#not permanently a nerd i have like 8 other genders

[thickest-slimiest-malware]

wow acually i like having concrete gender sometimes. i just saw myself in the mirror with glasses and i thought oh thats a nerd and i was like. wait it all makes sense now! sometimes i like having a thing and knowing how i fit into things. sometimes being loose is good and sometimes being concrete is good

[azucanela]

being zuko’s s/o would include hcs?

BEING ZUKO’S S/O [GENDER NEUTRAL!READER]

BEING KORRA’S S/O | BEING SOKKA’S S/O

SUMMARY: being zuko’s s/o from the confession to the weddin’ [say this but make it rhyme the way those singers do ya know]

WORD COUNT: 2.5k

WARNINGS: kissing, very mildly implied nsfw, soft zuko, a dragon

A/N: these are gonna be extensive bc there is no scenario but if you want whole fics there are like 6342 zuko fics coming since everyone is a zuko simp. also wow this is really long um i hope its what you wanted!

GETTING INTO THE RELATIONSHIP

you guys have probably known each other a long time, because homebody does not fall for just anyone, so if you become the object of his affections, you better feel HONORED. hehe honored 

i feel like it takes him a lot of time to actually accept his feelings for you are beyond platonic. the main reason he falls for you is probably your consistency in his life since thats something he tends to lack. like his mom? gone. his dad? kicked him out of the only place he ever knew. his life is filled with major changes so if you guys have known each other since childhood then consistency is key

once he realizes he likes you he kinda panics because what if you don’t accept him? what if you leave? even worse, what if you leave because he likes you? so now he’s panicking, and naturally, as one does, Zuko avoids his problems. You, being the problem. And his emotions, but he is in denial so

definitely talks to his uncle about the two of you A LOT, especially when he is first figuring out his feelings and trying to figure out what to do about them

his uncle is an elite wingman, constantly tries to get the two of you to be alone in the same space or get information out of you in regards to you

when it comes to confessing i can see a few situations

situation one is that zuko confesses completely by accident, freaks out, disappears, avoids you even more, like homie is a mess. after you get fatally injured, or maybe when he thinks you are asleep, or he just kinda blurts it out in conversation when you guys are doing something domestic. regardless, it is entirely by accident, and now zuko is freaking the heck out. 

“i really like this tea.”

“i really like you.”

“excuse me-”

“i goTTA GO FEED MY DRAGOn Y/N!”

“you don’t have a dragon!”

so that’s how zuko gets his dragon from LOK, storytime over

you kinda have to find him and get a word in before he runs off because he is really scared of rejection, he doesn’t want you to leave and assumes that if the situation is never addressed then you can’t leave woohoo problem solved. 

his uncle yells at him lol

when you corner him you gotta confess super fast and handle his anxieties because he is super worried about you hating him now even though it is the opposite. 

“please don’t leave me.”

“i’m not gonna leave my boyfriend.”

“your- your what?”

“we are dating now. i like you, you like me, so we are dating.”

situation two is equally chaotic, but far less dancing around the feelings since you confess! congrats! you have more balls than me! im so proud! good job bb!

when you confess, its probably late at night, a comfortable silence between the two of you, or maybe he’s ranting about something, like how dumb the concept of tea is idk. regardless this is DOMESTIC, so it’s soft and cute and you are just like you know what screw it this nerd is so easily flustered by me maybe he likes me back! look at us cuddling like a couple! might as well make it official!

zuko.exe error, not working

you broke him good job. 

he externally panics and internally congratulates himself while panicking. he is very shocked you feel that way for him because he is an oblivious boy. 

“honestly, i don’t understand why my uncle likes those flavored water leaves so much-”

“i don’t understand why i’m in love with you.”

“WHAT.”

if y’all were cuddling on a bed or smth he THROWS YOU OFF BY ACCIDENT SKJDHJFHKHWJKF oopsie, he just gets up so quickly that you kinda go tumbling.

homie literally asks you why so naturally you gotta start listing all of these reasons why because hes like perfect and beautiful and yeah we all love him a lot :D marry me zuko <3

you gotta give him a hot minute to process all the information you just gave him, he is in shock for a short while, kinda just sitting there confused. once it gets through his thick skull that you like him he’s gonna thank you 💀

then he’ll ask you how you wanna handle this and boom you have a boyfriend now good job! 

DURING THE RELATIONSHIP

dating during a war is hard so when y’all first start dating, probably towards the end of the war when he finally joins the Gaang, its gonna be really chaotic and you guys are still gonna be sorting through everything, like what kinda couple do you wanna be? neither of you know

kisses are rare during this time, especially since zuko is a generally private person who doesn’t really do PDA much, especially since he wants to avoid teasing and judgement from others. he’s a real people pleaser at the end of the day, he literally spent three years of his life looking for someone the world thought just disappeared permanently because he wanted his dad’s validation.

when you two do kiss, it tends to be a night in your shared tent, even then Zuko is weary of Toph’s seismic senses.

his kisses tend to be soft and sensual, he really just wants to take his time and enjoy it. however, bb does have a temper so you can expect some spice on occasion when he gets frustrated.

this comes later on in the relationship, once the war is resolved, but that just brings about new problems! like having to deal with the new fire lord who is always busy as your boyfriend!

especially at the beginning, when he’s newly crowned and everything is busy and new and he’s struggling with being organized, he rarely has time for you. however, you are likely his right hand, main advisor, general, whatever your area of expertise is he will find you a position in the castle, unless you tell him you want to stay out of politics. though, deep down, he wants to give you a position so he can spend time with you

once things calm down and he’s got being fire lord in the bag, he starts blocking in time during his day to actually take you out on dates and stuff

at one point just disappears for the whole day with you and everyone thinks he’s been kidnapped until they realize you aren’t around either

that’s not very responsible of you guys smh you have a nation to run 

is soft with you, though zuko’s temper definitely lessened when he became Fire Lord, but it no doubt shows itself sometimes, but never with you

well need your assurance sometimes because he gets insecure

like why is the beautiful amazing intelligent woman dating me i do not understand what the heck why have you not left me yet

knock some sense into him

also gets worried that he is a horrible ruler and wants you to tell him that he in fact does his job very well

did you forget you helped end a war zuko?

kiss. his. scar. give him love, its one of few physical parts of himself that he is insecure about and if you kiss him there he might start crying because wow intimacy didn’t know what that was

speaking of intimacy, he is a touch starved boy so when you start giving him love do not stop, never deprive him of cuddles he gets grumpy

lol play volleyball with him

very domestic??? like his parents highkey did not like eachother so now he just wants to hold your hand, lay with you in the morning, wake up to your pretty face, and just cuddle with you while you read aloud 

overall you two are a power couple and zuko simps for you 25/8 you rule as a team and he values you and your opinion VERY much, tries to take you out as often as he can despite his VERY demanding job, and expresses his love to the best of his ability

MARRIAGE N STUFF

zuko took the throne YOUNG he was like 16, so he is not proposing until y’all are at least adults, but i imagine that he is probably gonna wanna date you for like at least three years before proposing

he wants to make sure you are there to stay even if you’ve been around since childhood

there are two ways he is gonna propose here

situation one is where he kinda just does it,,, randomly? like out of nowhere he realizes that w o w he wants to marry you, he wants to spend the rest of his life with you and dedicate everything to you because you are HIS forever person

so he’s kinda just laying with you in the morning, nice soft kisses here and there, will not let you leave the bed and you are definitely complaining, especially if you have a position in the palace and need to get to work

regardless its a soft moment, there’s light filtering in through the window in your shared room, and its shining on your face, and yeah you are lowkey a mess because its the morning but you are just,, so,, beautiful??

and you start telling him about your plans for the, playing with his hair and stuff, and he’s listening to his heartbeat when he breaks from your hold and looks up at you and is just like

“marry me.”

“we also need to feed your dragon- wait what”

you are kinda just in shock for a moment, so you sit up and look at him, mouth gaping open like

“are you serious?”

he suddenly realizes he doesn’t have a ring and it is 7AM in the morning and it is not the best time for this

“...yes”

now you are laughing, falling back onto the pillows, and maybe there’s a tear in your eye as you nod rapidly, “okay, yes.”

now you are thinking of the fake story you are gonna tell people when they asked how he proposed because you are NOT saying it was in bed at 7AM while you were looking like a whole mess

“yes? yes as in yes you will marry me? are you serious?” 

such an idiot, but he’s cute its okay

you kiss him and its passionate and adorable, and he kisses back but he quickly breaks apart and is like “you’re sure? because i don’t have a ring-”

“how have you successfully run a country.”

