#one of them is pet peeves so you KNOW there's negativity

[thedissonantverses]

Once again on why you’re all wrong about Veilguard, let’s talk about the red lyrium and the blight and why it’s shown as two different things in Veilguard and what it represents and why this isn’t a retcon or bad writing. Because I saw people genuinely confused about the red lyrium in Harding’s quest. I’m actually not trying to be a dick here I genuinely want to clarify this for people and not just because Harding is my wife and I’m obsessed with her quest line and what it means for dwarves. It also illustrates what I love about Veilguard. Spoilers under the cut. Also trigger warning for talk about processing trauma.

This is going to sound facetious but first things first, Origins established lyrium is blue and you shouldn’t touch it unless you’re a dwarf because it’s basically raw magic.

Then DA2 established that red lyrium is really bad. It’s like the One Ring as far as what it does to your brain Prolonged exposure will turn you into a monster.

In Inquisition we learn that red lyrium is blighted. The blight can only affect living creatures. This means lyrium is alive. We also know that red lyrium is very, very angry.

In Veilguard we learned the blight is actually a living entity all on its own, a combination of magic and existential horror and the living embodiment of the mind of hatred born from the pain of an entire sapient race being exploited. (Like holy shit I can’t emphasize enough how cool I think this is as a concept).

But what we are supposed to infer during Harding’s quest is that lyrium turns red when a Titan is in pain or angry. The reason the blighted lyrium is red as well is because it is literally infused with the Titan’s nightmares. We essentially learn not all red lyrium is blighted but all blighted lyrium is red. This is just expanding the concept and isn’t a retcon. This through line was being set up since at least DA2 if not origins.

Side tangent, I’ve mentioned I worked in the medical field and a pet peeve of mine is people saying blood is blue before it’s oxygenated which isn’t true your blood is always red. But I love how the Titan blood is blue but when it’s exposed to pain it turns red. Not really relevant I just think it’s neat.

Anyways, so when Harding touches the dagger I believe she opened a two-way connection to the Titan, which is why she gets her stone magic. But I believe she also received the pain and rage that the Titan was harboring for literal centuries. By opening that connection, the Titan turned Harding into its avatar in much the way Valta was.

Harding’s shade is red for the same reason the lyrium is, she was forced to cast out the hatred for the sake of her own survival. It’s literal pain and anger. She’s a reflection of toxic positivity as a character. She’s always cheerful for survival even when she has every right to her emotions. What Solas and Mythal did to her and her people, both personally and across the eons, is truly awful. This why Harding waffles on Solas before she embraces the shade, but why she fully lays into him during the final mission if she gets the chance. (If you haven’t heard that banter it’s so good. I’m so proud of her.)

It’s not until Harding embraces her negative emotions that she and the shade and the Titan can rest easy. However you make that choice, Harding has to acknowledge those emotions and cleave to them. Something a lot of trauma survivors struggle with. You have to face them and process them or your body will hang onto that hatred and pain until it kills you. Harding’s journey is at its heart, about uniting who you were with who you are so you can move forward. Healing means reckoning with all of the parts of you, the good and the bad.

[madam-o]

Back on my BS about this "Old Men" thing again

I'm about to repeat myself, and maybe I'm being too sensitive about this and should just let the tumblr community go on with its misconceptions about how aging works. However, this is a fandom pet peeve that won't leave me alone.

There are several old characters in One Piece. Garp definitely is at 78, and Zeff has retired from pirating to his restaurant at 67, although Garp is still working at his naval career and kicking ass at it, I'll remind you. A lot of the toughest to beat characters in OP are oldies, in fact. Advanced age in One Piece tends to bring with it more power, more wisdom, or both. It's much harder to bring a tough old person down in that world than in this one. Several OP characters are even older than 100 and still perfectly healthy (granted, a lot of them are giants, who can live for centuries).

So why are characters like Shanks, Buggy, Mihawk, Crocodile, etc. often described as "old men" in a humorously deprecating fashion by the fandom? Is it because they're sexy and over 35 and that's somehow hard to deal with?

Do you know how old Chris Evans is? 42. Chris Hemsworth? Henry Cavill? Both are 40. Even babyface Timothee Chalamet, who looks about 16, is a lot older than you'd think at 27.

I'm sorry to tell you this, but most of the hottest people on Earth are over 25, and a LOT of them are over 40. And that's OKAY. You're not a pervy weirdo for being attracted to them.

