#like a character with such a distinct sense of self & confidence but also the want to share that with the world in how theypresent themself

[imbecominggayer]

Giving Your Characters A Unique, Distinct Voice (With Examples)

What does "unique voice" mean? Basically, every single person has their own manner of speaking. This difference can be from politeness, the volume or "loudness", confidence, emotional quality, maturity, accents, cultural slang, and other variables that can be shown in a character's voice.

This can also be shown through "prioritization". Prioritization is what a character or narrator decides is worth focusing on for any given scene.

For example, Tree of Heaven is a cynical cinematographer whose inner life is primarily eclipsed by beautiful landscapes and settings. However, Jukka is a highly dedicated actor who neglects the trees for the people, whether they be strangers or loved ones. While Jukka and Tree of Heaven could be walking through the same park, they would be focused on entirely different things. Heaven would be focused on the way the sunlight scatters through the autumn-coated, gold-platted leaves while Jukka is people-watching!

Sometimes, I use other stories and their tones as inspiration for my characters!

For Haun, their inspiration for tone came from "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream". Specfically, AM's monologues like the "and I began to hate" or the bee monologue describing AM's thoughts on bees radio play! The reasoning behind this was the fact that Haun Anatemori, my character, is someone with deep-seated resentment. Rage and hatred born out of a feeling of injustice, self-loathing, and a feeling of deep-seated betrayal. However, Haun confines their emotions to logical actions and long-term planning meaning there is no outward way to express these emotions. Leading to his entire inner voice being coated in hatred.

Education and social standing often has the most outward influence on a character's external voice. That's the unique thing about protagonists and narrators. Because narrators don't have to worry about social standing and protagonists can have visible inner life, protagonists often have "two" voices. Their "outside" voice, aka the voice they use to speak to others, and their inner voices they use for their own feelings.

Haun's inner voice is resentful with metaphors and analogies of disgusting things such as bodily fluid used to provide an artful crassness to his voice that shows Haun's education and anger but his outer voice is far more innocent and self-contained with less verbosity as Haun is attempting to portray an innocent, less literate farmer type in order to trick others as he rises the social ladder.

Another highly influencial factor is maturity! If a character is emotionally mature, then they often have a more composed tone of voice with simple, yet profound metaphors that often express clear motivation and clear emotion. They often have accurate ideas about others and themselves. This is different from how emotional a character is! A mature character can be emotional but they have a clearer understanding of their emotions. Not the mood swing type!

Nonkosi Tyali is the most compassionate yet mature character I have with their inner voice and outward voice both having a sense of "refinement". Nonkosi understands what they want, why they want it, and how to get it. Despite their cheerful tone, it's obvious they aren't naive or out of control. Nonkosi also has remarkable observational skills as they are deeply intune to the thoughts and emotions of others which allows them to have accurate and insightful observations about other characters.

Verne Lawless, in contrast, is highly immature with a tendency for rapid mood swings, ranting, and catastrophizing. They rarely compose their emotions with them having to spend far more time detailing and failing to "accurate" translate their emotions for the audience. They rarely focus on the emotional lives of others. While Verne can use flowering, verbose words and nostalgia, this fails to counteract the obvious desperation and run-around Verne has in their thoughts.

Finally, just think about what their emotions are. This doesn't have to be something as simple as "happy" or "sad".

Verne is a nostalgic person who constantly references old classics like Jules Verne with long, verbose poetry. This is influenced by Verne's obvious intellect and his emotional center of love. However, whenever they are emotionally in a tailspin, they often resort to manic, modern slang with firey self-hatred and self-deprecation. This is due to the fact that Verne adores love but he believes that he will never find love. This desperation often leads him to be more psychologically "fragile" with his ability to contain his emotions constantly threatened.

Emotions: Mania, nostalgia, desperation, and love

Nonkosi is an optimistic person which can sometimes veer into surpressing negative emotions and experiences. They maintain the belief that they can be eternally strong and compassionate as they act more like a force of nature then the human they actually are.

Emotions: Awkward optimism, gentle melancholic, and confidence

Jukka is mostly possessed with a quiet melancholy for most of life with pretentious verbosity surrounding the nature of society in a similar vein of "No Longer Human" by Osamu Dazai. However, whenever Jukka is bound up in the passion of acting, Jukka can often dance with mania, emotional highs, and life coated in fandom and acting. Jukka's language is primarily references to media such as Main Character Syndrome, tropes, rivalry, found family, and some not really 4th Wall Breaks because Jukka believes he lives in a series but he doesn't know he is actually a written character.

Emotions: melancholy, sentimentality, and minor resentment.

[ludolka]

More H&HAU thoughts !! Now regarding Grian/Xelqua and identity issues

H&HAU Grian is an interesting character when it comes to identity. He has three personas that he switches between

The first and “true” one is just Grian, the one he most sees as his authentic self, the one he identifies with the most. This is the one he only shows around people he feels the most comfortable with. He’s affectionate, very jokey, unhinged, blunt and honest to a fault. He’s also confident and kind of arrogant, but he doesn’t overestimate or oversell himself or his abilities. He’s very expressive and gets passionate very quickly. He also demands respect from anyone who expects to be respected by him and he doesn’t take anyone’s shit. He can easily stand up for himself or others

The second one is PR Grian. This is how the public sees him, he acts this way in all of the Bad Boys interviews and on camera. This version of him is very reserved, private and while he seems friendly enough, he’s also very unreadable and appears bored or uncaring most of the time. He also seems arrogant and confident, but kind of in an untouchable and admirable way

The third one is Xelqua, the one Grian swears is the least like how he views himself. Xelqua is the identity his cult gave him when he was a part of that as a teenager, so it makes sense that he’d dissociate this part of him from himself. Xelqua is unserious to a fault, he’s very eclectic and overall very all over the place. He’s arrogant and overconfident that is bordering on a god complex. He’s untouchable and unattainable, keeping everyone at an arm’s length, but at the same time keeping everyone hooked. He’s rather confrontational, he acts like he’s either above or on the same level as everyone, no matter their status

But the thing is that these three personalities aren’t as distinct as Grian would like to believe, there are a lot of similarities, especially between the “true and original” Grian and Xelqua. This is rather clear for everyone who knows him enough to have seen or known both sides of him for a longer time period. Xelqua is like an exaggerated version of his “true self”, the one where he feels safe enough to act however he wants without any real consequences because only a handful of trusted people know his civil identity and he’s clever enough not to get in too much trouble with the police to get him arrested. The one he feels most in power and control in, the one he feels he truly is safe from harm. The one where he can pretend he is someone completely different, without all the troubles and traumas of his actual life

So, piggybacking on that last sentence, Grian is very careful on keeping these personas (especially his civil vs vigilante identities) separate. They don’t mesh, they are in different worlds, they are different people. Because if they bleed into each other, he will break. All of these personas are their own respective safe spaces and escapisms from the others, keeping them so far from each other is self defense for him

Mumbo, Jimmy, Joel and Lizzie know that he’s Xelqua and no one else from his civil life does. Doc, from the hero/villain side also knows that he’s Grian as they have been working together pretty much ever since Grian started doing vigilante stuff. And Doc is clever enough to know how much of a taboo this is for him, that Grian is more than willing to go scorched earth and burn every bridge built between them if he is even threatened with his civil identity being revealed or leaked. This is also the biggest and pretty much only rule Xelqua has for working with Doc, respect his private life and don’t get any people he cares about involved. So Doc has the Bad Boys (+ their manager) and Mumbo on their protective/do not go after list that everyone in his guild is required to respect unless they want to be kicked out and handed to the police or killed

Xelqua is dangerous and deadly when he wants to be, but for the most part he doesn’t care enough or take this whole vigilante thing seriously enough to want to. But as soon as his “real” life is involved, he switches and no one is able to stop him from tearing everything and anything apart

[onedeadkitty]

Mizus Gender

He/him they/them she/her pronouns for Mizu

I know the writers of the show wrote blue eye samurai with Mizu as a woman disguised as a man in a way similar ish to Mulan but uh

They accidentally made it deeper than that ??

If you removed like 2 lines of dialogue in episode 5 you could even make an argument for trans masc Mizu. Or at the least gender queer.

Being transgender is not a concept in this time period. But trust. People have always wanted to be other genders, probably for the entirety of human history. And how someone would go about being trans in a world with no true understanding of the concept, might be similar to what Mizu IS DOING RIGHT NOW.