“good thing you are gonna join me on the throne i suppose.”

“oh my god you’re right-”

“you aren’t reconsidering are you?”

“NO.”

have fun being the fire god woo

now y’all go back to making out and traumatize whatever advisor comes to check on you because they’re like where are the people who rule this country??? 

situation two is where he has been carrying around the ring for MONTHS but is looking for the perfect time to propose because you are perfect so this must be perfect

he couldn’t sleep and in the middle of the night he was like WELP I WANNA GET ENGAGED and kinda just decided he was gonna marry you

since you were asleep he couldn’t ask you right then and these

confides in the gaang and everyone is super excited

now he’s been walking around with this ring for months and what is he supposed to do now oh god

the gaang is like stop procrastinating bro, just ASK HER, and hes like NO IT NEEDS TO BE PERFECT

they help him set up the palace courtyard and make it all nice, there are lanterns, and candles, and a path of rose petals, and this time around he does have a ring so yes its great

he’s like hey let’s go for a walk! and you’re like okay??? lol

so you two are walking around the palace, holding hands, when he leads you to the courtyard and you are just like DAMN this is romantic AND pretty

“i think we are interrupting Zuko let’s leave”

“what do you mean interrupting-”

“well someone clearly put in a lot of effort!”

“that someone is me!”

:O

its not that he isn’t romantic its just that he’s never done something like this so now you’re confused

“did i forget our anniversary?”

“no.”

NOW you understand, looking around, you turn back to him to find that he’s on one knee, you two are in front of the pond with the turtleducks and wow it must be raining why is there water on your face? haha...

he tells you he loves you and that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, and how he hopes he never loses you because you are just so vital to his life and his being and everything he’s done to make this world a better place has been for you and damn zuko you wonder if he got possessed

obviously you agree

and obviously something goes wrong

when he stands you tackle him with a hug and you two fall into the pond

oops 

the wedding[disclaimer: i have never been to a wedding so i do not know what happens in weddings, feel free to educate me pls] is either REALLY intimate and private, or really big and stuff, since you gotta go through that whole coronation process now and like public weddings n stuff

no matter what his uncle is the one who walks you down the aisle.

change my mind.

you cant. 

the intimate one is almost similar to eloping, probably happens in the court yard where he proposed, and you are wearing a AMAZING outfit, whether its a tux, an amazing dress, a jumpsuit, you gonna look FIRE

hehe fire

anyways it’ll probably be the people who fought with him in the war, the gaang, the white lotus, kyoshi warriors, maybe a few others, 

its a really nice ceremony, and the courtyard is decorated so beautifully, though Zuko considered putting a fence around the pond considering what happened when he proposed lol

if its a more public wedding, then its going to feel like the entire Fire Nation came to watch y’all get married, much more flashy, there’s a band performance, a banquet, y’all gotta use the ballroom so that everyone can dance 

kinda nerve wracking ngl

regardless, after you two get married nothing really changes because you always acted like an old married couple, and even as the other ruler of the fire nation, you always had an important job in the palace so its kinda just the same but more official

its a vibe

moral of the story is zuko is a simp for you and your marriage is mutual simping, that is all

A/N: i kinda went off ngl, also im about to hit 200 followers and i feel as though i should do something special so i am taking suggestions pls

taglists[lmk if you wanna be added or removed :D]

zuko: @shawni-h @lil-lex1 @boxofteenageideas @izzieserra @eridanuswave @bigbuckyenergy @outerxorbit

permanent: @chewymoustachio

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

How To Get Into DnD in 10-ish Easy-ish Steps

Cates here. I just wanted to add my thoughts about joining or starting a DnD game for the first time, as someone who’s been there, done that, and still can’t calculate Rogue Sneak Attack damage to save her life. It can definitely be intimidating entering the world of DnD, but for me the best thing about DnD is running around with a group of people who would literally take a sword in the gut for you. Find a supportive and welcoming group (or start one!) and you’ll be fine.

(Note the “easy-ish” modifier in the title. If you’re a hardcore DnDer who thinks that 5e is a travesty and we all should have stuck to 3.5e, or if you’re the kind of person who gets annoyed about DnD suddenly being “mainstream” and “popular”…chances are some of what I’m about to say will make your eyeballs twitch.)

1.       Use other media as a way into understanding DnD. My absolute number one recommendation would be to see or read the play She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. Not only is it a beautiful send-up to nerd culture in general and DnD in particular but because the main character is playing DnD for the first time, it actually provides a decent overview of the mechanics of the game. Another entry point is, of course, Stranger Things—the first season in particular establishes a pretty solid picture of what playing DnD is like.  

2.       From there, find a podcast, YouTube channel, or similar where a group plays DnD, and watch to get a sense of how things work. Film Reroll is fun but that’s GURPS, a different system than DnD. The Adventure Zone is another good one. By far the most popular is Critical Role. I personally don’t care for Critical Role (put away your torches and stink bombs, please,) but it seems to work for other people.

3.       Purchase (or check out from your local library,) the DnD Player’s Guide, 5th Edition. (The most current edition.)

4.       Now that you have a sense of how DnD works, find a game. Bug mentioned some good avenues, like comments sections on Podcasts. To that I’d add check out Reddit subs, Facebook groups, and your local game store if you’re lucky enough to have one. Most game stores have resources for finding parties or even host games at the stores themselves.

5.       Another option: get together a group of friends, form a party, and stumble your way through one of the early level adventures. If no one wants to DM, do what my second party* does and rotate DMs. We each take turns running an adventure, and while each of us does so our character is off on another quest/on vacation/bringing goblin corpses back to life/etc. Ideally, you’ll have at least one person in the group who has some experience with DnD, but if you don’t…so what? The internet is an endless bounty of information. Some of it is even accurate!

*As opposed to the one I’m in with Bug where I’m the permanent DM. 

6.       Figure out what you want from a game of DnD. Are you there for the complicated character backstories? Does the complex system(s) of magic fascinate you? Do you want to be like Legolas from LotR, or like River from Firefly, or like the Incredible Hulk? This will help you get a sense of the kind of character you’d like to play. Some people will wildly disagree with me, but here’s my rough-and-tumble ten second mini guide to figuring out your class as a first time player.

Want to be the smooth talker, the one who gets info from the local bartender? Be a bard, or a rogue who leans into Charisma instead of Dexterity.

Want to be really useful/involved in combat situations? Be a barbarian.

Want to use magic? Be a cleric. Your team will thank you. If you want a more “hardcore” magic class, go with sorcerer over warlock or wizard.

Want to come up with unusual solutions to specific problems? Be a druid.

Want to be sneaky? Be a rogue or a ranger. 

Want to be some combination of the above/figure it out as you go? Be a fighter. Fighters get overlooked as a class because they seem so generic, but that’s actually the advantage of playing one. It’s so broad you can pretty much do whatever you want with it, taking on just about any of the roles I listed above.

7.      Keep in mind that to set your party up for success you’re going to want at least one of each of the following: a healer, a magic user, a ranged (long-distance) fighter, a tank, and a talker. Now, this doesn’t mean you need a party of five, because one character can take on multiple roles. For instance, in the game where I DM, mine and Bug’s brother plays a character who is the party’s main talker and their main magic user. We also have a healer who can be a tank when needed. Basically I just wouldn’t recommend that you have a party consisting of a wizard, a sorcerer, and a warlock, or a fighter, a barbarian, and a monk. Cover different areas of expertise and you’ll have a happy and harmonious party that actually stands a chance of surviving their first combat.   

8.       Resist the urge to use unusual races or classes for your first game. Trust me when I say that you’ll have so many other things you need to work out, sorting through a class or race that isn’t clearly outlined in 5e is a headache you don’t need. More to the point, it’s a headache that your DM doesn’t need. The amount of work that goes into figuring out how to give an unusual class or race a good combat experience (ie, one that doesn’t kill them and one where they don’t kill all the enemies with a snap of their fingers) is a ton of work…and that’s only one aspect. If you really want to be unique, look at the subclasses and subraces. There are some delightfully strange varieties in there.

