#it's so often repeated that it's usually the first example that comes to mind

[distortedidentity]

How I forced myself to dissociate, a guide for trans/severiDissociative beings

For me, dissociation has always come in "levels." I think, if I hadn't set things up in the order I did, it would be hard for me to dissociate the way I do now. I want to walk you through those levels, and offer some insight as someone who's been dissociating for 4+ years at the time of writing. Of course, everything on this list will be much easier for you if you're chronologically younger (neuroplasticity), and/or under persistent stress. Though, neither of those things are strictly necessary

For @kenochoricgardens. Supreme yapping below the cut

Derealisation

The first layer is derealisation. For me, the easiest thing to do was always detaching from the world around me. Derealisation is the experience of dissociating from your surroundings. I think it's a good jumping off point. The key to achieving derealisation is looking at how cis beings experience derealisation, and trying to "convince" yourself that you are also experiencing it

Cis beings tend to have a foggy perception of their environment while derealising. Some things I see frequently reported are a slowing/warping of time, muffled/distorted audio, and hazy or "far away" visuals. Some beings say their perception of size and depth skews, others say they feel as if in a "dream" or as if experiencing fiction rather than reality

Of course these are all more metaphors than real physical experiences. It isn't hallucinating, these examples are just meant to illustrate how your perception distorts. Even while derealising, beings are aware that what they're experiencing is a matter of perception, even if they're confused by what is real or fake in the moment

The easiest way I found to convince myself to derealise was by repeating affirmations. I know it sounds corny, but it is an easy way to will your brain into tricking itself. When I first started out, I repeated phrases such as "I am dissociating, this is really it, I'm detaching from my surroundings, what is real?" etc. For me it helped to really lay on that feeling of confusion. While you might not experience genuine derealisation the first time, it's the kind of thing you have to do every so often for it to actually kick in

Depersonalisation

Depersonalisation is the experience of dissociating away from yourself. Your sense of being, your own body, your emotions/thoughts, and even your memories. Cis beings tend to report a disconnect from their body when they look down, or an inability/difficulty to recognise their face in the mirror. They may experience their thoughts, emotions, and/or memories to be much harder to reach than usual, or separate from/"foreign" to them. They may feel numb towards pain, or unable to process it in the way they normally would. Cis beings tend to describe it as perceiving their own experiences from an outsiders point of view

Again, be sure to pull out those affirmations and keep in mind that this is all metaphorical. Some of my affirmations when I was starting out were "who am I? Who's body is this? I can't quite recall what I was thinking.. Are these memories mine?" and similar. I'd also recommend trying to "forget" the fact that you exist. Try to detach from your thoughts and your ability to discern that you are thinking. Try to lose track of your identity perception

Despite the fact that you should really try to layer most of these steps slowly, I do actually think you would benefit from doubling depersonalisation up with derealisation (unless you really only want one or the other). I'd wait until you have a bit more experience with the latter, though. Dp without dr is like a girl without a joystick an angel without it's wings /ref. In my opinion tag teaming your lack of dissociation is an effective way to alleviate it

Dissociative Amnesia

Level 3, dissociative amnesia. Dissociative amnesia is fairly self explanatory. Dissociation based amnesia. It usually happens in order to protect the brain from a harmful event/period. You don't really need steps 1&2 to get here, but it certainly helps.

Dissociative amnesia comes in many different forms. You may not be able to remember specific events, you may not be able to remember larger periods of time. You may even find yourself losing significant memory on the daily if you struggle with persistent stress. It also comes in different intensities. Some beings experience a total wiping of the memory/memories, whereas some beings can retrieve their memories with some effort

Choosing to induce dissociative amnesia is difficult, because it's so context specific. Unlike dp/dr it's not something you can repeat affirmations to whenever. Even if you don't have any particularly negative memories, you could still pick a certain memory/time period and refuse to think about it. Though I will say it's most effective when used as a coping mechanism to avoid bad things, as is any form of dissociation

If you do find yourself remembering, you could berate yourself for it. This was most helpful to me, because it gave my brain something negative to associate with the targeted memories. If you're not looking for a negative experience with dissociation, this might not be the best step for you though

Fragmentation

The final boss of voluntary dissociation, identity fragmentation. I don't really understand this as well as other forms of dissociation, but it describes the breaking down of identity into "parts". CDD systems are famous for it, but people with BPD and singlets with (C)PTSD also experience it to lesser degrees.

In systems, parts tends to look more or less like separate consciousnesses/people with their own wants, needs, and opinions. I'm less educated on BPD and PTSD, but it is my understanding that while fragmented, the parts are more facets of the being they belong to, rather than separate consciousnesses.

While I am fragmented, my fragmentation isn't at the level of cisplurality. I was able to achieve this after a year or so of practicing derealisation, depersonalisation, and dissociative amnesia + repressing aspects of myself. I understand that this seems like a very lengthy process, but I hope that your transition can be quicker with your intention, as mine was accidental.

I started by cutting off parts of myself. I convinced myself that they weren't real, that I wasn't really like that, etc. You could do the same. You could also berate yourself for displaying traits of the part you're looking to dissociate from, though again, this isn't strictly necessary if you're looking to have a non-negative relationship with dissociation. Something that will dramatically increase dissociation between your parts is thinking of them less as "parts", and more as psychological objects separate from you. Or, if you're aiming for plurality, assigning them a completely different identity

Final thoughts

In conclusion, affirm constantly. All brains are capable of dissociation to some degree if placed in the right conditions. I understand how slow and tedious transitioning can be, but over time you will begin to notice changes. If it helps, fake it till you make it, even to yourself. Pretending is another form of affirmation. My biggest piece of advice is to use these tips as coping mechanisms. That's typically what dissociation is. I hope this is useful for you. Good luck with your transition!

[capt-t-leela]

why don't the new Futurama episodes scratch the itch in the same way that the classic episodes do?

I'm dashing this off quickly while my kid naps, so please keep that in mind when I speak generally and broadly and mostly from memory. It's also a very rough draft.

Classic Futurama had a pretty reproducible format that made it work from a story telling perspective as well as comedically and emotionally. The main source of humor was character driven - put a bunch of very different people into a sci-fi situation that they need to figure out and the conflict, comedy, and resolution will come together from that.

You could break the episodes down roughly like this and they'd all come together, with all of these established things paying off in the end in someway. Again, speaking broadly you establish the first act:

ACT ONE:

a. some big over arching sci-fi OR culturally satirical adventure / theme / scenario

b. an emotional conflict between some of the main characters / something someone is struggling with on their own and they need help with. This conflict is consistent with what we would expect from the characters and their development / traits.

c. a third seemingly goofy thing that was often played for laughs, but had some sort of plot relevance and helped drive the story forward.

Basically, in the first 7 minutes of the episode you'd get all three of those things laid out. The pacing is QUICK and it doesn't patronize its viewers.

Let's look at My Three Suns as an example:

ACT ONE:

a. delivery to the planet trisol - a unique and interesting setting that's new for everyone, not just fry.

b. fry is annoyed that Leela is so protective of him. Leela is annoyed that fry is being a careless idiot. Note: they both have VALID points here, one of them isn't just being irrational and easily dismissed.

c. wtf does bender actually do around here? SO once all of that is setup, we see the humor, conflict, and twists and turns stem from the questions all of these beats raise.

To boot, the characters work through whatever interpersonal / intrapersonal conflict in the context of the Big Adventure.

e.g. Fry realizes that his impulsivity has an effect on the people he cares about -- thanks to Bender's cooking leading him to drink the emperor and getting mixed up in another planet's dealings that then requires Leela to save him, despite her repeated warnings that he shouldn't be an idiot. None of this would have happened without the delivery to Trisol.

Another example:

Farnsworth Parabox:

ACT ONE:

a. the boxes with an infinite number of other universes. big sci-fi scenario to work through. with the potential for adventure! (big overarching adventure)

b. why won't Leela go out with fry??? they both know there's something there, but why is Leela so hesitant? what's stopping her? (interpersonal conflict / something emotional that needs to be resolved)

c. this episode spends a lot of time in the first act showing us key facets of the Planet Express Crew's personalities and quirks - how Leela goes about guarding the box (and her coin flipping, specifically), fry and bender trying to steal it and getting distracted (and Leela knowing what will distract each of them), professor being a crackpot, Hermes being a no nonsense pencil pusher, zoidberg being the worst - these are the goofy things that pay off because The Fighting Mongooses are our crew's foils and fun house mirrors and the comedy comes from their similarities and differences. (something seemingly goofy that helps drive the plot and conflict forward)

All of this is established in the first seven minutes of the episode!