Living as a man. PERMANENTLY. Not temporarily to achieve some near goal like Mulan and the many other stories with this concept. Mizu has lived as a man nearly their entire life and no intention to ever live as a woman in the future.

Mizu admires their freshly binded chest in the mirror as a teen.

When alone Mizu refers to himself as a man.

When alone with Ringo, (someone who knows the secret) Ringo also refers to Mizu as a man.

Mizu threatens to straight kill Ringo at the the very use of the word “girl”.

When, and ONLY when seeing 2 MEN kiss does he think of Taigen.

Not to mention madame Kajis indelicate insinuation of gay sex to Mizu, something I believe wasn’t for no reason. OR Madams iconic line “you are more man than ANY come through my door” (I’m convinced she has an idea of Mizus true sex but doesn’t care to accuse or call them out for it)

They HAD lived as a woman in the past. Only for about a year, and they did it to get married for her mothers sake. To save her from a life of prostitution. She was able to be happy, because it IS POSSIBLE to be happy while not presenting how you like. It’s a strain and some can never be happy doing so but it’s possible and people do it all the time to make their lives easier or to keep the peace with family or for many other reasons.

Episode 5 gave HUGE VIBES of going back into the closet when living with your parents or just visiting. And Mizu looked SO uncomfortable and awkward in woman’s clothing and doing “wife things” (partly cause they have never done that before) and maybe it was my own projecting but I felt so uncomfortable FOR Mizu.

These things don’t necessarily mean being a transgender man specifically. Gender is actually really complicated and has ALOT to do with what society deems it.

Mizu is a masculine person. Being what Japan wants women to be isn’t in line with what Mizu is. A violent, practical, stoic, cold, masculine, confident and capable warrior.

dressing up as a woman with the makeup ONLY to try and make her husband happy. She didn’t WANT to. “To soften her husbands heart, the bride… danced” performed femininity FOR HIM. Only for Mikio to betray her for, in his eyes, being more masculine than him, by beating him in a physical fight.

Mizu is both the ronin and the bride. Mizu will be whatever they need to in order to achieve their owed deaths. They HAVE to be a man to get their revenge but that doesn’t mean Mizu WANTS to be a woman. (To be fair who WOULD in that time but I digress) and it doesn’t mean they WANT to be a man. They WANT their revenge. Everything is secondary to that.

Mizu is so different from other characters…

I grew up in a kinda misogynistic place and my mom really didn’t let me “do boy stuff” or dress masculine in any sense until my late teens. I my self don’t know if I can even call myself Trans. But I’m masculine, I like looking like a man and dressing as one but I don’t WANT to be a man necessarily. But I don’t WANT to be a woman. I feel like we as a society put to much distinction between the two and the people who don’t fit either side get left out at times.

Mizu is such a relatable character to me, like no other characters complicated feelings about their own sex and gender have ever come close.

They are for those who don’t have a strong sense of their own gender. Especially those who are biologically female and hesitant to lean into their sex because of the societal baggage.

Once people realize that how you dress, how you act, and what you do in reality have nothing to do with your bio sex and everything with what society has forced people to do based on factors out of our control is the day we can finally stop having these conversations.

Do what you want, gender is fake.

But Mizu is forever 🫶

[optimisticartistic]

Let's talk about Voices

I'm sure someone's already made a perfect post about Harlan's voice acting ability and the fact that all of his characters are so unique and distinct, that even characters with similar voices can be told apart. It is in fact a plot point that when we do meet a new character with a similar voice to a previous one, that it is a point of in-universe suspicion for Arthur.

This means that, rather than voice, we tell characters apart by cadence: not just what they say but how they say it. What weight their personality brings to their voice.

With that in mind, let's talk about our golden boys: John, the King, and Yellow.

John

A relatively flat affect: his pitch doesn't tend to have many particularly noteworthy or abrupt highs or lows, unlike Arthur. A good, even narrator.

Emotions come in bursts of extremes; John runs hot and cold, and his emotions tend to remain fairly obvious due to his word choice. While he can harbour grudges, for the sake of progress he will usually let them go.

Word choices tend to be blunt or straight-forward, reflecting the urgency with which he often has to say them. This also leans directly into his very dry sense of humour.

When more “poetic” words do come into play, they're treated with something like reverence, beautiful things he doesn't want to shatter.

SWEARS. This bitch swears like it’s fucking punctuation, Jesus Christ. What the fuck Arthur.

The King

Grandiosity. He knows he's hot shit, he is confident in the fact he is hot shit, and has no self doubt whatsoever about his powers or capacity to ruin your life. All of his words come with an edge of condescension, even during intense emotions.

Eloquence. He talks like he's reciting poetry or Shakespeare, and while his cadence remains relatively even, he's a lot more prone to distinct shifts in pitch to make himself sound more lyrical or important.

Put your tentacles in the air and step away from the thesaurus, sir.

Resentful. The King actively looks down on anything lesser than him, and acts like everyone is. Plus, like- Arthur stole his shit*. This god has a grudge the size of Azathoth and will make it your problem, and this underlines all of his dialogue with Arthur.

*Arthur did not steal his shit, the King is just a petty bitch and a sore loser

Yellow

Explosive emotions, that he struggles to engage with. When he is upset or angry those emotions linger, and this makes him come across as capricious and immature.

A constant sense of self-doubt in trying to describe things, that comes up as hesitancy and defensiveness.

Grandiosity but like. In the way where he knows he is not, in fact, hot shit, and is desperate to try and prove it to control his situation.

A genuine sense of curiosity. While he and John both share this, John is much less reserved with it, while Yellow has learned to hesitate first.

Also swears! Not as much as John, but Arthur is teaching so many toddler gods to swear it's so fucking funny.

So, with John and the King in mind specifically, here's a pop quiz courtesy of episode 18:

Who does this sound more like?

[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with Interview Magazine (2024)

Before he was known as the dashing Lord Anthony Bridgerton or Tim Laughlin, the character in Fellow Travelers for which he won a Critics Choice Award earlier this month, Jonathan Bailey caught the attention of Phoebe Waller-Bridge with his confident, self-possessed audition for her show Crashing nearly a decade ago. “You came in like a fireball,” said the Fleabag star on Zoom with Bailey, recounting how, while reading for the role of the sex-obsessed Sam, Bailey asked permission to lay his script out on the floor in front of him like a rainbow. “You had no embarrassment. You didn’t actually refer to it again, but you took those few seconds to just completely set up what you exactly needed for that audition, and then you were so free.” In the years since, with roles in Bridgerton, the Showtime drama Fellow Travelers, and the upcoming Wicked movie adaptation, Bailey has become one of the most sought-after actors in the business, capable of generating sparks with whoever’s on screen with him. Waller-Bridge attributes this to the 35-year-old’s distinct understanding of tension. “You’re like a chemistry machine,” she gushed. “There’s this incredible erotic energy that people are so excited about.” Last week, from a hotel room at Claridge’s in London, Bailey talked to Waller-Bridge about longing, orgasms, frosted tips, nostalgia, Shakespeare, and his very first role: playing a raindrop in a stage production of Noah’s Ark.

PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE: Hi.

JONATHAN BAILEY: Hi.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I’m taking my glasses off. Now I can be real.

BAILEY: I’ve just had a gin and tonic, actually. I had a meeting and he really wanted a glass of Whispering Angel, so I was like, “Well, I’ve got to dive in.”

WALLER-BRIDGE: What’s the time there?

BAILEY: Oh, I’m literally around the corner from you. Literally, I’ve come into Claridge’s Hotel and checked in for an hour just to have a Zoom.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Oh, god. That’s so chic. Jonny, I want all of your secrets.

BAILEY: I feel like you’ve got quite a few of them already.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I do, actually. And we’re not going to talk about any of those. But I did also get to do a little bit of research on you.

BAILEY: Oh, god. What have you got?

WALLER-BRIDGE: Jonathan Stewart Bailey, I’d like to jump straight in with the fact that the first professional job you had was playing a teardrop, or a raindrop?

BAILEY: There were teardrops, but yeah, I was playing a raindrop.

WALLER-BRIDGE: You were a crying raindrop.

BAILEY: A crying raindrop in Noah’s Ark.

WALLER-BRIDGE: And how old were you then?

BAILEY: I think I was about 5 going on 29. I was really upset because it didn’t rain. The bitch that played Noah, she forgot the cue for the rain to come. So my dance didn’t make it, but at the end of the show they allowed me to do it once everyone had applauded.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I asked you that specifically because you’ve also said that your grandmother took you to see a production of Oliver in London and that’s what changed everything.

