#individual lengths

[inkskinned]

the thing is there's like, a point of oversaturation for everything, and it's why so many things get dropped after a few minutes. and we act like millennials or gen z kids "have short attention spans" but... that's not quite it. it's more like - we did like it. you just ruined it.

capitalism sees product A having moderate success, and then everything has to come out with their "own version" of product A (which is often exactly the same). and they dump extreme amounts of money and environmental waste into each horrible simulacrum they trot out each season.

now it's not just tiktokkers making videos; it's that instagram and even fucking tumblr both think you want live feeds and video-first programming. and it helps them, because videos are easier to sneak native ads into. the books coming out all have to have 78 buzzwords in them for SEO, or otherwise they don't get published. they are making a live-action remake of moana. i haven't googled it, but there's probably another marvel or starwars something coming out, no matter when you're reading this post.

and we are like "hi, this clone of project A completely misses the point of the original. it is soulless and colorless and miserable." and the company nods and says "yes totally. here is a different clone, but special." and we look at clone 2 and we say "nope, this one is still flat and bad, y'all" and they're like "no, totally, we hear you," and then they make another clone but this time it's, like, a joyless prequel. and by the time they've successfully rolled out "clone 89", the market is incredibly oversaturated, and the consumer is blamed because the company isn't turning a profit.

and like - take even something digital like the tumblr "live streaming" function i just mentioned. that has to take up server space and some amount of carbon footprint; just so this brokenass blue hellsite can roll out a feature that literally none of its userbase actually wants. the thing that's the kicker here: even something that doesn't have a physical production plant still impacts the environment.

and it all just feels like it's rolling out of control because like, you watch companies pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into a remake of a remake of something nobody wants anymore and you're like, not able to afford eggs anymore. and you tell the company that really what you want is a good story about survival and they say "okay so you mean a YA white protagonist has some kind of 'spicy' love triangle" and you're like - hey man i think you're misunderstanding the point of storytelling but they've already printed 76 versions of "city of blood and magic" and "queen of diamond rule" and spent literally millions of dollars on the movie "Candy Crush Killer: Coming to Eat You".

it's like being stuck in a room with a clown that keeps telling the same joke over and over but it's worse every time. and that would be fine but he keeps fucking charging you 6.99. and you keep being like "no, i know it made me laugh the first time, but that's because it was different and new" and the clown is just aggressively sitting there saying "well! plenty of people like my jokes! the reason you're bored of this is because maybe there's something wrong with you!"

[cruelplatonic]

my personal headcanon is the vees were unremarkable nobodies when they were alive. i just love it as a thematic throughline for them. they love to let the public of hell speculate on them being famed and acclaimed since before death, but the the truth is they were a d-list failed influencer that got by on cheap controversey and scamming, a broke junkie who burned every shaky bridge he ever had, and a worn-out broadcast production assistant with more rejected auditions and tossed out script pitches than he could count. nobody missed them when they were gone, nobody cared who they were until they were dead.

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part One

For Xiantober Day One: Genius… albeit stretching the prompt so it refers to MXTX and MDZS itself, but at the end of the day it’s still about WWX – so no harm done!

(Part Two | Part Three | Full version on AO3)

The narrative is a very active player in MDZS’ story. How it presents information, what it chooses to show and omit, often reflects important facets of its themes and characters – Nie Huaisang, for instance, is so good at hiding behind his mask that not even the narrative can hold him accountable; the present day’s storyline as a murder mystery and the slow reveal of information about the past both prompt the reader to think critically about the truth of events, when the importance of thinking critically is an important theme; and the dangers not thinking critically (and instead basing conclusions on rumours without much evidence) are shown by tricking unquestioning readers into the very same trap the cultivation world falls into, as the information given by the title, summary and in-universe rumours – which contradicts how we see actually Wei Wuxian act – turns out to be false.

But nowhere do I love this trait more than in its treatment of Wei Wuxian – and, more specifically, in its way of emphasising his agency. We’re not just told how much his active choices define his character, and we’re not just shown this in-universe through his personality, worldview and the events he causes. I’d argue that this aspect goes a step further, and shapes the structure of the out-of-universe narrative as well.

There are two main ways this happens: one, in how the aspects of Wei Wuxian’s life that are shown and hidden directly tell us what’s important about his character (which is good writing but isn’t necessarily tied to this shaping of the narrative), which is what we’ll explore today; and two, how what’s shown and hidden reflects what Wei Wuxian himself prefers to dwell on, resulting in the narrative respecting his own thoughts and feelings on matters (which very much is tied to it). We’ll explore this at a later date.

But as for now – let’s explore my favourite aspect of MDZS.

