or is this looking for specific branding?

Do you have a book written by an author using a pen name?

(immediately thinks of Lewis Carrol) um Edwin Abbot was also a mathematician but sadly not a penname, but I do I have a copy of Flatland

Oh, but I'm pretty sure I have some of the ghostwritten animorphs books, do those count? Specifically someone mentioned recently that animorphs 25 was the first of the ghostwritten books and I definitely have that one

Do you have a book with a character’s name in the title?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Ender's Shadow on my shelf, the rest I mostly have as ebooks. also the first Erec Rex book (mentioned above) and the entire Kirsten (American Girl) series plus the first Kit book.

Do you have a book with 2 maps in it?

the first one I found was The Malloreon Volume 1 (also has 3 characters on the cover). it's got a map of the western kingdoms before the first book and a map of Mallorea in the middle of the third book

Do you have a book that was turned into a TV show

Animorphs again

Do you have a book written by someone who is originally famous for something else?(celebrity/athlete/politician/tv personality…)

I definitely had a phase of buying books by famous people, so I have the worst bulkiest copy of Origin of Species which is printed in a terrible font (it also has deckled edges for that matter), and The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, that I could find at a quick glance. Probably something by Steven Hawking hiding somewhere

my phenomenal copy of The Elements (Euclid) doesn't quite count because he's most famous, now, for writing those so...

(Einstein's Relativity - in translation obviously because I know very little German - is deceptively short but that was my parents' book that I tried and failed to read, not my own)

Do you have a book with a clock on the cover?

Disappointingly, An Uncommon History of Common Things does not. I do have a Doctor Who coloring book with a clocklike gear pattern on the cover which is the closest I'm finding

Do you have a poetry book?

yeah someone once gave me a book of Japanese death poems, translated of course. I've been meaning to read them. for that I have to find it, and I can't right now :/ now that I remember the book I want to go read it

Do you have a book with an award stamp on it?

not that I can find? apparently Dragonflight or Dragonquest won "a Hugo or Nebula award" (bc McCaffrey was the first woman to win one of those) but wikipedia isn't telling me which award or which book, and I don't have the dust jacket for the original-trilogy-in-one-volume copy that I have so there's no telling if it "should" have an award printed on the front

Do you have a book written by an author with the same initials as you?

ooh wouldn't that be fun. I don't seem to :/

what I do have is a book written by an author with what my initials would be if I had taken my wife's last name instead of the other way around which I guess is close enough

Do you have a book of short stories?

yes, surprisingly. The Girl Who Heard Dragons and I haven't read any of them, not even the story I got it for

oh, and First Meetings, which is a bunch of short stories in the Ender universe

Do you have a book that is between 500-510 pages long?

That's... really specific. Closest I could find was 483 pages and 513 pages (Volume 2 of The Belgariad and The Malloreon, respectively) In general I have a lot of books around 300-350 pages and a fair few over 700 pages, but not many close to 500

Do you have a book that was turned into a movie?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, for sure. I think Flatland was also made into a movie and it was as phenomenally terrible as you would expect of a story about 2d shapes. not even shapes with faces, just shapes, and one sphere.

Do you have a graphic novel?

I was going to make all sorts of qualifications of "well... if something originally published as a webcomic is now in physical book form.... (Inverloch again) but actually I have volumed 1 and 3-7 of Tomo (manga-style "preteen protag moves in with Christian family members and has both fantasy adventures and learns the benefits of being Christian" no-subtlety series that I picked up at Family Christian Stores when they were still everywhere. also I probably still have the first six Serenity "books" but I can't find them (not fantasy: rebellious "sinful" teen moves to new school and hangs out with the Christians because she wants to sleep with one of them, eventually sees the errors of all her ways, un-dyes her hair, and converts. Also no subtlety)

I had a phase when I was "too old" for veggie tales but still thought FCS was the best place ever but if that really was the best of their "teen" content it really wasn't great

Do you have a book written by 2 or more authors?

are we limiting this to novels? I have The Great Snape Debate (meta published before Deathly Hallows, with short chapters by two alternating authors, plus they got Orson Scott Card to write a chapter to draw reader attention with the big name and hey it worked, I bought it, arguing (between all of them) both sides of "will Snape turn out to be on Harry's side after all" and also The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern which as the title implies, is more of a guide than a real story.

