#i will take any interaction they have! any tidbits! and i will cherish them!

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Thank you for feeding us the laughingstock <3

you're so Welcome! its entirely Voluntary! i have Every Choice On The Matter!

[lets-try-some-writing]

I really enjoy your writing and thoughts on Cybertronian culture and wondered how you think the bots would show gestures of affection, what I mean is I feel that humans are very tactile and touch oriented but transformers may be just as much but in a far more subtle ways such as a little head pat or a stroke down the spinal strut,a gesture of complete trust and friendship or the gently brush of a EM field, I just wondered how you think the bots would do this and perhaps how they would try and communicate this to the kids. :0 I hope your well, no rush!!

A good idea! So sorry it took so long to get to it! I love culture tidbits, I am just a tad overwhelmed right now! Also I have a bad habit of hoarding requests like some dragon on a pile of gold.

Displays of Affection

Affection on Cybertron is far different than how it is for humanity. There is little need for touch to signify things due to the presence of fields and proximity sensors. The only reason for a mech to be touching another individual is to examine them for injuries or to make a point, be it good or bad. Touch is reserved for important things and thus is kept to a minimum amongst the most civilized mecha.

That is not to say that Cybertronians do not enjoy touch. No, due to the sheer number of sensors and other alerts that they are constantly swamped in, a loving touch means a great deal. However to preserve their sanity and to not be overwhelmed, touch is kept quiet and often very gentle. Between strangers, touch is nonexistent, it simply isn't a part of life. Words and EM field communication are the preferred method, and even then EM fields are very sensitive so most often they wouldn't use those either. It takes time for touch to be given, and it is always a gift, thus never being seen between those who do not know one another.

For co-workers and those bound together by circumstance, touch is still not part of life unless absolutely required. If necessary, touch is accepted with begrudging understanding between co-workers, however at most it is EM field communication that is used as a replacement if touch must be used at all. A quick flare of a field as a warning or a swift mingling to soothe a worried spark is about the limit of what is seen amongst acquaintances and wary partners. Perhaps there may be a swift tap to the shoulder plating, the least sensitive part of the body to catch the attention of a mech unable or unwilling to be aware of EM fields, but beyond that there is no other interaction.

Amongst friends touch begins to happen, but always with fields first. A gentle touch of fields to show affection and a constant soothing wavelength going back and forth to keep the other happy and content is fairly common. Shoulder touches are also something seen amongst friends since it is a sign of trust, a show that one believes the other willing to guard them. Of course touching does not go much farther than that. The shoulders are the limit die to how armored they are and how difficult it would be to cause pain through touch in that area. Even still, it is a far greater act of trust than that offered to simple co-workers.

Amica bonded get special treatment when it comes to touch. They are bound together by spark and are like siblings in all but CNA and thus know each other better. Fields mingle and share emotion in a way no others do, touches are gentle and loving, often running along back struts and along limbs in a kind manner. Words are less often used and instead replaced by the unspoken communication that comes from bonds. Soft songs are uttered in the dead of night and soft almost fearful hugs are exchanged during the darkest times. Every moment is cherished and every touch remembered.

For any sort of familial bond, be it between a caretaker and their charge or a bonded Conjunx pair, touch is common but quiet. Hugs are soft and loving but never done publicly. Quick but silent caresses of the frame along the back and face are regular and the odd servo holding is also something commonly seen. Fields eternally mingle in family units, projecting emotion, love, and projection at every moment alongside thoughts and desire. Cybertronians don't kiss as more often than not, it is simply an impossible task with their facial structure. However their equivalent emotionally is a soft touch of the helm crests, an act seen amongst all sorts of familial units and known to be the highest form of affection.

Touch is a gift, one only rarely given. While it is offered to other races freely, amongst Cybertronians, touch is something kept for deeper relationships and reasons.

[sithsecrets]

A Matter of Expediency - Part I

After being married off to Kylo Ren in the name of securing an heir to the First Order’s throne, a princess tries to navigate the ins and outs of married life. As she grows closer to her new husband, the princess also carves out a place for herself in the Order, assuming control over her life when she thought she would have none.

---

Part 1

1k words

Mentions: a little mild angst, sex (in a very non-explicit way, it’s almost not even a thing)

---

Rocking gently from side to side, you laze about in a hammock, warmed by the sun’s sweet beams. With bare feet and undone hair, you could not be more carefree, flanked by your ladies who are just as absorbed in lounging about as you are. You cherish afternoons like these, ones where you’re able to shirk formality and responsibility in favor of relaxing. It sounds terribly lazy, you know, but so much of your time as of late has been spent being hyper aware of every aspect of your behavior and appearance— it’s nice to just be yourself, even for a few hours.

You and your ladies watch the sun move towards the horizon, content to munch on fruit and trade tidbits of gossip until it grows dark outside. Sabe’s recently had a tryst with a high-ranking member of the royal guard, and the lot of you are deeply involved in the drama of it all. So involved, in fact, that it takes someone clearing their throat to make any of you tear yourselves away from Sabe’s story.

“Your Majesty,” says the guard before you, bowing deeply as you move to climb out of your hammock. Your movements are slightly lacking in grace, given how startled you were, but you think you manage to recover rather well once you’re upright.

The guard tells you that your uncle wants an audience with you at once, and when you press for details regarding why, he has none to offer you. It’s a concerning thing, your uncle asking for you like this, because he has told you that he would be busy entertaining Order officials well into the evening. As you quickly slip on your shoes and begin trekking back to the palace, you cannot help but worry that something’s gone sour between your planet and the Order, and stars, what a frightening thought that is.

Breezing into the receiving room with purpose, all trains of thought are frightened right out of you as you lay eyes on the man in your uncle’s company. He’s large, very imposing and intimidating, and the scar that splits his face does nothing to make him any more approachable. You’ve seen Kylo Ren before, of course, having received him when he and his men made landing on your planet, but it’s quite a different thing to make his acquaintance without warning. Still, though, you put on a brave face, ever the well-trained diplomat.

“Supreme Leader,” you say in greeting, curtsying deeply. “I hope you can forgive my appearance. I thought my uncle would be receiving me alone.”

Kylo Ren says nothing to this, simply keeps his penetrating gaze fixed on you. You almost wish he would reprimand you or show some sort of disdain for your impropriety— at least that wouldn’t be so unnerving.

Pressing on, you turn to speak to your uncle, but he doesn’t let you have the chance to start.

“You met her when you arrived, but I thought it would be prudent for you to see her again,” your uncle says to the Supreme Leader, and something about his tone and expression makes you feel uneasy.

The sick feeling in your stomach only worsens as Kylo Ren keeps fucking staring at you, saying nothing and doing nothing. You can tell you’re being shown off to him right now, and though you hate the very idea of being displayed like an object, you wish the Supreme Leader would just do something. You can handle being leered at or decried as ugly, it’s happened before, but all of this almost clinical observation you’re undergoing is positively terrifying.

“How old is she?” he finally asks, and he’s definitely not talking to you.

“Several years past the age of majority, Supreme Leader,” your uncle answers quickly. It makes your blood boil, being spoken about like you’re not right there, but you do your best to school your expression. If Kylo Ren were anyone else, you wouldn’t indulge him in this behavior, but everyone knows that challenging a member of the Order is foolish at best. Besides, there’s something larger at play here, and you need to find out what it is.

The Supreme Leader seems satisfied by your uncle’s answer because he nods just once, slowly and deliberately. And then Kylo Ren’s walking away, turning on his heel and heading back into the halls of the palace with your uncle running after him like a lapdog.

---

That night, as everyone drinks and makes merry at the dinner table, you know you are being watched. You can feel the Supreme Leader’s eyes on you from the other end of the table, and stars does his attention unsettle you. He’s such a quiet man, Kylo Ren, quiet in a way that’s almost unnerving. He has a keen eyes, always observing what goes on around him, and since he and his people arrived, you’ve never seen the Supreme Leader partake in drinking, or drugs, or any of the other vices that have been offered to him since he arrived. Quite frankly, you’re the first woman he’s so much as glanced at, despite the advances of other women in your uncle’s court. In your heart of hearts, you know that it has something to do with that odd little interaction that occurred earlier this afternoon, but you almost don’t want to know what any of that was about. Unfortunately, though, you think you might already know.