(Here, narrative agency will be considered the ability of a character to meaningfully influence their events and the story they’re in.)

Tragedy, Circumstance, Choice

If we simply look at Wei Wuxian’s backstory in a vacuum, it seems almost typically tragic. His  parents died in circumstances beyond his control, he was left alone as a child with nobody to care for him, he was forced to grow up fending for himself on the streets, he was faced with abuse when he finally was taken in… as with all typical woobies, everything simply happened to him, and none of it was good. It’s just another example of the lack of agency being used for sympathy points, right?

…Except there’s one problem with that idea. We don’t actually see any of this.

It would’ve been easy to start the flashbacks during these times. We’re telling the story of Wei Wuxian in (largely) chronological order, and these are likely important experiences for him! But instead of starting in his street days, or evenat the moment Jiang Fengmian took him in*, we start at the lectures in the Cloud Recesses. That’s not even something mentioned in, and therefore something that’s able to disprove, the rumours at the start of the novel. So why is this the case? 

Well, there are multiple reasons – the main one being that MDZS is also Lan Wangji’s (and Wangxian’s) story, and having the flashbacks open with their first meeting is very satisfying. But I want to focus on something else.

This period doesn’t have to be shown, because what happens to Wei Wuxian, especially out of his control, isn’t what’s important about his character.

We’re not even at Lotus Pier here, where Wei Wuxian certainly has more agency than he would’ve had as a young child, but where the harm caused by Madame Yu is still completely out of his control. Here, he has agency! Though there are consequences, he is free to act, and what happens to him is a result of those actions and not of circumstance. Yes, he gets punished more than others who also take those same actions (due to classism); yes, it’s not his choice to be picked on by Lan Qiren in class (yet look how he responds, twisting the situation to his advantage and ending up tricking Lan Qiren into letting him leave, which is what he wanted to do. He is not at all helpless here!); yes, these choices have been influenced by his learned mindset from Madame Yu that punishment is arbitrary and will happen anyway, so you may as well do what you want regardless. But there is cause-and-effect here. It’s not circumstantial tragedy.

Therefore, instead of our first impression of past!Wei Wuxian being that of an unfortunate woobie, it’s of someone who has the freedom, ability and will to choose and act (and that’s after these initial tragic events have taken place). This is compounded by the fact that before we see any of his backstory, we get a similar impression of him in the present day.

If the purpose of his tragic past was to earn him sympathy points, to make us pity him due to how much he was influenced by events out of his control, this would’ve been a terrible way of going about it… and it’s this that betrays the true reason for its existence. Because now, the flashbacks instead show us how little these tragedies define who he is! From the very start, Wei Wuxian isn’t someone defined by circumstances out of his control, but rather by who he is as a person and by what choices he makes in the present day (which is both a mindset in-universe, and a nice little out-of-universe detail that lines up! Because out-of-universe, this means he’s not defined by sympathy points from a backstory, but rather by his great character writing… aka, by who he is as a person and what choices he makes). And this refusal to be defined by tragedy is a conscious choice on his part, too – but we’ll explore that more later. 

The important thing is that this idea of Wei Wuxian isn’t because of what exists in his past, it’s because of what parts of his past are shown to us (as well as what he chooses to do, with agency, in the present). 

Now, if this relationship between what’s displayed and what’s omitted was just a one-time thing, I might’ve considered it a cool detail or a nice way to establish a character, but not something the narrative is actively focusing on. But it’s a pattern that continues throughout the flashbacks. What, arguably, are the two other most important times in Wei Wuxian’s life where he doesn’t have enough agency to meaningfully influence his circumstances? His three months in the Burial Mounds (before escaping – he managed to assume some control of the circumstances but not enough to substantially reduce his suffering in his time there), and his loss and death during the First Siege. And we’re not shown either of them! We skip to when Wei Wuxian has emerged from the Burial Mounds and is torturing the Wens, or we skip to the present day – both times he has agency once more, because, again, what he’s like without it doesn’t matter enough to be shown. 

Furthermore, I’d argue this does actually contrast the other tragic events we see in Wei Wuxian’s later life. Things do go horribly wrong, but it’s either due to choices he knows the consequences of (see: rescuing the Wen Remnants in the first place), or instances where he still has some ability to act in the situation and influence it within the limitations. If he’d had no ability to influence circumstances at Qiongqi path, he would have died in the ambush; if he’d been unable to do that at Nightless City, he would’ve died then, too (of course Lan Wangji helped him escape as well). The attention drawn to him losing control of his actions in both instances is very interesting, but intentional or not, it’s still his actions influencing the plot. And that influence happens to be detrimental. The very ability to act and influence, at a base level,  is not taken away (though, of course, that doesn’t make these events any less tragic).