9.       Similarly, for the love of the Ellimist make sure everyone is clear on the goal of your standard game of DnD: you are a party of adventurers. For the game to work, you need to, for whatever reason, work together. Keeping a whole bunch of secrets from your party, excessively lying to your party, and going against the party’s goals are all ways to make the game waaaaaaayyyyyy less fun for everyone involved. This doesn’t mean that you have to be an open book, but keep in mind that is a COLLABORATIVE, not COMPETITIVE, game. Save the trickery and theft and all for the monsters your party will fight. For instance, in my first game I played a gnome who was disguising himself as a woman because he was on the run from a sorcerer who’d kept him enslaved. He lied about his gender and his name and was vague about his backstory, but he didn’t tell any lies that were aimed at getting a leg up on his party members. Eventually as they bonded he came to trust them and revealed his past, and the party helped him disguise himself as an elderly dwarf so they could take down the sorcerer (it made sense in context : ). Tl;dr: work with your party, not against them.

a. For all my “well, but in my party…” friends, if your game features a bunch of cutthroats all trying to assassinate each other, or if your character was secretly planning on murdering another player’s character for Reasons, that’s fine. All I’m saying is don’t do it in your first game, or you’ll never get off the ground.

10.       Within reason, ignore the minutiae. Don’t worry too much about money, food, or how much weight you’re carrying. (At this point I’m assuming some of my hardcore DnDers’ eyes are popping out of their heads.) Again, note that I said within reason: this doesn’t mean that you can take whatever kind of weapon or armor that you want, and you shouldn’t have a never-ending supply of arrows, nor should you be able to purchase that super rare artifact. But if you focus too much on this stuff, you’ll have a hard time getting anyone (yourself included) invested in the game. If this sort of hyper realism appeals to you, add it in after a few sessions. But give yourself a break at the start and don’t roleplay every afternoon tea.

Remember, a good DnD game is a game that you enjoy playing. A good DnD party is one in which the characters AND the players respect each other. Don’t metaphorically or literally split the party, and you’ll be fine. 

[visceryl]

HPHM Profile: Konn

Art Credit: @zuulosdovah @angrynar​ @montdiarts​ Profile Credt: @hogwartsmysterystory​

- IDENTITY - 

Name: Konnor Levi Rainwater

Gender: Male

Age: 17 years old

Birth Date: September 21st, 1973.

Species: Metamorphmagus

Blood Status: Pureblood

Sexuality: Bisexual - leans mostly towards males.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: English

Residence: Bloomsbury, London

Myer Briggs Personality Type: INTP - The Logician

- THE MAGE -

1st Wand: 

Holly Wood

Thunderbird Tail Feather

10 ¾ 

Reasonably Supple Flexibility

Holly wood is of the more rare variety of wand woods. Often considered protective and attracted to those who need help overcoming anger and imeptiosity. Typically their owners are engaged in a dangerous or spiritual quest. Thunderbird tail feathers are said to be great for transfiguration and are proceedingly difficult to master. They are sometimes said to fire curses when in danger.

2nd Wand: N/A. This boy refuses to lose his wand.

Animagus: An arctic fox 

Misc Magical Abilities: Nothing other than being a metamorphmagus.

Boggart Form: His brother, Allston, looking notably dead and enraged (a nod to being afraid of failing his loved ones).

Riddikulus Form: Milk spewing out of Allston’s nose and him busting out into laughter. (This is also a nod to a time

Amortentia: He smells like peppermint, a freshly cracked book, and petrichor. 

Amortentia: He smells something distinctly animal, faint smokiness, and lavender. 

Patronus: An Occamy.

Patronus Memory: When he becomes an animagus. While the actual process is miserable for him, being able to get to the end and have it work was monumental. It allowed him to feel some semblance of control and was a time he got incredibly close with Talbott.

Mirror of Erised: Himself and his brother side by side with their respective families, happy and laughing, their arms around each other.

Specialized/Favourite Spells:

Specializes in transfiguration spells

Protego (Usually always bailing his friends out of trouble)

Lumos (Who doesn’t need a good light spell)

Expelliarmus (In duelling, he always tries to disarm first)

- APPEARANCE - 

Faceclaim:

Game Appearance:

Height: 5′8

Weight: 142 lbs

Physique: Slender, built for speed and stealth rather than strength.

Eye Colour: A stormy blue, though as a metamorphmagus, it changes.

Hair Colour: Platinum blonde, this changes based on his moods but always returns back to its original color.

Skin Tone: A warm ivory.

Body Modifications: Later on, he gets a fox tattooed on his arm.

Scarring: Konn ends up with a few magical burns. One on his shoulder, another in the dead center of his back. He also has a much more notable blade wound across his abdomen and a permanent knick just beneath one of his eyes that is usually concealed by freckles. He conceals everything.

Inventory: 

A golden snitch

Fox treats (For his pet fennec) 

A casset player/tapes he got from Hal Greywind

A blue goldstone crystal necklace

His journal and quill

His wand

An occamy he keeps hidden in a pouch

His Amaranthine Broom (not always on his person)

- ALLEGIANCES -

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Ilvermorny House: Horned Serpent

Affiliations/Organizations:

The Order of the Phoenix

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Slytherin

Professions:

A spy for The Order of the Phoenix

Professional bailsman for his brother

Sometimes odd jobs for his covers

A tutor during his time at Hogwarts

- HOGWARTS INFORMATION -

Class Proficiencies: (He’s a nerd brain, have mercy)

Astronomy: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Charms:  ★★★★★★★☆☆

DADA: ★★★★★★★☆☆

Flying:  ★★★★★★★★★☆

Herbology: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

History of Magic: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Potions: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Transfiguration:  ★★★★★★★★★★

Electives:

Care of Magical Creatures

Alchemy

Apparition

Study of Ancient Runes

Quidditch: Slytherin Seeker since year 3 all the way through year 7.

Extra Curricular: 

Dueling Club

Ethren’s D&D Club (He tried to keep him from joining but Konn kept sneaking in.)

Quidditch

Favourite Professors: McGonagall

Professor McGonagall is someone Konn looks up to immensely. As he specializes in Transfiguration and later begs to undergo the ritual for becoming an Animagus, she is his closest and greatest ally and teacher. She always looks out for him and presents him with more opportunities to further his skill.

Least Favourite Professors: 

Rakepick: As far as things go with Rakepick, her entire duration as a professor always rubbed Konn the wrong way. He hated her secrecy and interference with the Vaults. He begrudgingly worked with her to gain information and to find his brother, mostly using her as she used him.

Snape: He is mostly disliked due to the toxic relationship he develops with Konn. Always pushing Konn to higher standards than everyone else in unachievable ways, Konn always felt the need to meet them as Snape showed he cared for him and was his HoH. As someone afraid of failure, this was always something that stressed Konn. (Not to mention Snape always praises Merula.)

- RELATIONSHIPS -

Brother: Allston Rainwater

Pureblood Wizard

Attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin

His Animagus form is a Golden Jackal

Allston acted as Konn’s parental figure for the most part. The two were inseparable. His love for his brother outweighs just about everything else.

He never wanted to get involved with the Vaults, but was given no choice.

Allston abstained from having any relations with anyone, often saying he had too much on his plate between the Vaults and his brother. Though later when Konn gives him a normal life, he’s revealed to be straight and marries a muggle woman, having two kids with her.

Misc Siblings: N/A

Father: Roland Rainwater

44 years old

Works for the Ministry of Magic as a high ranking official

Pureblood Wizard

Attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin

Had little interest in his actual kids, spent most of his time working and out of the house, only coming around with gifts just to disappear again.

Very wealthy.

It was suspected later that he was responsible for working with R and that he had pressured Allston into searching for the Vaults.

Mother: Charlotte Rainwater

42 years old

Pureblood Witch

Works as a journalist and writer, always traveling and hunting her next big thing.

Attended Hogwarts as a Ravenclaw.

She was always a bit of a narccisist. Always obssessed with her own career and luxury earninings. She spends big and lives freely, using her work as an excuse for the neglect she left her children with.

Love Interest: Talbott 

Towards the start, Talbott wanted nothing to do with Konn. He found him dangerous and obssessive, his constant trouble-making with the Vaults always causing him to worry.

Konn crushed on him first after seeing how he worked with Transfiguration and learned he was an Animagus.

In attempts to get Talbott to notice him and strike jealousy, Konn asked Tonks to be his fake date to the ball. This rouse failed miserably as Talbott just thought they were dating.

During 5th year, Konn finally confessed how he felt. Talbott had his reserves, but agreed to a first date.

They compliment each other really well. Both specializing in the same areas, Talbott’s cool and collected often soothes Konn’s rampant lack of control, while Konn often convinces Talbott to come out of his shell.

While still chasing Talbott, over a summer, Konn and Hal have a brief fling before realizing they’re more like brothers and wondering what the hell they were thinking.