Think about your favorite episodes, and I bet they breakdown similarly. Think about the episodes that don't land for you and I bet they're missing one ingredient (usually one, some, or both of the first two with the third thing usually being something completely irrelevant to the story).

Some Comedy Central era episodes that absolutely follow this formula to great success (not an exhaustive list):

The Prisoner of Benda

The Late Philip J Fry

A Farewell to Arms

Fry and Leela's Big Fling

Which leads me to my final point here....

IMHO one of the best Hulu era episodes is Related to Items You've Viewed, not just because I love me some Freela, but because it follows the formula. Momazon - tech company / monopoly cultural observation. Fry and Leela move in together, they have to navigate that big change together within the context of using Momazon. Bender does a Bender and feels left out, so he acts impulsively and runs away also to Momazon.

The formula isn't EVERYTHING, but it's a solid structure on which to hang lots of references and jokes and character growth.

Ok I gotta go actually like do parenting things, but there ya go. whatcha think?

[yuurei20]

Epel Facts Part 26: Epel and Vil (pt5)

Epel earns praise from Rook and Vil again later on when he physically tackles the prefect to the floor in order to save them from a phantom, that he then stuns by kicking it.

Vil says, “I feel I can trust you now to have my back. Keep up the good work,” once again surprising Epel.

When Rook points out that Epel is smiling to himself Epel observes, “I was just thinking about how reassuring it is to be with you two.”

People are often commenting on Epel’s surprising “competitive streak,” and eventually Epel realizes that it’s something that he and Vil actually have in common.

Epel’s dorm vignette revolves around Vil ordering him to participate in a project for the film club, which turns out to be designing a blastcycle, which Vil knows Epel adores.

Epel’s first attempt is completed with Vil’s tastes in mind, but Vil is not impressed, saying that it gives him no sense of the artist’s thoughts or feelings.

Epel is annoyed, saying, “He’s exactly right. And that’s what makes it so frustrating!”

Vil bans Epel from the dorm until he successfully fulfills his task, and after receiving advice from Idia, Epel completes the design (and falls asleep on the floor): a poisoned apple motif.

Vil compliments him on creating a design that is unique to himself and rewards him with the opportunity to ride the blastcycle to the filming location (Epel says, “I’ve always wanted to ride a blastcycle,” so it might be his first time ever driving one in his life.)

Epel impresses the film club extremely with his handling of the bike and Vil declares that Epel is to be the leading role in their film, despite his protests.

In a voice line Epel says that people have told him that his acting is “hammy,” and there is a comment in the game guide about his acting as well: “He is a countryside juvenile delinquent on the inside, but Vil is forcing him to be a 'bishonen' character. His acting is not very good so his facial expressions are usually stiff, but when his true self comes out he often laughs a lot, gets angry and is generally mischievous.”

We get repeated examples of Epel’s mischievous attitude when he announces to Vil’s face that he will get powerful enough to beat him, when he mocks a post-overblot Vil about throwing temper tantrums and when he laughs behind Vil’s back about the look on his face when he failed to seduce Eliza.

[visualtaehyun]

Hiiiii. Popping in to ask a Thai language question, if you don't mind? A friend linked me to a TikTok clip discussing NuNew commenting on Twitter about Zee dancing at Zee's fanmeet and NuNew called Zee "Khun." The tiktok said that khun is used as an honorific between a married couple, but I had come to understand that it was more formal? Could you tell me if that TikTok was right? And if there's a language nuance I wasn't aware of?

I know I'm usually the first person to lose my shit over pronouns 😂 but personally, I don't find New calling P'Zee 'khun' in a singular tweet that big a deal. But I do understand zonzons' urge to go 🤭 too lol

I'll try to explain though since this is my favorite way to learn! Fandom shenanigans turned language acquisition! :D

My usual disclaimer applies: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏

Let's first pull up New's tweet + P'Kate's translation (thank you again for pointing me to her translation <3)

So. Yes, คุณ /khun/ is a formal polite pronoun. But as with all things Thai language, nuance and context are key.

From what I've read and seen Thai individuals say about it is that their parents or grandparents often use คุณ /khun/ (either or both of them). Like this zonzon says in another quote tweet:

"Calling [him] khun, exactly like my mom calls my dad, kha"

Since I always like to recommend and refer back to @recentadultburnout 's series on Thai language and culture- in this one, Radish also gives a personal example like the one above for the use of คุณ /khun/ between couples, outside of its usage in formal settings:

Personally, I can mostly only speak from what I hear on Thai series where using คุณ /khun/ in general gives me a grownup or mature vibe (outside of workplace or formal settings!). Since the bulk of QLs is set in high school or college, you'll mostly hear คุณ /khun/ used between parent characters - if they're not calling each other พ่อ /por/ = dad and แม่ /mae/ = mom

Here's the most recent example that comes to mind, from Pluto ep.3:

พอได้แล้วค่ะคุณ /phaaw dai laaeo kha, khun/ -> May's mother calls her husband คุณ /khun/, in the same scene he calls her back เธอ /ter/ which is an informal 2nd pers. pronoun that's also often used between lovers

The more series we're getting that have adult main characters, the more I hear our main couples using คุณ /khun/, too! Most recently, ผม/คุณ /pom, khun/ (=I/you) are also the pronouns of choice between Kant and Bison in The Heart Killers trailer as well as ฉัน/คุณ /chan, khun/ (=I/you) between Tul and Dr. Cheran in the Petrichor trailer. There's no saying though if either of these couples (any couple for that matter!) will keep using these pronouns, because they've been using them from the get-go when they only got to know each other, or if they'll switch to something else entirely. I guess novel readers would know already :D

I guess the main reasons why I'm not screaming about New's tweet is that 1) twitter is more like a space to play in with fans and language is one way to do so which is why I never put too much stock in it if there's no 'repeat behavior', so to say lol, in how they use specific words.

And 2) calling your partner คุณ /khun/ seems to me to mostly be a thing people do when they already got to know each other using these pronouns. Then again- Huge throwback for me lol but formal polite pronouns ผม/คุณ /pom, khun/ (=I/you) are what Kawi and Pisaeng switched to at some point in Be My Favorite, after having used rude casual pronouns กู/มึง /guu, meung/ (=I/you) for the longest time. And I do remember having the exact same reaction as zonzons did to New's tweet when Night suddenly used ผม/คุณ /pom, khun/ (=I/you) with Porjai in Last Twilight 🤣

All that to say: Yes, คุณ /khun/ is a formal polite pronoun. But it also gets used between lovers! I hope my many examples shed at least some light on its usage 🙏

For more info on pronoun and pet name usage, I recommend another one of @recentadultburnout's posts:

[swemtpotamtam]

I loooove your characters!!

Sorry if you’ve answered before, but how did you name Nico and Niners? And by extension, all of your cast of characters; is there an approach to naming you often use?

Aww it means a lot!! It always makes me tear up when I read/hear that someone likes my ocs!🥺💕

And no worries! I don't mind repeating answers, if I'll ever get the same questions ;w;

Thank you so so much for asking these wonderful questions! 🫶

Nico and Niners are named after a song by Twenty One Pilots! I felt like those suit them pretty much and the song fit them too (even tho it's not sung from their perspective).

As for the other characters (and just characters in general), I usually come up with designs first and then painstakingly spend some time picking and choosing names and last names that go well together and suit the character. In some cases this process is quicker 'cause something just clicks between the name and what I have in mind for the character but in some other cases it takes a while.

(As a little aside: for the longest time I had this running joke where I would regularly forget Maryleen's name (she's the stern blond sergeant lady) for some reason and that birthed "Mary who?" or "Don't know her" memes among friends and close followers shsjdj)

When it comes to android names, I usually go for something that sounds less human in most cases (tho Mitchel is an exception). For example, N0n or Niners.

Niners' name in-universe has an explanation btw! When Nico was first introduced to him, let's say he uhhh wasn't a big fan so he didn't take his new work partner's naming request seriously. He just looked at the model number - 9RS - peeking from under the collar of Niners' shirt and went with that but put a more human spin on it, if it makes sense. Nico didn't know that he would actually come to love both the new robo-partner and the name he gave him later in the story.

There's also a pretty neat little thing going on with Nico and use of the name he gave Niners but I won't spoil anything 👀 just be on the lookout for that when I'll release the comic 👀

[peachdues]

Hiya! For the ask game: 8, 14, 15 (😈), and 40?? Hope you’re doing well and taking time for yourself! Sending love ❤️

Hi my love!! I hope you’re doing well, too! It always makes my day to hear from you 🤍🤍

Putting my answers below the cut — (1) answers include insight into both current and completed fics (and a little tease at compass) and (2) because of potential discourse around realism in smut writing

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

For writing — I definitely prefer an ending because usually, that means I have a good idea of where the story/chapter needs to go! As a reader, I love the middle 🤍 I love making connections and trying to predict what comes next

14. how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

LMAOO okay, so most of my emotional scenes are brainstormed in the shower — and I sort of play it out like a movie in my head. I wouldn’t say I feel what the characters feel as I’m writing, but I often base emotions/emotional reactions on real life experiences.