BAILEY: Yes.

WALLER-BRIDGE: So was the raindrop before or after that? I am getting to something, I promise.

BAILEY: I think it was probably afterwards. I was really young when I went to see Oliver.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I’m interested because I read that seeing it made you decide you wanted to perform. Can you tell me the specific thing that made it click?

BAILEY: I’ll tell you, the most bizarre thing is that I had three seasons at the RSC under my belt by the age of nine. There was a moment where I played Prince Arthur, the kid in Shakespeare who gets his eyes gouged out and has to escape a turret. I remember doing that production and thinking I was aware of the power of words, if that makes sense. You’re so porous at that age, I think. It is such a gift, isn’t it, to be shown what iambic pentameter is.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you still feel passionate about Shakespeare now?

BAILEY: I do, actually. It’s my dirty, filthy habit.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Your dirty little habit. I know what you mean, though, how if you come to it quite raw, and it’s not something that you’ve had shoved down your throat at school, there is nothing more epic and spectacular.

BAILEY: And being around people who are just so committed to their vocation, whether they’re writing or creating. The smell backstage at the RSC at the Barbican was like cigarettes, stage makeup, Joe Fiennes, and hope.

WALLER-BRIDGE: That’s a lot of beautiful smells you’ve got going on there.

BAILEY: I know. Talk about top notes and bottom notes. I was like, “These men, these titans of theater!”

WALLER-BRIDGE: That’s extraordinary that you were exposed to that kind of level of professionalism. Because you are consummately professional, and I remember that. You have this incredible ability to be completely live and spontaneous and wild at the same time as being so incredibly professional, and that’s why working with you felt totally safe. I know that I’ve got a professional actor coming today, but I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen because you still managed to keep that spontaneity and danger.

BAILEY: I suppose it’s sometimes dangerous. Today I had to do an interview. Crashing came up and I described working with you as being on the constant edge of an orgasm and also hysteria.

WALLER-BRIDGE: It did have a kind of wild, beautiful energy.

BAILEY: There’s a chemical alchemy when you get the right group of people led by the right people.

WALLER-BRIDGE: I haven’t had that in quite the same way since, where everyone has equal importance in the story. That’s the thing that feels quite rare, actually, there’s like six of you and they’re all as fucked up as each other. I remember your audition. You came in like a fireball and you already felt like you had a Sam energy. You sat in your chair, took out your script from your bag, and then you were like, “Give me a second,” and you laid out your script around you on the floor. You had no embarrassment about what you needed or in front of you. You didn’t actually refer to it again, but you took those few seconds to just completely set up what you exactly needed for that audition, and then you were so free. And I just wonder if you’ve felt that particular type of confidence your whole life?

BAILEY: That’s a really good question. I’ve got three older sisters and I wonder if they are a structure. I’ve definitely been in environments where I don’t feel free, and then you give the worst performance of your life. What I’ve found in the last few years is that, of course, you have to adapt so quickly to work out what you need in order to be able to be free. I think if I don’t have the equivalent of that on the floor, I panic or get really scared.

WALLER-BRIDGE: There’s something about that, which is being able to play dangerously in a safe environment. I feel like that’s got so much to do with an understanding of tension, which I think you have. You’re like a chemistry machine. Obviously, with Bridgerton and then in Fellow Travelers, there’s this incredible erotic energy that people are so excited about.

BAILEY: I really think it comes from Crashing.

WALLER-BRIDGE: It doesn’t come from Crashing, it comes from you. I think you’re the king of tension. I think you understand what that is.

BAILEY: I think you can give yourself butterflies, can’t you?

WALLER-BRIDGE: Is that what you’re looking for, the butterfly all the time?

BAILEY: Yeah, I’m always looking for my butterfly farm. The misty, slightly smelly greenhouse full of butterflies.

WALLER-BRIDGE: That’s your tummy?

BAILEY: Yeah, that’s my tummy.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Did you always dream of playing leading man roles growing up?

BAILEY: Not at all, no. I never thought I would be able to.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Why?

BAILEY: I’ve realized that I’m completely in awe of other people and performances and creative endeavors. I go to the theater and I love a performance and I’m like, “How do they do that? I can’t see the seams.” So therefore, I feel like I must be driven by that. And when something comes my way, there’s a fear that it won’t work.

WALLER-BRIDGE: What’s really exciting to me is when I see palpable dynamics between characters, which you have done multiple times, like the relationship between Tim and Hawk. There’s so much opportunity for intimacy and that kind of danger. And when you get to play those sorts of roles, when you know that you can stand in front of each other and you don’t really need to do anything because it’s giving you something, it must’ve just been a joy walking into this world because it’s like a banquet of stuff to play with, right?

BAILEY: Totally, and it feels sort of vital and sexy. I do remember this one memory, which I guess I’ll share with you now. I did play and there was a tiled wall,at eye level with a mirrored border around. And there was a guy, we were into each other, and I remember just looking up in the middle of a conversation and he was looking at me in a reflection. And I was like, “This is what life is about.” Anyway, I think that it must have something to do with feeling the most alive in that.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you know Esther Perel?

BAILEY: Yeah, I love Esther Perel.

WALLER-BRIDGE: So she’s written about how she believes that your next orgasm begins at the very end of your last one, which is basically our whole life just building up to our next orgasm.

BAILEY: That’s just fantastic. It’s just so positive and hopeful—

WALLER-BRIDGE: And so beautiful, isn’t it?

BAILEY: It is.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Everything that you encounter in your life, every conversation that you have, is in some way building up to the next euphoric physical experience. Every single character has to have that inside them one way or another, because every human does. And I think with Fellow Travelers, because you long for them so much as an audience and you want them to have everything that they want from each other, but they’re also brutal to themselves and to each other, there is something so extraordinary seeing characters in that time portrayed in the way that you guys have portrayed them.

BAILEY: One thing that we’re all born with is the sense of longing. Longing comes before anything else, doesn’t it? Whoever you put on the wall, laminate the poster or whatever, it’s there. And actually, if you long for someone, more often than not you don’t think you are worthy of it. And that, to me, is a way into characters.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you remember your laminated poster longing person?

BAILEY: I think I had the Simpsons, which was obviously me trying to disguise myself as much as possible. Lucy Liu was a big one for me, too.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Well, I can see that.

BAILEY: I suppose there’s the laminated wall in my literal bedroom and then there’s the laminated wall in my gay—

WALLER-BRIDGE: Mind.

BAILEY: Who was yours?

WALLER-BRIDGE: You know what? It’s really interesting, because I was the eagle in the Rescuers Down Under. That wasn’t necessarily a sexual longing, but it was a romantic idea, that overwhelming sense of watching the Rescuers Down Under and being able to run out of the back of my house on my own, age 10, and jump onto the back of a giant eagle and he’ll fly me around. But in terms of just a hottie that I really fancied, I think it was probably Leo [DiCaprio].

BAILEY: Oh, yeah.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Are you a nostalgic person?

BAILEY: Yes, I think so. I think a lot about my younger self. I’m always like, “Guys, remember this?” It’s slightly annoying, but I’m always drawing a line between the past and now for sure.

WALLER-BRIDGE: That’s how you measure your life, by remembering the time that’s gone by or what 11-year-old you would think of what you were doing?

BAILEY: I think I’m probably more romantic than nostalgic, if that makes sense.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Go on.

BAILEY: Well, I just think I’ve fully committed to the idea of everything being brilliant and then I work backwards from there.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Well, having starred in two hit period dramas and also being a huge part of the fact that they are a hit, that’s why I wondered about what your relationship is with the past and history, and how much you actually knew about McCarthy America?

BAILEY: Oh, no. Have you got a quiz?

WALLER-BRIDGE: I actually don’t. Do you want one?

BAILEY: No, that would be the worst.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you enjoy historical novels? Do you live in the past in any way in your mind? Or you are kind of like, “We’re here and we’re moving forward?”

BAILEY: I do think I’m here and moving forward. I really struggled with history at school, I could not take in information about the past. When it came to exams, I would remember the page where things were written but I couldn’t stitch together epochs and eras and kings.

WALLER-BRIDGE: It crashes my brain, too. I have a friend, and you can say to her, “June 24th, 1999,” and she can tell you pretty much what she was up to.

BAILEY: That’s amazing.

WALLER-BRIDGE: You can see her go into the diary in her mind. She has a very different wiring of her brain. But speaking of longing, are there any fictional or real life couples, gay or straight, that captured your heart over the years?