Best Friends: 

Nymphadora Tonks

Rowan Khanna

Rival: Merula

Enemy: R, Rakepick, his father, and later on (I think for everyone) Voldemort, Ben Copper.

Dormmates: 

Rowan

Barnaby

Murphy

Orion

Pets: His pet Fennec Fox, Vulcan. Vulcan was gifted to him by Allston right before he vanished. It is speculated Allston went home, left the gift, then went back to Hogwarts where he was finally trapped.

Closest Canon Friends:

Talbott Winger

Nymphadora Tonks

Rowan Khanna

Tulip Karasu

Barnaby Lee

Jae Kim

Charlie Weasley

Closest MC Friends:

Hal Greywind @one-very-angry-hufflepunk​

Ethren Whitecross @hogwartsmysterystory​

Kaina Malin @zuulosdovah​

Uriel Nightclaw @montdiarts​

Skylar Morningstar @angrynar​

Daisy Withers @ruby-and-opal-withers​

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

As an infant, Konnor was nannied by an elderly woman hired through services. She was strict and cold, pushing his incredibly young mind to work before it was ready. This was when he showed signs of being a metamorphmagus, always seeming to scare the living daylights out of the woman who could never keep up with walking into a room and seeing a different baby each time.

By the time Konnor had turned four, Allston was his primary caretaker. The two brothers were inseparable, always learning, exploring. They had great fun teasing all the teachers and incoming caretakers together. It just so happened, they also took more fun in seeing how much they could milk from their parents. Pizzas every night, horror movies on the screen. It was through fun, companionship, and love that Konn shaped and grew into a more controlled state. He was smart, always pushing Allston to teach him more and more. It got quite lonely once Allston began going to Hogwarts and leaving all year save for holidays and summer, but they wrote religiously and Konnor would always be bouncing and ready to beg his brother to share all he’d learned during the year once he returned.

Hogwarts. At this stage in Konnor’s life, it was finally his turn to go to the grand school he’d been itching to attend ever since his brother had… but it came bittersweet. Allston had never come home to celebrate his acceptance letter. Had never come home to prep, to plan, to discuss what happened that year. He’d vanished, and with it he took most of Konn’s excitement and control. As emotions ran rampant in the boy, he started his years at the school a freak. Lonely. They all talked about his brother, the expectations for himself. There was little love or care in what he did save for seeking out his brother. Many may say he grew jaded, untamed, obsessive. There was only one thing that really clung to his heart, the fennec fox his brother had left behind for him as a pet.

Indirectly, his parents taught him many things. Konnor, at heart, grew to be quite frugal, never taking advantage of anything given to him (lest it was another gift from his father that meant nothing at all). He was also taught what family really meant, that it was between those who meant something to you and should be protected at all costs. Though on a much opposite end, he also found he had to work twice as hard for any recognition, always pushing himself above and beyond to be anything great. Especially when he had Allston to impress.

After leaving Hogwarts at the end of his schooling, Konn went on reunited with his brother in full. While Allston never rejoined the wizarding world fully, becoming something of a vigilante to hunt down those that’d wronged him and threatened his family, Konn began avidly seeking out the Order. He was quickly accepted as a spy, doing frequent operation work while maintaining a line on his brother and making sure he stayed out of danger.

At one point, he was approached by a Death Eater, and nearly underwent necessary precaution to become a double agent, but Allston, Hal, and Talbott quickly ushered against the idea of their brother, friend, and lover being marred permanently by a symbol and risking his life more than he already did.

During the heat of the war, Konn asked Talbott to always be his. They then promised each other that once the battle and hardships were over, they’ll consider marriage and having a family together. However, it is quickly discovered it wouldn’t be so simple.

It is found out that in Konn and Allston’s attempts to bring their father to justice that he’s murdered in order to keep whatever secrets he might have had. This is then promptly framed on Allston who it catches up to later alongside much of his vigilante practices. When faced with the hard decision to persecute his own brother, Konn instead begs Talbott to help him remove Allston’s memories and give him a normal life. Removing all of Allston’s memories and replacing them with something much more mundane, they move Allston to America where he’s finally free from the perils of the wizarding world.

Konn never appears to be the same after losing his brother for good, but lives the rest of his life working and watching out for any oncoming threats. He and Talbott eventually do settle down with two adopted children together.

- PERSONALITY - 

Protective: Konn is protective of his loved ones to a fault. Deep rooted with paranoia, he is constantly fretful for his loved ones and does everything in his power to keep them safe while still trudging through the hell that is their experience in Hogwarts and beyond. He’s quick to jump at the defense of his friends and family, not afraid to risk his own hide in the process should it be necessary.

Short Tempered: Of his many rampant emotions, anger is the quickest one to flare and show. Anytime he’s frustrated or annoyed, someone is bound to know. Whether it be his shortness or the flaming red hair, you’re welcome to take your pick of context. He’s very quick to annoy and while true anger from him is hard to achieve, petty anger and annoyance is almost constant. Droning noises, interruptions, and blatant stupidity are all quick to grate his nerves.

Stubborn: Konn has never been one to back down from anything, and he never intends to. Driven by a need to prove himself and inability to let something go, he will see something through to the very end. This allows him all the qualities of a hard worker. He gives everything his all without any intention of slowing or stopping. Sometimes this also means doing the work for others if they can’t keep up.

Intelligent/Cunning: While irritating on many levels when he tries to be the smartest person in the room, Konnor truly is smart. He often gets things faster than most and while conventional learning is useless, his hands on learning style allows him to learn on the fly. He almost always has an answer for everything and uses this to aid himself and his friends whenever they’re caught in a bad situation. He also consistently keeps good grades on everything while at Hogwarts.

Ambitious: It’s no surprise as a Slytherin that Konn tends to aim high. Though not in the standard many may think, he doesn’t want glory or fame or money. His ambitions are often geared towards his power and loved ones. Whether it be proving to the world he can take down the Vaults and save his brother, getting all his loved ones out alive, furthering his own power, or even taking down R himself. He’s the kind to look at a challenge and want nothing more than to conquer it.

Loyal: Alongside his protectiveness, Konn would never leave someone he cared for behind. He’s not even the type to leave someone he cared very little for behind. Including Merula on some occasions. As far as Konn is concerned, the only person allowed to bully his people are him. He is quick to rise to any occasion to stick by and protect his friends. Should they need a hand in battle, to get out of detention, or simply a shoulder to cry on, he tries to always be there.

MISC

NOTE: This section may update from time to time.

Konn lives in Bloomsbury, London when not attending Hogwarts in the Rainwater family home and often invites his friends over to stay with him during the summer.

He’s attempted to play many instruments including the violin, flute, and piano but never felt it was for him in the end and lost his touch if he ever acquired it.

Despite never having much room to prove it, he is a huge animal lover and adored his time working with Magical Creatures, often wishing he’d spent more time dedicating to it.

Konn was born with awful vision, but as he learned to control his metamorphmagus abilities, his eyesight also varied and improved.

No one is really sure whether his metamorphmagus abilities were inherited or not.

Konn comes from a small family of only two uncles, an aunt, and three cousins on his dad’s side of the family. His mother was an only child.

He listens to 80′s rock religiously after Hal introduced him to muggle music and what he learned was called a ‘cassette player’. Hal let him use it once and never got it back.

While his family is rich, spending money stresses Konn out. 

Much like his mother, he developed a knack for writing, however exclusively keeps it as a hobby

He let Hal try to teach him to shoot a gun once. He bruised his shoulder and after promptly startling himself into a new shape, vowed never to use one again.

Konn has never lost a game of Monopoly in his life.

After Rowan’s death, Konn blames Ben and fosters an incredible hatred for the boy after.