So, so far, the narrative seems to be telling us that the ability to act and choose is key to Wei Wuxian’s character. And it’s doing it through omitting his moments without agency in favour of instead showing us his moments with it. 

Let’s see if this is echoed in the text itself before we go further – because even with this pattern, nothing would end up mattering if Wei Wuxian’s agency wasn’t actually that important to the story itself. But thankfully it is, and that first impression we get of Wei Wuxian in the Cloud Recesses turns out to very much be accurate! Though there are defining circumstances out of his control that occur, such as the massacre of Lotus Pier, the majority of the important events of his life are due to his own choices. He didn’t happen to be forced to cease traditional cultivation and solely use guidao, didn’t happen to lose his Golden Core in a fight with Wen Zhuliu or due to some force in the Burial Mounds, it was his own choice to give it and his spiritual powers away. He didn’t tragically happen to get targeted by the cultivation world, it was a result of him acting on his morals and protecting the Wen remnants (a choice which he was fully aware of the implications of). He isn’t a protagonist to whom things simply occur, and that activeness and agency is my favourite thing about him. 

That’s not to say that the times Wei Wuxian doesn’t have agency, or feels like he doesn’t have any, don’t exist at all, either – but they are rare enough to have attention directly drawn to them in his internal narration:

Or else what could he do? He could do nothing. He was powerless. Lotus Pier had been destroyed, both Jiang FengMian and Madam Yu were gone, and Jiang Cheng had disappeared as well. He was the only one left, alone, with not even a sword in his hands. He didn’t know anything, he couldn’t do anything! For the first time, he discovered how little his power was. In front of something as large as the QishanWen Sect, it was the same as a mantis trying to stop a chariot. - Chapter 59, EXR translation

(And even in this circumstance, note that he still does force himself to act – to carry on searching for Jiang Cheng, to place his faith in Wen Ning – and does accomplish his goal (albeit with the help of others)! So even in dire situations, he isn’t simply passive. This is actually also the case with his time in the Burial Mounds, almost certainly the First Siege, and even his days on the streets as well (Chapter 20: he did actively fight with dogs to get food despite their danger and his growing fear of them, rather than just waiting and hoping to somehow receive some more). He can’t influence or immediately influence his circumstances, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.)

Overall, although they do influence him, Wei Wuxian is very much who he is in spite of his circumstances, not because of them. We’re shown the importance of his agency both in-universe by the major impacts his choices have on himself and the plot, as well as by narrative presentation – important periods where he lacks the ability to meaningfully influence anything are often mentioned but not directly shown, which suggests that such moments and circumstances aren’t as important to understanding Wei Wuxian’s character as moments where he does have this agency are. And I’d argue this works very well. Depending on the version of the story you consume, you may end up having different interpretations as to how much circumstances were at play nearer the end of his life – but nobody comes out of MDZS thinking about Wei Wuxian, the poor bearer of yet another generically tragic backstory.

(Part Two | Part Three | Full version on AO3)

—

*We are shown this moment in more detail in Chapter 23… but even then, it’s through the framing of Wei Wuxian remembering Jiang Yanli’s narration, not through a flashback proper or even him remembering the experience itself!

[send-me-a-kae-via-subspace]

the post office! legitamately think that this is the longest ive spent on a drawing but im very happy with it!

bonus ver with eensy pearl cubito on it below cut

[sacchiri]

While skimming the JP volumes, I noticed a lot of subtleties in how characters address each other that aren't always carried over in translation.

So I did the only rational thing and made a frequency list of all the different ways Integra, Alucard, and Seras refer to each other throughout the manga.*

Hopefully someone else finds this informative or mildly entertaining as I did.

*Obviously “fool” and “idiot” aren’t normally counted as a means of address, but they were funny so I've included them. Also includes omake content.

Integra → Alucard

アーカード | Alucard = 21

バカ baka | idiot = 6

従僕 juuboku | servant = 3

伯爵 hakushaku | Count = 2

我が下僕 waga geboku | my servant = 1

我が僕 waga shimobe | my servant = 1

スレイブ | slave (as furigana for geboku) = 1

ばかたれど�� bakatare domo | idiots (referring to Alucard and Seras) = 1

Alucard → Integra

主 aruji・我が主人・我が主 waga aruji | my master (archaic/formal) = 17

インテグラ | Integra = 10

マイ マスター | my master (as furigana for aruji) = 4

伯爵 hakushaku | Count = 2

ヘルシング卿 | Sir Hellsing = 2

お嬢さん ojousan | lady (polite) = 2

局長 kyokuchou・局長殿 kyokuchou-dono | Director = 2

インテグラル ファルブルケ ウィンゲーツ ヘルシング | Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing = 2

