#inspired by pretty nature -> see previous post

[sly-s-n0nfusion]

Irl world inspirations for Orsterra and Solistia 🗺 pt2

Link to part 1!

SPOILERS for some travelers' stories!!

Solistia

Toto'haha: I believe this region takes its inspiration from South East Asia/Polynesia. The house architecture seems to be the same. Ochette's story also leans heavily on beastlings/humans' relationships with the god-like entities of nature and earth, which are very important topics in Polynesian culture.

Polynesian islands

the Harborlands: Again, I suspect that the Harborlands might be inspired by Italy, but this time the opposite coast, Venice (in Veneto). Canalbrine is very much inspired by Venice because of the town's architecture and boat transportation, as well as the boats themselves being a clear reference to gondolas. Castti Florenz, however, is a traveler who gave me a headache while trying to figure out where she comes from. Given that the character herself is an amnesiac, so we know very little about her past as an apothecary of Eir, so I tried to figure it out with what I have. We know for sure that she isn't from the Harborlands as she only found herself in there at the beginning of her story. In her flashbacks we see her group operating in the Brightlands, so she might come from there. Now her name is pretty weird, has probably both Italian and French influences (her surname, Florenz, might be a version of "from Florence", which would hint at her having Italian origins, but in one banter with Partitio she jokingly says her full name is "Castti De François" which is a very French sounding surname. Also, her teammate Trousseau has a very French name. If we lean into the hypothesis that they all come from the Brightlands they might have French origins, since the region is probably inspired by France as we'll look into it next) Castti 🤝 Osvald : coming from who knows where

Venice, Italy

the Brightlands: Even though the name New Delsta might make one think of New York, I believe the inspiration for the Brightlands' biggest city is Paris. The european-style theatre and the buildings' architecture itself make it look like France's capital city. In the 18th century France was also a big centre of industrial developement (Clockbank). Throné Anguis might also have the frenchiest name among al the travelers so I'm pretty convinced the Brightlands might be France. We all know the big mess that is Throné's genealogical line so I won't dive into that lol. Lostseed’s gothic cathedral though reminds me of Notre Dame in Paris, too

Paris and Conques, France

the Winterlands: As I said in the previous post, cold regions were the ones I struggled the most with. Solistia's Winterlands could be Siberia/Northern Russia because of the super cold weather, and the infamous prisons and ice mines used during dictatorships (Frigit Isle). It also has the Sacred Guard headquarters and the stained glass in there make me think of some orthodox churches. I still haven't figured out where Osvald V. Vanstein comes from, though, because in-game he says that he lives in Conning Creek, in the Harborlands, but I suspect he might be native of some other place because of his very German-sounding name and last name. So he still remains a mystery to me to this day, I jokingly explain that as "he comes from Orsterra's Highlands"

Siberia

the Wildlands: Safe to say that this region is inspired by Texas/Southern US. The aesthetics of Oresrush and its mining industry is enough of a hint to the Gold Rush in the United states during the 18th century. Both Partitio Yellowil and Papp come from this region.

Virginia City, Nevada

the Leaflands: Perhaps my favorite Solistia region! It's very likely inspired by Southern Spain as both Timberain and Wellgroove have very big buildings/castles just like many historical Spanish towns. Agnea Bristarni herself is very much Spanish-coded (except her theme which is very celtic-sounding for some reason lol) both because of her name and her flamenco-inspired dress

Rupit and Coca Castle, Spain

the Crestlands: Another region I kinda struggled with. Excluding the omnipresent catholic church elements, the area seems to have very high hills/mountains as well as anglo-saxon inspired architecture. Some friends of mine pointed out that it might look like the Welsh countryside, but Crick Wellsley's very British surname is what convinced me. Temenos Mistral and Roi are also orphans and their names were perhaps given to them by the pontiff himself. Also for some reason the region seems to be in a perpetual autumn

Wales

Hinoeuma: Perhaps the most interesting culture mashup region of all! The references to Japanese culture such as local dishes and clothing is plain to see, but there are also elements of Chinese culture such as Hikari's gold crown and some buildings such as the Trial pagoda. Khu being in the middle of the desert is a clear reference to the Chinese town of Dunhuang. Hikari Ku has clear Japanese elements in his design.

Dunhuang, China

Thank you for reading!

[isbergillustration]

Autumn is Leaving

[niuxita21]

When you’re so committed to the bit that you don’t stop holding hands even when focusing on a completely unrelated problem A++ for effort ladies

[sugarcoated-lame]

Easy Like Sunday Morning | Joel Miller x Reader

pre-outbreak joel x reader

all of my works are 18+ only, minors dni!

Summary: You wake up before Joel and decide you want to take care of him.

or

giving 2003 pre-outbreak Joel some head on a sleepy Sunday morning

a/n: i was inspired by this post by the amazing @mrsmando 🤍 and her delicious joel thoughts that never fail to have me spiraling and swooning 🫠 if i had a nickel for every time i’ve written a joel fic about someone being woken up with some head, i’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice (sorry i had to lmfaoo). also this is probably the quickest thing i’ve ever written, so i’m sorry if it sucks!

wc: 2.8k

content warnings: no outbreak/pre-outbreak 2003 joel, kricket sucks at writing summaries we know this, smut, oral (m receiving), slightly rough oral, hair pulling, no physical description of reader except that her hair is long enough for joel to pull, pet names (darlin’, baby, sweetheart, pretty girl), no use of y/n, joel miller has a big dick because i said so, established relationship, somno (kinda? joel is like not really awake at the beginning of the smut), this is basically just smut :)

joel masterlist

dividers by @saradika-graphics 🤍

⋆ . ˚ ✩ comments, reblogs, and feedback are greatly appreciated! ⋆ . ˚ ✩

Lazy Sunday mornings have become your favorite in the weeks since you moved in with Joel.

Nowhere to be, neither one of you has to get up before the sun and go to work. No rushing around to make sure Sarah gets to school on time — just sleep. It’s the one day a week both you and Joel get a chance to sleep in, to wake naturally without the shrill ringing of alarms, and just relish being wrapped up in the comfort of each other’s presence.

Eyes still shut as you begin to stir, your mind is only just waking up and the first thing you feel is warmth.

Warmth of the bright, golden Texas sun shining through Joel’s — well, now your — bedroom window and behind your closed lids. Warmth from the plush, gray comforter draped just over your calves, where it had been kicked down in the night in an attempt to curb the relentless, sticky summer heat.

You find yourself cocooned by the furnace-like warmth that is Joel as he lies on his back beside you — a warmth that would probably be overwhelming if it wasn’t such a comfort to you.

Your cheek is pressed to his broad chest, the steady beating of his heart a calming rhythm beneath your ear. Your torso flush against his side, you have an arm wrapped snug around his middle, and a leg draped over both of his. You and Joel both lay almost bare, each clothed in nothing but your underwear after the previous night’s activities — hot skin on hot skin.

When you finally let your eyes flutter open to the bright, morning light, you look up to find Joel still fast asleep and take a moment to admire the peaceful expression on his handsome face.

Long lashes fanning over his cheeks, his brows free of the worried crease that often rests between them, plush pink lips parted as he lets out quiet little snores, his strong chest slowly rising and falling, up and down beneath your cheek with each calming breath. Tanned skin warm and glistening with a light sheen of sweat, dark chocolate locks especially curly due to the humid Texas heat, a few sweaty strands clinging to his forehead.

Seeing Joel laid out like this only reminds you of the way he looked last night — all flushed beneath you, cheeks pink, head thrown back and brown eyes clenched shut in bliss as you hovered above him. Pulling quiet, deep grunts from his parted lips as you rode him, his big hands on your hips, guiding your movements as you lifted yourself up and down on his cock.

The reminder of just how full you felt with him inside you — of how goddamn good he makes you feel — has dampness forming beneath the thin fabric of your panties, thighs attempting to clench shut in search of friction to quell the wave of slick that’s building between your legs, though they’re unable to do so with Joel’s thick thigh slotted between them.

And, though you know Joel is still resting so peacefully beside you, and that you should probably let him sleep in for once, you can’t help it when you feel the sudden and urgent need to kiss him. To feel your lips on his skin.

These lazy Sunday mornings with Joel are your favorite because you know he’s always so busy, always working hard, always so stressed. And, that despite it all, he always takes such good care of you.

So, you want to take this opportunity, when he doesn’t have to be up for work, or take Sarah to school — and you know it’s a couple hours before she’ll be waking up — and you want to do something nice for him. Take care of Joel for once. To make him feel good.

Lifting your head from Joel’s chest, you press your lips to where your cheek had just been. Beginning at his pec, and over his heart, tasting the salt of his sweat-damp skin as you work your way up the broad plane of his chest, dotting feather-light kisses up to the juncture of where his shoulder meets his neck.

You gently untangle yourself from his side, and Joel begins to stir just slightly as you softly mouth along the column of his throat and move to hover over him, your thighs straddling his hips and hands on the mattress on either side of him to hold yourself up.

He’s still mostly asleep, but you can already feel through the layers of both of your underwear that he’s beginning to harden beneath you, his body waking up faster than his brain, always so responsive to your touch.

You continue to kiss across Joel’s strong jaw, over the patchy hair that tickles your lips, dotting a trail of sweet kisses up his cheek and to the tip of his sharp nose, then back down to his mustache and over the corner of his lips.

He stirs again when your lush lips press against his own just once, not quite awake enough to kiss back just yet, but this time a soft hum of approval leaves him at the pleasant feeling.

With one more peck to his soft lips, you begin your descent back down Joel’s body, leaving behind another smattering of kisses in your wake.