Oh, but I do have a copy of Invasive Procedures (Card & Johnson).

Did I miss any questions? tumblr's being particularly weird today.

anyway I suppose I should tag some fellow bookworms. @knightbusofdoom @copperscales and if anyone else wants me to edit to in so you're "really" tagged, just may me know, and if you just want to do it please do and tag me back

[oliveheart-worldbuilding]

Prairieclan

hi! c: i have two clans that are wip, was wondering if you could give some feedback based off what i have so far? they are in Illinois, btw.

Hello there! Tumblr!! won’t!! notify!! me!!!!

I love giving feedback on worldbuilding so let’s get to it!!

Prairieclan

Situated on the Great Plains, these cats have light colored pelts along with big ears and long tails. Over time, they have grown to specialize in hunting rabbits, hares, shrews and other various prairie creatures. They have long legs and are fast runners; -foot is a common suffix in this clan. These cats have long, tubular bodies and have angular faces.

The Great Plains uh? I didn’t know much about them so I had to do a quick search to see how everything looked. I looks like an interesting place for a group of cats to live, I quite like it. For what I have seen, there are two types of praires: tall grass ones and short grass one. I’ve seen that fauna and flora change a bit from one to the other so I would make sure to decide which one to use. They specializing in small mammals makes sense, I recommend doing a small list of fauna and flora that you can use as both prefixes and prey/medicine (in case of using the role of medicine cat). Personally, I have been using this page to get information about the typical prairie ecosystem:  http://shelledy.mesa.k12.co.us/staff/computerlab/ColoradoLifeZones_Plains_Mammals.html

This one is about short grass prairies but, luckily, it will help you a bit!

Their fur color makes sense too. But, I do have a question. You say that they are fast runners and, looking at their territories, their life style probably focuses on running to catch prey so, why is –foot such a common suffix? In a place where being fast is essential, wouldn’t –foot be an extremely rare suffix? One given only to extremely well-versed cats? If this suffix is given to cats that are faster than the rest of their clanmates but all of their clanmates already are fast… wouldn’t it make this suffix be treated like a really important and rare one only given to really fast cats?

Genetics common among this clan include…

Colorpoint gene (cscs)

Red (leaning towards a lighter red color) (O)

Cream (d, O)

Dilute tortie (d, Oo)

Fawn (d, b1b1)

Lilac (d, bb)

Blue (d, BB, Bb, Bb1)

White (WW and Ww)

Medium to high white spotting (SS and Ss)

Tabby is uncommon; solid is most common (aa)

Caramelization gene is common (DmDm, Dmdm)

Short fur (LL, Ll)

Interesting decisions here. When choosing Colorpoint, cinnamon and caramelization  (and even epistatic white and white spotting) genes as common ones, you are making these cats less feral. I must remind you that these genes are not common in the wild. With this I mean that, normally, only pure-breed cats have them; for your cats to have them too they should have been in contact with humans or kittypets at some point. They could have gone through a lot of hardship that made their population quickly drop making them accept kittypets in or maybe the whole clan has kittypet ancestry. Maybe kittypets started breeding with clan cats and their genes have stayed in the genome thanks to it being more difficult to be spotted in the grass and even thanks to culture! This is something that I don’t see often in warrior cats’ worlds. These cats are intelligent and they do have a culture, beauty standards probably exist at some degree too. Mixing that with the fact that paler fur would probably have more chances of surviving in these conditions and these fur colors being considered beautiful in comparison to others, it may have made it easier for cats with this fur color to reproduce and pass them down.

Skills: running/sprinting, storytelling.. -foot is common in this clan as a suffix, as is -throat

Seems fine. I’ve seen people implement ‘story-teller’ as another role for cats to take, maybe you would like considering adding new roles that could add more to your clans as a whole. Again I repeat the same issue I have with –foot, consider thinking about it.

I’m using aliuronymy’s naming system, but i’m using a body part suffixes. I also plan to have correct genetics, as well as realistic cat behavior. 