Finally, after an hour of being watched, you scrape together every ounce of your courage and lock eyes with the Supreme Leader. The tension between the both of you is palpable, so you smile shyly, just to do something. Kylo Ren doesn’t smile back, not really, but you think that the little nod he gives you is his way of cordially acknowledging your gesture.

As you prepare for bed that night, you gather your ladies around you and address them rather sadly.

“You’ve all been such good friends to me,” you tell them, making a point of looking intently at every single one of their pretty, confused faces.

Your ladies as you what you mean by that, but you don’t have an answer for them, not yet. It’s only an idea, but you think that your time on your home planet will come to an end soon.

“I just want all of you to know how much I love you,” you whisper, and you will yourself not to cry in front of your dearest friends.

[sahbibabe]

Inferno

Soulmate AU

Sephiroth/Fem! Reader

You visit Seventh Heaven, catch up with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, and meet Barrett and Marlene.

You learn a little bit more about Sephiroth from the man himself, but not in a way you can understand.

WHEN YOU COULD SPARE the time, you visited Seventh Heaven for once, and not the other way around. While you were very aware of avalanche and who that entailed, it didn't stop you from frequenting the bar from time to time, and it most certainly didn't stop you from delivering tea to Wedge whenever you could just to visit his cats.

      You were surprised, upon entering, to find the place crowded and not at all deserted like you had expected. Tifa was pouring up drinks by the dozen and had no end in sight as people kept coming up for more; you even saw Cloud in the back with her, almost frenzied as he tried to keep the orders correct and going to the right people.

       "[Name]!" Jessie's voice was like the crack of a whip over the throng of noise. You turned to face her table, where she sat with Biggs, Wedge, a man who appeared more muscle than bone, and a little girl in a cute pink dress who was talking animatedly to said man. "Over here!"

       It was better than braving the crowd around the bar, you decided, after taking a glance at the riot of alcohol being tossed around.

        You approached cautiously, wary of drunkards who stumbled and laughed near you, and Jessie finally got impatient enough to jump up and yank you to the table, plopping you down in a seat across from the little girl in pink.

        "[Name]!" Wedge cheered, giving you a tiny wave with a surprised look when you looked him dead in the eye. "It's nice to see you! Want some chips?"

         "Oh, no thank you." You held your hands up and waved his offer off. Chips didn't sound like a very good appetizer to you, and you had only come for a Cosmo Canyon to unwind a bit. You would probably be getting neither. "I appreciate the offer, Wedge."

        Biggs, a grin on his face, reached around Jessie and patted your shoulder. "Barrett, Marlene, this is [Name]. She's the local tea supplier up near the station."

         You smiled politely at them, only jostling when Jessie managed to shove a glass of beer in your hand. You never did favor beer, or any alcohol in particular, though Tifa had somewhat succeeded in getting you to like the Cosmo Canyon as long as it had a wedge of lime in it.

         "It's nice to meet you both," you said, unflinching underneath Barrett's hard stare. You had a feeling that he did that to all the new people he met. "I'm [Name], like he said, but I only run the tea shop. I'm not much of a supplier."

        Barrett grunted at you, keen on going back to speaking to Marlene, but the little girl's eyes were fixed on you, her mouth open wide. She was absolutely adorable and you were having a hard time not snatching her up and cooing over her like a grandmother.

        "Hello," you greeted her again, waving your hand at her with a smile. "You're Marlene, aren't you?"

         As you interacted with the girl, you found it difficult not to ignore the holes that Barrett was burning in your skull. The little girl was obviously someone important to him, but no one seemed to want to tell you just how.

        "Hi," she responded shyly. You held out your hand to shake, just to appease Barrett, and she shook it slowly. "I'm Marlene."

        "That's a pretty name," you said, and it was--you had never heard much like it. "I love your dress."

        "Thank you! Daddy bought it for me. I really like your feathers."

        You had almost forgotten Sephiroth's feathers at your hip--touching them mindlessly, you smiled at her, and plucked one of the smaller ones from your bundle. It was one of the prettier ones and shone like oil slick, and under Barrett's approving stare and nod, you handed it to Marlene.

        "Here you go. You can have one, since you like it," you said. She took it from you gently, watching the different colors bounce off under the lights. "Take good care of it, okay? That feather is rare."

       "I will!" Marlene promised, clutching it to her chest--very gently, you noticed. Then, she held it up in front of her father's face, chortling,"Look! Look! Miss [Name] gave me a feather!"

        "I see that," he began,"but what do you say?"

        "Huh?"

 

        You watched, amused, eyes crinkled, at the interaction. Parent dynamics always fascinated you to no end, especially since you had a hard time remembering how your parents were with you as a child. Time seemed to take those away from you the older you got; you were only twenty-three, but your memory was as hazy as an old bat's.

         "You say thank you," Barrett was chiding her.

        "Oh!" She said, as if struck. She turned to you, her eyes bright. "Thank you!"

         "You're welcome, Marlene," you laughed, patiently, and took a sip of the beer Jessie had given you with a grimace. "Jessie, I don't even like beer."

        "You're not getting a Cosmo Canyon anytime soon, so drink it up," she said, nudging your shoulder playfully.  "And then we can help Tifa clean up after."

       "Fine. But I better get one before the night's over."

      As the hours went by and the crowd slowly thinned out, leaving crumbs of chips and open beer bottles scattered across the various tables left open, you were entertained by Marlene, who was putting the feather in different parts of her hair and grinning at you, and Jessie, who went along with you and praised Marlene's fashion choices. Barrett seemed to have no issue with you the longer you played with Marlene, choosing to speak with Biggs and Wedge about something far more serious than a feather's fashion season.

        Soon, it was Marlene's bed time and you were saying goodbye, drowsy and only a little buzzed. Barrett had offered to take you home after he tucked Marlene away, probably to thank you for occupying his daughter while he spoke about serious things, but you waved him off.

        "It's okay," you said gently, fighting through the buzz in your head. "It's only a little ways away. Bring Marlene to visit one day; tea's on the house."

        "I'm sure she'd have fun," he laughed when the girl in question nodded her head eagerly. "Come on, little lady, let's get you into bed!"

        With a farewell hug to Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, and a wave to Tifa and Cloud, who still seemed to be busy, you stepped outside and inhaled the smell of Shinra chemicals and metal. It was a far better cry than the musty heat that had become Seventh Heaven.

        As you walked down the street to your tea shop, avoiding cats that wove through your legs, you became aware that you were being followed. The vibrating strings on your fingers told you who it was, though, so you continued walking, only stopping well out of view of Seventh Heaven and other people.

       You paused just under one of the working street lights, the others under disrepair or age, turning to face Sephiroth. He had kept his distance so far, skirting the edge of pathways and staying in the dark, but approached when you stopped to look at him.

       "Stalking isn't nice," you said by way of greeting. His eyes squinted in slight amusement, but not much. "Walk with me."

        "I intended to. Just not so close up."

        With a roll of your eyes you began walking, linking your arm with his to keep up with his longer strides. To the unwise observer, you would appear like a couple walking down the street, oblivious to onlookers, when you were anything but.

        It didn't trouble you too much that you would never have a normal relationship with him. Did it bother you that any attempt at happiness would have to be with someone else? Of course; it hurt when someone who was supposed to be your soul mate couldn't be that for you. Was unable to be that for you.

        You had decided, during one of those long showers where you wasted more water than you should have, that you would be happy with whatever moments you got with him. You would cherish them, no matter how distant he was from you, because he had lingered and watched over you; he could have left that first night and never come back.

        Instead, he had lent you his sight, given you little tokens, and even now, made sure you were safe as you walked down the road to your shop.

        It wasn't love. It was… appreciation. It was nearly a platonic acquaintanceship. You could have tacked many labels onto what you were, but one stood out the most: reluctant friends.

       "What do you do when you aren't with me?" You asked suddenly. You could feel his eyes darting to look at your face at the question, an eyebrow raised. You felt your face go hot at having to repeat yourself, flustered. "What I meant was, how do you spend your time? You never sleep, really, and I only see you at night, so…"

       "I take care of my important matters." It was so infuriatingly cryptic when you only wanted honesty. Which, he was, to a degree, but he wasn't elaborating. "Don't look so irritated. If it weren't dangerous for you to know, I would have told you."