From his Adam’s apple to the rounded bone of his shoulder, then back down to his chest. You know he’s a bit more awake when you feel him begin to stir again — his strong body shifting ever so slightly beneath yours, dick twitching against your core underneath the layers of cloth as you place a barely-there kiss to each of his nipples. Joel lets out a sleepy groan as your tongue darts out to lick at the sensitive skin before continuing on your way.

Shifting your body lower on the bed, your kisses become a bit more feverish, less soft as you work your way down Joel’s torso. Your hunger for him only growing as you get closer and closer to the bulge in his boxers, spurred on by the breathy little grunts and groans leaving his parted lips as his mind begins to catch up to the pleasure that his body is feeling.

Joel lets out a content sigh, head still resting on his pillow, eyes still shut and still about half asleep. Unsure if he’s dreaming when he feels you press a firm kiss to the skin just above his navel.

He’s quickly pulled out of that dream-like state, though — breath catching in his throat, jolting beneath you as your warm tongue darts out lick a broad stripe over his soft belly.

You can’t help but grin as you look up to see his face, those pretty brown eyes now open but still bleary with sleep, pillowy lips parted in a gasp, sweaty curls falling over his forehead as he shifts his focus towards you.

“Morning, baby.” You whisper into the quiet of your bedroom, your chin resting on Joel’s tummy as you gaze up at him sweetly.

Your smile only grows when he cards a hand over his tired face, groaning out a tired ‘fuck’.

Now that he’s awake — just barely — you press your lips to his belly one last time before heading lower. Fitting yourself between Joel’s thick thighs, you kiss along the fine hairs of his happy trail, then his hip bones, and you know he’s fully hard when your hands glide up his thighs to palm him over his black boxers.

Joel releases a throaty groan as you stroke him through the soft fabric, one of his large hands coming up to the side of your head. Calloused pads of his fingers running gently through your bed-mussed hair. “Please, darlin’.”

The use of the pet name combined with Joel’s sleepy, Texan morning voice actually makes you whimper, clenching your thighs as a new gush of arousal floods between them. Needy for him as your fingers move to his waistband, gingerly but quickly pulling down the black, cotton fabric and freeing his impressive length.

A quiet, raspy moan escapes Joel’s lips as you spit into your hand before wrapping it around his cock. He’s long and thick and heavy in your hand, your fingers hardly able to wrap around the girth of him, his tip an angry red and leaking pretty pearls of precum.

He lets out a quiet hiss as you begin to stroke up from the base, leaning down to kiss along his tip before kitten-licking at the slit, a pleased hum leaving you at the salty, heady taste of his arousal. Joel’s mind is still a bit hazy with sleep, but he swears he’s died and gone to heaven when you lick a hot stripe along the underside of his cock, tongue laving over the thick vein that runs along his shaft.

The hand in your hair tightens its grip when you oh-so-delicately take Joel into your mouth, emitting a pleased hum from you as you gently suckle on his tip. The vibration sends a jolt up his spine, cock twitching in your grasp as you continue to stroke up and down his length with increasing ease as your spits begins to coat his skin. Delicate fingers wrapped tight around him moving up and down to meet your lips as your tongue swirls around the bulbous head.

You take your time, enjoying Joel’s quiet, raspy moans, the whispered curses, and shallow breaths all falling from his lips as you slowly take him deeper and deeper into the warm cavern of your mouth.

When you’re about halfway down his length, you suck in your cheeks, lips tightening around him as you begin to suck with more fervor and Joel has to bite back a desperate moan as you bob up and down his length. His hips buck up of their own volition — the feeling of your warm, wet mouth wrapped around him is just too good — the two of you groaning in unison as the movement sends his cock further between your lips, the tip just grazing the back of your throat and causing you to gag around him.

“Fuck, m’sorry, baby.” Joel drawls, gently smoothing a hand over the crown of your head. He lifts you up his length just a little bit, just enough to gather your bearings.

You release him from your mouth with a wet pop. A string of saliva still connects the two of you between his swollen, red tip and your now swollen lips, and Joel thinks he’s a goner when you wrap a hand tight around his shaft, leaning back in to kitten-lick at his slit.

You smear delicate kisses all along his tip, then up and down every inch of his length, all the while gazing up at him with doe eyes before you bring him between your spit-slicked lips once again.

“So good for me. Always so good for me.”

His morning voice is deep — deeper than normal — and it has your eyes rolling back into your head as you whimper around him, tears collecting at your lash line from having just taken him so deep so abruptly. Nodding your head as much as you can with his cock still in your mouth, you let Joel know that you’re okay to keep going.

You want to please him. He deserves this. You want to make him feel good.

You know that Joel is getting close from the way he’s fighting himself to not buck his hips and fuck up into your mouth, the hand that’s not in your hair clinging to the gray sheets like a lifeline. His chest rapidly rising and falling as he tries his hardest to keep at least somewhat quiet — he knows that his daughter is sleeping right down the hall — biting back gravely grunts and groans that you so wish you could hear at full volume, his cock twitching against your tongue with every little move you make.

Taking a deep breath through your nose, you decide to take him as deep as you can go. Swallowing around him as his tip reaches into the depths of your throat, those tears are now spilling freely from your eyes as the coarse hairs at his base tickle your nose.

You suction your cheeks taut and lick along the underside of his shaft, the wet sounds of your sucking growing sloppy, Joel’s pubic hairs now shiny with your spit and his fingers are now pulling hard at your hair, the slight sting in your scalp a pleasurable one and only spurring you on.

A particularly harsh suck has Joel throwing his head back onto his pillow, sweaty curls falling like a halo around his pleasure-wrought features. Whiskey colored eyes squeezed shut in pleasure, nose scrunched, and lips parted in a quiet, guttural groan that lingers in the warm, sticky summer atmosphere of your shared bedroom.

“I’m— fuck!” He damn near whimpers when your free hands reaches out to caress his heavy balls, squeezing getnly as you continue to arduously suck and stroke his length, your hand and mouth working in tandem and meeting in the middle. “I’m close, sweetheart.”

You moan hungrily around him, the vibrations nearly sending Joel over the edge, the hand on your head now pushing you down onto his cock without hesitation – he knows you can take it. Hips thrusting up and chasing the velvety, wet warmth of your throat as you gag on him once more, drool spilling out the corners of your mouth all around him, the wet, sucking sounds filling the room obscene.

Joel practically growls when he feels your nails dig into the meat of his thigh, his chin dropping to his chest and he looks down to find you gazing back at him. Your cheeks hollowed, lips stretched around his aching cock, taking all of him like the good girl he knows you are. Your pretty, tear-filled eyes gazing up at him with so much love, and that’s what is his undoing.

You feel it when Joel’s whole body tenses beneath you, fireworks shooting up his spine as he starts to cum with a heavy groan that was lodged deep in his throat. You can’t help but moan around him as he fills your mouth, painting your throat with the hot, salty ropes of his release.

He mutters a string of broken moans, a mixture of curses and grunts of your name as you work him through it. The grip Joel has on your hair starts to lighten up — though, only a bit — but it’s enough for you to pull back on his length a bit to allow your hand to join your mouth in its ministrations. Slowly, but firmly, stroking him and sucking at his cock until you’re sure you’ve swallowed down every drop he has to give you, his stomach practically caving in by the time you’re done with him.

Until he’s reduced to shallow pants and hushed whimpers, Joel’s entire body shuddering as your lips lay one last kiss to his sensitive tip, and he drops an arm over his face, shielding his eyes from the now overwhelming light as he takes a few moments to catch his breath.

You let Joel take all the time he needs to recover, carefully tucking his softening length back into his black boxers.

It’s a few minutes before Joel uncovers his eyes, slowly blinking to adjust the the increasing brightness of the hot summer sun shining into the bedroom, and he’d swear you’re an angel, still nestled between his thighs. You’re busy littering the soft, tanned skin of his thighs and his belly in sweet little kisses and love bites when that deep, sleepy morning voices speaks up again.

“Well good mornin’ to you too, pretty girl.”

Before you can respond, two strong arms are pulling you up the bed — and up Joel’s body, a firm hand on the nape of your neck pulling you in so he can smash his lips to your puffy ones in a longing, appreciative kiss.

His deft hands then slide down your hips to grab your ass, squeezing at the soft flesh with a groan against your lips, before Joel is flipping the two of you over so he’s now the one hovering over you. A little yelp escapes you, but is quickly transformed into a stifled moan as his lips begin kissing a path down your body, now fully awake and more than ready to return the favor.

⋆ . ˚ ✩

⋆ . ˚ ✩

Thank you for reading!! x

[yeagerfate]

Hey I saw your spider verse post on makeup, could you do one with the like the opposite effect? Like I don’t wear a lot of makeup (mostly because I am lazy lol) but maybe the Spider verse sees them with makeup for the first time?

Thanks! Have a lovely day! Xoxo

Don’t forget to eat, drink water, and get rest!!!!

seeing you with makeup for the first time

characters: miles morales (earth-1610), miguel o’hara, hobie brown, gwen stacy, pavitr prabhakar

notes: thanks for requesting and for ur kind words! ur the first one to send me a request so that’s :)) this is basically the opposite of my other post about them seeing you without makeup for the first time. so sorry if this isn’t want you wanted! i did more of a spin on this than the previous one lol #creativefreedom (not proofread sorry)

warnings: none lol

Prom was an extravagant event at Brooklyn Visions Academy, so Miles immediately knew that you were going to go all out for it. Though, he was a bit happy that you told him you didn’t want him to do some over the top promposal. Miles may be well-versed in subjects like art and physics, but his mind went blank when it came to stuff like that. Miles was really anxious about coming to pick you up, as your dad was super protective of you, but his own father gave him a pep-talk. He felt much better. When he saw you in your glamorous dress/suit, he was taken aback almost instantly. He’d never seen you in such magnificent makeup before. He felt…. bewitched. “W-wow,” He stuttered. “You look…. great.” He found himself at a loss for words. Your heart stuttered, and you felt like you’d never been happier. “You’re not too bad yourself,” You giggled. The way you smiled that day made Miles glad he got it in a picture.