So you can joke about Shanks and Buggy being old, but they're both still in their 30's and likely haven't even hit their peaks yet. Mihawk and Croc are in their mid-40's and two of the scariest mfers out there. Btw, Doflamingo's 41, just in case you didn't know.

It especially irks me when writers have these characters ashamedly refer to themselves as old. I don't think being in your 30's-to-40's is considered a negative in the OP world for one thing, especially for fighters. You're coming into your prime around then, with a lot of room to keep growing.

If age gaps are a problem for you in fic writing, maybe you should try aging up your oc's. Or just accept that you're gonna hit 30 sooner than you think and then you'll finally realize how young that actually is. We're living in a youth-obsessed culture, but the One Piece world is a lot more sensible.

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

The MHA Fandom and How Minoru is written in Fanfics:

So today I wanna talk about a somewhat controversial topic. Let me preface this by saying that I am no means a Minoru Stan. I’m pretty neutral about his character but I completely understand the hate he gets due to his actions.

However, a pet peeve of mine is how people write Minoru in such a negative light that it becomes OOC, especially when they write Katsuki in an extremely positive light when both of them have done extremely shitty things. Let me break down some stereotypes that fanfic writers fall into when writing Minoru:

Homophobic/Quirkist Minoru: Something that is constantly done in MHA to villainize a character they don’t like is to make them either homophobic or quirkist when they aren’t in canon. Focusing on the homophobia part, Minoru’s a victim with this alongside other characters such as Neito and Inko. A lot of authors will write Minoru as this homophobic asshole who sprays out slurs and will bully whichever character(s) has come out. With Minoru, the idea that he’s homophobic comes from him being a sex obsessed person who’s always lusting after women. The thing is, Minoru displays absolutely no homophobic tendencies whatsoever in canon. You know who does? Katsuki. In one of the light novels, he asks Ejiro if he’s ‘into that’ with a disgusted tone when it was revealed Ejiro wore a dress once. Minoru on the other hand has never said anything negative about the LGBTQ+ community. For fics to have Katsuki be the one to defend the LGBTQ+ community and have Minoru be disgusted by it screams “let me villainize Minoru so Katsuki can look good”. In regards to whether he’d be quirkist, that’s also a resounding no. In fact, he apologizes for calling Mezou an octopus after hearing how he’s been discriminated against and tells Izuku that it was his bravery that inspired him rather than his quirk. Minoru also canonically has self confidence issues with his own quirk not being as flashy as other people’s so he’d be more empathetic towards someone who doesn’t have a quirk. Katsuki meanwhile bullied and suicide baiting someone who didn’t have a quirk because he saw him as beneath him.

Coward Minoru: Now, in canon, Minoru is more fearful than his classmates. However, fanon would have you think that he’d abandon his classmates to save his own skin. Canon once again disproves this. During the USJ, he was panicking, for a good reason mind you, but inspired by Izuku taking action even when he was afraid for his own life, he ended up aiding Izuku and Tsuyu in stopping the villains. During the Final Exam, he did initially cower against Midnight. A few moments later, he gathered the courage to not only go against Midnight, but to save his partner Hanta from her clutches. This proves that despite his fear, he wouldn’t leave someone as a result of it. You know who would leave someone? Katsuki. In the Final Exams, Katsuki refused to work together with Izuku to the point of admitting that he’d rather fail. It took Izuku sucking up to him to actually convince him to work with him. When it came time to rescue Katsuki, Izuku knew that he hated him so much that he’d never accept his hand, so he had Ejiro reach out to him instead. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have Minoru as a teammate than Katsuki.

Now, does this mean I think fanfic writers HAVE to write Minoru in their fics? Absolutely not. Are fanfic writers not allowed to expel him? Again, no. Alongside Katsuki, Minoru’s the easiest character to expel. He’s constantly groping and harassing the female students. All an author needs to do is have one of the girls become so fed up with him that they report him to a teacher. Boom! Problem solved, and it didn’t even involve jumping through hoops to make a character look worse than they actually are. Another way you can remove him is have Shota expel him during the Q.A.T. Minoru, despite his fantastic score in the side step test, scored below the guy whose electricity based quirk can’t help him with any of the exams, the girl with an earphone jack quirk that faces a similar problem, and an invisible girl who struggled to do a pull-up. Shota could look at this, somehow notice him being creepy to one of the female students during the exam, and expel him for these reasons alone. If you wanna remove him from the story later, you can either have one of the girls get the teachers involved or you can say that Minoru decided to drop out of the hero course after experiencing the War Arc or something along those lines. Seriously, it’s not hard.