        Dangerous. That was a word you were slowly coming to terms with when it came to him. You knew dangerous; Cloud was dangerous in a different way from Tifa, just like Tifa was dangerous in a different way from Cloud. Sephiroth was his own brand of danger, but in a more powerful way than your stressed out brain could understand.

        "Everything seems dangerous for me to know," you sighed. Then you narrowed your eyes, thankful you could see the slight twinge of a grin on his face. "Fine then. What's your favorite color?"

        "Starting with the basics, are we?"

       "I quite literally know nothing about you, except for your name and former job. This seems like a better compromise."

        "... Fair enough." You swore he was laughing at you in his head. "Green."

         "Why green?"

         "The lifestream. Your turn."

        You almost nearly stopped in your tracks at that admission, nearly pulling him with you, but you fixed yourself and continued walking, tucking that tidbit of information away for later.

        "Blue. Favorite book?"

        "Dante's Inferno."

        You had no idea how much that answer would hold significance when it came to him. Later, you would understand that every word that came out of his mouth had a meaning; not a breath was wasted.

        Later, you would realize that he was descending into his own hell, and was, in his own way, telling you about it.

        Later, you would look back and lament on all the reasons why you should have caught it, but truly?

      Truly, you knew nothing about him in the first place until it was too late.

[mk-asks-and-headcannons]

Can I please request literally anything Kenshi?

Of course! Kenshi has been a favorite of mine and since mk 11 did him so dirty, this blind swordsman needs justice. I wasn’t given any specific direction to go with this, so the following will just be random hcs of quirks and tidbits for our man Kenshi Takahashi. Consider it a free write. I really hope you enjoy.

This may not come to mind when thinking of the hobbies of a blind man, but Kenshi loves to read -- but of course not in the traditional sense. This man lives for audiobooks and finds listening to them to be such an engaging experience (as you can decipher the reader’s intonation, volume, meaningful pauses, and other choices). Though the written word is open to interpretation, Kenshi rather enjoys the feeling of having a story read to him as it feels more intimate. Though no one really reads that much, I’m definitely the type who will stop myself mid-sentence if something juicer than a ribeye steak is happening in that plot. Like I’ll have to set the book down and say “Oh my god,” emotionally preparing myself for the rest of the sentence. I only bring this up as I see Kenshi definitely having to pause his audiobooks when the plot thickens. He’s seriously got empathy for these characters!

Speaking of empathy, he carries much of it. He’d be the friend who after noticing you have a cough buy cough drops for you himself. He is an excellent hugger and gives mighty solid advice.

Why is he as sweet as pie? As a younger man, Kenshi was quite selfish only putting his and his own first. He wasn’t cruel or openly discriminate, he just believed that some people have more value in his life than others. He was just making the most logical choice. He was also this type of man early in Takeda’s life which is why he allowed Hanzo to take him under his wing for nearly all of Takeda’s upbringing. Though his intentions weren’t inherently bad, Kenshi was in a state of mind in which he felt he couldn’t care for a child while being bloodthirsty for Suchin’s killers. After having such absence in Takeda’s life he has much guilt weighing on his shoulders, he vowed to be a more considerate person, starting with his son.

Though he has grown kinder with age he is still an introvert who is reserved. Parties are not his thing and any social gatherings bore him to tears. Sometimes he’ll get into the thoughts of strangers as a form of entertainment to keep him awake. Plus it helps differentiate the fake schmoozers to the genuine folks who could possibly make decent friends.

He is a good judge of character. He chooses his confidants carefully, but once you have him by your side he is loyal to the end, but it would take one hell of a person to make him put himself on the line for someone else. Still, Kenshi is at a point in his life where he’s trying to wipe past all the muck, and have someone decent in his life. Someone better than a Cage with fart jokes.

Relationship wise, he values being able to exist without his partner. Though it may not be a popular or mainstream thought in particular, he is really annoyed by couples who are always lovey-dovey and have to depend on each other for everything. But trust this doesn’t mean he is a withdrawn or absence partner. He just values distance when it's needed. If anything, his time with his significant other is something he’d cherish since he doesn’t have too many meaningful interactions outside of close family and friends. Deep down he is a romantic and loves giving gifts and doing things with his partner. If it is a serious relationship he is also fiercely protective.

[giasonesdream]

Track Your Fic’s Success on AO3

Fanfic Writing on AO3 (for ARMYS)

I'm not sure why I felt the need to make this, but I have heard writers talk about this topic before, of not getting much traction on their fics. There's a part of it that really does fall on the readers, but this is a post to maybe help get you on the right path or maybe change your perspective on the stats given to you (aka kudos, hits, comments, etc).

The 10% Idea

Basically, this is just something to keep in mind if you see that there aren't many kudos on your story.

I used to have a friend that said pretty much this: If the amount of kudos is 10% of the amount of hits you have, then it's deemed a good fic. That is to say, even if your story only gets 50 kudos out of 500 people that read it, you're in the clear.

I'll be using screenshots of my own works as example because I have a range of decently well-received stories to not well received at all.

So this one has almost exactly 10% the amount of kudos.

This, which has only a whopping 5 kudos is in the 10% (it’s actually not it’s 2am and my brain is shitting itself but I’m gonna make a point with this one regardless so leave my math error alone}

Meanwhile, this fic only has 55 kudos even though, presumably, over 2k people read it.

There are a few things that should be taken into consideration here:

THE SHIP: it's no shock to anyone -especially writers- that there are favoured ships in our fandom. Taekook and Jikook take the first place spot followed by Yoonmin (this one actually was named the top ship on all of ao3 a couple years ago!) along with yoonseok/sope maybe Namjin? This is all to say, if you write about a ship that isn't necessarily popular, not many people will read your work. That isn't to say that you should only write for certain ships. Please write what you want and what you feel! I cannot stress enough that all of this should be for fun or maybe even practice if writing is your passion.

But let’s look back at the three fics I pointed out. The first one with 400 kudos is taekook, so it had a better chance of getting seen by more people. In fact, 4k people clicked on it and potentially read that story...but the next fic with only 5 kudos is yoonmin. Aren’t they a popular ship? Why did only 100 people read it? And vhope isn’t necessarily a popular ship now (it had its time earlier on back when Rookie King came out, and the veterans for that ship are still fighting, me included!) but 2k people clicked on that and only 55 of those 2k liked it enough to leave a kudos. So, if it’s not the ship, what else could it be?

THE TAGS: tagging a story is very detrimental when posting on a site like this or any other, really. Many people like to narrow their searches down based on the criteria. Being able to filter what fics a person sees can make or break a work’s traction. My yoonmin story is a horror fic, and I’m sure there aren’t very many readers looking to get scared. As an avid reader myself, there is no denying that I -as well as many other readers- are interested in reading smut. Whether it be a one shot that’s quick and easy, or maybe it’s a slow-burn that tallies up to just being a written rom-com series, if you specify in the tags that smut is in this story, people are more willing to give it a try. For the vhope fic, I didn’t mention smut, but I did put in the tags some subgenres of smut. You can’t have “over stimulation” without sex, right? 

But, again, I feel the need to stress this: do not write smut if you are not comfortable with it! Despite the fact that a lot of us are thirsty, shameless fiends, there about just as many people that are only here for the cutesy, lovey-dovey shit. That taekook fic doesn’t have any sex in it, nor did I ever mention that there was a possibility of sex. It doesn’t go past being flirty in the span of 2k words. So, then, if a fic with a popular ship can do well without having sex in it, what else is making people click on it?

THE SUMMARY: I...am such a huge advocate for summaries. There’s a nice fine line between going into too much detail or not enough. This is why I normally go the route of putting in an excerpt from the story and then add a TLDR (Too Long Don’t Read) in the form of an “OR” followed by an incredibly oversimplified idea of what the story is about. As you can see, I didn’t do that for the yoonmin fic. I only put in an excerpt that -quite frankly- is boring narrative. The reason as to why I chose that in the first place is because the horror aspect of the fic is where any dialogue comes in- which brings me to the next point!