Seeing how these clans take place in Illinois and not England, I recommend using your own list of prefixes since the fauna and flora are going to be wildly different. Feel free to send any genetics ask if you need help! Genetics are my favorite thing ever and I don’t get to talk about them much. Cat behavior can be tricky to work with so I personally recommend doing a good research before getting to the actual story.

They aren’t the most fleshed out right now, sorry about that. Feedback would be great tho. :)

I really like the place you choose and, so far, they look like a really interesting start! I’ll love to hear from you again once you write more about them! :D

[burgermiester]

Stella Glow Review

(spoiler-free)

Stella Glow is a tactical turn based RPG with visual novel/dating sim elements for the Nintendo 3DS.  It was originally released in Japan on June 4th 2015 and arrived in the US on November 17 of the same year.  It was the final game made by developer Imageepoch.  I picked up the game shortly after it released in the US, I even got the special edition.  But despite that, I never really played for more than a couple of hours until a few weeks ago.  As of this writing I have beaten the game once and am pretty far into new game plus, so I think I have seen enough of the game to give an accurate review.

Before I go any further I need to mention that I will be comparing this game quite a bit to Fire Emblem.  Ordinarily I get a little bit grumpy when people get too comparison happy between Fire Emblem and isometric TRPGS like Stella Glow (or FF Tactics, Disgaea, Tactics Ogre) or say things like “if you like FE you will like FF Tactics!” because even though they are both technically in the same genre, the huge emphasis on height, directional combat, magic and skills using mana, turn order calculated by unit, and battles being between smaller numbers of stronger units, isometric TRPGs usually have a completely different game feel from Fire Emblem.  While this is still mostly true for the actual combat, the gameplay in Stella Glow is split between mission segments where you have the main story and tactical combat and free time segments where you have an affinity building conversation/relationship system.  So while Fire Emblem (specifically Awakening and Fates) and Stella Glow both have their genre listed as “turn based rpg” on Wikipedia, I wouldnt be surprised to learn that most players of both are playing more for the romance.  Add on to this the fact that virtually every playable character (and all but one of the prominent NPCs) in the English version is voiced by someone who also voices a Fire Emblem character (including Matthew Mercer as one of the principle characters) and its hard to not to think about Fire Emblem when you play it. Plus most if not all of my followers are Fire Emblem enthusiasts, so hopefully this will help you decide if Stella Glow is the game for you.

Story, Characters, and Affinity System:

Stella Glow follows a young man named Alto as he joins the knights of the kingdom of Regnant to find the witches of water, wind, fire, and earth so they can save the world from Hilda, the witch of destruction. In the world of Stella Glow witches are the only people who have the ability to sing, and within both the narrative and gameplay the witches songs have special effects (this also cant help but make me think of Tokyo Mirage Sessions, but theres not much to say except that I like TMS songs on the whole more than the ones from Stella Glow, but theres some good ones in Stella Glow.)  I cant say that anything about the main narrative is particularly new or shocking or memorable, but it serves its purpose.  You’ll probably want to keep doing the main story to meet more characters more than to see what happens, but near the end I got pretty invested in the narrative.  The biggest thing the story has going for it is the characters.  There are 16 playable characters, and with the exception of the final (and only optional one) they are all involved in main story scenes. Alto and the witches and a few others do drive the plot more and thus get more dialogue than some others, but the whole cast still speaks up pretty regularly.  This is quite refreshing compared to FE where outside of supports, only a handful of characters get to participate in the story.  I wouldnt say that FE should switch to doing a cast size this small because I like the replayability that comes from using hugely different unit composition between playthroughs, but its still nice to see in a non-FE game and with 16 characters and maps that let you field 6 units you still get a bit of the feeling that you are choosing your army based on the characters you like. 

And you will probably like a lot of these characters. The character designs are bright and fun and they are written and acted fairly well and there is an affinity system that lets you get to know them all even better.  When you compare Stella Glow’s affinity system with Awakening and Fates’ support system there are upsides and downsides to each.  The biggest downside to Stella Glow’s system is that, in a very visual novel sort of way, affinity building is only between Alto and the other characters, whereas in FE the whole cast can talk to each other.  The trade-off is that there are a lot more of these conversations and they will last for most of the game unlike in FE where its not uncommon to meet a character and be married with children in under an hour.  So I apreciate the added depth longer lasting relationships gives, but I do wish I could have seen the more colorful characters talk to each other as opposed to just Alto who, like the Avatars of FE, is written with a pretty minimal, deliberately inoffensive personality.