BAILEY: Oh my god, what a question. What about Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine?

WALLER-BRIDGE: I think Morticia and Gomez Addams were the most romantic couple.

BAILEY: Yeah, I see that.

WALLER-BRIDGE: They understood it. They got it all.

BAILEY: Also maybe Ryan and Marissa in The OC.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Any gay male couples that you ever looked up to or were romanced by?

BAILEY: Well unfortunately, there just weren’t that many were there growing up.

WALLER-BRIDGE: So wild.

BAILEY: But I met Matthew Rhys recently, who I just love. And I was thinking about that relationship in Brothers and Sisters. And then there was Queer as Folk. Russell, T. Davies changed the game. So many people owe so much to him just purely for visibility. There is no Tim and Hawk to a 2023 audience without Queer as Folk.

WALLER-BRIDGE: But did you feel frustrated?

BAILEY: Well, speaking of history, I was doing media studies with an amazing teacher and I decided that I was going to do my dissertation about the representations of Hutus and Tutsis and the Rwanda genocide, looking at Hotel Rwanda and Shooting Dogs. And then Brokeback Mountain came out and I was like, “Hang on, how can I possibly create a world where I can go and have a free pass to go to the cinema to watch it 10 times?” I’m really proud of my 17-year-old self, I wasn’t necessarily out, but I changed the topic to representation of homosexuality in Brokeback Mountain and I watched that film 10 times. And this amazing teacher, Dr. Brunton, who probably had an idea of what was going on, was just like, “This is brilliant, keep going, keep going.” And I think it was the best mark I ever got.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Do you still have it?

BAILEY: It must be on a hard drive upstairs in the attic. And obviously, that completely changed me, something chemical happened there. But it’s funny, I’m not clear on memories. And I do think it’s a common thing for a lot of people, growing up and having to survive and be basically in fight or flight, there’s a murkiness to how I recall.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Of course, because you couldn’t be truly present because you weren’t being completely yourself.

BAILEY: Totally, yeah.

WALLER-BRIDGE: When you look back and start unpacking it, do you feel overwhelmed with sympathy for how hard you were having to work as a 16-year-old, coming up with excuses to see the movie that you wanted to see?

BAILEY: Yeah. But I spent more time trying to be sympathetic towards the people that were around me who didn’t support or couldn’t help. I look back and I go, “Hell.”

WALLER-BRIDGE: Yes. But you are representing that and living that for so many people now. Your speech at the Critics Choice Awards the other day was so sublime and beautiful and straight from the heart. You are so electric as a human being and that is the most important thing. There aren’t many people in the world that can do that, that can stand there in front of people and speak from their heart about what it means to them to be given this opportunity. And I know that your career is just going to be the most extraordinary journey. When I first met you, I remember sitting with Josh [Cole], who was the producer on Crashing, and we were like, “If we get this guy, it’s going to be the game changer for the show.” And I know that every single person now wanting you on their project is feeling the same thing.

BAILEY: I definitely feel overwhelmed by that, but it’s lovely to hear.

WALLER-BRIDGE: Can I just ask you one question which I couldn’t remember about Crashing?

BAILEY: Yeah.

WALLER-BRIDGE: The frosted tips were your idea, wasn’t it?

BAILEY: I had this conversation today. I think it’s in the script. But my reference picture was Justin Timberlake in double denim.

WALLER-BRIDGE: No, I don’t think it was [in the script], because Sam’s a character that I hold closest to my heart because, in so many ways, he represents how I feel about maybe my inner life. I just love him so much, and your ability to play every single little corner of him that I dreamed of.

BAILEY: Maybe that’s the answer I was looking for when you asked if I was drawn to any romantic couples? No, it was just about wanting bleach blonde hair.

Source

[smilesrobotlover]

*crawling into your inbox* Smiles do you have any drawing tips? Everything I’ve drawn recently I’ve just not liked at all and I’m strugglin ;-;

-Sky Floor

Yes! I can try to help!

First things first, there’s a YouTuber named Excaliblader who gives AMAZING art tips. He focuses a lot on anatomy but he also talks about sketches, art motivation, and art styles. His tips are super simple and so easy to understand but also incredibly helpful. He’s an nsfw artist so the examples he uses are a little suggestive but they’re not explicit, but he knows what he’s doing and he’s helped me a lot with anatomy.

As for tips from me, experiment! And when I say experiment I mean push yourself to the edge. Draw things you KNOW will suck. Draw with your left hand, play with different face shapes, experiment with crayons, anything to try something new that you can expect to look bad, if that makes sense. The reason why a lot of my art has different brushes and things is because if I do the same thing over and over again I start to hate it. I need something new to do with drawings. And when you find something that you ENJOY doing (like a certain style, a new brush, etc.) you’ll get so motivated to do stuff with it! This may also help you unlock new skills with art because you’re pushing yourself outside your usual domain and discovering new things. Let’s say your characters have the same face, so you decide to experiment with different facial features. You can start small with downward turned eyes, round eyes, or triangle shaped eyes, just anything to make the eyes distinct. Or you can start with noses. Small button noses, long straight noses, bumpy noses, wide noses, all of that. Soon you’ll be able to draw all kinds of features confidently if you keep at it. But that’s just an example. Also drawing old people, people with extreme features, or just copying an art style can help. You’ll never improve if you do the same thing over and over again. You’ll be good at that one thing! And you may improve with some things in there, but if you want to do more, you’ll just have to do it.

Something I always say is to look at all kinds of tutorials on how people draw and experiment with those. Some draw their faces with a T shape, others add a lot of guidelines. See which one works for you. There’s no right way to draw; if it’s quick and efficient for YOU then it works!

And another thing, art isn’t easy. When you’re drawing, it’s hard to tell how much progress you’re making because from your perspective, you can’t see the road you travel on. If you’re feeling unmotivated and feeling bad about your art, turn around and look at the progress you made. Redraw old art and see how much you improved. Comparison is the thief of joy if you compare yourself to others, but if you compare yourself to your past self, it’ll make a world of difference. You’ll be able to see how far you’ve come. You’ll be able to see the things you were able to achieve and improve upon by actively redrawing something old and comparing it. That’s something that helps me a LOT when I’m feeling bad about my art. I cant tell you how motivating it is!

One more thing that really helps is tracing! Now, tracing someone’s art work and then posting it and claiming it as your own is bad. Obviously. But tracing actually helps your brain know WHERE things are supposed to go. Your hand is able to figure it out as you do it! Tracing real life photos help a LOT with anatomy, and if the artists allows it, tracing good art to help you learn is good! Again, don’t post it as your own. But it’s a great way to learn! It’s best if you trace a photo, and then use that trace as a reference photo, cuz you’re learning how to use a reference in two different ways!

Idk how to help with your issue specifically (I’m at work so I can’t sit down and draw something alas) but these things help me when I’m struggling! And even then I barely know what I’m doing XD

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Just started Medjed arc of P5R; here are my current thoughts on the characters I know so far:

Joker: Look, I know people say he's a "self-insert" but I really, really see a few very distinct personality traits in him. He's lost in thought a lot. He zones out. He's really goal-driven. He's clever. He's a risk-taker. He's wary of consequences. He takes a little while to trust people, especially adults. He's suspicious and easily annoyed. He's on your side. He wants to help. He's a snarky little shit. His compassion is as much his defiance as his bitter disdain. He's hesitant. He's confident. He's bluffing. His respect is earned. His assistance isn't. He's free. He's chained. He's larger than life. He's a dumbass dork of a teenager. Incredibly fun character to play as, 10/10. I love that you can actually see him becoming more confident as time goes on. His dialogue options also become sillier/snarkier/more teasing as he becomes closer with people. It's just fun. I have a lot more thoughts on him but I'm going to stop here. I'd love to do a bit of an analysis on him once I finish the game - I'd like to go back through his main story dialogue options and his idle and specific scene animations. Plus, they seriously popped off with his character design. There's so much I could say about that alone.

Ryuji: Ryuji, my beloved. I wish you were less horny in uncomfortable ways in some scenes - I think, as well as Atlus not knowing what teenage girls are like, they also have not... spoken to people raised by single mothers, or mothers who got out of an abusive relationship... but anyways, asides from that, I love Ryuji. I think his desire for popularity makes a lot of sense - he's only ever stood out in a bad way. He just wants to be liked, you know? And he doesn't think he's enough the way he is. He's trying his best. I need him to shut up so bad but also I hope he never shuts up, you know. He's genuinely so funny, and he's the most ride or die of anyone. Ryuji gets angry on everyone's behalf when they can't muster up their own anger yet. Everyone say thank you, Ryuji.