This could just be me, but I do tend to click on stories that have dialogue in the summary. This is going to depend on if the reader cares more about dialogue or narration, but think of the story as if it were a new movie coming out or preview to a new episode of a show. Do these videos only broadcast the actors simply moving around? No, they like to add in clips from scenes, use dialogue where you can sort of understand what the context of the scene might be, but not enough context so you’ll want to watch and see what the fuck they’re talking about.

So, if you’ve gotten to this part, you have probably realized that all I did was just tell you how you can market your writing so that more people will click on it and possibly read it all the way through. And really, these aren’t necessarily sure, guaranteed ways of becoming the next “The Fic” in our fandom, but I can assure that just taking more time to consider these aspects can allow you to contemplate what works for you as well as the audience. 

That’s that on that. The next thing I want to talk about some stuff I didn’t cover that are just as important:

Comments (and Bookmarks)

This is probably the biggest thing I ever hear/read/see artists of any sort complain about. And with good reason! As a writer, it truly does wonders to get feedback of almost any sort, even if it’s just a critique on how something was worded. Comments mean that we’re not just throwing our art out into a vast void. Effort was put into the art we created, so if you enjoyed it, effort put into commenting is much appreciated. But this isn’t another rant begging the audience to please just let us know how you felt. No, I’m here to mention that we should not let the number of kudos overshadow the interactions.

More examples. And keep in mind that taekook fic. Feel free to scroll back up and look at the amount of comments on that work. Now take a look at these:

So, 8.1k read this fic...and only 250 people liked it...but boy did this story cause some sort of reaction because people W E N T O F F! And rest assured, none of the comments were necessarily negative. The majority of them are just people being like “wha- how could they >.<”

Everything seems to be pretty even across the board. 2.6k readers, 220 kudos, about 20 or so comments (that’s excluding my replies). 

As I mentioned before, comments are so important. The taekook fic I wrote that seemed to garner enough traction where 4k people read it and 400 people liked it enough to leave a kudos, only a handful of those readers left a comment. It kinda makes me think of instagram. How strange does it look if a picture gets 10k likes but only has maybe 10 or 20 comments. Something seems a bit off, doesn’t it? I can see how this sounds entitled, but my sole purpose in bringing this up is because those numbers can be discouraging. And I want to stress how important it is to look at your works, cherish the comments you get even if the number of hearts seems low in comparison. Some of my most heartfelt comments are on that Taegi fic just above. And it makes them all the more special because this has been my favourite story to write. So even though not many have read it (whether it be because the ship isn’t popular or I didn’t do a good job of summarizing the fic where it seemed interesting) the people that clicked on an liked it felt the need to comment some absolutely amazing words. And those are the comments that should keep you going and growing.

I’ll also just add this little tidbit because it wasn’t something I noticed until recently, you should also check the bookmarks. People are able to leave comments and tags in their bookmarks, and I believe those to be extensions of comments. Not only did people feel like saving this work you wrote, but they might just let out some of their feelings in the tags, like the tags section of a tumblr post or the comment on a retweet.

There is no rule or formula that I particularly know of for getting more comments -aside from using the note section to say “let me know what you think” or “comments are always appreciated!”. I think this aspect somewhat depends on the story itself. That taekook fic I wrote is probably one of the more “cookie-cutter” things I have written. Tropes are great, they normally have a plot and formula that people can follow and know what’s going to happen. And they’re tropes for a reason: they’re common and entertaining. I know I don’t always like to go the route of writing tropes. I have accepted that the style in which I write is not always catered towards the general audience, but that is completely okay!

As I said before, this is for fun. You write because you have a story you want to tell, and you feel so passionately about it that you take the time and effort to write it. If my numbers have proven anything, it’s that your fics will find their niche. It’s always going to fit someone. And it’s important to really appreciate those that seem to like what you’re writing, even if the greater audience doesn’t vibe with it.

And that’s that on that.

So, since we’ve gone over all this, I just wanted to say that I am open to helping writers. I know this post probably isn’t the best representation, but I’m pretty damn good at spelling and grammar. I’m not a novelist, don’t have any published works floating anywhere on the New York Times Best Seller list, but I have been writing since I was seven years old. With fifteen years of experience and having worked with authors in the past on potential books, I am always more than happy to pass on any knowledge I have gained over the years. If it’s wording something to make it flow better, trying to fill any plot holes or answer questions of character motivations, of if you should be using “there”, “they’re”, or “their”, I would love to help. All ya gotta do is message me :)

*mic drop*

[shidoukanae]

The Character Introductory Arcs of the VRAINS (semi-theory)

Just a thought but, I’ve kind of noticed a little trend going on w/ the current VRAINS episodes in the form of “introductory” arcs. Each section of episodes we’ve had so far are nearly almost always dedicated to one character in particular as I’ve observed so far:

1-First we had Yusaku from ep 1-3. We were introduced to Playmaker (+Ignis) and Yusaku Fujiki - giving him a basic (and more visual) explanation on his character, his motives, what he wants, and why he does the things he does.

2-Next, it’s Go from ep 4-5. These episodes introduced Go who, though he had a minor show focus in the previous episodes, has a more major one here. We see his character, his reason for living, his dueling style and how the way he fights conflicts with the public eye. We see him as unallied, as someone who is just as sideless as Ema is as of the current canon. He isn’t with SOL and he isn’t with Hanoi but he isn’t with Playmaker either. He’s on his own, playing hero to the kids he wishes to cherish, and he’s essentially the most “normal” character of our six so far.

3-From episodes 6-7 (and speculatively episode 8), we have a focus on Aoi Zaizen/Blue Angel. Again, we’ve already seen her previously as minor cameos but it is here that she properly gets introduced. These episodes establish her relationship with Akira, establish how she wants to impress him and how he’s probably the one person in her life she is closest to. It also sets up her rebelliousness, her determination to prove herself, and her conflicting personalities between real life and virtual reality. We also see how she thinks others in the world are out to use her - how she has hope and then finds herself crushed every time (her last conversation with Yusaku seemed to imply this). She’s isolated and alone and that’s how her arc sets her up - as someone who is as distant to the world as she is close to it in her alternate persona.

4-The fourth arc (subjectively episodes 8-12) is about Revolver. And, while we can grasp a little bit about his character here and there - he despises the Internet, despises Ai’s, hates the Cyberse’s, works for his father in the VR world - I felt like his introductory arc fell a little flat in terms of allure. For me, anyways, I felt more excited to see Ema and more tidbits about the plot than to learn Revolver’s disinterested in the VR world and has superpowers over it. Regardless, this sector of the show shows him as a cunning rival, as someone who isn’t as bad as he might be good, and sets him up as a reoccurring rival whose interests might provoke Yusaku’s own. Aside from everything else I’ve mentioned, his arc doesn’t really give me much of an impression of his character besides spiteful and wanting to work step-by-step to make progress towards his goal in respectful duels instead of by outright stealing what he needs.

5-Now, the current arc is obviously centered around Ema Bessho / Ghost Girl. What we’ll see from this arc are probably more on her background, her motivations for doing her job, as well as maybe exploring tiny tidbits about her relationship with Akira. If anything, we might get to see her interact with clients and others in the background while she challenges Playmaker to her duel in the foreground of the plot. This current arc with Ema will likely lead on a trajectory to whom I assume the next arc is about...

6-Akira Zaizen. Out of all the remaining characters we have left of the introductory cast - Naoki, Shoichi, Specter, and, of course, the man of question - Akira is the next one likely to receive a proper introductory arc. We’ve had bits and pieces of his own arc inter-spread with Aoi’s and Revolver’s and Go’s (and Yusaku’s too, to some extent) and, as it seems he’s also going to be involved in Ema’s arc as well (though he most likely won’t interact with her given the episode 14 preview). 

We know that SOL is going to fire Akira soon and we’ve already started seeing hints of that with the appearance of two new speculatively relevant characters. If Yusaku breaks into SOL’s security bank as per Ema’s help, then it’s very possible we’ll be leading into Akira’s arc. Say, as per what little we saw in the ep. 14 preview, that Akira steps down from his position and this new guy takes over. If Playmaker manages to hack his way into the database it’s going to have to be this guy’s responsibility to catch him. And, when this guy inevitably fails, SOL might try to turn to Akira yet again as at least Akira was competent. It’s also possible Akira was only demoted by SOL to a role of virtually no accessibility to any high-end records. And, thus, when the new guy fails to stop Playmaker from doing his damage on SOL, it’s going to have to be Akira who stops Playmaker from doing what he’s doing.