[immcrtalised]

LFRP - Captain Devon Mormont - Crystal Data Center

the basics ––––

NAME: Devon Mormont

AGE: 30; 19th Sun of the 4th Astral Moon

RACE: Hyur Highlander

GENDER: Cisgender Female

SEXUALITY: Heterosexual

MARITAL STATUS: Single

SERVER: Balmung

physical appearance ––––

HAIR:  Waist-length, red, often braided

EYES: Spring green

HEIGHT: 5 fulms 8 ilms

BUILD: Athletic; pale, freckled skin that burns in the sun

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Thousand yalm stare, warm smiles, scars here and there when she’s showing skin

COMMON ACCESSORIES: She likes to wear flowers in her hair and bright colors when off-duty

personal ––––

PROFESSION: Immortal Flames Captain, conjurer-at-large, field medic

HOBBIES: People watching, exercising, reading Ishgardian romances disguised as treatises on battlefield tactics and maneuvers

LANGUAGES: Eorzean

RESIDENCE: TBD

BIRTHPLACE: Ala Mhigo

PATRON DEITY: Rhalgr

FEARS: Drowning, loss of free will, losing more soldiers under her leadership; she suffers from PTSD

relationships –––-

SPOUSE: None

CHILDREN: None

PARENTS: Arthur Mormont (father), Genevieve Mormont (nee Ironsides, mother)

SIBLINGS: Ainsley Mormont (younger sister)

OTHER RELATIVES: Cousins, aunts, uncles and the like on both sides of the family. Most live in Thanalan, or have relocated back to Gyr Abania since the retaking of Ala Mhigo

PETS: None

TRAITS ————-

extroverted / introverted / in between

disorganized / organized / in between

close minded / open-minded / in between

calm / anxious / in between

disagreeable / agreeable / in between

cautious / reckless / in between

patient / impatient / in between

outspoken / reserved / in between

leader / follower / in between

empathetic / unemphatic / in between

optimistic / pessimistic / in between

traditional / modern / in between

hard-working / lazy / in between

cultured / un-cultured / in between

loyal / disloyal / in between

faithful / unfaithful / in between

additional information ––––

SMOKING HABIT: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

DRUGS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

ALCOHOL: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

possible hooks ––––

She joined the military young, and has served continuously since then. She’s a veteran of Carteneau and the Ghimlyt Dark

Other members of the Flames could easily discover that she lost several soldiers under her command during the Ghimlyt, was investigated and placed on temporary leave until the inquiry committee gave her clearance.

Refugee from Ala Mhigo, she grew up poor in Ul’dah

While she started her career as a soldier, she took an interest in the healing arts and has an aptitude for conjury. She is earth-aspected, and trained for several years with the Gridanian conjurers’ guild

She has been permanently reassigned to city duty, and while she patrols dutifully, she resents being “caged”, as it were

what I’m looking for ––––

Friend, colleagues, former flings, rivals - you name it, I’m looking for it for Devon. She’s doesn’t like to sit idle, and does often perform patrols throughout the city and will take caravan duty as requested. She’s based out of Balmung but the whole of the Crystal Data Center is open for solicitation. I’m also more than happy to RP on Discord.

oocly, I am ––––

Easy-going

Friendly and helpful

Adaptable to many different stories and situations

An experienced writer and gamer, comfortable with many kinds of roleplay

A giant nerd

you can contact me via ––––

Discord - tanaloth#3415

[impossible-rat-babies]

1 thru 10, 20 thru 25 for pollux :0?

Griff! Thank you! :D mostly under the cut bc this got long XD

1. what is their secret identity? do they have any nicknames? what is the meaning behind them?

Pollux Bixby is his secret identity! He isn’t much used to hearing his full name, or really his first name, so it’s often like “whooooommm??” when someone says his name. He doesn’t really have a nickname, but back in his sidestep days, the group would often shorten his name and call him Lux. Lux-a-rooni was a common one for Ortega. Pollux picked his name because he’s always been very fond of space and stars. He would have been an astrophysicist if his life has been different.

2. what is their sexual/romantic orientation and gender? 

Pollux is “gender is for nerds” and uses he/him pronouns. He mainly describes his sexual orientation asj ust queer. He has a hard time defining his attraction or lack there of at times, so the all encompassing nature of queer is comfy.

3. what is their villain name? why did they choose it?

His villian name is Dioscuri which is a nod back to his love of the stars + a nod to his own name and his puppets name. He knows it was “””edgy””” picking something so close to his own name, but he likes it. There is a fun dualism of identity in naming himself after the twins of Greek Mythology that can be....more close to the truth than he cares to admit at times.

4. what does their villain armor look like? what is their typical style of dress?

He chose the “mysterious” armor and it has a mirror finish all around and it’s very sleek, but there is a solidity about it, a presence to it. It’s also like with blacks and silver metal. He built it for speed and strength.

Normally, Pollux has a quirky fashion sense + layers. He likes crop tops and boxy shirts, stripped pants. Matching patterns are for other people and he has got no time to not be obnoxious. He has a big army green hoodie with an nb patch on it that he loves. He does have a shirt that says “sidestep eats ass” and “be gay, do crime” 

5. what is their zodiac sign?

honestly...i unno bout him yet. I wanna say he might be a scorpio, since he does have a winter birthday. 

6. what is their mbti type?

He’s an INTJ: the architect

7. what is their dnd alignment?

He is neutral evil, my fave of the evil alignments. He is more conscious of the lives of others, but not enough to change his alignment

8. Are they more calculating or more sincere in their interactions with others?

Depends. In rebirth, he was much more calculating in his interactions with people, seeing them as pieces on a chess board and “how can i get what I need out of them?” He had a deadline to keep and he wasn’t about to get caught up in people ruining his plans. Even with the Rangers back in his life, he was still committed to moving forward in his plans, the inevitable of becoming a villain.

In retribution, he feels like he can be more sincere with people. He’s taken the step of being a villain, committed to that course of action. There is a separation between Pollux and Dioscuri, so he can be looser with who he is. He also is just....running with who he is and his actions, but he is leaning on wanting to give people the truth, to be sincere. He feels like he owes that much to folks like Ortega and Steel.

9. How honest are they?

He tries to be, but he’s def a liar by omission quite often. Telling the truth is hard, telling his big secrets is next to impossible, even with the people he loves. He knows he’s terrible keeping his big secrets and lying--esp to Ortega--but he’s not ready to get rid of his mask, have people in close. so he is a big fat liar.

10. Are they a leader or a follower?

He is a leader, albeit a terrible one. He prefers to only have to manage himself and no one else; he was content to be a vigilante and work with the Rangers, but he likes to be alone to do his work. He’s a bad team player.

20. How do they feel about death?

Deep down in the places that Pollux doesn't want to talk about and recognize, he wants to die. Living is hard, living is pain. Is he even really living, or has he just convinced himself he is a living thing, worthy of life? He’s delusional thinking he can be a living thing. But he isn't going to make a plan, or take his own life. He’ll keep living, mainly spitefully, but if someone could kill him/put him in a position where he can’t fight back and he’s staring death in the face...he’ll take it.

21. What is their philosophy?

He’s got a pretty standard set of morals he abides behind, but he doesn’t hold people to it. He knows people won’t; expecting perfection is asking for the impossible. Other than that, he doesn’t really have a philosophy beyond life sucks with good bits in there, and then you die.

22. How do they feel about their telepathy? is it a gift? a curse? 

A gift. Pollux wouldn’t really know what to do with his life if he was permanently without his telepathy. He relies on it so much to do heavy lifting in his life, so without it he would be a disaster. His deficiencies are so strong when he can’t see what is going on inside the heads of others. He is still very good at reading faces, but he is off his game when he can’t see the heads of others. 

He doesn’t feel off when it comes to dealing with Ortega since he can’t see what is going on in his head, but it’s still the comfy of having known someone for years. Being seen at the best of the best, and at the worst of the worst.

23. how do they feel about possessing people?

Just a part of his life, part of building his plans, living his life. He doesn’t take pleasure it in, it’s just part of his life. He’s mainly disconcerted by getting his head mixed up in others, not knowing where he is and they are, like with Castor. He feels too fragile, like he’ll shatter in the face of someone much more real than him--much more human. Feeling like a person is like possessing someone, but he’s possessing himself.

24. How do they typically come across to strangers? to friends? do they frequently use their telepathy to influence others’ perceptions of them?

He uses his telepathy a lot to make it so people don’t see him, or just see a plain person, no one of consequence. They just see another face in the crowd. It keeps him safe, keeps him away from the mass amounts of people.

Around friends, he is much less guarded and lets them see him. Often it’s too much work to have up all the shields, especially when he can't read all of his friends like Ortega and what not. He’s much more his caustic, cynical and sarcastic self around his friends. A big angry jerk, but he’s got his heart of gold moments.

25. do they prefer to be alone or with other people?

He prefers to be alone, being an introvert on top of how silence can be....just really, really nice. He likes being able to indulge in the quiet of no other minds around, at least until the anxiety of it just hits him and he panics. He likes the quiet of nobody, but gets anxious quick.

--

[sidestep ask meme]

[old4sa]

*holds the microphone up to Cookie* For the ask game -Joel

1) How did you get your name?

2) Age?

Late 30s early 40s

3) Height?