As for drawing on real life experiences — YES. This has a range lmao. On one hand, the entirety of Phantasmagoria is based on different aspects of my life. The emotional toll and grief and experiences of Reader losing her mom is a direct retelling of my own mother’s death. There’s a piece near the end of Part III when Reader is telling Sanemi about the night her mom died, and she describes moving her mom’s hand over her hair again and again because she knew she wouldn’t feel that ever again. I did that the night my mom died. On the other hand, all of the partying and drug abuse was directly lodged from my college experiences — my sophomore year, specifically 😂

Then, you have the other end of the real life influencing art spectrum — in Netherwood, I had the idea to make Reader lose her eye after I got something stuck in my contact 😂

15. How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

Ooooh this is a good one! Most of the time, the smut develops around one very specific scene/image in my head. TMTS developed around Kyo eating Reader out. Compass’s first time smut scene was actually around the mental image I had of Sanemi picking her up and carrying her to her bed.

I think most people would agree that I’m very detailed — I have to rein myself in sometimes lmaooo. I’ve realized with Compass 3, I get quite detailed about Sanemi and Reader making out, so I’ve gotta trim that back aslsmndmdksan. However, I’m of the opinion that not every smut scene needs to be explicit. I think there’s something equally drool-worthy about reading only a couple of sentences that really only imply what’s going on.

I think realism is a really broad concept when writing smut. On one hand, fan fiction is a form of fantasy, and it’s meant for both readers and authors to explore things they probably won’t irl (for example: I will never fuck a werewolf). I think it can be dangerous to start applying real world expectations/morals to smut in general (and fiction as a whole), because that opens a very slippery slope to censorship. Furthermore, romance (and smut) as been a woman-dominated genre, and is a primary way women have been historically able to explore their own sexuality. It’s okay then to exaggerate a bit, in my mind, or maybe to do things that aren’t necessarily possible in real life (like, repeated rounds of sex, cockwarming, etc).

On the other hand, there is a line. No one is hitting the g-spot every single time, cervix fucking is usually very uncomfortable, AND, virginity loss does have some degree of discomfort. For example, a virgin isn’t going to know how to do everything perfectly, and that is where I try to be realistic 😂 at the end of the day, I really try to find a nice balance in smut writing!

40. RE fanart — answered here!

Ask me :)

[ca-suffit]

The more I get into the show/show fandom the more grateful I am that my first introduction to these books (+ the movie) was in an academic setting in a class where we discussed how vampires are portrayed in media/how they're often a reflection of the author and/or culture's biases, and are usually a metaphor for the author and/or culture's bigoted fears (usually against queer people, POC, and Jewish people). So when you read the book with that knowledge in mind from the start and your professor understands that you can't analyze vampire lit without addressing the racism/homophobia/antisemitism/etc usually present to some degree in these books, you come out of it with a wildly different view than people who read them uncritically and who are not also part of one of those marginalized groups might, and can see that oh yeah. The author's pretty racist and it shows! And if anything idk I have a greater appreciation because that's the way I was introduced to this universe, as it were, and a much greater appreciation for the show. I'll be curious to see how they handle things from here though, because they're now walking on a tightrope imo

I wrote a few responses to this but it wasn't satisfying me, so I'll try to be succinct. Ty for sharing this btw. My response is sort of a side rant wrt these topics and what I've seen repeated in the fandom for years.

The most annoying thing to me about this fandom is how willing a lot of book purists become to weaponize the importance of white queerness above all else when that's not even the main theme of the show. They will chastise show fans for not knowing the books but then misunderstand any themes from the show bcuz they've made it clear they can't relate to characters who aren't white.

If ppl want to get on a soapbox about queer issues, it needs to extend beyond whiteness or ur fucking useless. If ppl are trying to pass themselves off as academic on the topic of gothic literature and whatever else, it *has* to extend to including bipoc histories too or else it's not a full history at all. We have seen examples like gorrei / neilcfreak being abusive in antiblack ways and using white, Jewish identity as a shield for that. Vampires and other monsters have long stood for so many "others" in society, as u mentioned. The fact that many fans here choose to only examine that through a white lens, when the show is practically spoon feeding the audience about the black American experience otherwise (for the same issues they're always screaming are so important to them), is certainly a fucking choice.

[mr-nauseam]

Eventually this day was going to come because I have a lot of lgbt ships in TBOSAS and it's a topic I think about constantly. Lately even more since I proposed to do a post about Casca's life so let's talk about:

Homosexuality in the Capitol

I think the most common opinion is that surely that doesn't present any obstacle right? They are there in TBOSAS Pluribus Bell and his husband Cyrus, first canon gay couple to be mentioned. No one is saying bad things to them, and not even Snow's prejudiced family has thought anything ugly.

They are totally neutral to the mentions of his husband, the love of his life being a man, and aside, not in the Katniss era we are told in the districts there is freedom to marry whomever you want? No matter the gender, and if we go to the movies, I think we all agree that it confirms that most people in the Capitol would not make any fuss to see two men or two women kissing.

Personally I think that yes, by the time of Katniss that was no longer such an acute issue, but I have every reason to believe that in TBOSAS people weren't really that indifferent. At the end of the day there is 60+ years difference between one story and the other, things can change a lot and social class I think is a relevant aspect here.

Let's start by putting things on the table. Panem has no religion, but I don't think that eliminates homophobia, it is an evil that in fact has claimed more victims under reasons that have nothing to do with God, although moral panic is usually related, this is capable of existing independently, and science has not done much to help the normalization of a diverse sexuality. It has often been used against them in fact.

With that in mind we can start, first I don't think that in Panem homosexuality is penalized or criminalized. In short, I think the idea of ending up in prison for being gay is a bit of a stretch, but just because your existence is not an open crime does not mean that certain actions are not considered as such, and that suddenly people will be tolerant.

The Capitol doesn't seem like a tolerant place at all. Gender, race, social class and sexuality cofluctuate, one another, and this is where I find Pluribus Bell so interesting. A gay man who once owned a bar before the war, then survives by running an underground black market business and is known for his discretion.

I need you to repeat some of those words so that they stand out, so that we understand each other clearly. Pluribus Bell is a gay man who during the war was forced to participate in the black market. Underground business to survive.

What is not striking in that statement? He's a man who for some reason didn't go to war, (we could talk someday about how the enlistment worked) and easily moved into an underground business in order to survive. Pluribus Bell lived in his bar, didn't he? The war was brief indeed, though devastating as wars go, and while it's the kind of situation that makes people think fast, isn't it striking that within the Capitol, a gay man and his partner knew how to navigate the underground world with some ease and mastery?

While it is true that Coriolanus is our narrator, a child at the end of the day, I think he is also a smart child who observes others, and never saw in Pluribus Bell the destabilizing stress that dominated, for example, his grandmother at times. Only perhaps he recognized him as a sad man after he lost the love of his life in a bombing. After he was left alone with his cat.

And not only that. The Snows know Pluribus Bell or knew of its existence probably thanks to some word of Crassus Snow, an old acquaintance, an ex young university student who frequented that bar frequently, always accompanied by his best friend in the past, is not so rare, and while I like the snowbottom this not the focus point.

It's a nice note to make but let's think coldly, a rich teenager discovers that the owner of the bar he frequents is involved in clandestine business since before the war, because if we have understood each other, we have already suspected that Pluribus Bell was probably involved in some clandestine activity since before the war hit the Capitol.

It could have been for any reason but I think we're getting to the point that being gay and being involved in these kinds of activities under the law, under the radar, are not uncommon for queer people, because it's a community that has always been persecuted in one way or another. Also, from what little we know of Crassus' character, maybe it was the type of activity that wasn't exactly illegal so he could ignore it, and who knows, maybe he mentioned his name once he was trapped on the front lines, and his family was trapped to war horrible circunstances. Or maybe Pluribus Bell meet them later, when he attended the funeral and approached the family who lost the young man he remembers with some sympathy.

He does not seem to be part of the Crassus haters club, and has extended the Snow family a kindness that in the words of Coriolanus would be improper, being one of the few people who is fully aware that the Snows are starving. They are no longer rich and powerful. Isn't that what Coriolanus, Tigris and his grandmother have been fiercely trying to hide from others? Why do they seem so comfortable with this stranger knowing the truth?

Do they know something that puts them in a position of equals? Something that make they can never believe in Bell as a threat?