If the show went this way, we could see more about Akira’s lifestyle, about how he works and what is expected of him. It could also help set up how competent Akira is at his job, why he chose to go after criminal hackers in the first place as chief of security instead of chief of police or something like that. It might also set-up the few relationships he has outside of Ema and Aoi, helping to develop him as a businessman as well as delving into his interests, hobbies, and the more mundane stuff we have yet to learn about him.

~~~

From here, depending on how the show resolves or destroys Akira’s problems (assuming worst case scenario and he gets fired and what not) there are other potential arcs that could go from here:

For one, by the time we go through “Akira’s arc”, we might finally be introduced to the two characters I am dying to see and know about - the yellow child and the purple child who’ve we’ve yet to encounter so far (assuming that Naoki and Specter are somehow not these two children). About the time the next arc after Ema’s ends, we might have a new OP and ED. And, with a new one of these we usually have the introductions of more characters relevant to the plot. It’s possible we could be introduced to a new character soon and whose arc we immediately leap into (think of Yuto’s introduction - something like that) or one who is introduced in one of the next two “arcs” that are coming up.

For another, it’s possible we could be getting arcs about two characters who’ve been more neglected than anything - Specter, Shoichi and Naoki. These three are the background characters in a cast of most otherwise spotlight characters. Naoki is the most mundane of the cast and, if he did get an arc, it has a chance to become filler. On the other hand, his arc could be interesting if we focus on the idea that Naoki will become a member of Link VRAINS who accidentally meets up with the plot and somehow gets thrown alongside Playmaker as “newbie sidekick”. We’d hopefully get to see more of his good side, of how his insecurity affects him in the dueling world as well as how he reacts to Playmaker vs. Yusaku.

Shoichi’s arc might occur if Playmaker is injured or MIA after the sixth arc. If Playmaker is harmed and Yusaku is put into a coma or captured or something, we’re obviously going to see Shoichi moving into action to save him. This would maybe help paint an association of how Shoichi sees Yusaku. Does Shoichi compare Yusaku to his brother? Why does Shoichi care about Yusaku and how does he feel about him? What does Shoichi think of their relationship and what was Shoichi’s life like with his brother as compared to Yusaku’s? Like, if Shoichi has an arc I want to see the fleshing out of Shoichi’s relationship to Yusaku in terms of how Shoichi thinks of the boy as well as how Yusaku correlates to his brother. 

And then, also, Specter. The last character of the main-and-first-to-be-introduced-to-us-before-the-show-even-aired characters. He is a member of Hanoi and speculatively not a good guy. However, it’s possible we’ll see an arc of him and his motivations and maybe how he’s even playing Hanoi instead of wanting to help them. Specter can go two ways from what little we know of his character - he’s an “infiltrator” to Hanoi, a third sider who pretends to care about Hanoi’s cause when he has other goals in mind. The other path he can take is as someone who possibly knows IRL Revolver and who takes care of the boy while his father can’t, playing servant in both VR and IRL to, perhaps, an unknowing Revolver. 

There’s also Ai but I think that, if he does get an arc, it’s going to be stretched out long and far so I’m going to assume that we’ll be waiting a while longer on him and his arc considering how closely tied to the plot he is. I might make an inference on what I think his arc is about now but I’m just going to say that we’ll definitely see more on why he thinks he’s an outcast later. Especially when Ai stops playing dumb and coy and actually gets emotional about his feelings and relationships with the other AI’s.

[piracytheorist]

Killian Jones as Chaotic

Note 1: this post doesn’t aim in trashing Killian’s character, but I will mention his evil deeds in as impartial a way as possible. It’s merely an effort for character analysis and study. Note 2: I’m planning to write a second part with the focus on Rumpelstiltskin, and a final third part which will point out the parallels and anti-parallels between both characters. It’s just that this one turned out to be huge so I decided to post it as is.

source

Character alignment started with character creation in role-playing games, but it has spread everywhere and with a certain stretch, it can apply to every single fictional character. The stretch is that rarely will you find characters that are of only one alignment, so in here I will talk about how Killian fits most criteria for one alignment, but also has important features of other alignments.

In a few words, just to make things clear, Law is when characters respect authorities and duty, while Chaos is when characters cherish their freedom and follow their conscience. Notice that none necessarily means Good or Evil, because as you can see, there are Lawfuls and Chaotics of all kinds. But I will talk about those in detail below.

Let’s talk about chaos. From easydamus:

Chaotic Good, "Rebel"

Chaotic good characters act as their conscience directs them with little regard for what others expect of them. They make their own way, but they’re kind and benevolent. They believe in goodness and right but have little use for laws and regulations. They hate it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. They follow their own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society.

Chaotic Neutral, "Free Spirit"

Chaotic neutral characters follow their whims. They are individualists first and last. They value their own liberty but don't strive to protect others' freedom. They avoid authority, resent restrictions, and challenge traditions. Chaotic neutral characters do not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, they would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from themselves suffer). Chaotic neutral characters may be unpredictable, but their behavior is not totally random. They are not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it.

Chaotic Evil, "Destroyer”

Chaotic evil characters do whatever their greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive them to do. They are hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If they are simply out for whatever they can get, they are ruthless and brutal. If they are committed to the spread of evil and chaos, they are even worse. Thankfully, their plans are haphazard, and any groups they join or form are poorly organized. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him.

Key words/phrases: “make their own way”, “value their liberty”, “unpredictable”. All good by now? Good. Let’s go to Killian.

As a kid, Killian adored and idolized his father. Perhaps he didn’t know any better. But in one way or another, the father figure is a form of authority, and he had that shattered at a very young age.

We know for sure that he grew up close to his brother, but in the horrible situation Brennan, Killian’s first authoritative figure, put them in. So he grows up to become impulsive, passionate, and defiant. He tries to attack Captain Silver when the latter bullies him, he doesn’t want to join the Navy, he drowns his sorrows in booze, but wishes he could be the brother he thinks Liam deserves.

When it comes to Liam, he wants to meet someone’s expectations, a trait of Lawful characters. A-ha.

They enlist in the Navy.

Please welcome Killian Jones, aspiring Lawful Good version.

In true nature, Killian is Chaotic; he values his freedom and doesn’t trust authority easily. Bad trait for a soldier, but he was trying for his brother’s sake/approval. So when Peter “there are no kings in Neverland” Pan plants a seed of doubt in Killian’s mind, that their benevolent king is not as benevolent as he may have thought, that sets Killian off immediately. Before Liam died for good, they were talking about “reporting [their king?] to the Admiralty”. When Liam dies, Killian goes full rogue, confiscates the ship and turns pirate. Taking matters into his own hands, not trusting into the law to solve things.

His reasons are Good; opposing a king who had sent them off to get poison. But in his speech, he says “We’ll sail under the crimson flag and we’ll give our enemies no quarter. We’ll take what we please.” His means are definitely Chaotic, since they’re opposing a king, but not exactly Good.

The code of Chaotic characters goes like this, according to easydamus:

Killian becomes Captain, something his crew seems to agree on, all to avenge his brother’s death. So his alignment as of now is mostly Chaotic Neutral, with sprinkles of Chaotic Good and Evil here and there.

And here is the first gap. Next time we see him is when he meets Rumpelstiltskin, and a lot seems to have changed till then. We don’t know what, but what we know is that he definitely turned himself into a bad guy.

He is Evil at that point. Selfish, cunning, nasty, bully. We all know. The thing is, he has a long way to go until he goes full vengeful Captain Hook and Ultra Evil Dark Hook. So I’m gonna place him somewhere between Neutral and Evil for that point. If anything, he doesn’t yet fit the “Destroyer” role. He had the potential for it but he probably didn’t care much pre-Milah’s death.

I would like to comment here on his first meeting with Milah. He may be cruel and violent, but sometimes even he has manners. When he notices that Milah is being harassed, he steps in and punches the guy out. Then he offers Milah a drink, kisses her hand, and eventually accepts her rejection when she mentions her husband. Make of that what you will.

Even pirates have a code, so when Rumpelstiltskin challenges him to a duel Killian knows he’s going to lose, he accepts anyway.

Milah dies and he dedicates himself to revenge.