Morgana: I do not get the hate for this not-cat; he's so funny to me. He's becoming a little more aligned to the thieves' morality, which is probably for the best since at the beginning he was definitely down with accidental murder and totally open about his pragmatism. He actually encourages this in Joker. It's just funny. I love my emotional support not-cat bestie who sits in my desk at school then tells me to go strike shady deals with random people in back alleys. You can definitely see a change in Morgana though; he's becoming more excited about helping people for the sake of it (like Joker, he too has gained purpose), but he's also becoming more insecure.

Ann: She remains my favourite of the Thieves. If Ryuji is the original drive and Morgana the original method, then she is the original conviction. The strength to stand with victims. The desire to force those who hurt others to understand the feelings of said victims. She has the rawest fucking lines at the end of the Kamoshida arc. She loves Shiho so much, and I really feel like her and Joker are on the same page when it comes to things deeper than their surface level interests. Get you a friend like Ann fr. It's a shame that later scenes have her mostly just getting mad at the guys when they uhhh... act like horny guys towards her. Feels bad man, especially because I love the aspect of her character that wants to be more comfortable with her sexuality and have that be on her terms. <- That's really cool, actually! Why couldn't we do more with that...? As a note though, I seriously love her admiration towards female cartoon villains and that one mean girl model. I think that's so funny and also such a mood. I do not believe for one second that Ann is straight. I hope she becomes the sexy and confidant morally-ambiguous thief of her dreams, and also that she gets a girlfriend. It's what she deserves.

Yusuke: He's so dramatic. Do you expect me not to love him? I really loved his conflict during Madarame's arc - those revelations were absolutely brutal, and Yusuke really handled things well, all things considered. Again, like Ann, there were some raw lines in there. But then, of course, the slump on the other end, when the adrenaline wears off. That Yusuke's painting only showed the dark side of desire tells me that he is still grappling with the effects of all these reveals. He has a lot to process.

Makoto: I just think she's so cute. Her design is adorable. She's such a sweetheart. On the flip side though, while I don't find her as intimidating as the game seems to, I definitely would not want her mad at me. While, as I mentioned before, I found the lead up to her joining the thieves to be a little janky, the actual moment was great. I love that she has a support system now. She really needed that. I hope there are more scenes with her in group settings tbh. While I'm enjoying her one-on-one dynamics with Ryuji and Ann, I do feel like she doesn't really... gel with the group as well as, say, Yusuke did. I think they need to drag her out to more activities lol.

Sojiro: I still don't know yet? He seems like the tough love sort. I do enjoy getting to learn random coffee trivia from him, and it seems like he cares in a kind of gruff way. He also gets a lot of suspicious people coming by. Guess I'll find out more later.

Maruki: Again, I don't know much still. He's endearing and dorky. That salt bae thing still lives rent-free in my head. I feel his frustration with not being able to help more. I get it man. I will say though, the fact that we get to see scenes with the thieves and Maruki, with no Joker present, is... odd.

Kasumi: I... I don't know how to feel. She's too nice. She's too polite. All of her scenes are so weirdly convenient. I like her just fine, but there's something seriously off. I almost feel like she's an outlier on purpose, like she doesn't blend into the world. Unlike Maruki, who is new to Royal but blends into the story quite nicely, Kasumi really stands out, to the point it kind of feels like that was the intention. She is adorable, though, I won't deny that, and I do want her to succeed and all, I just... hm. I don't know how to feel about her.

Akechi: I could fix him (smack him upside the head). <- okay but seriously, he is so obviously suspicious, he so obviously knows about Joker, he's such a smarmy little shit. I would despise him irl, but he's absolutely the funniest character in the game right now. Everything he says has me either cackling or my jaw dropping at the fucking audacity. He's also really interesting to me. Love a character whose every line means three things rolled into one. He feels dangerous and weirdly endearing at the same time. What the hell is his problem (affectionate + derogatory).

Yoshida: YOSHIDA MY ABSOLUTE BELOVED. I love him so far. He's my favourite confidant right now. He just makes me so happy man I love him so much. Yoshida takes the hard road and he's got the conviction, but you need support from people to really turn your life around. Hey, that's kind of what the game is about, yeah?

Takemi: Oh I love her confidant so far. I don't know that she's one of my favourites, character-wise, but I was especially taken with her dedication to that medicine, and Joker's response to her saying that she doesn't suit everyone coming to her for medical help by countering her with an "it suits you". Very sweet. I'm getting close to finishing her confidant; I just need to level up charm.

Mishima: I'm almost done his confidant too! I actually enjoy Mishima's character. I feel like his downward spiral made a lot of sense, and I like that he's both helpful and made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I especially like that he's pulling himself out of that fame mentality by himself, without his heart being changed. We just gave his shadow something to think on.

Kawakami: Idk how I feel about this, but the perks are good. I'm curious about her though.

Sae: She seems dedicated to her job. Forming a confidant with her during the interrogation was something I did not expect and had me going "ohohoho". But man, some of the stuff she says to Makoto is way out of line... I'm glad she's at least aware as soon as it leaves her mouth, and I cannot imagine the constant stress and scrutiny she's under but... still. Girl. :/

Iwai: I'm going to properly start his confidant soon. He's cool. I feel like he's not nearly as scary as he makes himself out to be.

Ohya: Don't know much about her so far, but she's a disaster, and I will always enjoy a good disaster woman.

Lala: SHE'S PERFECT. I wish there was a mechanic where you could get advice from Lala-chan. She's looking out for everybody. She's good. :)

Chihaya: She told me I'm gonna die... :(

[aikoiya]

LoZ TotK: The Symbolism Behind Link's Rings & the Handshakes

I actually don't really see the scene where Sidon kneels to Link & gives him a ring in a proposal way.

For one, the ring that appeared was on Link's right-hand pointer finger, not the left-hand ring finger, which is an important distinction as a ring on the right pointer is symbolic of authority, leadership, self-esteem, & confidence. It was also the most common place for a man's signet or crest. In some parts of Europe, it was even forbidden for people below a certain rank to wear one as it denotes a very specific family status. It's also a common place for fraternal or family rings. Which actually makes perfect sense for Sidon as a person as well as his relationship with Link. Seeing that, before the Calamity, he likely believed that his sister would marry Link who would then be his brother-in-law as indicated here.

Now, admittedly, a man's right pointer is used for wedding bands in the Jewish culture, but somehow I doubt that Sidon is representative of being Jewish.

There is also the way that Sidon's holding Link's hand when he makes his vow as a sage, which appears to be in more of a two-handed handshake which are typically used by politicians to convey that they are warm, trustworthy, friendly, honest, all that jazz. Specifically, Sidon's hand is on top of Link's, but very specifically isn't touching his arm or wrist, which is supposed to convey sincerity. If his hands had been touching either, then it would indicate that Sidon wanted something from Link. I've also seen it said that it's a sign of gratitude & that when someone shakes your hand like that, they are conveying that they are genuinely, sincerely happy to see you.

Yes, he's kneeling, but keep in mind that Sidon is also very tall & it's possible that Sidon wanted to give them a more even playing field.

As such, all the signals I'm getting are pointing towards this interaction being platonic & possibly fraternal in nature.

If this were a confession or a proposal, the way that Sidon would be holding Link's hand would be far more tender than it is.

However, let's walk through the other rings & possibly their handshakes as well real quick & see if there's a trend.

Yunobo's was the right thumb which symbolizes wealth & influence, as well as strength of character, willpower, & freedom of thought. Which could work as he's the president of YunoboCo. Thumb gestures are also associated with interaction & friendship. Again, this works. Add to that the fact that the ring was passed via fist bump, which can be used as a sign of giving someone your respect or approval as well as signifying a companionship between the 2 involved, which you also can see Yunobo's expression of respect & approval for Link when he does it.

Tulin's ring is on the right pinky, which in the case of a man's right hand specifically, represents things you have accomplished personally as well as intelligence & communication skills. It is often where you wear family crests. Also fairly accurate considering Tulin's arc was about proving himself fully-fledged to his father. I couldn't really get a good look at Tulin's handshake, but it appeared to be a typical, friendly shake. So, not much there.

Mineru's is on the right middle finger, which symbolizes structure, balance, conscience, order, & purpose. It can also reflect things for which you feel responsible or ways that you seek balance in your life. And, I could see this working for her, I suppose.