インテグラ ヘルシング | Integra Hellsing = 1

ばーさん baa-san | old lady (informal) = 1

Alucard → Seras

婦警 fukei | policewoman = 12

セラス | Seras = 3

セラス・ヴィクトリア | Seras Victoria = 2

お嬢ちゃん ojou-chan | young lady = 1

ドラキュリーナ | draculina (as furigana for 吸血鬼, vampire) = 1

バカ者め bakamonome | fool = 1

臆病者 okubyoumono | coward = 1

半端者奴 hanpamonome | fool = 1

Seras → Alucard

マスター | master = 29

アーカード様 | Alucard-sama = 2

師匠 shishou | master = 2

おっさん ossan | old man (informal) = 1

[cozylittleartblog]

random note about king on that animation, i got really lucky with how simple his animation was and how clean my sketches were to begin with that i was able to do very minimal cleanup on what i had sketched (and add back. his horn. it's supposed to take place just after echoes of the past, Oops) and call it done that way instead of having to redraw the entire thing like i had to on his dad

first sketch > line cleanup > nearly final animation (i'd added slight eye movements last-second but otherwise that's the final)

[thecoolerliauditore]

I think big issue rw/by has just as a show is it being confused with its own identity. It wants to say it's a feel-good shounen-esque good vs evil hopepunk love triumphs all story but at the same time it desperately keeps wanting to put its characters into moral quandaries with no clear correct answer.

So you end up with weird situations like with ironwood and the white fang where a character makes a decision to do something and the story seems to be trying to convince you that was the Wrong decision and Evil and Bad while you as the viewer is left there going is it really? Is it?

It wants to be mob psycho but it can't help but ask questions like "hey do you think extremist groups are okay when it comes to minorities asking for equality? and would the minorities being catgirls change anything" and I'm over here with my popcorn and anime theme song going I dunno man, I just work here please leave me alone

[pinkpastels113]

Rediscovering some Good Songs, so now I'm wondering, what are some songs you associate with Beca & Chloe? (Or the other Bellas!) And why?

I HAVE SO MANY SONGS SO THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION (ie i struggled adfgdjhsk) but i still hope yall like:

beca

no diggity (blackstreet) bc obviouslyy

no scrubs (tlc) just the vibee ahh and my lil bisexual girlie will not be with a man if he is not good to her !!!

just the way you are (bruno mars) DUHHHH the eye contact in the pool sigh and the moment where aubrey relinquished control of the pitch pipe and chloe was smug like see bree i told you she's good we will def make it to lincoln center

freedom! '90 (george michael) no explanation needed and bc she is finally getting recognized for her talent ahh but she decided to share it with her family (the bellas!!)

cups (originally by ap carter i think) bc iconic pop culture phenomenon

paint the town red (doja cat) rawr alt badass girlie pp1 beca

poison poison (renee rapp) for @afh48 mostly but yes!! beca is very "you're so fucking annoying" core

before he cheats (carrie underwood) she SLAPPED IN THAT RIFF OFF IM AFRAID- the way she grabbed that guy's jacket oof

chloe

she's v my "pink glitter gel pen" playlist coded i fear and here are some music/songs from it:

pocketful of sunshine (natasha bedingfield) bc she's a sunshine baby even kendrick says so <33

message in a bottle (taylor swift) i just think she's a swiftie and that this song and its fast beat and bubblegum pop is very her

we are never ever getting back together (taylor swift) red era chloe beale stan

love me harder (ariana grande) THAT PART IN PP3 WHEN SHE SINGS "love me harderrr, cuz if you really need me you gotta gotta gotta love me harder, gotta love me harderrr” GETS ME EVERY TIME

i kissed a girl (katy perry) her coming out song

still into you (paramore) she def dances around the bella house to this song

material girl (madonna) and this also pertains to aubrey, this is their friendship song <33

ocean eyes (billie eilish) brittany's eyes are so pretty i cant even begin to describe-

bechloe (the way i had originally just put these songs under beca and chloe separately but they got too many songs that make me think about them together that it should be a different section lmao)

not to be a dramatic (zoe clark) from beca to chloe <33 just LISTEN to the lyrics pls omg it is so angsty and pining

mascara (kylie cantrall) chloe telling beca the message in this song when she breaks up with jesse :((

friends dont (maddie & tae) just listen to it pls yall it's literally friends to lovers of them and fits their vibe perfectly and everytime i listen to it i daydream a whole ass bechloe fic like it's INSANE

not like im in love with you (lew) same thing as above

titanium (david guetta) sigh if i dont include this esp in this fandom i might as well kms/joking teehee

kiss me (sixpence none the richer) soft domestic bechloe <333

toxic (britney spears) again, the trust, the chemistry, the eye contact, the harmonies, the solos in pp3. im feral.