Miguel knew that he shouldn’t get involved with one of his subordinates, especially if they were new, but he wanted to break the rules as soon as he saw you. You were…. beautiful, to say the least. The way your makeup perfectly complemented the color of your eyes and skin was glorious. Naturally, you were a bit shy because of your newness, so Jessica accompanied you on your first day with the permission of Miguel. He was very glad someone he was close to was helping you so he could get another good look at you. He felt a bit perverted, like a voyeur, but you were just so… alluring. The smile you radiantly gave him as you shook his hand for the first time was addicting. He wanted to know more about you, even if you were just meant to be a secretary to Jessica. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad if he asked you out for coffee? It couldn’t be, right? He’d just have to make sure Lyla wouldn’t find out about it, as he wasn’t looking forward to being made fun of for weeks.

Hobie loved it when you attended his concerts, so when you came with makeup inspired by his own, he went wild. He found himself being much more clingy than usual, wanting to get a good look at your pretty face and hold you. It meant so much to him that you were involved in his music career… so many people in his life had dismissed it, or had told him to get a “real job”, so your support mattered so much to him. Hobie complimented you multiple times, each comment more sweet than the last, and so by the end of the night you were beaming. The firm kiss you’d given him backstage after his show had ended was something he wouldn’t trade the world for. It was so satisfying, so lovely, so…. you. He loved you. Hesitantly, Hobie asked you if he could walk you to your apartment. When you said yes, he found himself even more ecstatic than before. You were very tired after his show, and so was he, so you both took turns cleaning each others makeup off. You took your time, your hands gentle and benign. Hobie’s hands were a bit rough because of all of his calluses, so he was careful. “Thank you,” he’d whispered to you sincerely later in the night. “I love you.”

Gwen had done your makeup for you, and the way it turned out made her very happy. You looked absolutely incredible, and she almost wanted to dramatically drop her jaw to make you laugh the way she liked. The two of you were supposed to go to Miles’ state championship basketball game, so you both wanted to look nice for pictures later. Gwen spent a lot of time meticulously doing your makeup, wanting it to be exactly tailored to your taste. Any mistakes she’d made she’d immediately wipe off and start again. Excitedly, Gwen had you twirl around in your nice dress and makeup in a mini-fashion show. “You look beautiful,” she told you. Her voice was warm and genuine, her smile heartfelt. That night, after you’d gotten home, she’d kissed your soft lips tenderly, telling you how much she loved you. “Every time I look at you, you seem to get even more beautiful. I’m glad that in this universe, we’re happy together.”

Birthdays were really important to Pavitr’s family, so you wanted to go all out for it. You planned a perfect surprise party with his wonderful auntie. It was really hard to keep it a secret, but it eventually worked out. You were glad you never told him about it because of the joyous look on his face when he realized what was going on. Privately, he gave you a kind kiss and a warm hug, telling you how happy he was. The smile on his face was absolutely adorable and you wanted to squeeze him but you didn’t, not wanting to embarrass him. It didn’t take Pavitr long to compliment you on how beautiful you looked, especially with your amazing makeup. Mushy words were uttered that night, making you both cringe and smile at the same time. It was marvelous. His family had whispered to his aunt asking you when you were to be married, and she just shrugged happily. “Young love,” she muttered. It reminded her of when she was Pavitr’s age.

[iri-desky]

An ALNST Dungeons and Dragons AU?

Howdy! So I mentioned trying to make an alnst fantasy au on a previous post. To be more specific, I thought I'd try to make a DND style au!

Although before I get into the details of it, I thought I'd establish the classes of the characters first and foremost. That's what this whole post is about. Please note that this is just a draft and big idea dump, as well as test of how well these classes fit each character...aaaand how well other people think each class I chose fits each character.

In other words, if you think some other class or subclass fits better, feel free to speak your mind. I'm actively looking for a bit of criticism on these choices.

Mizi - Paladin, oath of redemption OR oath of the ancients. Mostly because of the "belief that God is human" speech and uplifting, positive nature. And how I think that Mizi should be seen in armor (/lh). I also think it'd be ironic for her and Ivan to be best friends while she's a Paladin and Ivan's a warlock. I'm very unsure about this one, though-- she's probably the one I'm struggling with most. An exchange I've had with @mirrorcatcreditcard also is making me consider a Monk or Rogue, though in general I'm trying to give her a class with a good dexterity. If I do end up giving her Paladin as a class, I chose the subclasses I did to give her a less "smite-y, all who defy me must die" flavor and more of a "starry eyed idealist hero" flavor.

Sua - Cleric, Life Domain. Mostly because I think it'd be funny as hell for the most reserved and secretly temperamental one to be given the responsibility of healing the party. She gives the vibes of any cleric-- gentle and elegant on the outside but secretly cursing the world and everyone else in this stupid party on the inside. Except Mizi. She's an angel and we're glad she's here. I also wanna see her deny healing to Ivan at least once. Also, Sua has angel symbolism, so I had to go through with that in the classes.

Hyuna - Rogue, Swashbuckler subclass OR Fighter, monster hunter subclass (or gunslinger). I think it's pretty obvious that a rogue really fits Hyuna, and I think it'd be neat to continue her "outlaw" thing in this universe, just in a different context. Swashbuckler is so she's still high energy and in the thick of things. That said, a fighter can fit just as well given their versatility and spirit-- being a fighter doesn't necessarily have to be "basic". She could be a monster hunter subclass (inspired by her destruction of the aliens in the original series) or even a gunslinger subclass. A champion could work as well.

Till - Bard, college of lore. Despite how the original series is music based, I feel like he's the only character that I can see being a bard outside of the context of alnst just because of his creative genius. He's an artist at heart, and I wanted to reflect that. I don't see him being too flamboyant of a bard, of course, but I feel like his excitement and his genuine love for what he makes might start to bleed into a crowd when he's, yknow, not being judged by thousands of aliens and instead being watched by fellow humans. My choice of the college of lore is especially inspired by his drawings in the Io comic and desire for a better world while knowing what the natural world used to be. It's also come to my attention after an exchange with @nilladrawsstuff that a healer Till that complains about having to heal everyone but still expresses genuine concern would be a neat idea--While I don't think a pure healer Till would be too in character, Bards CAN function as healers and I can see Till being a jack of all trades. That's just what Till is in Canon--a jack of all trades. I want to reflect that in this au with his class.

Ivan - Warlock, with Unsha as his patron, Great Old One subclass (because squid). Unsha gives enough cthutulu vibes for this to make sense-- furthermore, I feel like Ivan's detached and transactional realationship with Unsha makes this make even more sense. I also wanted Ivan's class and subclass to reflect his intelligent but somewhat distant nature, with the theme of "unfathomability" being something that really fits him. The class parallels Luka, as well, a character that Ivan is known to reflect. Hexblade could work as a subclass as well, although I'm leaning towards The Great Old One. Tbh, I'm not too sure about this one, although Warlock Ivan definitely goes hard in my book.

Luka - Sorcerer, Aberrant Mind. He's got the vibes. Luka was the one I figured out first, actually, simply because he screams sorcerer; Annoyingly dazzling man with his powers handed to him (no offense to Sorcerer mains at all, yes offense to Luka /j [jk, we love Luka in this house. I just like bullying him /lh]). That bitch did NOT need to research for that or beg for a thing. Also, a sorcerer's main stat is charisma, so... yeah. The inherently mysterious nature of Aberrant Mind also gives me huge Luka vibes, hence my choice.

Anyway, that's all. Again, if you have any criticisms, comments, or better ideas, PLEASE do no hesitate to tell me. 👍🏽 This is a sapling of an idea so far and I need your help for it to grow!

( ahaha pls don't let this flop... I've been working on this post for over an hour )

(Tagging people who I know might be interested in this / were present back in the previous post below the cut)

@junebluues @awaggaa @mirrorcatcreditcard @ravelroses @nilladrawsstuff @kingofanemptyworld

[radioactive-dragons]

How 2 win a fest skin contest on dragon neopets

Hi! So I've seen some discussion on fest skin contests, mostly about how some people just keep winning. I'm not here to discuss about whether anything should be done about that, or whether that's unfair. I'm here to share some tips for people who struggle to get any fest win or honorable mention in.

Some background info: I've won a decent amount of contests so far. I don't win nearly every single time I enter a contest, but I do at least manage to land an honorable mention most of the time at this point. So take this post with a grain of salt, I'm not perfect, nor the best, just here to share what I've noticed from my festival winners as well as others.

So here we go!

Tip 1: Stay in theme

A lot of entries I see don't quite fit the idea of the flight that staff is looking for. Stick with the flight's general theme. For light that tends to be the color yellow, orbs and ancient Greece inspired ruins.

Some flights have very broad themes. Like water ranging from deep sea horrors to sandy shores, or nature both having a feral, wild aesthetic as well as a tropical, flowery one. But other flights, like wind and light, have a more narrow theme.

I've talked with some other skin artists about specific contest entries in the past, that we really wished would win, but doubted they ever would. Not because the art wasn't interesting, but because they fell outside the general themes we see in that flight. Sometimes we're surprised, and they win anyways, though!