Her handshake...

No idea what the hell kinda shake that is, but I'll do some research & get back to you.

I'm seeing that turning one's palm face upward is a sign of submissiveness, but I dunno. Someone did bring up the fact that this was essentially Mineru holding her brother's hand one last time, which is important here, because for every other Sage, the thing highlighted was their relationship with Link, but it's possible that whatever the hell kinda handshake is going on here might have some significance to Mineru's relationship with Rauru.

Anyway, Riju's ring is on the right ring finger, which depends on the culture we're talking about. The right ring finger, of course, symbolizes engagement here in the west, but that'd be creepy af in this situation, so hell no. Now, in some religious organizations, this is also a symbol of a sign of the individual's authority & religious devotion. Not to mention, it's also associated with the sun, as well as beauty & creativity. If nothing else, authority, the sun, & beauty works for her as the Gerudo Chief. Not to mention, her fighting style in AoC was pretty damn creative.

As for her handshake, it at first seems to be a regular one until just after, when she pushes back & away, indicating that she is performing "the pusher." This is done by extending the arm so that Link can't get closer to her, which would be interesting as it'd indicate that she needs both physical & emotional space to be comfortable. This suggests that she's hesitant to let others get closer to her. Which is interesting considering what we read about her in her journal.

I suppose that in a way, I believe that I see these vows & rings as being more signs of the Sages swearing oaths of fealty to a king.

After all, Link gains the right arm of a king in this game. It's also been implied throughout both games that there's something going on between Link & Zelda. This game, specifically, suggests that they are not only living in the same house, but sleeping in the same, very small bed.

Which I remember reading somewhere that a long time ago, if 2 people who weren't of the gentry wished to wed, they'd simply handfast with a witness to recognize it, then move in together & were then considered married. I mean, the handfasting itself only lasted for a year, but it'd be fairly easy to renew.

If this is true, then it's possible that Link could become, depending on how Hyrule's customs involving such things work, King of Hyrule & if not that then Prince-Consort.

Ganon's declaration at the beginning of the Japanese version of the game that "I am the true King of Hyrule" even gives a bit of an impression.

There's also how the illusion in the castle showcased 2 thrones sitting side-by-side rather than just one.

As such, it's clear that Ganondorf at least believes that the 2 are together.

While up in the air, I feel like there's enough evidence to suggest that my theory could be possible.

LoZ Wild Masterlist

[play-rough]

Something I love about the dual caregiving for Dazai are the way that Chuuya and Kunikida seem to act as the right type of caregiver that Dazai needs in that stage of his life.

Like Chuuya understands Dazai, his first priority is always going to be Mackerel’s sense of security and he always seems to try not to push Dazai’s boundaries too far. For how Dazai is in the beginning, it’s ideal for him. He needs to learn that regression can be a safe and secure thing and Chuuya exercises enough patience to make being small a good thing.

Kunikida on the other hand prioritises stability- while Chuuya understands Mackerel enough to make regression soft and easy, Kida is Dazai’s caregiver first and foremost (and although you’ve said before you won’t cross into canon territory with this AU, I go so insane thinking about how that would change their character dynamic if Kunikida became essentially Dazai’s parent before his partner), and is very willing to push Dazai- healthily- out of his comfort zone. Chuuya made Dazai accept his littleness, but Kunikida made Dazai accept being little as a fundamental part of him- his world as a baby has been broadened outside of just Chuuya and his apartment into other aspects of his life and other people.

I hope what I’m saying isn’t downplaying one or the other- especially Chuuya, because he is so, so important (and I’m not confident that Kida could handle PM era Dazai’s regression- though correct me if I’m wrong on that) but the fact that they both have distinct caregiving styles that both juxtapose each other yet still work for Dazai is so perfect.

-🍓

I also love love love the juxtaposed caregiver styles and I’m really glad that it comes through 🩷😭 you always hit the nail on the head with what I want to portray 🥹

Incredibly intrigued by the question of if Kunikida could handle PM Dazai’s regression 😭 I already think about the ADA having to ‘deal with’ PM Dazai a lot and being caught off guard at how different he is 🫣 (I have a few ideas for fics that tackle this idea but I never thought about it in the classification au 🥺) I agree he’d have a really hard time, there’s just an element of regression that Dazai refuses to accept in the beginning and he’s only able to get there because it’s Chuuya helping him.

If for whatever reason Dazai was transformed into his 16-17 year old self in the classification au while with the ada (magic, an ability that for some reason effects him, whatever) I think Kunikida would try to baby him like normal, and Dazai would probably be horrified and do everything he can to avoid dropping. He’d be an awful brat about it too, slinging insults about how stupid they all are for wasting time with this, and he’d get angrier and more defensive because Kunikida’s soft touch WAS making him feel little and that’s scary because Kunikida’s pretty much a stranger to pm Dazai (it’s one thing to be forced to be vulnerable with Chuuya, a stranger is not happening) And eventually when Dazai does drop (he can’t hold out forever) I think Kunikida would be caught off guard at the amount of struggling and self loathing that still happens, Dazai clearly isn’t having a good time in headspace and Kunikida doesn’t know that much about his history with regression before they were little and caregiver and he’s just not sure how to help 😭 Chuuya really laid down the ground work to help Dazai not hate himself

It’s funny you mention broadening Dazai’s horizons past Chuuya’s apartment, because there is plans for Chuuya to attempt to show the baby that no one will be upset with him if he’s little outside 🥺 Chuuya’s putting in a lot of work now so Kunikida can take Dazai to the park with considerably less tears in the future 😭

[hwsasiapacific]

Zodiac sign for the other Asians pls?(+India)

I really love ur content🥰

Aaaaaa I'm so sorry for replying just noww. And thank you, anon that means a lot ilyy🤧

(~If I got some information wrong, feel free to correct mee. Credits to Hima)

Japan: Aquarius Japan is often described as reserved and rather timid. Yet at the same time has an interesting personality that adds layers to his character. He's a bit of a walking paradox; a description often used for Aquarius.

♒ Has unique quirks: Japan is primarily described to have customs and traditions that stand out from the rest. Similarly, Aquarius is known to have the struggle of "fitting in", because they march to the beat of their own drums.

♒ May seem aloof: From a far, Japan may seem detached, showing fewer facial expressions compared to the other characters. It's even canonically stated that he has a hard time adjusting to new people. Aquarius usually falls under the impression of being "cold", when in reality there is so much more than what meets the eye. One of the reasons to this is they're still in the process in deciding whether someone can be deemed trustworthy or not.

♒Hunger for knowledge: In many episodes throughout the series, as well as comic strips, Japan can often be seen interacting with various nations- interacting in the sense of interviewing them about themselves, usually their culture and customs. Aquarius has a thirst for new knowledge and intellectual stimulation, always ready to explore a vast range of ideas.

China: Aries Just like Aries, China is bold and determined. He's usually independent and self-reliant, this combined with being energetic and fairly hasty.

♈Desires to lead and take charge: One of China's most distinct traits is how he desires to take on the role of being the "big brother" towards his fellow neighbors- which is often rejected by some degree. Similarly, Aries as a fire sign, is often depicted as a natural leader who wants things to go their way. However, because of this they might come off as somewhat "bossy" and impatient.

♈Enthusiastic: Despite seeing the world in its rise and fall for the past 4,000 years, China still has that glimmer in his eyes. Aries is known for their charismatic and confident personalities.

♈Prone to somewhat destructive anger: In his profile, it was stated that China is quite prone to snapping. His anger was also described to be somewhat destructive. While Aries is bold, there are times where they can come off as stubborn and even commanding.

Taiwan: Aries Taiwan's character always intrigued me. Because of the fact that most likely you have to rely on your own intuition to analyze her. In this case, we'll take a look at her strong-willed and active side, one fitting for Aries.

♈Positive and optimistic: Taiwan is extremely full of life and always hoping for the best. Aries has the same aura in which drives them to success, with their enthusiasm and passion in what they do, people become naturally drawn to them.

♈Is rather short-tempered: Similarly, Aries is usually known for their quick temper. They may struggle with patience that can come off as "impulsive."

♈Have become more anxious recently: Despite her cheerful demeanor, Taiwan's anxiousness still often find itself coming near her. In one comic strip, she was described to have a strong mind, but her worries seem to never end. One of the more unexplored traits of Aries is their lingering worry, proving that even fire has their own fears. Which are often rooted with different conflicts however this side is yet to be fleshed out from Taiwan's character.