Who's to say? Taller than Nate. I don't know if I'm taller than Jay. This is all pretendsies anyway. Might change my mind later.

4) Are you nonhuman?

Nope!

6) Favorite colour?

Orange.

7) What languages can you speak? Does the body know them?

English and basic Spanish. Same for us actually.

8) What's something you consider yourself good at?

At the moment I excel at thinking too much and making myself sad. My biggest flaw is I'm a perfectionist! In five years I hope to see myself still alive.

9) Any foods you'd like to try?

No 🧡 I'm a boxed in bitch. In my comfort zone and thriving. On my autism game. (Chuck says he wants to go to a Margaritaville but I know we wouldn't eat seafood so it'd just be for the ambiance 😒)

10) Do you have a playlist for yourself? What's the most 'you' song on it? How long is the playlist?

Both Award Show and Stress by Jim's Big Ego are very me. I also like the band Cheekface.

11) Are you a subsystem?

No.

12) Coke or pepsi?

Diet Coke.

13) For Fictives: Would you recommend others watch/read/ect your source?

Can't be much worse than the current fans. Go nuts.

14) Do you have an inner world? Anything neat go on there?

We just woke up again after having a system reset so there's not much complexity right now. I have an apartment though. It sucks shit.

15) How does being a system affect you in everyday life?

As a girl it made me mysterious and therefore irresistible to socially inept and emotionally unstable nerds that projected their ideas of what I was onto me. As a man it makes my clothing style difficult to categorize and financially unfeasible.

16) Are you open about it?

I've told a couple people. It feels very important to us, it's a big part of who we are and it hurts to not be seen as ourselves, but when we've told people it hurts more to see the confusion or disinterest. So we don't talk about it usually.

17) Anything you carry with you to help feel more like yourself?

Our main way of expressing ourselves is by dressing as ourselves so clothes.

18) If you could change the body at all, would you? Howso?

I'd want to have my voice but. I don't know about other people. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing anything permanent, knowing I'm just a renter.

19) Does your gender or sexuality differ from your "singletsona" at all?

We're a trans guy, but I'm a cis guy. Honestly a lot of us are cis men so that translates to transitioning to male. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

20) Favorite song in general?

Award Show or Stress.

21) Tell a random fact about yourself

I'm brand new! I just woke up! I'm scared of going away forever! Just alter things!

[love-takes-work]

Steven Universe Graphic Novel Too Cool for School (2016) - Outline & Review

We finally have a full-length graphic novel for Steven Universe and it's just lovely! It was so much fun to go to school with Steven, and in this longer format, the authors were able to take their time with it and make it feel almost like it could be an episode of the show.

There are things they could have done better, but overall the enjoyment overshadows the disappointments. The characters we know and love were almost always right on with their characterization, and though the background characters new to the story here were pretty one-dimensional (and sometimes caricaturish), I could deal with it getting to see Steven in a new setting. Some of us had wondered about his school situation, since they never do explicitly state in the show that Steven's been educated at all, and this clears that up if it can be considered canon. The art is cute, with the characters' body language feeling appropriate despite the slight lean off the show model (the characters look sort of lumpier and sketchier), and as always the backgrounds are lovely to look at. 

And while I don't quite think the comic will stand on its own for readers who don't watch the show, I think it's fantastic to have a volume like this for those of us who love little in-between snacks. This book contains two full-color stories: The main story is "Too Cool for School," and then there's a little side story at the end called "Yard Sale." I'll examine "Too Cool for School" first and outline what I liked, what I didn't like, and what I thought was notable. What I liked: 1. Steven is so dang melodramatic about no one wanting to entertain him in the beginning. He talks just like this in the show too, infusing everything with drama when he's overwhelmed. It's so Steven. 2. Connie brings Steven to school for show and tell and quickly makes a mess of explaining what Gems are. Her awkwardness was precious. I have personally tried to explain what Gems are to people who ask me about the show and it kinda sometimes goes a little bit like this. And he's so excited and eager to tell the other kids about being a half-Gem and enthusiastically admits he has no idea what exactly he is. He's just cute.

3. Steven starts obsessing over whether the Gems might have seen dinosaurs and it's really nice how the dialogue sounds like what real kids sometimes say. 4. When Connie and Steven get sent to the principal's office, you can just see the weight of Connie's parents' expectations pressing down on her shoulders as she wails about her permanent record. It's very true to her character.

5. Connie's resentment of Steven getting her in trouble evaporates relatively quickly when she sees him all wide-eyed about cafeteria lunch, and it's so perfect that she just can't stay mad at him. It reminds me a bit of their actual dynamic on the show during the episode "Fusion Cuisine." 6. When Connie set out to explain lunch cliques to Steven, I was expecting the sort of trite jocks/nerds/slackers dynamic, but they came up with some pretty unusual groups for the lunchroom. They have social media stars hanging out together, along with some board game enthusiasts, an anti-clique clique, and the Junior Safety Patrol. I figured they'd be portrayed as NERDS but Connie super respects them and isn't dismayed that Steven picks them to sit with (and of course he would; he'd love to be with people who appreciate protecting others!). I'm glad she wasn't like "no Steven they're unpopular," though she's even less popular so it works out. I like their design--I'm not sure what gender a couple of them are being portrayed as (which is nice ambiguity), though I'm sad they don't seem to have names.

7. I just love that Steven's chattering about school during his Gem mission. That's one thing I've always loved about the show: Steven is thrilled to talk about Gem stuff with everyday people, but he's also just as excited about mundane stuff that's new to him. 8. Pearl's comment about how Steven enjoys pummeling children his own age in dodgeball has the Pearl Tone exactly right. The way she humors him has a particular flavor and this nailed it.

9. The bickering between the Gems regarding whether Steven should go to school is just classic. Pearl is in her typical frame of mind--that only Gem education is important and he's already learning what's necessary--while Garnet is firmly on Team Trust Steven, insisting that if he wants to do it then it must be what he needs. And what Garnet says goes, so there. Perf. 10. The very mundane issue of getting a phone call through to contact the Gems when a snail monster started attacking the school was pretty entertaining. 11. I love when Pearl goes full Gem Dork on the principal when she's bragging about how cool her race is. It's accurate to TV Pearl--she loves telling everyone how great Gems are.

12. Steven wants to be called "marsh periwinkle" after a cute snail species. Connie objects but he seems adamant that he deserves this adorable name. YOU BET YOU DESERVE IT STEVEN. YOU ARE A MARSH PERIWINKLE FOR SURE. 13. I think it's cute that Connie feels so honored at being accepted onto the Junior Safety Patrol, and she's happy that some people like her and know her name, but then she finds attention at school overwhelming when everyone's treating her like a hero and happily reclaims her lunch nook in the library. Too many stories like hers have the introvert being saaaaad because she doesn't have friiieeends and then everything is solved when everyone suddenly loves her. But Connie ISN'T happy with that and never wanted it. Respect for introverts is rarely seen in plots like this and I loved seeing Connie withdrawing from the social attention and not being spun as a loser for doing so. What I didn't like: 1. The front cover depicts Steven looking out the classroom window at the Temple. Nothing I've seen in the show suggests a school with that view would be possible, considering where the Temple is. 2. Connie's catching the bus at a stop that is apparently close enough to Steven's house that he happened to run into her. Connie doesn't live in Beach City, so I don't know why she's catching the bus there. She claims her dad's car is busted and that's why she's riding the bus, but then she even continues to ride the bus the following year. Not sure this was actually thought out. 3. I don't like how nobody wanted to hang out with Steven at the beginning but they didn't seem to have a reason. Amethyst literally said she was too bored to do anything and Pearl appeared to be ever so busy with . . . calisthenics? At least Garnet disappeared into her room and she could have been doing something important, but she didn't say what. I wouldn't mind if they volunteered a reason they couldn't pay attention to him right then, but this almost felt mean, and weird. 4. The teacher and the principal talk really cartoonishly (not in a good way); they say stuffy adult things and sometimes speak in ways that sound like a kid wrote what they think grown-ups sound like; they're unreasonable and use unnecessarily complex words in very awkward ways ("None of you are from space! That is highly improbable."). 