Please welcome Killian Jones, Chaotic Evil version.

He’s literally going up alone against someone way more powerful than him and not giving a damn about that. He only helps Pan out of necessity, a means to reach his goal. He harms innocents who didn’t provoke him (Ursula) even ones he could invest emotionally in (Baelfire) or his own family (Liam II). Somewhere deep is the want to help others but he’s too far in. He lies and betrays and doesn’t give a damn about authority, and even takes other people’s freedom as well (Aurora). In other words, Chaotic as all hell.

The only tidbit I find is that in Season 2 he allowed himself to be another villain’s lackey. Cora, Regina, Greg and Tamara, in all cases he agreed to help them and do as he was told without being threatened. That is what I think is his 180 turn for the ones he loves; he turns Lawful, but he does so voluntarily. Again, Killian’s goal is still Chaotic; he doesn’t want to bring the bad guy to justice (Lawful) he just wants to avenge Milah’s death for her and himself.

Even so, he mostly acts alone (Chaotic - freedom) and changes sides all the time. He leaves Cora to join the Princesses, he hurries off to kill Rumpelstiltskin before Cora tells him it’s dangerous, he attacks Belle alone, he goes to New York alone, etc. The villains are there to get his help, not the other way around, and he doesn’t expect to be helped.

When faced with certain death, he offers his knowledge to the good guys only to betray them again and change his mind and come back. At the end of Season 2 he offers his help to find Henry and decidedly hits pause on his quest for revenge.

He’s got way to go, however, until he’s reached Neutral territory. In Neverland he made some progress, but he let it all go after everyone returned to the Enchanted Forest. Again, stealing, killing, betraying innocents (Ariel), though now without a cause. And then the second curse is cast.

*Knock knock*

Please welcome Killian Jones, Chaotic Neutral version.

Again, not truly Neutral, since his goal is Good; to bring Emma back and help save the others. Partially, however, he also wanted to be part of Emma’s life. And not fully Chaotic, he’s not against being told what to do anymore and is upset with keeping the secret of his cursed lips. But he still acts alone (trying to send Henry to New York without telling anyone), doesn’t disclose the truth about the missing year and Ariel, and doesn’t really ask for help with his cursed lips. All that are just part of his character and perfectly following the patterns of his previous behaviours.

Slowly he starts adopting Good traits: helping the needy - Storybrooke, honoring those who promote goodness - Charmings and co., not betraying others even when his life was in danger - cursed lips storyline.

Something that really interests me in his scene with Emma outside of Granny’s in the finale is this interaction: Emma thanks him for bringing her back, and he replies with “It was the right thing to do.” It’s fantastic because it can be read as Lawful (it was his duty to do so) but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t want to do it (Chaotic - he just damn well wanted to do it so he did it). 

Off to Season 4, his Evil tendencies are tingling, and he blackmails Gold into helping them. Gold helps them significantly. Then Killian blackmails Gold a second time, extracting the deal - Bad Form. He also lies/keeps it all a secret from Emma, and then his freedom is taken away.

Personal freedom is of the essence for a Chaotic character.  For a Chaotic Good character, personal freedom for others is essential too. Here Hook has lost the former and then has to take the fairies’ freedom too, and since he’s becoming Good, that upsets him even more. His continued defiance to Gold during those episodes could stem from this important trait of his character; even if his agency was taken away, he doesn’t stop trying to find ways to show himself that he does have a little left. It doesn’t hurt that it pisses Gold off, but the most important thing for Hook was to have that reassurance (see below for the Hades stuff).

One way I personally like to describe Chaotic characters in my mind is “overreacting and impulsive”.

In this case, Ursula is innocent - the worst thing she’s done is condone to kidnapping a child Hook didn’t even know, and she’s also a past victim of his - but to him, that doesn’t matter. And Ursula is pretty Chaotic herself - wanting to get away from her father, not caring whether he is a god or not - so it’s just Hook being overreacting and impulsive here. Good thing Ursula could defend herself.

However, the Chaotic Good trait “You shall honor those who promote freedom and goodness” comes into play when Emma gets angry with her parents for the Lily fiasco. He supports them and tries to help her forgive them, based on the fact that now they’re good and that they tried to fix their mistake. Which had nothing to do with them being her parents (authority) or actual royalty.

Then comes Cowardly Deckhand Hook.

This version of Hook doesn’t simply respect authority - he cowers to it. However, when his true self seems to come forward thanks to Emma, he actually stands up to Evil Snow’s guards and even threatens the same Queen herself.

Camelot and 5a, oh boy.

Again, acting on his own and impulsively - trying to free Zelena (and to take her heart, no less) and opposing Regina. And Good traits again - caring for Emma’s agency (to the extreme and almost at Robin’s expense) and goodness. Not caring about the apparently important tradition of a ball and focusing at the task at hand - however, now that I think of that, I think the first time we see him bow and actually mean it was to Emma right before he started dancing with her in said ball. Lawful for those he loves, hmm.

He looks sarcastic at David’s knighting and I find that interesting, however we never see his reaction to Arthur (royalty) until much later. He steps first into the breaking in in the dungeons and punches a couple of guards unconscious, helping the release of Merida and Lancelot. He gets angry with Merlin for telling them to break into the castle again without knowing all the dangers. Eventually he joins the second break-in, escapes from his bondage and attacks Arthur himself. He is angry with Regina forcing Emma to talk, and then the juicy and painful part comes.

Emma ignores his dying wish and turns him into the Dark One against his will.

As said before, a Chaotic character values their personal freedom above almost everything else. For a character like Killian, who grew up in servitude and had no say in his own life until he escaped it, it is safe to believe that he can be even more shaken by having his agency taken away. Sadly for him, it’s not only one instance then. Emma lies to him about Excalibur, and when he pushes her to reveal she has it, he takes a step back disgusted and asks if she’d used it on him. He’s still holding onto some Good/Neutral traits - not wanting to kill Emma in order to cast the Dark Curse, but the last straw is when Emma summons him against his will, and then he’s gone.

Please welcome Killian Jones, Ultra Chaotic Evil version.

After that point, he’s at his total worst. He lies, he betrays Emma, he kills Merlin with glee and casts the Dark Curse. Destroyer in every sense of the word.

After forgetting all of those stuff, he seems to automatically change back to his pre-Camelot persona. You could argue that pushing Emma away while they were in Storybrooke could be his transition to Lawful for her. That he wanted to be with her (Chaotic) but he had the duty to stay away for both of their sakes (Lawful). However, he brings the others with him (working with others - Lawful) in order to break into her house (breaking the law - Chaotic), but that’s only this once, because next thing we know, he’s trying to summon Emma alone, he jumps off a building to get her attention, and frees Zelena in an effort to get free and the answers he wants.

I also want to point out something on the murders he talks about. Barnaby mocked him for his disability, and Edgar was drinking from his wine. Pretty minor reasons to kill them, but those murders had nothing to do with Killian advancing himself and promoting order, so Chaotic.

He remembers he’s the Dark One and Chaotic Evil rises again.

And in the end, I want to note that his death was Lawful; he wanted to be remembered as someone good, he specifically says so.

And then the Underworld. Oh boy. If him being injured, bloody and almost unable to stand yet still opposing a very god himself doesn’t scream Chaotic, I don’t know what does. From his very first lines to Hades, he threatens to kill him (or do whatever’s worse to him), he sassies him and refuses to do what he asks. He doesn’t care about Hades’ position or power. Of course, all of that does have to do with Hades being the one who caused him pain and all, but it fits his character and it makes sense for him to threaten a freaking god instead of simply wanting to escape the torture. 

He does that while he’s a complete prisoner of Hades and has absolutely zero control or ability to stop him from hurting him. I think that once again his ceaseless defiance in every scene between them stemmed from Hook’s need to feel like he does have a little agency left. If he can’t stop Hades from hurting him, he can at least insult and boast at him. Same way he did with Captain Silver and Rumpelstiltskin.

He adds one more point to his hate for Rumpelstiltskin after finding out about his scheme because he feels like everything he did was so that Rumpelstiltskin could gain power, and that stings a lot for a Chaotic character; for someone to use their actions to advance themselves in strength and power.

And then he meets Liam again, Liam the ever Lawful. Remember how Killian wanted to be an upright Lawful officer because of his brother’s influence? Here you can see the same - with Liam agreeing to it, Killian prefers to allow the powers that be judge his fate than fight for a better outcome himself. Until he finds out that Liam wasn’t as Lawful Good as Killian thought he was - he had willingly allowed some innocent sailors to die (gaining power by killing, Lawful Evil) and he had lied to Killian about it (Chaotic). Killian’s image for his brother/father figure, one of the few authorities he’d allowed himself to respect, shatters, but not his love for him.