The Snows have never felt the need to hide their poverty from Pluribus. He has never felt the need to hide the fact that his partner was a man in front of them. Sounds like a good match doesn't it?

But is that the only explanation? Necessity is the obvious explanation, there was no alternative but to let Bell know, but once the war was over why not put on the act again? Maybe social class is influencing these non-reactions. Bell is something like the Snow's neighbor but he doesn't exactly live in the Corso. Exclusive area, where the elite live, and he used to own a bar. It's not humble but it's not at the level of what the Snows once were, they had cooks, servants, laboratories and almost totally owned the industry in D13 before it blew up.

Everyone easily believed that they would have assets in other businesses. They have been able to rub shoulders with the richest and most powerful people, for God's sake, one of Coriolanus' classmates was related to the president. So they are not on the same level.

Pluribus is below the Snows, socially speaking, as TBOSAS often proves, sometimes you are below someone in one respect and above them in others. That's how the Plinth have all the money that Coriolanus doesn't have but none of the respect he gets just for being a Snow.

Sexuality is an aspect in which the so-called lower classes usually have an enviable freedom contrary to the life of many people who are heiresses, the advantages of your legacy not mattering and your surname not being a brand.

Someone like Pluribus from whom no glory or success is expected, with no fortunes at his feet who wants to be supported for generations. What difference does it make if he loves a man? In reality he does not, so whether it is a security born of the possible tit for tat in giving away secrets, or he can simply do publicly what no sane heir would do outside of a locked room.

Because that's one thing, just because the big families, who run the Capitol see these relationships badly or may be prejudiced against them doesn't mean it will never happen. Surely there are heirs kissing where no one sees them, loving each other in the shadows, and others falling for the scandal of the press discovering them, because surely that is something that people would talk about.

If any of the wealthy people cross the boundaries, I think it would explode the television in contradictory opinions, or not at all, because they have paid to drown out the rumors, and in an office a father rebukes an heir, because their names matter and must be preserved. They as an elite have the right to continue their history for decades.

Something that someone poorer, less relevant, need not worry about.

And the secrecy? I don't think as I said that being gay is a crime perse in the Capitol, no one can send you to prison for fucking another girl being one yourself, but I think the prejudice exists, and a lot. Also the ridiculous rules, they may not say it is a crime to be homosexual but for sure in the army something like homosexual behavior exists in concept to be punished, with absurd justifications like a proof of a lack of character. Sign of low mental strength, which studies made by faceless scientists confirmed.

Relevant if you remember the capitol is highly militarized but in education I'm almost sure there is no class where these issues are discussed, it is something that can only be learned in the street, in life, so complex and unpredictable. It may look bad in public, maybe not two hands holding hands, but what about a gender expression that goes beyond what is expected? Pluribus had a very long wig, I remember.

Too aristocratic gesture or a particular expression of gender. And yes. I know what you may think: What are you talking about? The academy uniforms wear a skirt!

Have you noticed it is not a full skirt and actually reminds a part of the Roman army dress? But I grant you, maybe the gender in clothing had already started to blur since those years, a slow process, which finally culminates with the Captiolio we see in THG.

And that's where I end this post on something of a hopeful note, because remember ordinary people, those who work every day, may still face stupid laws. A possible aggressive medicalization, with therapists who say they have the key to correcting these deviant attitudes. People who still have to argue with their parents, who may still have to flee their homes, probably was worst after the war and the hate dominate the head of the people, and the population was low but they are also the ones who have their own spaces, maybe something like a bar of their own and in more than 60 years things have surely changed.

Although it is good to remember the Capitol is one thing and the districts another, just like the world were live people of lower social classes and the one were live the upper class are different, they not play the same rules, oh and not forget the race, nor ethnicity, these influence on this too (or maybe because the other person who is mentioned to us as homosexual in canon is Barb Azure Baird).

[indignantlemur]

Quick and possibly odd question in regards to the andorian justice system and laws. what would the penalty be for more serious crimes like murder or assault of any kind?

Thank you for responding.

Hello again, Skygirl!

As per usual, this applies to my headcanons and writing only.

So, the Andorian justice system is incredibly convoluted in many respects, but when it comes to serious crimes the outcomes become remarkably streamlined (by comparison).

Minor offenses usually result in minor penalties, like fines, censures, and so on. In general, Andorians prefer to nudge their citizens back onto a path of responsibility, self-control, and productivity through social means rather than take purely punitive actions. A large part of the punishment aspect for very minor crimes actually comes from society itself, with different offenses causing a loss of face and a loss of reputation to oneself, one's family, and even one's Clan that Andorians generally find to be a significant deterrent.

Sex work is not criminalized at all - though there are social censures for individuals who solely support themselves by taking payment for 'assisting' Andorian women through their fertile seasons (and often leaving behind offspring, unknowingly or not). It's considered a very grey area, because Andorian women are hyperaggressive when in season but not completely in their right minds at the same time, and individuals who prey upon that for material gain are considered extremely distasteful. It's not a crime, technically, but it's also not something most folks advertise doing either. Supporting an Andorian women or a bonded couple through a season as a close friend or potential future spouse is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, but the moment a transaction is involved it becomes another matter entirely.

Drug offenses are taken seriously, but they're not ranked as high priority as murder. Drug smugglers, traffickers, and manufacturers will face heavy fines and censure for a first offense, for example, but unless it's a repeat offense with no signs of the offenders being willing to change, penal colonies aren't an option. Drug possession is considered a lesser offense to trafficking and production, and usually the fines and censures are accompanied by a court mandated psychiatric review to determine the source of the problem.

Poaching or failing to control certain wildlife populations on one's land, minor environmental damages, and the like are considered minor on the first offence, and more serious with repeat offences.

Basically, you get one 'grace' sentence, where you're given a chance to correct your behaviours, and after that repeat offences are treated much more coldly.

For more serious offences, such as murder (and all its many variations, excluding deaths via ushaan which are deemed lawful), sexual assault, and the forcible bonding of an unwilling participant, and just about any serious crime involving children, there are rather more grave consequences ahead.

Once the justice system has gathered, collated, and rigorously examined the evidence in each case, a formal judgement is pronounced and the sentences are usually as follows: execution, exile, remand to a penal colony, or remand to a psychiatric facility.

Execution and exile are fairly straightforward:

Executions are reviewed and signed off on by the reigning Emperor, carried out by arbiters, and witnessed by an array of neutral parties and, should they wish it, the survivors/injured parties. The manner of execution varies, but lethal injection and firing squad are both common. In rare cases, the wronged party will be permitted to execute their assailant themselves, but this generally only occurs if the wronged party is a formally recognized duelist or Guardsman in good standing with sufficient accolades and competency. It is not unknown in these cases for the offender to slay their would-be executioner in these cases, hence the reluctance to permit this particular outcome. The offender dies regardless, of course, but the optics (and repercussions) are not ideal.

Exiles are formally escorted off planet and out of Andorian territory, and are warned never to return without an official summons. In theory, there's nothing stopping an exile from lying low for a few years and sneaking back into an outer colony, but the incidence rate of this is remarkably low. A popular theory as to why would have folks believe that the Am Tal tag exiles and monitor their movements - which is, of course, absurd. Everyone knows the Am Tal aren't real - and even if they were real, they'd hardly waste the resources.

Actually, the biggest thing about exile is that the status removes most of the usual protections that Andorian citizens otherwise have. An exile is barely considered a person, legally, and while there are occasionally bouts of romanticism about noble exiles who still uphold Andorian virtues in their isolation in Andorian media, the vast majority of actual exiles are not folks anyone would want to meet in a dark alley. Or at all, really.

Penal Colonies and psychiatric facilities are, by necessity, a little more complicated:

Penal colonies are not meant for minor offenses, and anyone who sentences a minor offender to a penal colony on purpose or by mistake will very quickly find themselves taking the offender's place.

The penal colonies are outright draconian. You will follow a rigid daily schedule. You will be re-educated. You will maintain an extremely high level of cleanliness and self-discipline. You will only socialize during set hours of the day. Deviation will not be tolerated. Isolation cells are used punitively, and privileges are few.

Again, only the very worst offenders are sent to penal colonies, and there are different 'grades' of penal colonies as well. The above is for the highest 'grade' - for the worst of the worst, the most dangerous and unrepentant offenders. Lower grade colonies are much kinder, and focus on re-education and proper socialization rather than rigid discipline and structure.

These colonies, from the lowest to the highest grade, are geared towards removing the offender from the original environment and working towards turning them into productive, law-abiding citizens through a combination of education (or re-education, as may be needed), court mandated therapies, and what is often described as "a strict restructuring of daily schedules and priorities." It is only in the case of the worst offender that this regimen rarely results in release back into society. High grade penal colony sentences are often for life, though not always.