I also have a pet peeve about "adult who doesn't believe in fantastical story takes care to mock magic children who are telling the truth" tropes, especially if they immediately flip into starry-eyed awe when the proof arrives. The principal especially has some circular, repetitive, tortured-sounding scolding, particularly at the end (e.g., "With accidents of this magnitude disciplinary action is our only course of action"). The background kids are sometimes stuck in a sort of cruel hivemind too. Throwing erasers and paperballs at the new kid because he told a weird story about being a superhero seems exaggerated. 5. When Connie and Steven get called into the principal's office, Steven's dad is summoned but you never see the Maheswaran parents. Don't know why that is. I like that Greg points out that he didn't even know Steven was going to school, though. 6. I'm confused about why the second snail monster appeared. When they hunted down the first one, they found its Gem and bubbled it. Then the Gems said it was fine for Steven to take a snail shell from the site, only to find it turning up as a monster later. In other situations, mother monsters sometimes leave behind parasites after they've been defeated, but those parasites don't have Gems. This one did, so it must have been an identical second monster that the Gems didn't know was still there? I don't really understand how that happened. 7. The principal refers to Pearl as the "legal guardian" of Steven. Which she is not in any way. She's an alien from space with no legal standing of her own. 8. I think the principal deciding not to expel Connie because she got a good exam score is bizarre and nonsensical reasoning. It doesn't seem connected to the principal's reasoning about her endangering students by leading them to fight the snail. 9. Pearl protests the concept of "giving a ship a gender" when Steven's teacher talks about the mothership. She seems completely baffled by this, even though Gems don't have actual genders and THEY do this too. (They have called Gem monsters "mothers" if they spawn clones, and they called Rose Quartz Steven's mother even though she is technically not a woman.) I usually like when the Gems are confused about Earth stuff but this doesn't seem like it should confuse Pearl. 10. I fundamentally do not understand the ending of this story. Connie was almost expelled (and nonsensically saved through her exam score), and she was scolded and her friend kicked off the property. And yet when she returns to school in the fall (and has the same teacher), everyone is wearing glasses like hers to celebrate "Connie Day" and she's praised for "saving the school" (even though the building literally fell down) and Steven is also honored by the principal even as his expulsion is upheld. It just felt like a very strange and nonsensical way to end the story. Notable: 1. The Gems are wearing their latest outfits in this comic! Amethyst has her black stars on her knees. BUT! In the frame when they warp away from fighting the snail monster, Garnet's colors have reverted to her first outfit. Just that one frame. Weird. 2. Pearl is oddly not drawn with blue eyes in "Too Cool for School." Her eyes are actually pretty important to her aesthetic, so it was weird to see her with black filled-in eyes in the first story. She has her blue eyes again in the short! (And in the first story, Sour Cream's blue eyes are filled in blue, so I'm not sure why Pearl's aren't.) 3. In a summer shot of the Cool Kids, Sour Cream is wearing his Pants Become Shorts in shorts mode. Nice callback. And Sadie's maybe flirting with a boy in the Big Donut, and Lars looks jealous! 4. There were unfortunately tons of language errors, punctuation glitches, and misspellings--which is a shame because this is a professional publication but it made me feel a little like I was reading a fan creation online. My list: * Connie asks Steven why he's up so early with no question mark. * The teacher says she'll send Steven to the "principals office," no apostrophe. * Connie misspells her own last name in her talk bubble while discussing her future. * Greg asks about signing something and doesn't get a question mark. * Steven's handwritten sign misspells mustard as "mustart" and leaves a word out of "the fizz some lemon lime soda," which is odd for a kid who aced the final exam at the end. * The coach asks the students to "gather round" with no ending punctuation in his talk bubble. * Pearl refers to "chilren" in one talk bubble instead of "children." * Steven asks about show and tell with a period instead of a question mark. * The principal uses the word "unfortunetly." * The principal utters this inexcusable sentence: "There are an order to things Miss Maheswaran that we must obey." * The principal misspells "receive" as "recieve" in one talk bubble. * And she uses the word "undoutably," spelled like that. * Pearl's dialogue has "?!" at the end of a comment that wasn't in any way a question. * Pearl uses the word "spacefairing." The word is actually "spacefaring." * Pearl talks about Gems having "trancended" rigid structures instead of "transcended." * And she uses the wrong its while talking about Steven's space family. * The principal leaves an article out of this sentence: "Steven is never ever ever come to this school again." * Connie manages to spell the Latin name of littoraria irrorata correctly, but then her talk bubble uses the word "reffered" instead of "referred." * Connie asks a question about what makes Steven think he deserves a cute nickname but she leaves off the question mark.

And then there was the second story (which I may like even more than the main story!): the short "Yard Sale," in which Vidalia has a yard sale and Steven buys something special for each of the Gems, but then he lacks money for an old game system he wants to try. After some failed attempts to barter with Vidalia, they promise her babysitting for Onion, and Steven feels this is terrible because nothing is worth that. Stuff I loved: Amethyst has no idea why anyone would want to sell their stuff because she is a huge hoarder and I love her wanting to buy a purple guitar because it has two "thingies." I CAN'T EVEN DEAL WITH GARNET WANTING THE MOM SQUAD SWEATER. IT IS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD.

The mention of Vidalia knowing Amethyst well enough to know she does NOT want anything in that room was hilarious. And we have Pearl offering car repair and Garnet offering to break the car first. Garnet is just an incredibly special kind of funny and I just love it.

[SU Book and Comic Reviews]

[lodessa]

Getting to Know Each Other

m

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag blogs you would like to get to know better. 

Tagged by @stasiclaire and @caressyouintodarkness

1.Nicknames: Ari (the natural abbreviation of my name which I hated as a kid and fought but as an adult am totally fine with),  also my husband and immediately started calling each other “Gemheart” after reading Oathbringer because it is the loveliest endearment but also because we are nerds. 2. Gender: Female 3. Star sign: Taurus 4. Height: (just shy of) 5′4″ 5. Time: 6:36 AM 6. Birthday: May 3rd 7. Favorite bands: Basically I am permanently stuck in the mid 90s here. 8. Favorite solo artists: Ani DiFranco, Joni Mitchell, Jude, Tracy Chapman, Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple. 9. Song stuck in my head: “New Rules” by Dua Lipa ... still 10. Last movie I watched: My husband was watching the first Ironman when I got home yesterday. 11. Last show I watched:  Started watching the Netflix Punisher series yesterday.  So far not loving it, but deeply enjoying getting to look at Ben Barnes’ face again, plus the pleasant surprise of Shohreh Aghdashloo showing up (I may have audible squealed in excitement when I heard her voice before the camera panned to her).  Karen and Frank’s interactions so far have continued to be good, but I’m really not interested in the actual plot. 12. When did I create my blog: (I have to look this up every time) January 1st, 2010 13. What do I post: a variety of different series (including but not limited to: most treks, asoiaf/got, veronica mars), social issues, cute animals, 14. Last thing I googled: “shatner isaacs feud” 15. Do I have any other blogs: no sideblogs, everything goes here in one jumbled mess 16. Do I get asks: Yes 17. Why I chose my url: This has been my fandom handle since 2004 or 2005. 18. Following: 128 19. Followers: 831 21. Average hours of sleep: Fitbit says anywhere from about 6 hours to 7 1/2 22. Lucky number: Not a thing for me 23. Instruments: I am the non musical member of my family 24. What am I wearing: work outfit(knee length cap sleeved modern floral neutral toned dress, taupe leggings, low heeled black leather knee high boots, flowy black open front sweater, dangly metal earrings) 26. Dream job: teaching students who actually give a fuck (haha yeah right) or professional writer 27. Dream trip: Anywhere beautiful with nice weather 28. Favorite food: cheese 29. Nationality: “Us Californians just have to worry about California breaking off from the United States... to go hang with Hawaii.” 30. Favorite song right now: The blessed silence when I get home after a day full of the cacophony of the classroom.

Tagging: @icecream-junkie, @nerdfishgirl, @not-so-superheroine, @girlwithathorn, @devoverest, @killermanatee, @klugtiger, @halftarth, @ariella884,

[irlheart]

1. describe your idea of a perfect date

- a date in general!!!!! i dunno lol like going somewhere like the fair or smn and then sleeping back at one of our houses

2. whats your “type”

- mm i love when ppl have freckles and wear earrings or jewelry in general and have painted nails and when ppl are really dressed down and i love love curly hair ehe

3. do you want kids/4. if you do, will you adopt or use some other form of child birth?

- if my spouse wants to also id wanna adopt but i dont wanna pass on genes in any way no

5. describe the cutest date you’ve ever been on

- ive never dated anyone :~(

6. describe your experience having sex for the first time (were you nervous? or was it easy peasy?)

- see above

7. are you a morning time gay or night time gay?

- night

8. opinion on nap dates?