good luck, babe! + casual + red wine supernova (chappell roan)

birds of a feather (billie eilish) ahh i love them and to this song sm "i'll love you till the day i die, till the light leaves my eyes, till the day i dieee"

enchanted + dress + gorgeous + dancing with our hands tied (taylor swift)

stacie

low (flo rida) pp2 riff off cuz shawty had that apple bottom jeans (jeans) boots with the furr (with the fur) the whole club was lookin' at herr

sex with me (rihanna) pretty obvious methinks lmao

s&m (rihanna) no words truly

taste (sabrina carpenter) i headcanon stacie as pan so i just feel like the lyrics of this song can pertain to her if she's ever realizing that her past prospects are fucking each other <33

you problem (cloudy june, emlyn) i feel like she believes karma is a thing and "oh well you kinda asked for it haha" when someone comes to her complaining about drama or something like that if they started it in the first place if that makes sense

breakfast (dove cameron) nom nom her attitude towards men most of the time i think; "he's a hunter" coded

honey, im good (andy grammer) STAUBREY but she would never cheat on aubrey obv but maybe angst at the beginning of their relationship

heart attack (demi lovato) ANOTHER STAUBREY SONG HEHE

confident (demi lovato) goes without saying that stacie is confident in who she is and what she wants and goes for it

aubrey

boyfriend (dove cameron) hmm anyone here for jealous wlw aubrey? bc i am

hit me with your best shot (pat benatar) pp1 riff off :))

classic (mkto) she's just so Classic and i feel like she would love to be wooed traditionally like the whole wine and dine thing and lots of flowers on dates (stacie cough** im looking at you)

what makes you beautiful (one direction) i debated putting this under her or chloe but chloe def knows that she's hot, quoting “yeah im pretty confident about... all this ;))” so aubrey it is!!

hey blondie (dominic fike) girlie just wants to be serenaded fr

pretty girls (renee rapp) a lot of angst in coming to terms with her sexuality unfortunately :((

emily

sit still look pretty (daya) i can NOT listen to this song without thinking of her now i fear

flashlight (jessie j) same reason as above!! legacy is just a baby aaahh

cool kids (echosmith) she just wants to fit in 🐣

most girls (hailee steinfeld) i feel like she admires a lot of girls around her and wants to be like them and obv hailee singing it helps lol

cynthia rose

crazy youngsters (ester dean) that music video!!

starships (nicki minaj) idk i just think ab her when i hear it

amy

we belong (pat benatar) that "hey im soloing here!! whataver!!" part is so funny to me every time haha in pp2

[thepoisonroom]

apologies if this is a dumb question and i won't be offended at all if you dont answer/dont know but since you've worked in libraries before i was curious if you knew how to let your library know you're interested in an audiobook they haven't purchased ? i know i used to be able to make requests on overdrive but since the switch to libby i haven't been able to figure it out. i hope youre having a lovely day whether you can help or not and appreciate you taking the time to read all this 💛

sorry for the late reply, i haven't been online much and just saw this! most public libraries will have a form on their website called something like "purchase request" or "suggest a title" that you can use to request things! people often think this is only for books, but most places will let you request audiobooks, DVDs, etc. librarians won't always add the things you request to the collection, and they often can't explain every decision in detail due to volume, so results may vary.

the one thing to be mindful of is that audiobook/ebook licensing can be really weird, and sometimes publishers do make it really difficult or impossible for libraries to license certain items! so if your library doesn't get something you ask for, that sucks and is disappointing, but please don't hesitate to keep sending in requests as you have them! that info is always super helpful for collections folks looking to add things to the library that they think you'll want and use!

[datastate]

regardless of what i say toward michiru (or kazumi to a lesser extent), i don't think anything will ever compare to how severe my feelings for lurien were and still are (i've just gotten shy since i rarely post abt hk anymore, i don't want it to solely be 'this bug needs to be real so i can spend the rest of my days tending to him' . . .)

[starflungwaddledee]

emoji interview character asks! [x]

part 2! by the time i've answered these i'll be closing this; thanks for everybody who sent them in!! i do think we've just about hit most of them now wow, i really appreciate the interest! for duplicate questions: what i'm going to do now if i get one that i've already done is pick the next closest one i haven't done! gonna try and 100% clear this list in true kirby fashion. all previous answers can be located here, and i'll highlight these duplicate switches in pink.