From a romantic perspective the longer lasting relationships are mostly a good thing but with one big downside.  FE struggles to make the romance organic, since characters can get up to A support with anyone, relationships are usually platonic right up until marriage.  In Stella Glow the romance grows much more organically, but as the game goes on and Alto gets into increasingly romantic situations with the female characters it feels more and more like a harem anime.  I know thats an instant turn-off to a lot of people and its one of the reasons I kept dropping the game for so long, but I personally am glad I stuck with it because the characters and their struggles are interesting and memorable.  I sighed at a few parts for sure but it was worth it for the rest of the experience.  Building affinity also gives gameplay bonuses: either passive abilities, new skills, or new songs (for the witches.)  For me these are more exciting than the raw stat pair-up bonuses in Awakening and Fates because the effects are more varied and personalized. 

Combat:

I have less FE comparisons here, as I said before isometric tprgs like this feel very different from FE.  If you have played something like FF Tactics then you should be very familiar with how this game plays.  Turn order doesnt alternate from all allies to all enemies, but rather one at a time where faster units will go sooner and more often than slower ones.  You do more damage if you hit enemies from behind and they do the same to you.  Theres no permadeath, you only fail a chapter if you fail the main objective, which is usually just to not let Alto die.  On the whole I’d say this game is pretty easy; I had to replay one chapter 4 times before I beat it but aside from that I had maybe 3 chapters I had to reset.  There are optional objectives for each fight and going for them can make the game harder but it is mostly for your own satisfaction as the rewards are rarely noteworthy.  The main thing that sets it apart from other similar trpgs is the song meter and song system.  As you fight with any character a song meter fills up (up to 5 times) and you can expend the meters to do a special attack (usually costs 1-2 meters) or have them sing (usually costs 4-5)  which will have an effect on the whole battlefield, depending on the song its a buff or heal to all allies, a debuff to all enemies, or an attack on all enemies, or some combination.  Songs last for a few turns and during that time the witch cant do anything else.  The whole system is pretty fun.  Of all the isometric trpgs I have played, I liked the combat in Stella Glow the second most; only Jeanne d’Arc I find more fun to play. 

Presentation and Final Thoughts:

Overall the game has pretty good presentation.  Its got that typical jrpg look and sound to it, but its got enough of its own style that it doesnt feel generic.  In battle it switches to a chibi style, which isnt my favorite thing in the world but it still looks good.  The animations remind me a lot of the GBA FE games, they are super over the top but they are also the same everytime, which for me means they get turned off pretty quickly even though they are pretty nice.  Thats about the only quality of life setting the game has, by the way.  Skipping enemy actions isnt a thing so youll unfortuntely spend a lot of time waiting for the enemies to do something, or even more frustrating, waiting for them to do nothing, as you will oftentimes see enemies who dont move until you aggro them, yet you still must wait for them to wait before another unit can go.  The music is nice, a quick look at the composers wikipedia page shows that he did a couple of songs for a few beloved games like Chrono Trigger, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Kid Icarus Uprising.  The game also has a new game plus.  In the new game plus only your money carries over but the big draw is the free time sections are longer which lets you do the affinity conversations for every single character and the exp formula is modified to let you level up more easily.  I dont normally play new game pluses, so to me the fact that I was so eager to jump right back in to learn more about the rest of the characters is proof that this was a good game. 

If you decide to purchase this game for yourself, the physical launch edition comes with a CD containing 5 songs, the first song of each witch, as well as a cloth poster of Hilda and a particularly large keychain of Bubu, a little pig who I guess is something of a mascot but honestly its barely in the game which is why I havent mentioned it until now. If you get the digital version I think it comes with a 3DS theme.  Its currently ~$30 online or $40 on the eshop, and if any of this has made you interested there is a demo on the eShop.  I hope you do decide to check it out because I found Stella Glow to be a very fun and enjoyable game.  As I type this I am downloading the demo for Disgaea 5 on Switch to give that game a try next, so not only was Stella Glow a ton of fun but it got me interested in isometric trpgs again.