- best dates! god tier!

9. opinion on brown eyes?

- i have em so im a little biased to not like them but i love them on others

10. dog gay or cat gay?

- cat

11. would you ever date someone who owned rodents or reptiles?

- i love snakes and lizards and frogs but i LOVE snakes.....about rodents though the concept is Good so tldr Yes but i dont know if id want rodents myself

12. whats a turn off you look for before you start officially dating someone

- weirdly bigoted onions.....like if someone is genuinely just uneducated about certain things but willing 2 learn thats a okay but when people are just really Purposefully closeminded and unwilling thats a no no!!

13. what is a misconception you had about lgb people before you realized you were one?

- that we were dirty and abnormal

14. what is a piece of advice you would give to your younger self

- its okay to be a faggot

15. (if attracted to more than one gender) do you have different “types” for different genders?

- for girls i LOVE LOVE LOVE bangs....for boys i love when theyre taller than me and i tend to stray towards jock/preps bc im goth/nerd ehehe

16. who is an ex you regret?

- n/a wkdbdjdhdg

17. night club gay or cafe gay?

- cafe i think

18. who is one person you would “go straight” for

- kim dahyun my irl wife

19. video game gay, book gay, or movie gay?

- MOVIE GAY FOR SURE

20. favourite gay ship (canon or not)

- uhhh me and any boy . ever

21. favourite gay youtuber

- idk i dont have one bc i really dont watch youtube

22. have you ever unknowingly asked out a straight person?

- pre transition me asked out a boy who used to have a thing for me but after doing so i realized he didnt have feelings for me anymore so like, no i knew he was straight but he didnt know i wasnt

23. have you ever been in love?

- im in luv right now

24. have you ever been heartbroken?

- see above

25. how do you determine if you want to be them or be with someone

- is my jealousy derived from the fact that i want people to compliment me for being that person or the fact that i cant compliment them

26. favourite lgb musician/band

- KEVIN ABSTRACT!!!! tyler the creator is second though :•)

27. what is a piece of advice you have for young / baby gays

- dont come out until youre really really sure and aware of your identity/how others will react :~( its for your safety and your future self’s benefit

28. are you out? if so how did you come out

- uh huh!!!! i came out earlier this year w the help of my therapist but everyone calls me (twelve) except my family who still calls me by my birthname

29. what is the most uncomfortable / strange coming out experience you have

- i came out to one of my best friends and immediately after she cut me off

30. what is a piece of advice for people who may not be in a safe place to express their sexuality

- one and two years ago almost exactly i thought coming out was a pipe dream, i thought i would never come to terms with who i am, i thought no one would ever love me, i thought no one would ever call me by my name, i thought i would never look like who i want—my journey is only half started, im not on T and i havent found love yet, but no matter how it feels at this moment you have to remember that nothing in this world is permanent, no feeling, no experience, no situation will last forever, you just have to allow time to pass and heal

[hollyzone]

My Films Of 2017

1. The Handmaiden

A Korean adaptation of the best Sarah Waters novel by the director of Old Boy? Yes please. Oh what, it’s even better than that enticing description? Oh double yes please. From the sumptuous visuals to the brilliant plot to the way that there were moments of high drama and genuine laugh out loud comedy, plus it was also a commentary of the fraught WWII history of Korea, it all comes together in a beautiful package which has bite as well as charm.

2. Blade Runner 2049

Ok, I can completely see why some people HATED this film. It’s so obvious that I haven’t bothered having a single “you’d get it if you consider points x, y and z” conversation because I think the haters have a point. And yet I loved it. It could have gone on for another hour and I’d still have found it a breeze. It was beautiful, the visuals maybe the best of any film this decade. It was enthralling in its telling, brave in its plot decisions, and had layers of allegory to be prodded at afterwards.

3. The Party

If Blade Runner was a very long film which I would have loved to be longer, The Party was a very very short film (71 minutes!) which didn’t need a single extra second. Kristin Scott Thomas leads the line as a politician celebrating a promotion with a dinner party which goes horribly wrong and leads to some absolutely brilliant dialogue, performances and plot twists. Patricia Clarkson’s April is the film character of 2017 I would most like to be friends with in real life.

4. In Between

Three young Palestinian women in Tel Aviv just trying to get along and enjoy their lives, this is a very small story about very big themes. Through the three protagonists, and their differing situations, it manages to critique both the Israeli rule over Palestinians and the rule of Palestinian men over their women in a sympathetic and intelligent manner. There are tender moments, horrifying moments, and an ambiguous ending which asks the viewer questions.

5. The Death Of Stalin

Hang on, the makers of The Thick Of It made a black comedy about the political scrambling after Stalin’s death? I am glad to live in a world where the target audience is specifically me. And yes, I loved it. The comedy is jet black even when it’s ostensibly silly. The characterisations are brilliant summaries of the real people, and it’s great that the real horror of the regime isn’t shied away from. Plus the people who hated it (Putin’s government, Peter Hitchens) are the sort of people I would like to see a film upset.

6. Logan

There are three superhero films on this list, and they are pretty much ranked in order of how far they deviated from the usual superhero fare. Gloomy future superheroes, complete with sweary elderly Professor Xavier and failing powers, this was a western to all intents, and a dark one at that. This was all to its benefit. It’s great to finally see a film where the heroes face the threat of actual, permanent death. It gives it weight and stakes. There was also a lot of interesting imagery and a more blood’n’guts, both of which gave it a neat visual style.

7. Wonder Woman

And here’s another superhero film which moved away from the template. Ok, in its last third it degenerated into a hero punching a CGI effect, but the proceeding bits threw the superhero clay through a female lens and gave us something which was genuinely interesting and different. Some might disagree, but when you’ve seen so few superheroes of your gender, it does make a positive difference! Bonus review: my cousin’s daughter loved the bits on the island at the start and demanded to be taken home as soon as male characters appeared on screen.

8. Girls Trip

A gross out comedy has to have more than just gross jokes. Girls Trip had great characters and magnificent performances, so the really outrageous set pieces landed even harder because the unfortunate piss incidents and fruit-related sex accidents were happening to someone interesting. Tiffany Haddish in particular knocked it out of the park.

9. Thor: Ragnorak

Please, big studios, continue to give Taika Waititi large amounts of money to paint the screen with visual delights and surreal deadpan humour. I’ve always liked the Thor films more than most people for being big cartoons full of colour and life, but this one managed to take that to the next level while also having not one, but two villains who I didn’t immediately forget once the film had finished (Cate and Jeff, Loki doesn’t do enough villaining to qualify this time around).

10. Baby Driver

We are surely due an actual Edgar Wright musical at some point, right? Baby Driver edged us even closer to this prospect because it kind of was a musical. Characters either sing or lip sync quite a lot. There’s a lot of choreography, either in the form of going to the coffee shop or (more frequently) in a car. Sure, it did just enough to cop out of being a musical in the end, but I found all the things I liked were the things I like in musicals.

11. Lady Macbeth

A costume drama, but one about murder, manipulation, deceit, jealousy and shots of bleak and forbidding English countryside. Lady Macbeth’s biggest strength is the way it pulls the audience along with its main character (excellent performance by Florence Pugh) forcing us to jerk between sympathy and revulsion at her activities until we’ve become complicit in something unexpected. Uncomfortable but riveting.

12. Hidden Figures

A crowd-pleasing real-life story in which racism and sexism are kicked to the ground by a bunch of Space Nerds is very up my street and so I was very happy with this utterly formulaic, completely delightful film which married an uplifting story to some really excellent performances. All of Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe deserved awards for bringing those women to life.

13. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt immediately after seeing TLJ, but the more I’ve thought about it (and I have, a lot) and the more I’ve read other people’s views (and I have, a lot) the more I’ve come to the conclusion that the messy first half was justifiable in light of how interesting, innovative (within a Star Wars context) and satisfying the second half was. I’m also pro-Porg.

14. The Big Sick

A romcom where a coma gets in the way should be mawkishly unwatchable, so hurrah that this is not just watchable but funny and savage at times. It managed to dodge the problems a tonal shift from culture clash comedy to dark sickness comedy could have caused, which was more impressive in hindsight as at the time it flowed nicely and neatly, with the jokes not letting up.

15. Dunkirk

Weirdly, the opposite to The Last Jedi, Dunkirk was something which I’ve not really given much thought to since I saw it, but at the time it was intense and tense, and its three timeline structure was a stroke of genius. The realism meant it was very very different to the majority of war films, and the wordlessness of long stretches were almost art house in nature.