Tip 2: study the masters

We're in our 12th festival cycle, which means there's 11 previous years to look through. This is a really valuable resource. Go through the previous years, especially the more recent ones, and take a look at what the previous winning entries were. You'll probably spot some common themes for each flight, as well as specific elements that reoccur in each fest again and again.

Whenever I sit down to make a contest entry, I look at the previous few years. Both to gather inspiration but also to study them. I don't just look at these skins, I pick apart their art style, the composition, the themes that they've used. And then I go ahead and bring my own spin on it.

Tip 3: Make it yours

Okay, yes, I know I just spent a while talking about staying on theme and referencing existing winners, but hear me out. Most of the winning entries I see (as well as most of my own fest winners) manage to walk the tight line between staying on theme as well as adding their own creative twist to it.

This is the part where I'm going to share some of my own examples, since I think some of mine show what I mean pretty well.

Solarium (brightshine 2019) | Starwood Monarch (starfall 2022) | C.A.C.T.U.S. (thundercrack 2022)

These ones still stay relatively in theme, but they also incorporate some of my own twists in it. Solarium's idea was a window to the sky, surrounded by gilded sundial-esque elements. Starwood Monarch is a pink arcane crystal butterfly. And C.A.C.T.U.S. is... well, cybernetic cacti tied into the dragon with some thunder clouds.

None of these are a carbon copy of the flight's themes, but instead incorporate the flight's themes into another concept altogether. Sundial sky, arcane butterfly, robot cacti.

And you can go pretty wild with this in some scenarios.

Fast as the Wind (mistral 2022) | Sunlit Streams (brightshine 2024)

Both of these incorporate something you really wouldn't expect from its flight. Cheetahs and koi fish respectively. I'm actually really surprised Sunlit Streams won since I felt it strayed too far away from light's general theming.

Fun fact, for C.A.C.T.U.S. and fast as the wind I actually came up with the name first, then based a skin around that name. I don't always do it but it's nice to get a cohesive package.

Tip 4: Keep it readable

A common thing I see in festival winners are that it's really easy to tell what they depict at an immediate first glance. A lot of entries that otherwise would be really good candidates fall victim to one of the following pitfalls.

They don't tint the lines and shadows

They don't have any line art separating objects from the dragon

They use a very soft brush for things that should appear more solid

Number 3 I see a lot with artists who are rather novel at (digital) art in general. This isn't a bad thing, but it does make the overall picture blurred and difficult to read.

For number 2, the fix is mostly to add clearer separation between the dragon and the object. The dragon base is a gray, but lighter and darker dragons exist. Having no (or very unnoticeable) lineart will make any very light color blend in with lighter dragons!

As for number 1... please tint your lines and shadows. Often they can be a noticeable deal lighter than what the default PSD has them as. Set your lines to multiply also, to make life less hard on yourself.

This means your art doesn't have to be perfect to win. My first two festival winners make me die inside every time I look at them.

Twilight Oracle (brightshine 2016) | Cinderleaves (flameforgers 2016)

I could list a bunch of reasons as to why I think these aren't too great, the shading being just one of them. But hey, they still won. And that's likely because they still follow these four principles at their core.

Bonus tip: have fun!

It's real cliche to throw this one in, but I mean it. If you're solely making fest entries to win, then not making it into the selection feels incredibly awful. It's art after all, draw what you love to draw. This is just my two cents on how to improve your chances at winning a contest.

I hope this isn't an unreadable wall of text and that someone actually got something out of this, thanks for reading!

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results: Basekhwa

Interesting one this time, in that we've got a lot of details, but not a lot of specificity as to what it looks like. The most we get is phrases like "with a tap of the hoof" which can cue us into the fact that it has hooves. Mostly we hear about things it does. So, before we see what people did with that, the obligatory links.

If you are confused as to what this post is about, please see https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. The specific entry this week's artists are working from can be found here:

And now, art below the cut in roughly chronological order.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) got hers in first this week, and it's a really charming creature. I think the colored-pencil medium gives the drawing a little extra something. A really clever interpretation here, I think, is that it has a trunk for catching snakes -- which makes sense if you think about it. The first thing we're told about them is:

Basekhwas are the enemies of snakes; when they feel weighed down with weakness, they draw snakes from their holes with the breath of their noses and, overcoming the fatal nature of their venom, eat them and are restored.

If an animal is luring snakes out by putting its nose against their hidey-holes, it seems entirely sensible to have the nose do double duty as an appendage for dealing with the snakes when they come out. I also enjoy the long flappy ears and the tapir-like coloration. This one, it seems, has been shot -- the entry does say they're an easy mark for archers -- but that's what the snake is for. (And thank you for the alt text.)

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) notes that a creature that is mentioned to have both hooves and horns is surely an ungulate. I don't know enough about taxonomy to comment, so sure! They've picked a couple different ungulates to mix together for this design -- for details on that, see the linked post -- and given it a horn structure that's ideal for scooping up snakes from the ground, which I like. They describe it as turning out quite "feral unicorn-esque", which I can definitely see.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) brings us another detailed pen drawing. In their laudable drive to incorporate as much of the material as possible, we can see that they have found a creative way to show us additional scenes in this animal's life: in little vignettes on the Stylized Tree. Another fun nose on this one, too -- CheapSweets notes that it's inspired by the saiga antelope. All of this is very good, and the baby hidden in the bush is adorable. For detailed discussion of this art and how it relates to the entry, please see the linked post. (And thank you for the alt text.)

@pomrania (link to post here) regrettably was unable to do a final version, but posted their doodles. Given that I'm tagged in the post, I assumed they were meant to be put here. I kind of like the glimpse here into their process, with all these different scenes from the entry being brought in to toy with. Also I think the one labelled "frozen" is quite funny, and I enjoy that one is labelled "baby".

@strixcattus (link to post here) gives us this rather chimeric creature that kind of makes me think of an okapi if you turned the "different fur patterns in the front and back" thing up to 11. What I really like here is the horn asymmetry -- there's a little of it in CheapSweets's entry, in the middle vignette if you look close, but Strixcattus is taking it to another level. Both artists seem to have been inspired by the same part of the entry, i.e., this sentence:

Of their horns, the right-hand one is better for medical purposes.

If one horn is better medicine than the other, it's pretty reasonable to think they might look different. What I think is interesting here is that CheapSweets decided the medicinal horn should be the longer one, but Strixcattus made it the shorter one. Much to think about. (Oh, and the way it's posed so that the horns frame the sun is also really cool in my opinion.) As usual, please check out the linked post for Strixcattus's modernized description of this beast; I think this week's is particularly interesting actually.

Side note: I did a quick google to make sure that the okapi was indeed the animal I was thinking of and this was the first suggested question in the results (note that I just searched "okapi", no other words) :

... oh dear. The way search results are changing really is going to be a problem, isn't it?

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) has drawn something I find delightful. (And not just because I like her medieval-inspired style.) I actually laughed out loud seeing this one just because it's such a fun take. Here we have a Basekhwa "weighed down with weakness" and "draw[ing] snakes from their holes with the breath of [its] nose." I think everyone else went with "the breath is a lure and then the Basekhwa grabs/stabs/stomps/bites them", but Coolest-Capybara decided that it's not exhaling, it's inhaling, and it just hoovers the snakes out. I love it. Both the tired-looking Basekhwa and the rather panicked-looking snake are amazing. (And thank you for the alt text.)

Anyway, to the Aberdeen Bestiary:

... um.

Yeah, there are a few of these -- I think this is the second we've seen so far. Someone cut out an illustration at some point. So we're going to look towards the "sister manuscript", the Ashmole Bestiary:

So this one is... a deer.

I didn't know any of that stuff about deer, did you?

Not much I have to add here, but let me share a folk etymology I redacted for this entry.

The offspring of the deer are called hinnuli, 'fawns', from innuere, 'to nod', because at a nod from their mother, they vanish from sight.

I just... I don't think that's true.

[lime-bloods]

Homestuck's Gnosticism: The World / The Wheel

Everyone knows Homestuck is "a Gnostic story".

Wait, why does it feel like we've had this exact conversation before...?

AH. SO NICE OF YOU TO JOIN ME.

If you followed along with the first post in this series, you'll be familiar already with the Gnostic nature of Homestuck's central conflict between the spirit world and the flesh. And even if I say so myself, I think that post is pretty definitive; if you're ever unsure what a particular character's motivations or end goal are, the Conflict will tell you. But what's conspicuously absent from the post is any explanation of what actually happens in Homestuck. We've covered the why, but very little of the how.

I left us off on the "synonymous goals" that spring naturally from this conflict between flesh and spirit; attaining ultimate knowledge, and escaping the confines of Homestuck itself. Eagle-eyed readers probably spotted what was lying between the lines, there: the comic is called Homestuck because it's about being stuck in a house, so the ending is about escaping the house. But what does that really look like? And how did they get in that house in the first place?

Let's return very briefly to a quote I used in the previous post. "[Y]our ultimate self [...] unlike god tiers or bubble ghosts or whatever, it really IS immortal". Two assumptions naturally grow out of this fact. First, and probably most obvious: when John dies, he's not really gone. The idea of him still exists out there, somewhere, and in our minds, so he still exists. Second, though: if the idea of him is eternal, John obviously didn't start existing when he was born. So again we ask, where did he come from?

How did John get here? Where does he go? The answers to these questions are like the four sides of one hypercoin, in that Homestuck is a time loop... of a sort.

To begin to understand this, we need to reiterate what was basically "the point" of the first post: Homestuck operates on two distinct levels, a spiritual plane consisting purely of ideas, and a "literal" physical dimension. What happens on these two planes often mirrors each other, and because Homestuck itself is a work of fiction which operates in the realm of ideas, they can even intersect. But ultimately, what "literally" happens to the characters in Homestuck is not the same as the ideas the comic is expressing in its spiritual metanarrative.