So next thing we know, he agrees to Emma’s plan to take matters into his own hands and go back with them. He proposes he kill Zelena (Evil), whom he still finds dangerous and suspicious. We don’t know who suggests he change the name on the tombstones, but he does cooperate with David on it and helps Cora escape at Regina’s request - breaking the law in pursuit of what he and the others think of as good. The fact that those seem to upset Hades a bit doesn’t hurt either.

He seems to be the only one who doesn’t trust Hades at any given moment. When he approaches them with a fair and seemingly clear deal, Hook warns Emma to not trust him. When the heart thing doesn’t work, he immediately accuses him. When Hades tells them to go alone after the ambrosia, he subtly voices his suspicions. His suspicions turn out to be legit in the end, but I think that most of it stemmed from his Chaotic nature and his complete unwillingness to trust in any authority.

In Season 6, Belle asks for a refuge and he lets her stay on the ship, without caring about the fact that she’s actually leaving her husband. It’s kind of a sensitive matter here, but from Hook’s perspective, I think he believed he was doing something good even if that meant he was going against traditions. Of course, this could be interpreted differently, I just think it fits the pattern.

Emma asks him to dispose of the shears, and he lies about doing that, while trying to solve things on his own (Chaotic), however, in the end he admits to his wrong.

Conclusion and personal thoughts

Look, I love Hook very much. But I’m not one to excuse his actions and glorify him by ignoring his past, and even his present. He still has violent tendencies, and the show didn’t bother to spend one second to show that he felt bad for accidentally killing Jekyll. What I’m trying to say is, even if his endgame is Good (protecting Emma and her family), he’s still somewhere between Neutral and Good. Besides, I don’t think he’ll ever actually stop wanting to kill Rumpelstiltskin, I just think he’s at peace with the idea that killing him isn’t worth it. But somewhere deep there is the want, and the Code of a Chaotic Good or Neutral character is “You shall not murder”, with no specifics. So if murder is at someone’s mind, they have Evil tendencies even if they’re actively trying and wanting to act Good. And of course there’s the matter of his past. I’m not trying to vilify him, but for the sake of this meta, I have to be honest.

Finally, Killian’s character alignment could be summed up to this; mostly Chaotic, he values his freedom and is triggered by the loss of it, he acts Lawful for those he loves, or in memory of them, but when they’re in danger his knee-jerk reaction is to act alone. Good goals, Good/Neutral actions, occasional Evil tendencies.

[101percentindia]

The Rollercoaster Of An Enforced Three-Day Cell Phone Detox

How life without man’s best friend, the cell-phone, can be liberating & frightening.

Zero bars. I had to keep smacking my left ear, which had developed a strange buzzing noise. People around me appeared as nothing more than clumsy swirls of shapes and colours. I was unreasonably anxious; my right knee kept shaking nonstop. My fingers were a bloody mess (because I bit into them, duh). I hit the restart button on my phone several times, hoping something would change. All I got, though, was that little cross you see on the top right. No network. My old friend Vodafone had betrayed me — for like the bajillionth time. I did this complex yoga stance, where I rested my thighs on top of my shoulders, at the same time stretching out both arms, trying to get the last remaining digital shreds of connectivity. No luck. I even did a hands-free headstand. I was in the middle of a full-blown panic attack.

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No network. How will I survive? Image source: stock-clip.com

Not too long ago, I visited this hill-station in Karnataka called Coorg. Around five hours away from Bangalore by road, the place is famous for its exquisite coffee estates. It’s become sort of commercial, like all pretty hill-stations inevitably do, so there’s enough civilisation for city-cats such as this writer to not be completely out of place. I was there for a wedding, and my plan was to do minimal sight-seeing while wearing snazzy sunglasses, a fanny pack, and an “I Heart Coorg” T-shirt, and maybe take intrusive black-and-white photos of locals going about their daily business to post on Instagram (#Rustic).

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Digital Detox. Disconnect to reconnect. Image source: mangoesworld.com

What I wasn’t expecting was to spend three whole days without literally any phone coverage. No calls or texts. No internet. No WhatsApp, no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram, no Gmail, no Snapchat, no Tumblr, no Google Plus, no Pinterest, no YouTube. Can you imagine? I have a fairly mild stance on modern-day dependence on cell-phones. I’m not a hippy, so I don’t feel any spiritual need to renounce all technology. But I do think phones are a minor nuisance, although a necessary one. Regardless of my intellectual position, I can safely admit to a group of strangers that my name is Akhil Sood and I use my cell-phone far more than I should. It was only upon reaching Coorg that I discovered this great tragedy unfolding inside my pocket. A cruel reminder that life isn’t fair; an enforced detox, where I was desperate for some link to the outside world. The first few hours were spent sulking, sporadically trying out different spots where I might get some signal. Soon enough, though, something odd began to happen. I forgot all about it. My phone became nothing more than an alarm clock. I felt less burdened, less obliged.

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Cell phone network, where are you? Image source: tinypic.com

I began to notice that almost everyone who’s around my age — millennial age — walks around with their nose tilted to their phone. They never look up; they’re willing to risk a head-on collision but not a missed WhatsApp text. People on trains have their head bowed. People at the grocery shop have their head bowed. Inside cabs and autos. In the metro. In offices and drawing rooms and bedrooms and bathrooms. They smile only at their phones, if at all. I began to realise that people actually hold back their words in conversation; they withhold fun facts and anecdotal tidbits, instead choosing to share them on social media. That everyone’s always distracted (except that it’s not even ‘distraction’ exactly).

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Put your phone down. Image source: telegraph.co.uk

It’d be silly to deny the convenience of using your phone as a tool for your everyday goings-about — health and fitness apps, food-tracking apps, constant reminders, work emails, interactions with friends, annoying company WhatsApp groups, A/V entertainment, mindlessly addictive mobile games. So I completely get the dependence; it makes life easy. So the fact that a five-inch screen controls people’s existence is, to an extent, understandable. What I’m getting at, though, is that even a short escape from its clutches can be liberating.   Without the burden of my phone, I suddenly had this hyper self-awareness. It was fascinating and frightening. I felt all-powerful. Like a superhuman. Personal empowerment is such a muddled concept, but I felt some kind of clarity. I could now, after all these years, see that human beings had, like, a nose, two ears, lips, eyes, two eyebrows (sometimes one). I was actually interested in the people around me. I even began to notice the colour of their eyes. I wanted to know what they did; how they felt about things. When their birthdays were; what kind of food they liked. What their verbal tics and general body language were like. I felt the need to discuss the state of affairs in our country with complete strangers who turned out to be militant right-wingers, leading to awkward uhhs and ahhs. For three short days, I wanted to form real connections, not LinkedIn ones.

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Offline is the new luxury. Image source: blogs.ubc.ca

It was total awareness of my surroundings. You know: like how the people in Bangalore have this deal with the devil where they get perfect weather throughout the year, and in return the gods of universe equilibrium shut down all bars and restaurants at 6 PM on weekdays? I was able to gather that Coorg is like that too, except that it’s just a few degrees nippier, where you cherish the warmth of woolens or the delight of a morning sun that much more.

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Turns out you actually get to see a place if you’re not staring at your phone constantly

Long walks were taken, with the locals as puzzled by my mannerisms as I of theirs. I saw and touched coffee plants. I found out that elephants can be a real menace if you own an estate. They’ll destroy your entire bounty whenever they feel like. But if you befriend them, then they’ll be on your team and raze a rival estate owner’s crop. And that an acre of estate will set you back roughly Rs. 20 lakh. That’s a problem, since it’s sort of affordable if you’re Delhi-Bombay rich. Which means you’ll buy a summer home in Coorg, but you won’t actually work on the land there, wasting away valuable real estate and also turning it into Shimla’s Mall Road. I tried to understand the phonetic differences between the dialect spoken in Coorg vs. the one in Bangalore. I ate pandi curry (the pork curry Coorg is famous for) without taking a single photo. I visited a nearby hill-station, called Sakleshpur, where I spent an afternoon just ambling around aimlessly inside a 100-acre estate, chucking pebbles into a lake, secretly scared shitless of the estate-workers walking around with machetes, but playing it cool on the outside. Let’s be clear: I’m well aware that the only reason I could enjoy these trivial flights of fancy was because the comforts of my regular life were a mere three days away. It was a vacation from real life, which I could indulge, and not a permanent surrender. That’s just the thing — commitment is great as long as it’s short-lived. As soon as the drive down the ghats ended, so did my Vodafone exile. Within minutes (if not seconds), I caught up on all the internet things I’d missed out on. I felt whole again. A burden had been lifted; a different one returned. I miss that getaway. But I can’t say with any certainty if I’d do it again, voluntarily.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of 101India.com.