@moonverc3x 🍓 [STRAWBERRY] How do they feel about 'cute' things? || cute is...... good right? people are often calling her cute and she thinks this is praise. so... good! she likes them! it's a positive adjective so she feels positively about it!! yes? is she right??! (i will say that if she could figure this out, she probably prefers 'pretty' things; sunsets and the sparkling ocean and a glittery fabric. that said i think she would adore hatched chicks and would sit in front of an egg for hours hoping to see one) 🍉 [WATERMELON] What will your OC take to the grave? || someone in particular. 🍌 [BANANA] Have parts of your OC been lost to time (in-universe)? What do they wish they could lose from themselves? || as an amnesiac this is par for the trope, of course. whatever may or may not have happened before she was found in the crater remains absent, despite her and everyone's best efforts. there might be a trigger that could help her get it back, but thus far nothing sane has worked. what she currently wishes she could lose is her weird magical signature, and perhaps even her non-standard appearance; though i think her friends have probably grown to like one or both of these, and might miss them if they were gone. (this would mean a lot to her to hear). 🏵️ [ROSETTE] What flower symbolises your OC best and why? What does the flower mean in floriography? || bouquet 1: amaranth, columbine (purple), indian jasmine. bouquet 2: pear blossom, flowering currant, bay leaf. the funniest one here is the flowering currant; "thy frown will kill me"; perfect for a pathetic little people pleaser 🌵 [CACTUS] How physically resilient is your OC? || startlingly, for a waddle dee! she hasn't been severely injured since her accident, but seems to bounce through things without a scrape most of the time. and while this hasn't been tested on dreamy peaceful popstar, land of plenty where she eats and breathes when she's told to, she can go a surprisingly long time without most necessities 🥛 [MILK] What is your OC's relationship with their biological parents like? What about their relationship with any non-biological parental figures? || this is an interesting one! in my headcanons waddle dees do not have any biological parents or biological family. so this isn't something she feels she's missing from her forgotten past. some dees certainly do form familial attachments by choice, but if she had a bond like this once upon a time, she doesn't remember. probably the concept of a parental figure would confuse her, so it's not something she's seeking or thinking about! she is more concerned with the fact that she doesn't appear to have had a single friend or acquaintance from her past, either.

@trainerbob23 🍮 [CUSTARD] Expensive restaurants or cheap store-brand microwave meals? || any. all. food!!! she's picked this up from kirby, and she likes tasting things, even if it's bad. might take a sneaky bite out of the microwave plastic tray or the champagne flute at the restaurant, just to check. clear sparkly things just look so enticing! 🌱 > 🌴 [PALM TREE] What are the stops on your OC's dream cruise? What boat are they on? || she is on the warp star or, even more ambitiously, the lor starcutter stopping NO WHERE because if they stop there's a chance she'll be kicked off. she would also accept being on the halberd; anything capable of flying or entering space is of great interest to her. a space cruise counts as a cruise, right? 🍧 > 🧁 [CUPCAKE] If you had to describe your OC using flavours, how would you (e.g., 'they're very sweet')? || i think i've described her as a strawberry marshmallow before. this is probably mostly based on colours. i think if you took a bite of her she would be very sweet, but she might taste more like a peach gummy 🎂 [BIRTHDAY CAKE] How does your OC celebrate their birthday? With who, and where? || she celebrated it here on tumblr and got many beautiful gift artworks actually!!! in universe, waddle dees celebrate a communal 'birthday', as many tend to be firstwoken on the same day, and a bigger event at the end of the season to celebrate all dees, new and old. she'd probably attend these if one of her friends took her, but it might take a while before someone (likely kirby) twigged that none of them know her actual birthday date. ultimately, they might celebrate the day she was found after her accident.

@hyperz0ne 🧅 > 🍑 [PEACH] How do they show their kindness? How kind are they truly? || overbearingly. because she's been shown kindness, by king dedede, by kirby, by bandee, even (to the best of their ability) by the waddle dee doctors who treated her, she mimics this back and tries her hardest. she doesn't really understand being mean or rude, as it doesn't have any positive outcomes. she tends to show kindness with enthusiasm for your presence and verbal gratitude, and by being willing to help with/do anything you might need; it's easy to guess where she learned that