Remarkably, Andorian penal colonies do not utilise the labour of the inhabitants. In fact, Andorians are really, really touchy about prisoner exploitation - it reminds them a little too much of what Andorian prisoners of war endured at the hands of Vulcans, Tellarites, and especially Orions in the past. Prisoners are not used for labour under any circumstances, and the very suggestion is offensive: that's viable employment that citizens in good standing could have to support themselves and their families.

As the end of one's sentence approaches, offenders are not just dumped back on the streets. They are reintroduced to society in stages, allowing for adjustment to more freedoms and options gradually. The goal is always to prevent relapses into criminal behaviours, and there is an entire post-penal system in place to support former prisoners as much as possible during this transition.

In short, Andorian prison is not a nice place to be, but by the Emperor it will turn you into a productive citizen. Or else.

[pastself]

17, 25 and 29 for the writer asks game!

29/ how easy is it for you to come up with titles?

Sometimes, super easy. Want for Nothing, Everything is Legal in Jersey and Bare just... arrived with their names! Other times, it is literally the last thing I decide. Called on the Devil & Groupie Love were so fucking hard to name.

25/ besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

I'm first and foremost a reader! In a previous online life, I managed to turn that hobby into a side hustle as a reviewer. (And subsequently learned that monetizing my hobbies was v v bad for me lol.)

17/ talk about your writing and editing process

*cracks knuckles* (mild spoilers for Want for Nothing below, as well as way more detail than asked for :)

This year, I finally diagnosed my writing style: I'm 95% a "methodological pantser". (Highly recommend this youtube series on writer types, icymi. Tell me what kind of plotter you are, ursa!)

In practice, this means I intermix writing and editing, and really struggle to know if something will work unless I actually write it. (For the record, after learning this about myself, I did *try* techniques for other writer types in order to test the diagnosis. It was ±okay but I clearly have a preference.)

When I start a story from scratch, I usually only have one situation/vibe in mind. I write outwards from that and see where it goes. Sometimes, this means I have to loop back and imagine background that got me to that moment. But other times, it is just a case of constantly building forwards. (And course correcting when I lead myself in the wrong direction.)

E.g. I started Want for Nothing writing the prologue and the first Peter/Steve and Pepper/Peter scenes -- and then worked backwards to get them to that moment. I repeated that back and forth a million times to establish the first 50%. Harry cheating, for instance, was only something I worked out once I wrote the Gwen intro -- and I only wrote that because I had just written a scene where Gwen called Tony a creep and where did she come from?

The struggle with writing this way is that I can get myself to a problem with no solution. For example, I knew the Ned/MJ/Tony games night would be the catalyst for breaking Peter out of his "hide from the world" stasis. But then what? I literally had to write out like 5 versions of that scene to find out.

Sometimes that "then what?" material can be reused in other contexts (as I recently did with a good 3k of scenes I just wrote for Bare), but it's often thrown away. Life would be much easier if I could "feel" what works via outline, but bon.

Where the "methodological" part of my pantsing comes in is in my endings and establishing plot beats. I write my outlines *after* I've written ±50% of a fic, to get an overview of where things stand, where things are missing, what needs to go. Once I realise "oh that scene is the midpoint", I can usually sketch out the ending without needing to write a million drafts of it. (That said, the last 25% is often when my brain stops having ideas :)

In terms of final edits: while I am a fast "write the bones" type, adding on the details takes me forever. I usually rework a section ~10 times, sometimes even tweaking plot points. My last step is to listen to the text read aloud ~2 times (using disability functionality) for final read through and to spot typos. 

thanks for indulging me with the asks! <33

[astralartefact]

FFXIV Dawntrail Review Part 1 - Where I tell you if I liked it and also Bingo(?)

This post contains spoilers for all of Dawntrail's Main Story up until the Ending!

Hmm.

I'm a little bit embarrassed to write this. I genuinely didn't expect this. Should I have? No. I was perfectly right to not see this coming.

I really loved Dawntrail. Like. You don't understand.

I don't really rank the FFXIV Expansions (except that Heavensward is last) but Dawntrail might be up there. It's 2:00 am and I will probably delete this when I reread it when I have slept over it, but I might genuinely call this my favorite X.0 so far. (read over it and at least for now i will stand by it) (keep in mind most enjoyed =/= best and "best art" doesn't exist)

I know it won't be popular in the community, I've already known that 30% through and by the many, many posts proudly announcing that they do not like Wuk Lamat it seems like that Dawntrail truly will be Stormblood 2.0 in the eyes of the public - but what can I say, I loved it. I had a fantastic time.

There is a bunch of criticisms I've read that I disagree with. I thought the WoLs place in the story was great. What do you people mean by 'We're not the main character anymore' it has literally always been like this except that usually we don't only have one dedicated Expansion Character that gets this much of a monopoly on screentime (see Ryne) - by which I mean, are you jealous? - but also that isn't 'bad', they're allowed to do that and I liked it. also how do you go through this expansion and arrive at "we weren't the main character" - bro, everybody told us at every corner how happy they are we're here bc without us none of this would remotely work. also they literally teased the key is an azem thing clearly this is build up for something

I liked the pacing, I enjoyed the slowburn build-up of Wuk going through the nuances of her people's individual problems before turning to the actual crisis. I know people are big mad that the MSQ gameplay is mainly just Fetch Quests and Cutscenes - which is something we'll get back to - but tbh I didn't even think it was that bad? I feel like we had expansions that were far worse about it....

I also loved Wuk Lamat! I liked that she grew relatively quickly and continouosly, aside from the Seasickness Joke they repeated too often, and I was surprised how much genuinely smart and thought through things she added to the conversation. One example I remember is her bringing up that she would rather learn and fix why people are committing crimes in the first place instead of just 'adding police' - without anybody prompting her to learn that. I don't know, I just really appreciated that.

I even liked Bakool Ja Ja, there I said it. I knew people would be really mad about Wuk just forgiving him and his dad especially after the kind of stuff they did - the internet has become really weird about forgiveness the past few years especially if it's "unearned" whatever that means - but like, you guys know this is a story, right, he didn't threaten to murder someone in real life. Immersion is good and all, but you know you're playing FF14, right, a game that's 50% a Saturday Morning Cartoon, 50% Game of Thrones for a Young Adult Audience. also it's kind of necessary for the theme of the whole narrative for him to do something we 'hate' him for more than the others - and i guess i would agree that they could have written the details around it better - but what's there is there for a reason. if you want to know more that's what Part 2 is going to be for.

Which brings me back to the Fetch Quests. Listen, I'm not really defending anything here, I do agree that the MSQ gameplay could probably be a little more engaging - There's just a thing I thought that keeps coming up in other contexts too:

At which point does this become a "Consumer Problem" instead of a "Developer Problem"?

We're five expansions in. If all expansions before have been structurally exactly like this, at which point is it your problem for expecting it to be different. What I mean is, if you played four parts of a Visual Novel and then you play part 5 and complain that the gameplay is getting stale, I hope we can agree that, like, that's a you problem. If you don't want to read then why are you playing a Visual Novel.

Again, I'm not really trying to 'defend' the core issue - even Serialized Mediums, for all the security their regularity brings them, should mix it up a little sometimes and expressing that want as an audience member is completely fine with me - but I feel like this is also at least a little bit a perspective issue. Like. I'm so sorry to tell you that this is just the game you're playing. This probably won't change and it's probably better to not expect it to for your own sake - and yes, I'm so sorry but to some degree navigating your experience of this game is your own responsibility. What I'm saying is Skip Dialogue if you're bored. Farm a Dungeon. Are you guys not doing Fates on your way to a quest marker? I keep seeing people say 'I didn't fight against a single monster as part of the msq' - Well, That wasn't a problem I had, I fought constantly! There are monsters right there for you to fight! Like. Make your own fun!

Anyways, time to look at my bingo card!

(My WoL = Happened, Krile = Depending on who you ask, Sphene = Jury is still out) Certainly better than my Endwalker one!!

One thing I noticed while playing Dawntrail is how bitter exactly Myths of the Realm has made me about this game and i'm so sad!! Like, how did I forget how completely this game is made specifically for me. I will just fail to not like it, because I get it and it gets me. at least until 8.0 when whoever wrote Myths of the Realm gets to write the expansion

Let's go through the noteable ones.

ill-advised azem lore drop - is in hot water, because they did seem to imply that the novelty wine glass of shard travel has to do with azem.

someone sundered knows more than us - krile's parents count and also Gagool Ja Ja's party too to some extent

the forgotten people went to tural - for two seconds!!! technically correct!!!

questionable armor design choices - some of the second dye slots. choices were made.

somebody "important" (but not too important) dies - i didn't expect them to write meaningful side character deaths, but they did so... i guess on a technicality i win?

the twelfth shard is involved // they talk about sundering meta physics

this room. they're so mean. they talk about the silly masks but not about the fact that apparently whatever shard this is either has three moons or two other planets in its solar system. you knew what you were doing q_q

y:da did it better - hahahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I AM A FOOL! MEGUMI ONOZUKA! I KNOW THIS WAS YOUR DOING AND YOU CANNOT HIDE ANY LONGER! YOU ARE NOW ON MY LIST OF NAMES TO SHOUT!!!! If my theory in Part 2 turns out incorrect then I'm so sorry about this, buT IF I'M NOT THEN---!!!!