The fact that a physical time loop is impossible is something Homestuck inherits from real-life physics: to put it simply, John being born can't be the physical John from the end of his timeline, because that John would be way too old to be a baby! But ideological time loops are not only something sanctioned by Paradox Space, but essential to its very being; they are where it gets its name, after all! To repeat another lynchpin quote from the comic: there is essentially nothing new in paradox space. Any idea that seems new necessarily must have just come from somewhere else.

"SbaHJ has the distinction of being the symbolic language of [Dave's] subconscious." (Homestuck: Book 3: Act 4, p. 282)

Frequently we see this expressed in the rooms representing characters' dreams, which, as discussed, sort of transcend the character's physical form and represent the broad ideas that characters are made of. Dave's dreams (pictured above) are covered with drawings of Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff, characters he seemingly invented as a child after being inspired by a drawing Terezi sent to him. But Terezi's drawing was based on Dave's own illustrations she saw later on in his timeline; so which of them truly "invented" Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff? Neither of them did; SBaHJ exists as pure subconscious ideological matter floating through Paradox Space, only sometimes being picked up by a character's conscious mind. Similarly, Gamzee tries to manipulate this subconscious realm when he uses his psychic powers to place a terrifying effigy of Jack Noir in John's dreams, as punishment for the destruction of the trolls' session. But as we know, Jack Noir only took that form because of the nightmares this doll caused! So again; neither John or Gamzee thought up the demonic clown "first". It existed in the realm of ideas before either of them ever had the chance to invent it.

These kinds of ideological loops are the bread-and-butter of jujus. We're told their origins are untraceable and that they can't be destroyed, but neither of these things is really true; these superstitions exist only to obfuscate the true rule that jujus "emerge spontaneoUsly from the void." Rather than be erased from existence, a juju can only be banished to that same void of nonexistence where disembodied ideas live, and then pulled back into the world of dreams by a prospective psychic.

With these rules established, now we can really delve into with appreciation the ideological time loop that underpins all of Homestuck. And like all good time loops, the best place to start is at the end.

ACT 7 (Are you tired of seeing it yet?)

Let's not insult anyone's intelligences here: you know and I know that Caliborn's little house juju looks like the Homestuck logo because it is Homestuck; when he wins it from Yaldabaoth, he takes control of it, and when he sucks the heroes inside, he's trapping them in the confines of his material world.

What's essential to keep in mind here, though, is that the power of a juju is the power of the idea itself. It's easiest for us to think of the word juju in Homestuck as a concrete noun, referring simply to a magical object. But the word's real-life origins, referring more abstractly to magic or enchantment, are still relevant in this fictional framework. Lil Cal isn't just "a juju", but is "FILLED WITH BAD JUJU." Magic in Homestuck has always really been about the idea that believing in something can make it real, and the purpose of all Homestuck's dealings with chucklevoodoos and jujus is to evoke the anthropological concept of the "fetish"; an item whose power comes from human beings ascribing supernatural qualities to it. Jujus are all part of the "game" the cherubs play, with all its rules and quirks; breaking an enchantment is like breaking a rule, in that it changes nothing about the real world: you've just infringed upon an idea. The juju isn't the object; the juju is the power, good or bad, ascribed to the object.

All of this is really just to say one thing: Caliborn's home juju can't trap the flesh versions of John and his friends; as we established, you can't send old John back in time to become young John. But what a juju can trap is something far more important; the ideas of John and his friends. This is why it doesn't matter if the heroes who travel back to the beginning of everything to beat Lord English while he's still a kid are the "main" timeline versions of those heroes from some point in the future, or if the Epilogues' version of events is truth and they're some "irrelevant" offshoots: because all of those characters are represented by the same idea, and that's what Caliborn puts in the box. No matter what timeline John is from, he's from Homestuck, to Homestuck he must return, and as such Homestuck is what he must be forced to escape. Refer again back to the previous post: Caliborn can't create or destroy, only take pure ideas and alchemise them down into a form he can control.

And that's why Act 7 so enigmatically features two different white home-doors (above), seemingly so interconnected yet effectually unrelated. Because Act 7 takes up the hefty role of concluding two storylines simultaneously: allowing the "real", flesh-world versions of John and his friends to escape Lord English's reality through one door, while also concluding Homestuck's metanarrative by setting the ideas of John and his friends free of their prison through another door.

So far, most of this is probably stuff you'd have either figured out on your own or at least heard from someone else already. And if we set aside such distractions as run-ins with radioactive imps and omnipotent dog-gods, the "whats" and "hows" of the heroes' story are probably the easier parts of Homestuck to figure out. What's more difficult to fully comprehend on a first pass is how Lord English himself fits into all of this.

If you've been following me for any stretch of time, you'll notice in my analysis of Homestuck I've returned to the topic of black holes frequently. I've lost track of how many versions I've published of what I call "Black Hole Theory". And I won't link to any of them here, because ultimately Black Hole Theory was a corkboard to which I could pin the evidence that would eventually, piece by piece, lead us to where we are right now:

If the home juju is a white "hole" leading out of the confines of Homestuck as a story, then black holes are the doors that lead back in. An early clue to this comes in the form of Calliope's stage in the heart of a spiral: these spirals are Calliope's visions of black holes, which she uses as "dark pocket[s]" from which "no information can escape" - a literal description of a black hole - and that stage is the very same one Caliborn stages his story on when he takes full control of Homestuck's narrative. The meaning here should be clear: Calliope creates black holes, and it's the center of these black holes where stories can take place.

But for all the evidence we need to suggest that Lord English's fall into a black hole leads to something more complex than just his destruction, we need not look further than conventional science:

In the quantum world [...] information cannot be created nor destroyed.

Lisa Zyga, on the conservation of quantum information.

This rule that "ideas" are truly immortal, and that any time an idea seems to be destroyed it must have merely been transported somewhere else, holds true even in the scientific world of black hole physics. This has been played with in MS Paint Adventures before; theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking's take on black holes was that some stuff could in fact escape a black hole, contrary to Calliope's assertions, in the form of Hawking radiation. But Hussie's own version of the story was always a lot more to the point: something gets sucked into the center of a black hole, it gets shot out somewhere else. In hypothetical physics this is called a white hole - no doubt you can see where this is going.

So Lord English's final moments in Homestuck see him not destroyed, or killed, or defeated in combat in any traditional way, but sucked right back into Homestuck. What exactly does that mean?

Homestuck, p. 8105

As long as we're talking the power of ideas and symbols, possibly the most blatant a symbol can get is in the form of a gesture; and the thumbs-down is possibly one of the most ancient gestures there is. Dave gets one, Tavros gets one, and, so they say, even the Roman gladiators got them. This precedent makes the meaning of the gesture clear: "you're going down." And it makes sense, too, that Hussie, the "good author", would signal the "evil author's" demise in such a way. But some might question the effectiveness of the power of gesture at such a pivotal point in the comic. Are we really to believe that English's defeat was, even in part, the result of another author merely willing him away like a tyrant doing away with an entertainer who has fallen out of favour? Or did the Hussie-character actually have some kind of plan to deal with his Hulk-like alter ego?

Of course he did.

...now Caliborn has hijacked the property of his experiential continuum which he has reason to believe is called "the narrative". Little does he know you recently made the shrewd decision to purchase(?) the ACT 6 ACT 6 SUPERCARTRIDGE EXPANSION PACK! Just plug it into any in-universe console port to unlock a variety of exciting new gameplay features and proceed through remaining canon unfettered, while Caliborn muddles through six new sub-sub-acts of infantile "subversive parody" targeting the very tale he inhabits, none the wiser!

To allow our heroes the chance escape their narrative prison, English isn't just to be trapped in their old cell; it's to be trapped within an infinitely-recursing cell, not just reliving one story over and over again but forced to live out infinitely many different stories. Not just a narrative loop; a narrative spiral. That's what being sucked into the black hole means for Lord English.

When Roxy - the Hero of Void whose very symbol is that of the black hole - banishes Caliborn-as-Cal into the void, he becomes one of the very wandering ideas with which English plays like dolls. "Instances of [Doc Scratch] have spawned in countless universes", and they have "never once failed to complete [their] objective": whether he wants to or not, Lord English will always be born again. In a new universe, perhaps, maybe even in a different shape, but his role always the same. Caliborn thinks that by filling the supercartridge with special stardust and corrupting the story, he's won, but looking at the bigger picture the truth is clear: he's only playing by somebody else's rules.

Just as Skaia uses lotus "seeds" to store items away for later use, and employs meteors as "Seeds" to send important elements back in time to set up the beginnings of new stories, so too are English's cue ball "seeds" only a means of transporting his essence from one place to the other; the black hole and the Rapture are, after all, only Skaia and the Reckoning sized up to a truly macrocosmic scale. The cue ball is able to be a font of endless knowledge because it is the "white hole" at the other end of the black hole! No information can escape a black hole, and therefore there is no information that escapes Scratch's attention -- he is limited only by his "pockets of void", which exist only to, in time, be filled, as more and more falls into these black holes like a multiversal game of billiards. Not only is this a transparent allusion to one of the most fundamental representations of the paradoxical time loop as a concept, but it is also the ultimate insult to injury: despite having lived an infinite number of lives, and being cursed to live out an infinite number more, Lord English cannot know what his fate will be until he literally falls into it. This is what forces him to lose, over and over again for eternity, while our heroes triumphantly escape Homestuck onto greener pastures.