@eliastheownerof0axolotls 🌺 [HIBISCUS] What does your OC think is the prettiest name? || she likes the names of constellations! especially when they are long and complicated with lots of letters; they always sound nice when meta knight says them! also, secretly: 'dedede'. would not stop saying this one when she first learned it because it was so fun to say. 🌷 > 🍭 [LOLLIPOP] Would your OC ever share food with someone? || core mechanic of the games 😂 but she much prefers to eat food with friends than alone, and loves to share meals and try lots of different tastes! she really likes going to eat with kirby because he doesn't judge her for thinking the gilded cutlery looks edible. the pair of them voted most likely to 'pocky game' a shish-kebab, skewer and all 🍧 > 🍆 [EGGPLANT] How are they used by others? How easily are they tricked into this? || uhhhhhhhh. thankfully on popstar everyone is pretty nice, for the most part. like i mentioned before she takes things at face value. if you ask her to do something (and she has not been explicitly told not to do it) there's a very high chance she'll just go along with anything you ask of or tell her. however obviously, you'll then have to deal with a really angry bandee and possibly the others, so it might not be worth the risk!!

🥛 > 🥀 [WILTED ROSE] How good is your OC at meeting deadlines? What motivates them? || only if you make it transparently clear. she's very easily distracted and terrible at keeping time (note: the aforementioned hours spent in the clover patch or waiting for an egg to hatch) but if you tell her you are counting on her to do something and will be inconvenienced or worse, upset if she doesn't do it, it'll be done in three minutes or less 🍉 > 🌶️ [HOT PEPPER] Who would your OC declare their sworn enemy if they could meet them? || nobody!! she's friends with everybody!!!! she doesn't want any enemies!!! let's be friends!!! (extremely compelling parallel between this switched out emoji question, btw) 🏵️ > 🍪 [COOKIE] Does your OC prefer things simple or extravagant? || waddle dee sensibilities insist she prefers things simple if she wants to fit in. buuuuuut her first memories are of course of being under the personal care of king dedede in the royal castle, so she does like things a little luxe... 🍋 > 🌽 [CORN] How good are they at hiding and finding their way? || exceptional at the first, and terrible at the latter. actually terrible at the first too, forget that. 🧀 [CHEESE WEDGE] How often does your OC get into situations that rely on pure luck/miracles happening? || on popstar, planet of miracles? very rarely! she's not a trouble maker, and usually if bandee brings her along on any adventures they're the tamer ones. historically? exclusively. 💐 [BOUQUET] If you could send your OC a bouquet, what flowers would make it up and what is the overall message ||

🌿 [HERB] Is your OC religious? What do they believe in? || actually extremely unsure about this one, and it would depend on if there were a religion she was expected to follow. she's rather a blank slate, so again, she'll believe just about anything; but i'd say she doesn't have any existing religious belief system. probably the closest thing to this that exists in my head for the waddle dees is devotion to the great king. 🌵 > 🍵 [GREEN TEA] What's your OC's preferred flavour of tea, if they even drink it? || camomile, mint, milky; she likes them all! mild preference for sweeter tastes than more bitter ones. would probably be a sucker for a thai iced tea with the condensed milk and any number of fancy toppings. i would not personally trust her with something like boba because i think she'd inhale the pearls by accident and start choking and cause a scene 🌸 [CHERRY BLOSSOM] Does your OC believe in legends/myths? || absolutely! fairy tales as well. sometimes she overhears fantastical tales about bandana waddle dee (connected to kirby or independently) and reports them excitedly to him, which he usually downplays-- even if they're real. sometimes she overhears fantastical tales about king dedede and reports them excitedly to him, which he always upsells-- even if they're false. so you can imagine she has something of an inflated opinion of dedede, though this is fairly standard for a wanya 💮 [WHITE FLOWER] Has your OC ever kissed someone? Who, when, and where? || platonic kisses are very common on popstar, especially as a segue to sharing/healing, so she's received quite a few. for what i think this question is asking, "has she experienced intimate or romantic affection" no, not yet... but she'd probably really enjoy it if anyone's offering 🥺👉👈 🎂 > 🍸 [COCKTAIL] When was the first time your OC had an alcoholic beverage? What did they think of it? (not a nearby switch at all!!! getting close to clearing the list...!) || as far as she knows, never. meta knight has banned her from anything stronger than quarter-strength coffee after That One Time.

🍊 > 🥕 [CARROT] How tough is your OC against certain situations? How weak are they against others? || physical situations: stronger than expected. endurance and stamina: stronger than expected. emotional situations: the resilience of wet toilet paper 🍉 > 🍟 [CHIPS/FRIES] How much junk food/sometimes food does your OC eat? Has it affected their health? || no ill effects yet, and this thing's out here eating the drywall if you let her 🧅 > 🌰 [CHESTNUT] What food group does your OC mostly eat (e.g., grains, fruits)? || by circumstance it's raw fruits, steamed vegetable medleys, baked goods, and rices! these are the most common waddle dee quarter foods that she's able to pick up from the castle kitchens. and also packaged things like crackers, pastries, or dried snacks, which keep well in her room or pockets and which she can produce easily if someone tells her it's time to eat.