Korea: Gemini Korea is somewhat depicted as someone who embodies the terminology "young energy"- something we can closely tie to this star sign, Gemini.

♊ Innovative and bright: Often depicted as tech-savvy and extremely bright, this is shown when he managed to put together "mind reading binoculars." Gemini is known for their quick-witted solutions and answers.

♊Courteous: Although seemingly casual and approachable, when speaking with elders, he shifts to a more formal tone. It was even stated that he is actually fundamentally serious. Similarly, Gemini is known for their polite demeanor, with an air of courtesy surrounding them.

♊Bold and curious: Korea is stated to be free-spirited and is interested in studying abroad and even dying his hair to a certain color. Gemini is known for their bold ideas, primarily driven by their curiousness and hunger for adventure.

Hong Kong: Scorpio Finding out his "zodiac match" was a challenge for me, but in the end, I settled for "Scorpio"- one of the most overlooked signs out there.

♏Independent and determined: One of his key traits is how he likes "going his way", he likes to draw his own path. There are many comic strips that show is determination to being "independent", seen by the fact that he voices it out numerous times. Scorpios are known to "never hold back", if they want something they will find a way to get it.

♏Hard to read: It's clearly stated that Hong Kong is hard to read because of a lack of facial emotions. Scorpio falls under this category, this is usually due to a range of reasons, one being their guarded nature.

♏Ambitious: Hong Kong once said he is thrilled by exciting and new things. Scorpio doesn't like to set limits in their life they're probably the type to dive head-first into danger if it comes across as a new definition for "fun."

Macau: Libra Macau usually has the aura of quiet strength and maturity. That even if he's known for his casinos, he never really had any obsession with money. He values fairness and level-headedness - two things closely associated with Libra.

♎Wants to see everyone in a good mood: Libra is known for being great at walking in other people's shoes. They want to make sure everyone is taken care of by seeing the world by using a different perspective.

♎Genuinely concerned: It's stated that recently, China's weight seems to be increasing in abnormal levels, worrying Macau. Libra is not the one to judge other people, they're usually empathetic and considerate.

♎Is okay with watching by the sidelines: When Hong Kong started to grow rapidly, instead of feeling envy, Macau sought for his own connections. Instead of rivalry, he chose to grow with Hong Kong. Most of the time, Libra won't mind watching by the sidelines- especially if it's to avoid conflict from surfacing. They value peace above all.

India: Leo Charismatic, flamboyant, and is proud of what he is, India embraces the energy of Leo gracefully.

♌Prince-like aura: Similarly, Leo is known for their magnetic aura and positive spirit. They tend to enjoy every bit of life and wants to make the most out of it. They look forward to new things and adventures that await them.

♌Confident: According to himself, what he wants to do is be able to dance wherever. This translates to the fact that he's indeed comfortable under his own skin, with that being said, Leo is known to not mind the attention that they get. In fact, they're natural performers who thrive under the spotlight.

♌Ambitious: India challenges himself to make his movies land on the top slots in the global stage. Similarly, Leo dares to be bold and will work hard until their goal is achieved. To them, they're born to succeed and thrive, and that reaching for the stars is their destiny to grasp.

((Here's part 1 with the Asean🥹))

~Brie💌

[rythyme]

I don't think they were saying Boston was lying about wanting romantic exclusivity but not physical exclusivity. The fact that Nick said "I think you should roll alone" tells me more about Nick than Boston, namely that Nick thinks you can only have a relationship if you're monogamous in every way (because that's what he wants for himself). But I'm confident Boston would be great in an open relationship and he's going to New York so who's to say he won't find that there?

Within the context of the show, i.e. from a Watsonian perspective — yeah, I 100% agree. What Nick said is more of a reflection of him. He doesn't think what Boston is asking for is possible with anyone, not just specifically with himself. That's Nick's problem, not Boston's.

But thinking about the creators of the show and how they wrote that scene (i.e. from a Doylist perspective), I don't think they were making that distinction clear enough. As presented, it seems like we're supposed to think that Nick is right when he says those things. If that's not the case, then I think it was poor execution on the creators' part. The tone of that scene was not giving me a "Nick is in the wrong" vibe.

It also just seems like a weird place to take Nick's character arc? Nick's arc has been about exploring relationships and building his self worth, so it's strange for the culmination of all that to be a scene where we're supposed to think he's coming to the wrong conclusions. A more satisfying and natural conclusion to that arc would have been "I am monogamous and you're not. I can't change you, nor should I. We should break up. I wish you the best in your next relationship."

And to make it even more confusing, the show *does* reference characters in an open relationship. Boston is trying to sleep with a couple like that in episode one! We've also seen plenty of coupled characters kissing other people, even in this very episode. And Nick kissed Atom for christ's sake. I just can't wrap my head around this narrative choice.

Overall it just feels? Really weird to me?? What was the point? Why did Nick and Boston have a "forgiving each other" arc if they were just going to be rushed into this conclusion in the second half of the finale? It doesn't make sense to me!

My best guess is that this wasn't originally the planned ending for Nick and Boston. I'm not sure why it changed — maybe there was some meddling on the production/GMMTV side, or p'Jojo decided to pivot after seeing how much fans hated Boston? Either way, it feels disjointed and poorly executed in a show that otherwise does a pretty good job of building up to import character and relationship development moments.

[sany-wave]

Altmodes and sense of self

Hi there. I'm not exactly sure how to Tumblr, but hey, I have to start somewhere, haven't I?

I have recently created this guy as a bit of a proof of concept: it's possible for a cybertronian of a right size to take not a new altmode, but a different robomode. Well, it involves some Fallout, but for those that don't know -- top right is an assaultron, a relatively common enemy and sometimes ally in the series. Sorry for a messy pencil drawing, it was intended to be an inside for-roleplay thing.

Reineke has two alternate stories -- a damaged synth replacing parts with an assaultron armour or a stranded beastformer minicon. Both have a bit of an issue with what they are, but it's easier when your mask is just a mask, not your literal body parts.

Imagine being able to change your body to blend in (the existence of that blending in ability in cybertronians raises questions of their own, but of more or less ecological regard), and you change your face, too. Is that still you? You interact with other beings, trying to provide expected behaviour. Eventually this pretending becomes a second nature. Your character drifts and changes under the circumstances. Radiation can damage some circuitry and knock memories out of place. When you look into a mirror, you don't remember how you were before. Is that still the same you that took a different face some time ago?

Humans have strong connection between their "self" and their looks. New clothes might be wearing you, and I sometimes wear my favourite shirts as a little confidence boost despite nobody being able to see them under my jacket. Would that also be true for cybertronians? Would an earthen altmode affect the self-interpretation, since the root mode changes with new kibble, too?

Also, I know there is a distinction in IDW between "cold construction" (they can only assume alts similar to their natural one) and "forging" ("natural" way with an unrestricted altmode choice), but it's not true for every continuity (TFP Starscream implies that Knockout chose a grounder alt, and Skyquake's everything also implies not having wings to be an option despite being rather plane-shaped; he and Airachnid honestly imply that they didn't have an alt before, I think -- but I know that alien alts in the show would be costly). So in some continuities bots can, in theory, change alts and kibble drastically as often as they want. Would it be something frowned upon? Something "childish", what you do when you aren't sure what you want to be? How much your altmode defines *you*, and how much you would pick an alt because of who you are? Can "dramatic altmode change" be the same as human "dramatic hairstyle change" trope?

And then there are multiple alts and oddballs like Skylinx. I think they deserve a separate rant with questions.

[mtdthoughts]

Dali's Left-Handedness (Migi & Dali Thought)

If you pay close attention, you'll likely notice that Dali is left-handed.

In fact, he has been left-handed since the very beginning.

As the title suggests, this post will be about this fact and possible symbolism. Do note that spoilers throughout the story are mentioned.

Another important detail is that when Dali is front of people other than his brother, he'll pretend to be right-handed, which is best shown in the way he eats.

Yes, even when he panicked when Akiyama was about to check the closet, he still delivered a slap with his right hand to keep up the act.

It's also worth noting that Dali is the only left-handed character in the entire story, possibly emphasizing Dali's distinctiveness as a character. Personally, I'd go further and say that he's the real main character, though I am biased...

While I'm sure that Dali may have been acting right-handed (possibly out of discomfort) to be considerate to Migi, I think there's greater meaning to this.

For example, his left-handedness could symbolize:

Individuality and uniqueness as mentioned earlier.