[stormdragon23]

My Top 10 Solo Leveling Characters

Inspired by this post

I'll keep the explanations short, but if you want a more in-depth explanation, feel free to ask for more (or look through my blog. It isn't that hard to find with how much I post about certain characters)

Choi Jong-In

Gee, what a surprise-

What I like the most about Choi Jong-In is how complex his character is when you actually analyze him. He comes off as a confident, sly person who does what he wants to get something for himself, but when you read between the lines, there is a lot about him that shows nearly the opposite

One example is how he exudes confidence, nearly borderline arrogance, yet when you observe his physical actions, he almost always doing something with his hands, as if he is nervous and holds back from fidgeting. He also cares a lot about other hunters yet does so very subtly, like during the double dungeon when he was giving orders to the other hunters to try to keep them safe. He reacted like how Baek Yoon-Ho did during the Red Gate incident when he learned about what happened with the high orcs A-Rank gate, showing that he does care about his hunters' safety

Okay, I need to stop

2. Baek Yoon-Ho

This should have been expected from just looking at my blog

Baek Yoon-Ho was actually my favorite character early in the story. I love how despite his intimidating appearance, he is actually very kind and a rather sensitive person. He is one of more fleshed-out side characters in terms of his relationships with other side characters and how his backstory before the gates appeared is talked about a lot in various forms of Solo Leveling

He also has a rather complex personality with how serious he appears in public and how it is clear he cares a great deal about the hunters in his guild, yet with people he is close to, such as his friends, he is very expressive and reacts quite a bit to being teased and such

3. Go Gun-Hee

He needs to show up in the game soon

I love how caring he is with the other hunters, specifically Woo Jin-Chul and the other S-Ranks. He makes teasing remarks towards them and is quite soft with them despite his powerful aura. He definitely has the energy of a grandfather, so I like to think he gets along with all the S-Ranks very well

He also seems very protective of them as he was furious about the Japanese Hunters Association's Chairman's plan to eliminate Korea's S-Ranks. He is like that one quote

“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”

4. Sung Il-Hwan

Why couldn't he have seen Kyung-Hye one last time-

I also love Sung Il-Hwan's caring nature even though it was only shown after he fought Hwang Dong-Soo and was helping people get out of destroyed buildings and fire. It was nice foreshadowing to him being a firefighter in the past

He's fairly similar to Go Gun-Hee in terms of his protectiveness of the people he cares about and his optimistic/teasing nature even though Sung Il-hwan's personality wasn't shown that much. I admire how he wanted to give up his memories of the previous timeline to properly take care of his son the way he wanted to though. It was very sweet

I want him to be the main character, not his son-

5. Park Kyung-Hye

She should have appeared more. She's so pretty

Not much of her was shown in the manhwa, but the moments of her that stood out to me the most were how she looked out for her family before her own well-being and how she was still waiting for her husband to return

Even when she had just awakened and found out how long she had been asleep for, the first thing she did after getting a grasp on her surroundings is comfort her son. All she knew was that her son had worked hard to take care of him and could see from his hands that he got hurt while doing so. She doesn't know what exactly Sung Jin-Woo did in the years she was asleep yet still thanked him

6. Woo Jin-Chul

Of course he's on the list. Why wouldn't he be on the list

There are many admirable traits that Woo Jin-Chul has, but I think the one that stands out to me the most is his sense of justice and desire to do everything he can to make the world a better place. It doesn't get to the point where it is all he thinks about or does, but it is enough to show that he is passionate about what he believes

His demeanor is also something I like. The way he is stoic and reacts accordingly based on the situation he is in. It makes me wonder about what his personality is actually like behind the mask and when he is not working. Some of it was shown in the side stories, which was very nice to see, though I wish the manhwa had included more moments of him from the novel

He would be higher on the list, but I'm a sucker for parental figures

7. Min Byung-Gyu

The reason I have a strong grudge against Sung Jin-Woo

Min Byung-Gyu is a much stronger person the more you analyze him (I'm working on an analysis of him, so I'll be going into more detail there). The way he is clearly traumatized by the third Jeju raid and had already told Baek Yoon-Ho that he would not be going on the next Jeju raid, yet he still showed up in the end

He likely couldn't bear the thought of the S-Ranks dying without him there more than the possibility of him not being able to save them. Compared to the other side characters, he was actually fleshed out quite a bit, and he was a very unique character compared to the S-Ranks in terms of his personality

He did NOT need to die

8. Son Ki-Hoon

Most underrated character right here

I don't think much about Son Ki-Hoon as he didn't have that much of a presence in the manhwa, but I really like how he was portrayed as a good leader. After all the other raids Sung Jin-Woo had been on prior to this raid, I was really worried that Son Ki-Hoon was going to be selfish like the others. But thankfully, he chose to go the route that would be the safest for the rest of the team (I think he, unfortunately, has bad luck though)

He was also very adamant about protecting his guild members despite it seeming certain that they would die. Not in a self-sacrificial way (which is a trait I personally dislike), but in a way that would the others the best chance of survival while still doing his best to stay alive

9. Park Hee-Jin

She's so pretty alsdkfjafda

Not much of Park Hee-Jin was seen other than the Red Gate, but the game went in depth about her backstory, which I enjoyed watching. To summarize, Park Hee-Jin had "hunches" whenever something is about to go wrong, and although she doesn't know if something will actually happen or not, her instincts are usually right

However, when she tells other people, they usually don't believe her, and when something does happen, they blame her for it. Yet despite the accusations against her, she doesn't let it bother her and just ignores them, focusing on keeping herself and those who do believe her safe. Similar to Park Kyung-Hye, she also has a caring nature with other hunters, especially those younger than her.

10. Eun-Seok

I know he was only in the anime for like. 3 minutes, but hear me out

Despite Eun-Seok not being on screen for long and barely being mentioned anywhere else, the effect he had on the surviving hunters was very impactful. It clearly affected his close friends, Baek Yoon-Ho and Min Byung-Gyu, the latter of whom retired after the raid. It's not clearly stated, but in the game, he also seems to be the reason why Lim Tae-Gyu seems rather jaded at times, so I assume the two must have been close

As for his personality, he seems like someone who looks out for his friends often yet has a playful side to him as well. I hope we get to see more of him later, whether it's in the game or in a flashback in the anime, but already in the anime, they gave him a lot of features, including a whole character design along with very unique powers

I'm very weak towards selfless people who are humble in case you couldn't tell

If you made it this far, congratulations. Have a cookie 🍪 I don't know what other foods to give. Maybe a fruit next time

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

In one of my previous posts, I talked about how MAWS uses its story and characters to illustrate progressive messages, such as having the gay supervillains give a lesson on the importance of fighting for love, or the surprisingly controversial opinion of "fascist police states are bad". But one common opinion I see is that this show erased the Jewish-immigrant inspirations and allegories of previous Superman, and I would like to explain why I disagree.

I feel like a person coming to terms with the genocidal nature of the civilization they come from and feeling lost, like they can't connect with themselves as they try to spread love and the memory of the kindness they know from loved ones despite the actions of the people in power is very apt and pretty important in today's world. Especially with the additions of Clark fighting against a fascist regime who want to eradicate his entire race and him finally connecting with a long lost relative only to be horrified that she sides with the killing and destruction but then it turns out she doesn't actually know the full extent of the violence she supports.

Is it perfect? No. I really don't like how Clark seems to be rejecting his Kryptonian identity, with both Kara and Jor-El referring to him as "Clark" while only Brainiac insists on calling him "Kal-El". Like from a baseline standpoint, they're respecting his preferred name because they care about him while Brainiac can't get past that he's the son of Jor-El, but from the POV of the allegory it's pretty dodgy.

But I think it's incredibly important to discuss and acknowledge the legitimate themes of the show and the present lessons we can learn about real life. There is absolutely a conversation to be had about Jewish erasure in media, I mean just look at the MCU, but in this particular case I think the problems lay elsewhere.

[mmani-e]

Another post! This time featuring what the antagonists for my AU might look like. While Akane and Nekomaru are locked in the rest is up to changes in the future. Kyoko and Celestia were put on a poll but the results I believe I didn't set up properly, so now I'm amending that somewhat. I drew both sets in these sketches, and when enough time has passed I'll set up another poll, properly this time on strawpoll.

As for some design explanations and lore you can check under the cut :)

Kyoko and Makoto I believe are pretty straightforward here, I gave Kyoko a neckerchief that goes pretty far down to give her that sort of upper class educated look, while Makoto I gave a smart little jacket. There's only so far you can go with the normal boy, but I also made his hair fluffier and nicer. His ahoge is there but it's normally combed back, and only springs to full life when he's in murder mode.

Kyoko joined her dad in leaving the tradition of detective work behind and entered the business world where she used her analytical mind to be the best damn stock investor in the world, while definitely something she excels at it's not something she finds particularly fulfilling.

Makoto is a wholesome, normal dude who loves writing books about wholesome stories with good endings, while his family was and still is normal, he was captured once by unscrupulous scientists wanting to explore Despair and its mysterious qualities. Makoto never gave in, but in his suffering developed an alter ego who was grimly invested in justice above all else.

Sparkling Justice is a night haunter, who exclusively goes around killing murderers and evildoers against Makoto's wishes. Choosing to right any injustice he sees in the world, allowing for happy endings for the victims, surely?

I went hard with celes and hifumi a long time ago in previous designs, so here they are with similar designs as I gave them before. Hifumi wears a suit vest, and a button-up underneath while still keeping his bag... which may or may not be more than just a simple bag...

Celestia was born a normal kid and absolutely hated that life, so when a relative of hers from Europe visited she begged them and her family to go with them and she did. She grew up exploring Europe, and would propose money-making schemes to her family abroad and would eventually be able to fund the glamorous lifestyle she always thought she deserved.