Shaaloani did not win me over - it being the padding zone really didn't help.

Erenville did not Outfit Change - but given the ending he's probably going to at some point. And I hope he stays around :)

who needs eternal life anyways - They tried to be a little bit more understanding about it and make it a "it's just not worth what it costs" sort of thing, but they did still say at least once - verbatim! - that "Eternal Life is Bad, Full Stop, you people suck and are failing the human game by not dying"

Something Actually Unexpected Happens - I was surprised by the Final Zone. Maybe it's not Actually Unexpected because in a way it's just "Amaurot meets What Myths of the Realm should have been" - but if that doesn't count I still didn't expect the devs to fully ugly down that zone when you're done with it lol. Shutting down the first one and realizing they didn't just mean it would be left empty, it's dead and fully without music physically hurt and it made going through the other three hurt so much more. I loved it. Like. Wow.

I guess to that, I was indeed reminded of Myths of the Realm - but not in the way I intended this square to be so I didn't mark it. Like. I wrote this in another post but how were these two in development at the same time???? What??? They come to radically different conclusions on the exact same premise and the only difference is that one is about Religion and the other about Eternal Life????

Was the last zone the original draft for Myths of the Realm and then they were like 'no that's too good, let's do that in the MSQ instead' and then they panicked and produced godly waste?? God, I kind of hope, that would mean that whoever wrote it didn't wholeheartedly mean what they wrote.

I'm not willing to let Wuk Lamat Distaste be Asinine Community Reaction - sadly that was to be expected given how people still fervently hate Lyse. Similarly I haven't looked into what funny theme changing English Localization Moment they decided to add to the plot today. Btw German Localization, you are as always my heroes. Don't let the Haters tell you different, I will always love you!!! I wanted to screenshot your names in the credits for this but i HIT THE WRONG BUTTON SOMEHOW

Anyways, look forward to Part 2 where I will talk some more about why exactly I really like Dawntrail - which is mainly the Themes - about why I think Megumi Onozuka is to blame and about YORHA DARK APOCALYPSE, THAT'S RIGHT, I WILL NEVER BE FREE

[seth-burroughs]

Anyway... headcanon post: Yomi is cognitively impaired. Sources? the depths of my twisted mind ;3

Sometimes has quote unquote good days where his symptoms don't get as severe (or he/others don't think they do), sometimes he gets worse, it varies on the phase on the moon, the earth's axis and the horoscope. (according to Guillaume, it's all because he's a libra) (he attempts to squash her like a bug every time but she's just too fast man.....)

Slow reaction times (although it gets weird sometimes). Sometimes it's delayed by just a second or a few, sometimes for way more which causes problems ranging from mild annoyance to literally almost dying via honda tire. An example of this is when he might walk to a crosswalk, forgets that he actually needs to check if any cars are coming, walks onto traffic, oh look a car. He notices a car car coming, stops, knows he should move out of the way in that scenario, but it just doesn't occur to him to do that, and he just stands there staring almost completely frozen, deer-style, until finally either, A.) he realizes "oh shit I'm about to get ran over so that's what's happening maybe" and fucking bolts to the side at literal last minute, or B.) the driver stops for him and is about to leave the car and scream at him about it, before noticing that's the director and almost shitting themselves from raw fear then profusely apologizing. You know those crosswalks at Kanai Ward, that detect pedestrians and stop oncoming traffic for them? While they were mostly created for the citizens, an also big reason why they were able to exist is because the Yomi Squad funded it so well in order to stop him from killing himself one day. The bicycle paths are still a problem though and have claimed many of his bones to this day

Knows the city pretty well (allegedly), and is able to get around via yomi autopilot. He just walks with zero (or extremely irrelevant) thoughts in his head, not paying attention to almost anything, just getting guided by habit/reflex/walking on the same path so often he just memorizes when to turn or enter while not even having to look where he's going, you get me right? He'll probably be fine. As long as he doesn't snap out of it and regain consciousness. In that case he's reminded he exists, looks around, thinks "where the fuck am I", remembers what he's supposed to do after a moment, but then forgets how he even gets there in the first place and is effectively lost. So what he does is to recount every single detail, instruction and direction in which path he usually takes to get him to a point where he is currently (which might. take a While), and then he finally remembers where he is and can carry on as usual. Do NOT disturb him in this state or he will completely lose his train of thought and get incredibly pissed he has to do it all over and violently take it out on you or perhaps even everyone around too.

^How he deals with the above things is that he simply very, very rarely travels without somebody else, which either Martina or F-Zilch (not counting occassional Cop Entourage as that's a bit different). If they aren't available, he either picks some other (preferably quiet, the chatty types are always the most insufferable) employee of his, or just goes alone or refuses to leave his house at all that day.

Sometimes when someone is speaking to him he can feel that he's not gonna register any word of what they're gonna say and just loses focus. No, he won't ask them to repeat themselves, that's for pussies like Seth, if he didn't hear whatever it is they wanted to tell him then maybe it just isn't that important. Maybe.

Takes an awful long time to shower, as soon as his skin makes contact with water he ceases awareness of existing and he has to wait until he remembers he's alive until he keeps going. (though that isn't the sole reason as to why he cannot do it faster. but it's a part in it)

Tries to make an effort to keep track of important events via lists, reminder notes and planners, or frequently ends up asking his vice director Martina about certain things that happened beforehand (if they did at all) or are about to happen, since he's for sure not gonna remember that himself. Usually, at least. Sometimes he does have his memory down to every detail but only concerning certain things his shit brain cares about more, such as "during that exact time that evening Seth blinked at you rather disrespectfully" or "here's that masked freak's speech to you that morning, perfectly recalled, down to the last detail, for you to dissect and get mad about for the remainder of the week"

All of these annoy, stress out and infuriate him greatly

[slavhew]

Any advice for doing back grounds?? Shits mad confusing im tryna practice drawing like characters actually in them and im going insane

ouu i can't say im a good authority on this, because I never did much in lieu of backgrounds except painting some sunsets. I do have some theoretical knowledge but i struggle putting it into perspective, because depth is hard.

I feel like the hardest thing really is making the characters look like they belong in the environment, and that sounds like your problem too? I think ? So it's what I'm going to try and address here.

One that is in my opinion by far THE most important is to start a composition with the background in mind. It is always going to look somewhat wonky if you don't

(Rest under cut)

(exhibit A)

(this is the reason why I often don't do backgrounds, because a vast majority of my work starts as a doodle that i polish up later) (and also I used a game screenshot here, I didn't actually draw the walkway)

compare this to the drawing that was my inspiration, and the difference in flow and focus is astronomical

A good background can be either super simple, just a backdrop or something your characters actively participate in; in both these instances, it will be much easier to draw it if you start out with it in mind and being able to adjust early on is a massive lifesaver

Second, and most often repeated I think, is to think of the space as 3D, and use some geometry to help yourself out

the most useful part of this to keep in mind imo, when it comes to scaling characters, is that they will also follow roughly that line of perspective that in reality "runs parallel" to the rest of them, but in perspective looks as if it gets smaller

There's probably plenty of tutorials on getting a feel for this out there, but looking at other people's art (and the classics) and sketching over them can help

this is only linear perspective examples, but there's lots of them out there! point is, the character, and many lines of the environment are going to "flow" into a point. It's usually demonstrated with tiles and suchalike, but as you can see it has many applications, depending on how exaggarated you want to make the perspective.

You should also be mindful of the perspective of your character versus the environment. A few things to keep in mind are their lines, and their color/shading.

Colors are relatively simple; keep the source of light in mind so the shading feels in line for both the character and environment (perspective lines help with that too).

(this is definitely not to scale but just, to illustrate my point)

And keep in mind that with especially pieces that have great depth, like landscapes, the color of the environment changes the further you look. The lines blur, the details are lost, and it fades into more solid colors. A character and their palette will be affected by this environmental lighting

With keeping the characters consistent with backgrounds, lines-wise, it really helps to block them in first, because you can easier keep track of how they look in relation to backgrounds, and fix accordingly early on.

it's good (and painful, honestly) to keep in mind how bodies are 3D objects too. I had this great reference for this point, that I forgot where i saved, so we have to do with my amateurish recreation:

These lines are going to get distorted and effected by the perspective too. To avoid the characters looking flat against the backgrounds, try to keep them "on the same level" of exaggaration, so to speak..