Concealment and psychological depth, which makes sense since Dali often conceals his actions and feelings (even from Migi) and is (in my opinion) the hardest character to read.

Nonconformity, as he and Migi are both considered outsiders in Origon Village due to their (obvious) foreign features and being from an orphanage. However, Migi is more able to "go with the flow", and Dali is likely much more self-conscious about his differences compared to others.

A logical, strategic, calculating, scientific, and "left-brained" way of thinking.

A struggle for acceptance, as left-handedness was historically stigmatized or seen as a sign of inferiority, and in Western cultures was even associated with evil or with the devil. Perhaps this shows that deep down, Dali wanted to be accepted and yearned for belonging (though he might not have realized this himself), which makes sense considering that the twins created "Hitori" in order to fit in. Hiding his left-handedness could also show his insecurities and perhaps self-loathing, which could have been caused by his dark and tragic past, his heavy responsibility of looking after his brother and serving as a good example for him, persecution from other children, and later his own actions that hurt Migi.

It wasn't until Episode 10 when Dali stopped pretending to be right-handed, and once he finally decided to join the Sonoyamas in Episode 13, he began eating with his left hand.

Indeed, once Dali was confident that Akiyama and Maruta would accept him, he placed his trust in them, and the revealing of his true self is symbolized through the display of his real voice, his real personality, and of course his left-handedness.

Finally, his decision to switch to his dominant hand after pretending to be right-handed in front of the Sonoyamas for so long could show how he was finally able to not only find acceptance and belonging but was able to accept himself as well after overcoming his insecurities. He no longer felt that he needed to force himself to fit in, because regardless of his differences with other people, he knew that he would always be loved and accepted by his family, his friends, and most importantly his brother.

[embracing-the-ineffable]

Neil Gaiman's intentionality and possible literary connections with the sign, "DON'T PAY THE GUY IN THE BLUE GLASSES HE DOESN'T WORK HERE" (East Lynne?)

Most people think the sign on Mrs. Sandwich's door is a reference to Crowley, and maybe it is, although he doesn't have BLUE glasses (yet).

So I woke up thinking about the theory that Mrs Sandwich is actually God, plus all the signs at the bottom of her stairs. The God theory could account for most of them, except for (possibly) the one about blue glasses. Neil has said the inspiration for that sign came from historic signs around Soho, but that doesn't mean there's not another layer of meaning. (If there's one thing he's taught me with season two of Good Omens, it's definitely to dig deeper!)

Good Omens is full of references (direct and indirect) to other stories, so I searched around online and found two interesting books:

The first is Boy in the Big Blue Glasses, by Susanne Gervay and illustrated by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall. It's a contemporary children's book about a kid, Sam, who gets blue glasses and feels like no one recognizes him anymore, except for his best friend. He goes on adventures to rediscover himself, his sense of humor, and his confidence - all while overcoming his fear of not being accepted and working to embody his true self (who he sees as a super hero, among other things).

Ok, there are parallels there with both Aziraphale and Crowley and the quest to be seen, understood, and accepted for who they truly are, but it doesn't feel like a strong connection.

More digging brings me to a Victorian novel called East Lynne, by Ellen Wood. Already, I feel more hopeful - this fits more neatly with other GO book references, like Pride and Prejudice.

In East Lynne, the main character is Isabel, and she is seen as being very emotional/passionate, very emotionally perceptive, and having extremely expressive, distinctive, and beautiful eyes.

She marries Carlyle, who is very kind but not nearly so able to read body language or understand emotions, and is able to "circumvent his emotions" and "separate business from feeling".

Because of his poor emotional perception, Carlyle contributes to a breakup with Isabel. Also contributing? Someone named Levison, who wants to use Isabel and tricks her into thinking the worst of her husband and running away with Levison instead.

Eventually, after a good bit of trauma, Isabel dons a disguise which includes blue glasses (which are seen as the primary part of her disguise, as her eyes are so distinctive) and returns home as a governess to take care of her children.

So … That sounds familiar, hmmm? We've already seen Crowley as a governess, and he DOES have beautiful, distinctive eyes and is more emotional and impulsive than Aziraphale. And we could argue that Aziraphale's willingness to "separate business from feeling" was a strong driving force in their separation at the end of s2. Factor in The Metatron as a possible Levison, complete with lies and manipulations to break them up so he can use Isabel/Aziraphale, and I think there's definitely a connection.

Here's a really long but interesting analysis:

If East Lynne is the right Clue, perhaps this foreshadows Crowley wearing another disguise (complete with blue glasses?) and back in heaven in season 3. East Lynne doesn't end the way we hope Good Omens will, although Isabel does finally tell Carlyle everything, and he forgives her. We can hope Aziraphale and Crowley will likewise find the value of better honesty and transparency with one another!

(Disclaimer: I added East Lynne to my reading list, but I *just* had this idea and wanted to share, so the plot and character summaries are only from reading descriptions and analysis online, not from directly reading the book. Yet.)

I'm adding this Clue to my collection of Clues / meta of metas!

[tredispade-a]

[Hey, you. I know I've been busy with irl stress and whatnot, but like, your portrayals always live in my head rent free. And not just our ship with the Al verse, though that honestly took me by complete pleasant surprise too. Your muses all have such distinct voices and are fun to plot with, I just want to throw everyone I have at them. They feel real and grounded, fleshed out and complicated and not merely a vehicle for mun kinks or self-insert fantasy projection. I'm so glad that we've been writing more and have developed what we have thus far, I can't wait to explore even more stuff with Soleil and Jenova, rrrrgh *HOLDS THEM GENTLY BETWEEN MY JAWS*, I'm so grateful you're there as my friend and fellow collaborator.]

( 🥺i appreciate you so much. especially with how much stuff you're going through!

i was also surprised how quickly and completely this verse has taken over for us. but then i highkey live for downtrodden muses having a chance at a happily ever after. no matter how unconventional it can be. though of course i still love drama too when it fits. but there is just something special about seeing characters that don't know how to love be loved.

i just been having a little bit of low confidence in my presence? if that makes sense. i know i'm not a terrible writer. i'm just bad about reaching out. i'll have to work on that more. i just worry that i'm like... bothersome with having such a fleet of muses or something like that.

again, thank you <3 i'm really glad that we've become friends and just yap about our blorbos all the time. )

[thesolemnhour]

Philautia 01 and 03 and Philia 03 for Agria please 👀💕

Thank you, Sphinx! These are amazing questions!! They really got me thinking about how for all of her stubbornness and self-possession, she really has some desperately people-pleasing tendencies.

Philautia – Self Love.

1. Does your OC have a healthy sense of their own worth and value? Or do they see themselves as failing to live up to their original potential? Perhaps they are convinced of their own sinful or inadequate nature?

Well, this is the question with Agria, isn't it! The answer really depends on what the words "healthy," "worth," and "value," mean, exactly. She would absolutely say yes! Agria thinks she's cool and smart and--critically!--good at things. It's completely external. She likes herself to the extent that she finds herself to be useful to other people, and she's excellent at finding ways to do so. A lot of that desire is totally self-driven: She likes doing things! She wants to know what she's capable of. But it's also a product of how she's been brought up. It's an implicit "if you really love me, you would do this for me,"-type thing that she carries forward. To her, if she fails or, god forbid, gives up, it's because she didn't love the people around her enough, which is a very difficult pill to swallow. Failing herself is already awful, but she cannot handle failing others.

3. Does your OC believe that it is important to love themselves in the first instance? Perhaps in order to be able to give and receive love authentically? Or because they believe first and foremost in "looking after number one"?

I don't think Agria has a great handle on what self-love actually is. She thinks she does; she's immensely confident and has convinced herself that those things are the same, but in her quiet moments, I don't think she really likes herself unless she's accomplishing something, and that's a feeling she has projected onto everyone else, too. She wouldn't ever put it this way, but in her heart of hearts, she thinks she has to earn love, to do something to deserve it. How she feels about herself is immaterial.

Philia – Affectionate, Platonic Love.

3. What qualities does your OC most value in a friend? Loyalty? Shared sense of humour? Or something else?

Agria likes a lot of things in a potential friend: shared interests and a sense of humor go a long way, and she's willing to try just about anything once if it looks like it might be fun. But more than that, she enjoys a character, someone with a distinct personality and perspective. For all that she hates being criticized, she hates being mindlessly flattered even more. She wants honesty, even if she might stomp her feet and whine after she gets it. She likes people who can match her considerable intensity. She is one of those intolerable people who like to argue for fun and enjoys being challenged to think about things differently.