In conclusion, while I’m not a fan of Minoru, it bothers me how much people will butcher his character just to have a reason to shit on/expel him where there are perfectly reasonable ways of which they can shit on/expel a canon accurate Minoru. It also annoys me when people choose to make Minoru a worse person while simultaneously making Katsuki a better person despite both characters having done some shitty things. While it is Fanfiction and people can do whatever they want, it’s bad writing if you have to change someone’s personality to make them look bad to prop up another character, especially one that isn’t a good person. There are better ways of writing a Katsuki positive story that aren’t lazy and/or cliched.

[kitheking]

toxic traits i think redacted characters have/used to have

david - gaslighting. he’s better now, but he was a professional. he would pull every trick in the book to make somebody feel like they were at fault for everything. the type of person to upset you, say “you’re overreacting” then deny the whole thing happened. angel fixed him.

asher - conflict avoidance. he hates fighting (especially in a relationship) so when things upset him, he addresses them in the most indirect way possible and ends up being passive aggressive. he usually apologizes tho.

milo - his toxic trait is that he doesn’t have any. (i actually couldn’t think of one for milo lmk if you have one) UPDATE: the only negative trait i can think of him having is that he can hold a grudge for the rest of his life if you let him (ty @frenchiefitzhere for this one) other than that he’s weirdly perfect?

lasko - dishonesty + conflict avoidance. like asher, he’s not big on conflict, but he often lies so people won’t get upset with him. ends up biting him in the ass tho.

damien - PETTY. omfg he can be the most childish person on earth. if you piss him off he’ll act out all of your pet peeves in the span of 3 minutes, disorganize things in your home, point out your insecurities, and he can and will go weeks without speaking to you.

huxley - toxic positivity. he isn’t always like this, but occasionally he’s the type of person to say “well, look on the bright side!” when you go to him to vent. sometimes he just makes people feel like their feelings aren’t valid.

gavin - we all know he’s arrogant. sometimes it’s just too much.

vincent - he’s overly competitive. he likes to be “the best” at everything and he’s a sore loser

aaron - he used to be judgmental and insanely critical. if he lets somebody do something for him, it’s never good enough. also the type of person to be like “um actually🤓” when you say literally anything.

sam - used to be super close minded and blames all the wrong people for things out of their control. if you saw fred and brights storyline you’d know

don’t even get me started on the listeners holy shit

[fandsart]

To Be Friends

I’ve exaggerated some of Nancy’s negative character traits slightly in this story, but it’s also for the sake of her developing past them.

Robin usually sits alone, as sad as that is. It’s whatever; she’s comfortable with it. She can usually get some reading done without any interruptions. But it’s the first day back at school since they took down Vecna, and she’s pleasantly surprised when Nancy sits across from her. They smile at each other, a little stiff without a common goal they’re trying to work for.

“You packed a lunch today,” Nancy states awkwardly.

“Actually Steve made this for me. He always dotes more after, uh… notable events. Sometimes it’s just a particularly bad nightmare. One time Dustin popped a bike tire and Steve bought him a helmet after it was fixed. He gets spikes in paranoia when he’s reminded how easily things can go wrong.”

“That does sound like him. You should try dating him.”

Robin’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Is that a real suggestion?”

“Oh! No, I just mean that he doted on me all the time when he was dating me.”

“Yeah, he’s a real sap.”

There’s a lull in the conversation before Nancy speaks up again. “It is surprising you aren’t a couple. You’re both very attractive.”

“Uh… so? I mean, thank you? I mean… I’m not interested. He’s not my type.”

Nancy hums. “Don’t worry. I understand.”

“You… do?”

“I actually have dated Steve. It probably would have been smarter to be friends first. You’re smart that way.”

“... Thank you?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’m sure you’re well aware of the bullet you dodged.”

Robin chuckles uncomfortably. “Maybe? I guess that depends on what exactly you’re referring to.”

“You said yourself he tends to dote. It’s so much more extreme when he’s dating you. I don’t need to use his jacket for the one minute walk from the school to the car. I don’t need him opening doors for me. I can do that myself.”

“Uh-huh…” Robin says, trying to keep her eyes from squinting.