Hifumi is just a writer-focused version of himself, though with a particular love for action-romance novels and fiction rather than strictly heart-melting novels like Touko. He's a sweet boy but very weird and horny for Celestia, so he's completely useless around her. He's basically a tool... just like...

ROBO-JUSTICE is a serial killer known for their modus operandi of targeting particularly attractive and very mean women with hammers or blunt force trauma. This alter was formed after one particularly awful night of bullying resulting in Hifumi getting thrown into an abandoned industrial park and nearly dying from exposure to wires and sharp metal. Despite this though, it is almost entirely subservient to Celestia whenever it surfaces from Hifumi's mind.

Akane and Nekomaru I've already drawn before, but I think it'd be nice to give some of the backstory I've planned for them.

Akane is a well-meaning, brash, and reckless person whose freakish natural strength pairs with a luck that does everything except help her directly. Random and unpredictable, Akane desperately tries everything she can to get into extremely unpredictable and dangerous situation for her luck to grace those around her with the best outcome from her misfortune, even if it means hurting a lot of people in the process.

Nekomaru was inspired by the nonstop hard work he saw the nurses had to do when they were treating his heart condition. So inspired that he made it his solemn vow to join them whatever it took, leading him to become the ultimate nurse. He would, however, be the first of his classmates to fall to the despair of the mastermind, as his well-meaning nature drew him into a trap he could not predict.

For Rantaro and Tenko I took inspiration from M. Bison(Dictator) and Criss Angel specifically. These are the most experimental designs I have as you can tell, but I plan on working on them a lot.

Tenko's story involves her becoming the head of her little "dojo" and straight up turning it into a cult, with her as the ultimate supreme leader and the greatest fighter in the world.

Rantaro started off doing magic for her sisters, and got so good at making them happy that one of them introduced his magic act to the world through sites like youtube, causing him to become a sensation drooled over by millions of girls around the world.

[scun-gilli]

So, I was wondering about the Demon summoning AU WIP you posted. It looks really fun, what are your plans for it???

I am glad you asked!

I have two other long-fic projects I am working on in the background of TRT. one being the demon summoning and another being a horror fic.

The demon summoning is still in its beginning stages, so the plot is definitely subject to change, however, I'll give you a brief description of my general plot/themes:

The story is a modern/human AU, just so you know

Alastor is a popular podcast host by day and, as we all know, a serial killer by night. He is extremely meticulous with his work but even he knows that the law is starting to sniff him out. He looks back into the occult, a minor obsession of his when he was younger, and tracks down a cult specifically to get his hands on their grimoire (think Apology Tour people with Stolas)

Lucifer is a divorcee and an empty-nester. He has been struggling with his loneliness and longs for something new. He wants to explore and travel and be in nature, but Heaven has forbidden his entry to earth. The only exception to the rule being when he is summoned by a mortal for a deal, not even Heaven can step in.

Alastor summons lucifer to make a deal so that he is never captured, allowing him to continue his *hobbies* without worrying about the police or his dear mother finding out. Lucifer accepts the deal but turn down the idea of owning Alastor's soul, instead, he wants Alastor to be his ticket into staying on earth for an extended period.

Therefore, the bickering roommates are born. Lucifer creates a human disguise and lives on earth with Alastor while also keeping him from capture.

Meanwhile I have all sorts of other hijinks planned with cults, helluva boss crossovers and all sorts of other stuff. My plan is for it to be domestic, fluffy and hopefully funny. It will also probably be a pretty slow burn.

-------------------------------------

The horror fic is basically my excuse to write some creepy monster stuff XD

The plot is heavily inspired by the SCP community. Also a modern/human AU set in the H.A.Z.B.I.N research facility.

Alastor is a seasoned researcher who has recently been entrusted with access to the facility's lowest level, home to their most dangerous anomaly, 7-666 (Codenamed: Lucifer). This particular anomaly is known for being incredibly aggressive, powerful and unpredictable. As Alastor slowly starts to learn more about 7-666, he starts to realize that maybe the previous researchers have been going about it all wrong.

This is planned to include characters from both Hazbin & Helluva with all sorts of shenanigans (I can't help it even though I technically want this to be a grittier story), monster romance, and two misunderstood beings finding their kindred spirit with each other.

------------------------------------

I was thinking of starting to post drabbles or one shots on ao3 just to show y'all the concepts I'm playing with to see if any of them are interesting. Because I do also have ideas for a mafia AU, Eldritch/monster hunter AU, and mayyyyybbbbeee something canonverse. Not to mention the overlord Huskerdust fic I had almost COMPLTELY written before Radioapple stole my heart. That has been sitting in my drafts for ages.

Let me know your thoughts!!!

[victorluvsalice]

Valicer Polyship Week 2024, Day Seven: Free Day – Only One Bed (Valicer In The Dark AU)

It's Day Seven, aka the finale of Valicer Polyship Week 2024, kindly brought to you by @polyshipweek! Today was the Free Day when it came to prompts, so I decided to scurry back to Day Five's list and grab the other prompt from that day that I was interested in -- "Only One Bed!" A classic fanfic trope to be sure -- and one that, for me, is probably permanently associated with my Valicer In The Dark verse, thanks to the fact that the gang's lair literally only has one proper bed. XD So, naturally, I had to write a fic about their bed situation! From Alice's POV, because I'd noticed that I'd written two fics from Victor's POV and three from Smiler's over the week, and I didn't want her to get shorted. This one was rather hard to bring together for some reason, but I got there in the end. Hope you enjoy!

--

When the Three Pillars first all moved in together, abandoning their old lives and claiming Elder Gutknecht’s home as their own, Alice had worried that the fact they only had one bed would turn out to be a problem.

Granted, they’d managed those first couple of days before killing Bumby all right, back before they’d realized they were going to be living together for the long haul – Smiler had been kind enough to immediately surrender any claim to the four-poster to their companions, and Alice had been happy enough to swap with Victor after the first Names (especially after seeing how poorly her new friend had slept on the floor). And yes, once they had realized living together was going to be a permanent change post-flight from the Van Dort mansion, one of the first things they’d done was set up a schedule to determine who got to sleep in the nice bed when, and who had to make do with the cots Smiler had sourced from their fellow Advocates. But Alice hadn’t been able to shake the conviction that, at some point, the bed was going to be a source of trouble. After all, going from an elegant four-poster to a rickety old cot wasn’t exactly the most pleasant experience – she’d been tempted a couple of times to refuse to give up her claim, and she was certain Victor and Smiler had too. It seemed only a matter of time before the schedule broke down and there was a fight over the damn thing. Not to mention she still didn’t fully trust that glass canopy, no matter how many times Elder Gutknecht assured her it was safe. So she kept an eye on the bed, and on her friends, and wondered what crisis would eventually spark.

And then, early one Numbers, Victor reluctantly admitted that, even with access to such a large and comfy bed, he was having trouble sleeping. And Smiler offered up their hypnosis skills to fix the problem, and she insisted on watching just for her own peace of mind. And that – that led to them all sleeping in the bed together, her and Smiler wrapped around an entranced Victor, unwilling to move for fear of waking him and undoing all their hard work. And that had indeed sparked a crisis – just not the one Alice had thought. She’d expected to feel awkward about sharing a bed with Victor and Smiler. To feel uncomfortable about finding herself in such close quarters with them, even if they were people she liked.

She hadn’t expected to enjoy it. To realize that she’d had one of the easiest Names’s sleep of her life in that bed, cuddled up tight against Victor’s back. To additionally realize that she’d actually rather – enjoyed seeing Smiler hypnotize him. That watching Victor slip into trance had been – weirdly inspiring in certain ways. That she wanted everything she’d seen the previous Names to happen again, if at all possible – and the next day, and the next, and the next. That – that she was pretty damn sure she was in love with Victor, and maybe Smiler too, in a different way. And she hadn’t really known how to hell to deal with all of that knowledge. So she’d tried instead to ignore it, avoiding Victor and Smiler’s eyes and refusing to bring it up in conversation. Tried to remind herself that, however nice it had been (and it had been nice, oh God she hadn’t had something so nice since she was small), it couldn’t be repeated. That she would have to just have to go to her cot that Names and go to sleep and try not to think about how warm Victor had been against her, how weirdly sweet it had been to open her eyes and see Smiler looking back at her –

And then. Then they’d gone to that rich toff’s house. And Victor had nearly fallen off the roof. And Alice had gotten a stark reminder that life was short and that she needed to tell the people she loved that she loved them before it was too late. So, once they’d finished the job and made it back home, she’d forced herself to say that they needed to have a talk –

And discovered that Victor and Smiler had enjoyed everything that had happened the previous night as much as she had, if not more. That they hadn’t known how to bring it up either, consumed by the same doubts she’d had. That they – they loved her too. And after that rather a lot of kissing had happened, and after that –

Well. Alice forced herself to be practical and insist that Smiler only take back one cot, and keep the others for emergencies. Who knew if any one of them might need it for some reason or another. But in truth, she didn’t think the extra cot was very necessary at all.

Turned out, one bed was more than enough for three people.

[studentbyday]

oops! i did it again. lessons from this school year...

Hey, you remember that post I made about my winter term priorities? HAHAHAHAHahaha ha ha. That plan totally went to shit, but it's all part of the journey, right? 😅 (Tbh, it's quite difficult to make a conscious effort to change yourself when the default response to being and feeling busy is to go on autopilot -> all the unconscious habits, even if unhealthy, take control, and bc it's unconscious, you don't realize it until it gets quite bad! anyway! no more! my future plans make it so this will be impossible to do while still retaining some sense of sanity. so to prep, we're gonna slowly implement little changes so hopefully it's not so overwhelming that i give up)

🧘🏻‍♀️ comparing mindsets in fall and winter term

Fall term was not that bad bc I had 2 STEM subjects I really really loved and was interested in (biochem and mol bio 💕), and despite their difficulty, that love and interest and the feeling that "I am in the right field for me" kept me positive. There were times I thought I would feel burnout symptoms if I wasn't careful, but I really think that positivity protected me from the worst of it.