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By Akhil Sood Cover photo credit: Eshna Goenka

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London Bus Tours Have Gone to the Dogs

Dog proprietors traveling London can take their companions along sightseeing on a bus dog-themed excursion of the metropolis.

According to the company imparting the tours, the bus is the “global’s first ever metropolis bus tour designed for puppies.” The tour is designed to expose puppies and their owners around London’s dog records. The K9 path will bypass Downing Street, Kensington Palace and Gardens, and the Houses of Parliament. On board, four courses will share tidbits about famous London puppies, inclusive of Queen Elizabeth’s corgis and Winston Churchill’s poodle, Rufus.

But because that is a tour designed for dogs, there are lots of stops. Dogs and their proprietors will make stops at Hyde Park, Kensington Palace Gardens, and Green Park to get off the bus and stretch their paws.

The excursion may also tip London canine owners off to a few pet-pleasant eating places and shops across the town

The 90-minute tour is loose but calls for a ticket, which is available online. The ultimate day of the tour is January 19.

The excursion became launched with the aid of More Th>n, a British insurance corporation, to have a good time their new provider, which offers pet proprietors with insurance and provides a monthly bundle of objects to keep dogs healthy.

“London is a city famed for its charming records and wealthy tradition, a good deal of which guy’s fine friend has been heavily involved in,” Steve Jay, from More Th>n, said in an assertion. “The K9 Bus Tour ambitions to have fun this often underappreciated reality, at the same time as also presenting owners with a laugh and precise way to spend time enjoyable their cherished pet.”

Free London Museums

In order to soak up the history and subculture in London does no longer suggest you want to interrupt the financial institution. Whether you are in this capital metropolis for commercial enterprise or delight, taking some time out to visit the pinnacle museums is a have to. There are several museums in London that give unfastened access, though a few might also price to discover positive famous, which you could decide after you arrive.

V&A Houses

V&A Houses are home to ornamental arts. The arts you can explore in this famous museum visited by using lots each yr consists of the whole lot of prints to ceramics and sculptures. The museum is a history of British layout courting back to Henry VIII as much as Queen Elizabeth and is a museum this is assured to hobby the complete circle of relatives.

British Museum

The British Museum might be the maximum well-known of the London museums, which also affords site visitors with unfastened entry, though you can need to pay entry into some of their temporary exhibitions. The British Museum is one of the oldest museums and is domestic to millions of gadgets from mummies to the well-known Rosetta Stone and a lot more.

Museum of London

The Museum of London offers you a touch of history from prehistoric times via to the present. This museum is all approximately London and has reconstructed interiors to road scenes. You can also be able to see some of the archaeological digs and a bunch of brief reveals while traveling this pinnacle museum.

Science Museum

The Science Museum is one of the pinnacle museums for households because it caters to all ages. This free entry museum is absolutely interactive entire with flight simulators and so much more. Parents and youngsters will locate super delight in exploring this pleasing and academic museum set over seven flooring.

National History Museum

This is one of the most visited museums inside the whole of London and also presents loose entry with positive reveals requiring a nominal access price. The National History Museum has seventy million artifices from plans to animals and fossils. Here you could see a dinosaur skeleton or visit the sea lifestyles segment. It is exciting and informative and a have to for the whole family while traveling London.

National Gallery

The National Gallery is a pinnacle art gallery which is likewise free to go into. The gallery dates returned to 1824 in which you could explore more than two thousand pieces of artwork from some of the top names in art from around the world. If you have a passion for artwork, then this gallery ought to not be crossed off your itinerary for London. The Bus to Veracruz with the aid of Richard Shelton – Analysis

The Bus to Veracruz is a guiding instructional brief story written by means of Richard Shelton. This tale revolves around the realities of a human life; His delivery, his willingness to live a life. The author Richard Shelton in his quick story The Bus to Veracruz suggests that someone comes to this existence unknowingly and has difficulties to alter with it. He’s supported by using angels and right humans to gain the products in existence and afterlife. Adjusting to the inconveniences of lifestyles may be difficult for the majority till and unless they have a person to manual them. Life is full of positive and bad stories that everyone has to face. Disappoints are part of lifestyles but so are hopes as wells. According to the author, even after quite a few hurdles and facing such a lot of stories in existence, each human being eventually makes his/her manner to their final vacation spot.

A person involves lifestyles unknowingly approximately it.

He/she would not recognize what it looks like, how to speak its language, and even its people. Richard Shelton indicates this factor at the very beginning of the fast tale. “At any fee,… Prove I exist” (423). It is so tough for someone to be in a new vicinity to stay in. He/she is sort of a new child toddler in this new vicinity. He/she has installed a scenario where he/she would possibly face one-of-a-kind forms of difficulties. He/she may discover a hard time communicating with people around him. His lifestyles becomes tough and daunting due to no longer being capable of speak with humans. An Example from my existence revel in, the first days that I spent after I had come to the States, had been the worst days for me in the States, due to the fact I came to a new place wherein the lifestyle and way of life are totally exclusive from in which I got here from. I failed to communicate the language used, and the weather is the opposite of where I got here from. An individual has to adjust to the existence and its problems if you want to live on this lifestyles. Not simplest does he factor out that people can get through the difficulties of life, he even encourages readers whom it’s far possible for pretty much all and sundry to evolve to the inconveniences of life.

When someone is in a brand new place, he/she has a hard time, at the start, to alter with it.

When time passes, he/she may be greater comfy with it or start to get used to it. Richard Shelton writes, “The Nausea from… Through the floors” (423). This essentially emphasizes on how the narrator dislikes the area he lives in. The narrator is surely dissatisfied and disdainful approximately his surroundings. He adjusts with the necessities of residing inclusive of foods and drinks but he has to discover his manner to modify with the floor (the location he lives in). As someone is new to this global and he/she does no longer recognize something about it, he isn’t used to whatever. He/she desires time to alter on this international because there are many things which can be extensively ordinary for him/her. To adjust to a brand new region, someone desires a hand to take him/her manual him alongside the direction where he/she is meant to be on. The narrator’s hopelessness at the start of the story that he has no one to aid him alongside the manner displays this factor.

Are Bully Sticks Good for Dogs?

Do you have got a puppy canine that loves to bite for your stuff all of the time? Does he usually search for your footwear and other normal gadgets to chew on? We recognize that puppies love to bite and they are constantly on the lookout for things, especially when no one is paying attention to them. It may be more difficult that allows you to locate the excellent bite toys for your pup. An excellent opportunity is bully sticks.

Bully sticks are considered a more secure and dietary alternative to a ramification of junk to be had available on the market within the right here and now. If the product is Greek to you, and also you need to recognize about its components, we advise which you read on.

The Making of Bully Sticks

In simple phrases, bully sticks are a sort of bite toys. They are crafted from puzzles of bulls. The product is natural and has loads of dietary price as nicely. As a depend on reality, manufacturers prepare the product with high-quality care. They dry and drain the pizzles before adding taste. The flavors make the product extra fun for your canine. The splendor of the sticks is that they ultimate longer than other merchandise available in the marketplace. Therefore, they may be an excellent alternative to commonplace chunk merchandise for dogs.