🌳 [DECIDUOUS] What's your OC's favourite thing to do at the park? || hang out with friends, of course. if she's with friends and being asked to pick it depends on the companion's energy levels. quiet time activities: cloud or critter watching. mid-level activities: swinging, or walking the gardens and learning new things. high energy activities: games, except she's a little scared of hide and seek because she doesn't want to get separated or lost or forgotten 🥑 [AVOCADO] What will they never back down about, even if it makes them seem bad? || exclusively defence of her friends. with everything else, even defence of herself, she has the fortitude of a strawberry éclair. she wants to be good so bad. 🍔 [BURGER] What would your OC put on their burger? || after the pineapple on pizza question she's a bit scared to answer this. she'd put the Right Things on the burger!! only the right things and none of the wrong things. 🧀 > 🍹 [TROPICAL BEVERAGE] If your OC could go anywhere, where would it be? || nebulously, "to the stars". whatever that means. she wants to touch one. on popstar, she'd like to go to nutty noon! it's high up and also looks really soft. 🧇 [WAFFLE] Using shape language, how would you redesign your OC? || 🍑🎀🌟? not sure if i answered this right! 🍍 > 🍕 [PIZZA SLICE] How good is your OC at sharing? How do they share something if there's not enough supply? || super good!! if you want it and she has it, it's yours. with the exception of her friendships; i'd say it's probably the one thing she could be a little jealous over 🥤 > 🍒 [CHERRY] Who is your OC's perfect companion? || little orange guy, blue bandana. maybe you know him? he's pretty famous.

and that's the last one!! phew. we didn't quite get 100% clear, but we got close!! i'm adding this one on myself, because i think it's an important addition after all this talking about her bizzare eating habits:

🥞 [PANCAKES] What's the most your OC can eat in one sitting? At what point do they get sick? || despite her willingness to taste-test anything: from the crunchy leaf on the ground to the spicy curry, what this amounts to is a lack of pickiness. in terms of meal size, she actually isn't a big eater at all. in fact she'd generally prefer not to eat, if left to her own devices, and usually only eats when prompted or in a social setting. eating more than she can handle is a far more frequent cause of tummy aches that eating something that technically isn't supposed to be food

[miodiodavinci]

well in any event today is the day i gotta go clothes shopping for my Professional Internship Outfits™ and as much as i want to remain optimistic i also foresee the fact that i might die

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

𝔈𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔯 - 𝔈𝔫𝔰𝔬𝔯𝔠𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔡 𝔅𝔶 ℜ𝔥𝔞𝔬𝔰

[kingscrafty]

I need help from anyone who knows anything about betta fish!!! I made this post on Twitter but am spreading it here just in case.

She literally floats in one area almost all day every day, staring at nothing in particular - sometimes the wall, sometimes the ceiling, sometimes just the surface of the water - and she basically never swims properly. She CAN do so, if you go to touch the surface of the water she darts off, but otherwise any swimming she does is so relaxed/low-energy that her tail fin doesn’t swish. Her pectoral fins do pretty much all the work.

Plus, some pics of the girly in question: in the second pic she’s in the mid/upper right with three more of the sorority she came with visible in the centre of the picture and lower left (there were 12 total). As you can see it’s a decent sized tank, I think 240l or around 50gal, with plenty of live plants, branches, rocks, and some plastic decorations.

If she were a runt she wouldn’t act so different, so I’m a little concerned that there’s something psychological or some illness. She’s been like this since we got her several days ago and I wanna make sure it’s not a quality of life issue. It’s fine if she’s just like that anyway and is perfectly happy, I just don’t want her to be doing it because she’s suffering!

Also she eats just fine and goes straight to the food when sprinkled in, plus her pelvic fins flare out when another betta passes/folds away when gone (same as all the other bettas) so it isn’t that she’s blind/visually impaired. It literally is like she’s autistic lol, vibing on her own, enjoying her own space

[signalhill-if]

CROSSROADS IS DONE! 🎉🎉🎉

That's two leads down, three to go! I'll have to do a quick editing pass and fix up the code, but once that's done I'll update the Patreon version :)

[smile-files]

this might be a hot take... but if you care about disavowing media made by bad people out of fear of looking like a bad person yourself more than you care about actually doing good things... you might have your priorities (and your morals) screwed up a bit :/

(see my tags for more of my thoughts on this topic! please try to avoid making make bad-faith assumptions about what i mean!)