Winter term, however...I had one favorite subject: moral philosophy, which led to me wistfully dreaming about an AU in which I double majored in philosophy and piano performance, lol. After the highs of biochem and mol bio and the natural ease with which the bits of info flowed together in those subjects, I did not enjoy pharmacology or the 2nd half of psyc as much -> loss of interest -> negativity and feeling like I'm in the wrong field bc how dare I not like pharmacology (or psychology) as much as the other life science-y subjects when it's really so important for us to survive and thrive! 😅 I mean, there were times I could get that spark from pharmacology or psyc, but it wasn't often enough or intense enough to keep me consistently inspired throughout the semester. The feeling of "maybe I don't have what it takes and I'm in the wrong field" was compounded by the re-realization that there's sm to know of bioinformatics and I struggle to know any of it! Persevering is important, but it's harder to persevere with a negative mindset.

😤 what went wrong this school year and what i learned from it

I still struggle with perfectionism (and bc of it, procrastination). While it might not be as bad as it was in high school, I still spent too long on assignments that weren't worth much and during finals season, was so scared of getting less than 90% just to keep up my A+ streak. Like, I'm pretty sure no one who cares to know your GPA cares about whether you have an A+ streak or not. I have too high a threshold for what is a "disappointing" grade. I also struggle with deep regret about how I haven't mastered everything they throw at us in each course... definitely an unrealistic expectation, especially as the proportion of new info to absorb increases with each course. I did what I could using what I knew to do, so it is what it is. I may find ways to make improvements and learn more, but I won't beat myself up for not having known to do those things in the past.

Did not use effective study methods. Since first year, my problem has been keeping up with the readings and my solution has been to just use typed outline notes. It worked for the first few years when it was mostly review from previous courses with a few new concepts in between. But as I progress through my degree, the proportion of completely new info is increasing. This notetaking method won't work anymore bc it just causes cognitive overload, especially during exam season (when I've mostly forgotten the details of everything that isn't smth I've already known for years). E.g. for pharmacology, I got so bogged down by the details of all the drug classes that I didn't see the big picture and so didn't organize the info according to it. This made it hard to see patterns and better chunk the info. I was so stressed during finals season bc of this (and the sheer amount of notes that I had to read for psyc 😭). What makes it feel like even more of a problem is that the cognitive overload problem from my notetaking method has been a thing for all other uni courses thus far, it's just that pharmacology was the first time I needed to create a stronger connecting thread between the otherwise disparate pieces of info (drug classes). In all other courses, that thread was part of the nature of the topic being studied so I eventually understood it as I kept going and mentally re-organized it in my brain...but even then it was hodge-podge and so my depth of mastery was and is so flimsy, and every semester I leave feeling drained and like I wasted the opportunity to maximize my learning. (How dramatic I get about this is also probably tied to my perfectionism, but I still think it would greatly benefit future me to change my notetaking style.)

🎓 advice for future me

Look at the academic calendar, specifically the faculty course descriptions. Look at how many hours they say you should expect to spend on each activity in the course. Try to use those learning hours as a guide for your schedule so that you don't spend too long on an item that isn't worth much. If there isn't such a breakdown, assume one based on whatever they give you or other courses and adjust from there.

Be a more efficient reader by skimming the text first so you can map the flow of info in a way that best creates ease of understanding/synthesis/memory (e.g. via an outline, tree diagram, flowchart, mind map, or simple drawings - and noticing when a list/outline will NOT be helpful bc it'll just be too overwhelming and not easy to compare/contrast info and see patterns). I knowww you've survived thus far without doing it this way and done well, BUT with this many courses, the increasing complexity of each subject, and the overload of info in each, you WILL need to do this to make quicker work of the readings, save you sooo much stress during exam seasons, and improve how much you learn while in school which is the real goal you've wanted to achieve all this time. Don't repeat the mistake you made in pharmacology. And it really doesn't have to be aesthetic and you definitely should NOT get caught up with it if you really wanna learn. You could just use one color for everything and a highlighter and just basic shapes/lines - that alone can be way more effective than boring paragraphs/lists or a colorful, overly complex diagram that'll just distract you from the main point.

Create a realistic daily routine (wake-up and sleep times, start and end times for schoolwork) and be strict about following it. Set your non-negotiables for personal goals to keep up with alongside your schoolwork bc academics aren't everything. Remember how you regretted not devoting more time to extra-curriculars and other skills in high school which would've rounded you out as a person. You can try theming the parts of the day so that you don't have to think about what task you should do first after study breaks and keep up the momentum (e.g. mornings for readings and notes, afternoons for active recall/homework). Then you can live the rest of the day after school as structured or unstructured as you wish. If this strategy doesn't work for you, you don't have to use it.

Take advantage of interleaving so you don't get bored. Whether by following the theming strategy or just switching subjects every hour, idc if you aren't done yet, you better switch bc the second consecutive hour of the same thing is never as effective as the first.

[stoopid-turtle]

moar made-up thoughts about dd's thoughts

Some of the replies on my previous post left me re-evaluating, and I don't know that I was incredibly effective at what I meant to communicate (honestly, that is really frustrating for me). So I just want to clarify and maybe add some context.

I assume it goes without saying that everybody in turtleland adores dd and gg and that we think dd is a sweetie-pie (I can't conceive of being a turtle without that belief). And as a group, dd and gg's sweet moments get highlighted a lot, which I adore. These posts I have on dd are more about stuff I don't see discussed quite as much and they're not meant to encapsulate all that dd is because, wow that's a lot. For the previous post, I'd been thinking a lot about dd's mentality and how he approaches things, as seen in SDC, because his captaining style seems really distinct in a way I wanted to dig into.

Honestly, we've known dd for years at this point, and he's grown and changed throughout that time. He's been influenced by gg and by other friends and mentors. And like most people, how he acts is variable and dependent on context. 

I do think dd was sometimes thoughtless when younger, but I don't think that's anything out of the ordinary for his age at the time, and I think he's grown out of it. In any case, it was never mean-spirited. Still, I think the way he expresses his feelings is pretty reserved and that he's not incredibly prone to sentimental gestures, like the gifts he sent Yang Kai. I think he can be thoughtful in that he's responsive when people indicate what they want, but I don't think he's the type to think up a gift idea on his own. Given that Yang Kai actually knows the guy and said as such, I don't think it's too far off-base to say that. I honestly think he probably gets help from gg with that sort of stuff, and he's likely to have gotten better at it as a result. But dd has never struck me as a sentimental guy.

(though with the captain gifts, I have no idea the logistics of how those worked, and I suspect, like most things on reality shows, that production assistants helped with suggestions and such)

I think he's a fantastic captain! I don't think I said that, because it's one of those things I assume goes without saying, especially as it's often said as such in turtledom. I think even back to Produce 101 when he was mentoring the young girls who were fawning over him. He did the cutesy dance with them to support them, even though he hates being cutesy (and bless him for it. That dance is a gift (and led to cute bts moments of gg poking fun at dd)). He's passionate about dance and he's passionate about helping other people improve (and learning from others). Dancers want to join his team because of that passion, and because dd just has a natural talent for it that is incredibly inspiring.

But he does like winning. He explicitly said as much himself. And that one episode I highlighted where his team lost is pretty tense. The rehearsals were tense, the performance was tense, dd's response to everything was tense. During one round, his team only gets 4 votes compared to, like 40 for the other team. I can't recall the score ever being so lopsided, especially when the losing team is full of top-tier dancers.

And dd's behavior then is incredibly relatable to me. He laughs about it, joking about how he only got 4 votes. But it's the laugh you get when you're really unhappy and kinda embarrassed but trying to keep a good, positive face on things (or at least, that's a strategy I have for those moments, and given dd's switch to serious-times when he's doing the team debrief, I think he's somewhat similar). 

And dd recovers well. He has a debrief with his team. He talks to Han Geng about what his team is lacking (they specifically talk about his team performance not being thematic like the others) and realizes they need a choreographer to pull everything together and give them direction. And the very first round of recruitment, he gets a choreographer for them. 

I don't think dd only likes winning. The reference to "not here to make friends" thing was a bit of rhetorical exaggeration for fun. Like I noted, he makes friends. He learns a lot and he mentors a lot, and that's definitely a big part of the draw for SDC for him. And while dd never intentionally cultivates a family atmosphere (as opposed to the other captains who explicitly tell their team that they're like a family), they come together like a family anyway. But he still likes winning, and I think he has trouble enjoying everything else as much if he's not winning. 

It's not a bad thing to be competitive like that (I once got into a fight with my wife because I kept losing in thumb wars against her. I personally know when competitiveness becomes stupid). DD has a passionate drive to succeed. This is how he's managed to excel at basically everything he tries (except cooking). I think way back to the auditions in SDC 3, when dd impresses his group by being savvy about street dance gestures (like the plagiarism gesture) and by knowing how to appeal to dancers (by having them warm up with some freestyling). He quickly overcomes any doubts the dancers have based on his idol background by being genuine, sincere, and passionate and that's why people want to join his team.

 *rereads all this* Hmmmm...feedback and replies are good. This is a better post.

Also, this judge is the one who always says nice things about dd. He's said at one point that dd has an extraordinary natural talent for dance even among professional dancers. He's right and he should say it. Best judge. A+ I hope they keep bringing him on.