And lastly. USE REFERENCES!! there is NOTHING more needlessly painful than drawing something as complex as environments out of your head.

All these things contribute to the complex thing that is. backgrounds. Now, please dont take my word as gospel, considering that even keeping all of this in mind, this is about the best i can do offhand to demonstrate my knowledge lol

I wouldn't be surprised if all the things I said here aren't anything new to you, in which case i genuinely apologize, because I'm also a huge beginner with this 😭 but i wish you a lot of luck on your journey practicing this!! It's a lot of work to be sure.

As sort of a PS, a few pieces with cool bgs showcasing some of my points *a lot* more competently, that I have saved in my bookmarks on twitter:

[x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]

[androdetective]

Tulio is autistic as shit (to me) here's why

Kinda a long thing I have many thoughts. I understand he's an exaggerated character and all that and I don't think he was actually intended to be autistic. I am just very autistic especially for this moron

-Okay so he seems to have a hard time realizing people's feelings and if he's hurt them. He will say what's on his mind to people even if it would seem mean to the average person. This gets him into trouble sometimes and usually rightfully so. He's not bad for not having the greatest social awareness, he's just an asshole bc he's tulio. Whenever he realizes that he has hurt someone he cares about, he ends up genuinely caring and wanting to make it up to them. Implying he didn't want to really hurt them, he just has a hard time figuring out the impact his actions have on others. This is a common experience some autistic people have. Autism is a big spectrum and one of the symptoms is low empathy. (Whether it be emotional, cognital, or other forms of empathy) Low empathy does not make an autistic person bad, nor does it mean they'll steal candy from babies or some shit, it just means they have social difficulties with people and they can be a super nice or normal person or however else. However, this is tulio, he's an asshole bc he chooses to be. Also note that there are times where he is mean on purpose. This is also tulio just being tulio.

-Adding on to the last point of social difficulties, he is very impulsive and says the first thing he's thinking to people. Even if it comes off as super mean and blunt. Which gets him into trouble. Being very blunt is another symptom and can add to social dysfunction.

-Tulio can be oblivious with people making fun of him, especially with sarcasm. This happens often when Bodoque is with him and he starts being sarcastic. Tulio doesn't always catch on to Bodoque's tone and can think that Juan Carlos is genuine with his words. This also happens with other people and can lead to embarrassing moments for him. Not only does he have trouble with tone but misunderstanding phrases. He also has trouble understanding people's intentions, whether they're good or bad. Which can lead him to thinking someone innocent is deceiving him. Or even thinking someone clearly shady is trustworthy. Which has led to trouble for him.

-Another thing is that he has very exaggerated movements, tone, and emotions. Just like having a monotone voice and being unemotetive, the opposite is true. He has big reactions to things that arent that big and exaggerates his words a lot. Tulio chooses to speak with formal language too. He speaks with his hands and even body.

-Stims a lot. Sometimes he will mimick and repeat others. If he sees something bouncing or moving around, his eyes will follow and his head will sway to the movement. Quick example off the top of my head was when Mario Hugo was swaying on that noose (very specific example I know) he swayed along to it. He also taps his fingers on surfaces and adjusts his tie. (Ik that's more likely attributed to his vanity, but it's a common stim so)

-He has a very limited interest in very niche things. He really likes ties. To a point it seems excessive to others. He tends to get bored with things that don't interest him and has trouble paying attention to them. Which can cause him to ignore others. And even forget someone or what was going on in the situation. With his interests, he really likes to talk about them whenever he can. Similar to info-dumping. Even to people that don't care to hear about his interests. He possibly might not notice they don't care.

-He does not like unconsented minor changes. Check the entire show.

That's all I can think of. Maybe I'll add to this later who knows

Tulio Triviño is just like me fr 👆

[loderlied]

gortash 1, 6, 7

zeke 3, 4, 5

<3

(hi! i realised i had this finished but it was rotting in my drafts so i’m gonna queue this for my short absence lol.) i mean. gortash isn’t an oc but sure why not lol. you can always send me asks about him actually <3

1. What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

just sitting still? not a problem. his problem comes with finding something like this to be an utterly wasteful way to spend your time. i think even when he gets done with work for the day earlier than planned (which doesn’t happen often because his plans are so meticulous. usually some incident like someone he was meeting with unexpectedly not being able to attend was the cause here which he. doesn’t like because interruptions in schedule bad lol) he usually finds some other way to be productive. (like spending time in his workshop or drawing for example.)

but uh. how long would he be able to sit still? if a plan of his for some reason required him to sit still and do nothing for a fucking week, he’d gnash his teeth about it but he’d be able to do that and much more—everything that’s necessary will be done. otherwise? you absolutely will not catch him just lounging around lmao.

6. Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

definitely immovable 100%. there’s just a teeny tiny problem with this—this applies to his system only, his way of viewing the world, his values and laws for himself and the laws and values he inherently imposes on others. he considers himself a man who does whatever is necessary, and more importantly the only one who is capable of actually deciding on and carrying out order. judge, jury and executioner, y’know. his word is law and his word is what he will stick to until the very end and everyone else better follow suit if they don’t want to be mentally branded as a mistake by him lol. i think he sees it as there being a universal way the world should work, which is the system of the machine with him as the core, it’s just everyone else that doesn’t see this ‘truth’ at the moment & needs fixing.

7. What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

to me, gortash is a man of the future. yes, he does so enjoy taking his trophies from past conquests and yes, he does not forget the past, dissecting and learning is a process that includes his past as well as others’ he so loves to dissect and use in his schemes, but i simply don’t see him as someone who would ever wallow in feelings like nostalgia. it’s not even that he doesn’t want to, he just doesn’t experience it in the first place.

to sort of illustrate what i mean: i think he definitely remembers his coronation to become archduke as a grand stepping stone in his plan and all, but that’s what being a man of the future and baldur’s gate’s saviour means, it’s exactly that—a stepping stone for more. he won’t simply rest on the steps now when he has so many more to climb. and when you’re at the top of the stairs, there is no need to look back either.

3. How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

not at all uhhhhhh. only joking. well. only half-joking? zeke, due to his paranoia about everything surrounding gortash, the nightmares that result from that & just his nature as someone who never fucking stops being on his feet, has insane troubles sleeping. with his severe malnutrition and lack of sleep just result in the biggest eye bags known to man. more like eye trenches or whatever.

anyways, the solution is just uhm. going so hard until he eventually passes out and then repeat that process. 😬. later on when he does finally trust his companions enough to eat a bit around them, shadowheart laces his food with a sleeping potion because she hasn’t seen him rest for more than half an hour consecutively and he understandably gets triggered (gortash never put mind-altering drugs into zeke’s food, stuff made him sick for example was what was commonly used instead, because he needs him to be aware of his own suffering to enjoy it, but. still.) because of it. so. not ideal.

4. How easy is it to earn their trust? & 5. How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

i’m just gonna combine these into one bigger answer hope that’s okay 👍 so, every single thing starts out with lots of mistrust from zeke lmao. and yes, i don’t just mean every person, i mean everything, even objects he has never seen before or shit like that. but there’s still multiple levels of mistrust, there’s again the basic mistrust everyone gets, and then there’s mistrust as in ‘you’ve given me a sign (and this truly might be fucking nothing. it most often is nothing. this boy is insane) that you’re working for gortash and i am now immediately killing you’ 😬 and then there’s of course the ‘AAAAHHHHHH WHAT ARE YOU’ level exclusively reserved for mr gortash himself.

to gain his trust, you have to approach it a little bit like you would with a feral kitten except a lot more careful because this thing can actually kill you before you even know that he went for the killing blow if you do something wrong. you have to essentially let him sniff you out, sometimes metaphorically and sometimes literally, assure him that you’re not a threat to him. no sudden movements, loud noises or other similar actions and you’ll be good. he’ll still be on high alert, but is out of ‘kill once it gets within 10 metres’ mode lmao. and that’s basically it. building trust with him is an extremely slow, hard & painful (most often for the party that isn’t zeke) process and honestly? it’s not worth it considering YOU can never fully trust him not to suddenly feel his entire being scream to hunt & kill you. i’ve made this comparison before but it’s essentially like one of those people on taking an animal like a lynx or a chimpanzee into their home. they’ll probably get used to you and maybe even trust you, but they’re still wild animals at the end of the day. wild animals who can and will, if you’re not careful, severely hurt or even kill you if. zeke is the wild and the wild is zeke and all haha.

the methods to earn his trust and mistrust are both not very complex, but while earning his trust is a slow, never sure and stable thing, earning his mistrust is quick and very, very easy in comparison. once again, just one sign that you’re a threat, one wrong movement at the wrong time and you’re out. and this behaviour is just his base instincts as the apex predator and all. like how i described earlier, zeke also has SO many gortash related triggers on top of all that already. for example, telling him that his eyes are beautiful! they just are objectively extraordinary, so you most likely just want to genuinely compliment him! it’s rough. zeke is awful. end essay.

[van-skmugen]

Before SK8 Instagram Live event starts, I left below cut line this analysis I made of image that they showed for the event, just be aware that it is quite long. Feel free to read and add your own thoughts. I would love to know more points of view. ↓

Disclaimer: English isn't my first language so if something sounds rouge that's why, I'm still learning to improve it.

Ok, now that I've found time I'm going to write a little of what I've seen in SK∞ WEEK EVENT image and what I perceive in it. I come from a fandom where you need to speculate a lot all allegories that author puts in every thing he does so here I'm not going to be less and I'm going to be a little deep analyzing, although then that in reality it may not be so deep, who knows. I warn you that this is going to be long, as is usual for me, since I start with a tiny thought and end up writing a manuscript. Be warned. I will start with something that I find interesting and that during the whole image is repeated and it's concept of first season about Reki and Langa being the beginning (Reki's monologue in episode 1/epilogue) and the end (same monologue of Reki, said by Langa at the end of series).

The beginning: Reki is on left side of image both sitting frontally, as well as his characteristic drawing on mural ( drawing of his skateboard) and with cat showing his face on top of his skateboard. The end: Langa is on right side of the image, also drawn on the mural in the rightmost part (the yeti) and the cat showing his tail on top of his skateboard.

Reki was the one who started teaching Langa skateboarding and the importance of being more fun when you do it among friends (beginning), Langa taught ADAM what he learned from Reki (end), in the first season. It's worth mentioning that the concept of beginning (Reki) and end (Langa) is not finite, that in western and eastern reading image is read differently (west from left to right and top to bottom, east from right to left) so depending on how you read the image, Langa can be perceived as the beginning or the end (just like Reki) [Something out of context: even within the same show Reki and Langa would read the image differently, as Reki has been raised in the East while Langa has been raised in the West and even their religions are different].. Also the human being always ends something and starts something new (it's a cycle that never ends, unless you die) and it's also something interchangeable between people, objects, etc… (Reki and Langa being the beginning and the end even vary within their own arcs, Example: Reki learning from Langa to reevaluate why he started skateboarding in the beginning, is in itself a new cycle that Langa started and Reki finished when he returned to skateboard in chapter 10 after leaving it for believing that if he wasn't good it wasn't worth to continue practicing it since not being at Langa's level he would always be left behind).

Going into the mural, the background of the wall is purple (like the color that represents Shadow). Purple symbolizes jealousy and insecurity. It's also often associated with femininity, glamour and sweetness. Emotional qualities associated with purple include solemnity, grace, mystery, insecurity and tenderness. Purple was recognized as a noble color in both the West and Japan in ancient times. With that in mind to summarize and not make it much longer than it's being we could go back to the first season with the first two symbols (insecurity and jealousy), how Reki felt insecurity for his skateboarding, for his friendship with Langa endangered by seeing how he was improving and moving away from him (regardless of Langa's feelings) and the jealousy he felt towards Langa, for seeing how he improved in a very short time when he needed twice or three times as much skill to do something, without taking into account that Langa had been snowboarding since he was very young and that Reki's ability to teach Langa how to learn skateboarding, adapting the skateboard to his needs helped him to adapt and learn the basics in a short period of time. (And good bases are always important)

The first leftmost drawing is undoubtedly Reki Kyan/REKI, with the drawing inverted, although I guess it was a design decision to integrate it more with the mural, unless you want to symbolize something deeper in verse to Reki. Although we must also take into account that at the top is written the word happiness in white with red background. Going more to speculation we could think that in the future it could be possible that his friend who left the skateboard aside some time ago could come back, the inverted drawing with the word happiness on top could be associated to an opposite change in his usual dynamics.

The S of SK∞ clearly represents Hiromi Higa/Shadow, although it doesn't show the color that officially represents him (purple). On the outside highlighting the S is the color of his hair, orange, and inside it has a dark turquoise green color (like the color that represents Kojiro/JOE in the third I of Infinity on the winged skateboard we'll talk about later), with drawings of what look like white daisy flowers, which in the language of flowers symbolize innocence.*

The K of SK∞ undoubtedly represents Kaoru Sakurayashiki/Cherry blossom, around and inside the pink/purple color representing Carla and inside in black, with the motifs depicted on the Cherry skateboard and cherry blossom (Sakura) petals.

The ∞ of SK∞ undoubtedly represents Ainosuke Shindo/ADAM, on the outside a dark blue (or purple? considering it's the color that is on the second I of Infinity on the skateboard and represents Hiromi/Shadow) the inside black with its heart symbol in red. Ainosuke on the outside, ADAM on the inside. It's interesting that it's the infinity, as it is the symbol that is repeated three times in the whole image, the infinity of SK∞ representing him, the infinity between Reki and Langa (red and blue) and in the text of the skateboard with wings (Infinity) that all together represent him, showing again that he's part of the central axis of story, as all the characters wouldnt have been able to meet and come together having a connection the same way they did in S, without him, who also created it.

Then we have the white snake coming out of skateboard with wings and that is over the S and the K and that seems to be heading towards the word "beef" with white letters surrounded by green color. Obviously representing Tadashi/Snake, could we have more beefs from him in season 2 (maybe with Cherry and Shadow?), or will he just remain oblivious like at the end of season 1? Going by the image, it looks like that won't be the case, but who knows.

At the top is shown an infinity that probably represents Reki and Langa, who are also on each side of the color (Reki's foot is on the red/left side of the infinity and Langa's foot is on the blue/right side of the infinity). Although the red part eats part of the blue part, and they aren't completely balanced, which I find curious.

Then we have over the ∞, a cat that of course represents Miya Chinen/MIYA, being purple and green, Miya's favorite character in role-playing videogame he usually plays in the first season. And who also seems playful, either playing with "Langa's shoe" or trying to interact with the infinity on the mural (which is surely the most likely). It also seems that he's no longer afraid of ADAM as he poses on the infinity without any problem. On the back is written the word "fun" in white surrounded by yellow.

Coming out a little from the ∞ is shown a half sun that clearly represents Kojiro Nanjo/Joe, yellow in color but with little stripes that make you think of a tiger, and the first kanji of his name translates as tiger (虎, tora). It's covered by the infinity representing ADAM and above it has on one side the word "fun" and on the other the word "S" with white letters surrounded by blue.

Biting the infinity, we have a white yeti that undoubtedly represents Langa Hasegawa/Snow, with the colors white, blue, black and purple feet. Surely Langa biting ADAM could be an allegory that he's over him. Although it's funny/curious that right next to it is written the word fan with white letters surrounded by pink.

Finally we have a black skateboard with wings that represents the slogan of the series, that skateboarding is infinite, since the wings symbolize freedom, and to support that they have written the word "infinity" representing the eight main characters, and the wheels with purple and blue colors. I= Reki Yellow N= Langa's blue F= Light green of MIYA I= Shadow/Hiromi's purple (although it also resembles a dark blue, as it is identical to the color surrounding the infinity representing ADAM) N= Pink of Cherry/Kaoru I= Green/ of JOE/Kojiro (which also has a similar shade to the dark turquoise green found in the S representing Shadow) T= Red of ADAM Y= White of Snake/Tadashi, it's curious that this time they haven't used gray, which is the color that symbolizes Tadashi in much of the merchandise and official content (although maybe only in the first season, who knows, it's also true that everyone has an assigned color but that doesn't mean that these colors are immovable and can be interchangeable between some characters or that they cann't change over the years or that they're false symbols AKA the red that symbolizes ADAM but when it's Ainosuke symbolizes more the color blue).

And finally the words: Happy in red (ADAM), beef in green (Joe), fun in yellow (Reki), S in blue (Langa) and fan in pink (Cherry). Being happy and fan in lower case, all the others in upper case.

I'll leave it here for the moment, I love the color symbolisms, but this time I've run out of time. Like last time if anyone has anything to add, wants to add anything or whatever, they're welcome as always. I may edit it or reblog it with added notes if today there is new news regarding the second season or the OVA (although I see it as more likely to hear about the OVA before the second season) and see if they have any connection to this image. See you at Reki's Birthday!

*Sources: https://greensnap.co.jp/columns/daisy_language