“And he gets so clingy. And emotional. I swear sometimes it was more like he wanted me to be his mom than his girlfriend, which is honestly so privileged. He cut off his friends for me, so it became my job to comfort him about it?”

“He was friends with them for a long time, and he didn’t have anyone else to talk to about it. He’d kind of just cut off all his other friends,” she tries to joke.

“They were assholes,” Nancy says, maintaining seriousness. “He shouldn’t have been so caught up on them.”

“If he didn’t realize just how shitty they were until you, then he must have had a lot of good experiences with them too. A lot to be conflicted about.” She knows this is the case, because Steve’s talked to her about it too.

“He shouldn’t have been friends with them in the first place.”

“So why did you date Steve for so long? Like a year, right? If he was such a shitty boyfriend? You shouldn’t have been dating in the first place?”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because Steve was popular. Everyone loves him, but the only other person I thought might want me was too preoccupied to look at me. I waited a month with nothing. Can you really blame me for wanting to feel wanted and liked after my best friend died?”

“No, but I can blame you for using that as your excuse while apparently hating anything he did because he wanted and liked you. You literally started your complaints about how doting he can be.”

“What, like you don’t think it’s annoying?” And Robin knows what she means by that, but ‘annoying’ would never be the word she would use to describe it. Just… overwhelming sometimes. But understandable. “Besides, that was more of a pet peeve. You were the one who brought that up. There’s a reason I moved my complaints to him crying over his positive choices.”

And that startles Robin a bit. “He actually cried over it?”

Nancy rolls her eyes. “It was a hyperbolic idiom. But my point remains. Everyone loves him, but he was just upset that those two assholes didn’t anymore.”

“If everyone loves him why did no one turn up?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You say everyone loves him like he could have anyone, but you were all he had after Tommy and Carol immediately turned on him for pushing back one time.”

“You know what, that’s another thing. Why even be upset that someone who was willing to turn on you that quickly, did?”

“Well under that logic Steve should hate you then, shouldn’t he?”

“Oh, is that what this is about? Fine, go shoot your shot. I’m sure he’d love to have you. But don’t come crawling to me when he becomes too much for you.” With that she gets up from the table and sits at a newly vacant table.

Robin’s never ditched school before, but now she wants nothing more than to bike over to family video and hug her favorite person.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

She manages to talk herself out of skipping. She only had 2 and a half hours of school left after lunch, and none of the classes left were her best. Steve would take his break to pick her up anyway, so why put in the effort to bike all of the way there? Still, she has such a hard time concentrating on the last classes.

When she finally gets out, Steve is already parked in his usual spot, and she plops down into the seat.

“Bad day?” Steve asks.

“You know how you were hoping we could have some kind of outing with Nancy and Jonathan before the latter has to go back to California?”

“Yeah?”

“Scratch that. We’re not doing it.”

“What happened?”

She hesitates. She doesn’t want to be the one to tell him, but she also isn’t going to keep this from him. “Nancy told me that she didn’t like dating you, basically.”

“Oh, yeah, I know that.”

“And what, you're just ok with hanging out with her now?”

“I mean, it’s not her fault. She tried to like it. It’s not her fault she didn’t.”

“But it is her fault for not telling you how she felt about it. Let you think everything was fine. That’s leading you on.”

Steve shrugs. “It’s not like she was trying to do that. And it’s not like hanging out with her now would involve any kind of hope that we’d get back together. She didn’t like me as a boyfriend, but we can still be friends.”

“How do you know she likes you as a friend? If she lied to you about liking you as a boyfriend.”

“We should get to work before my break is up,” he says, putting the car into gear.

They don’t talk about it after that. They don’t talk much at all for the rest of the day.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Robin doesn’t eat lunch in the cafeteria after that, not wanting to deal with Nancy again. She doesn’t necessarily know that Nancy would try to start up that conversation again, but even just seeing her in the hall sours her mood a bit, so she doesn’t need to be dealing with that.

So she’s sitting in an empty classroom eating lunch when Nancy finds her.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Robin glares. “Is this not mutually beneficial?”

Nancy sighs. “Look,” she starts as she sits in the seat beside Robin, “I’m not great at taking criticism. I’m a very defensive person. I’m not good at admitting when I’m wrong, but… I was, so…”

“So…” Robin prompts.

“So you were right. I just… needed to sit on all the points for a while before I could calm down enough to actually consider them.”

“Ok. But what are you going to do about it?”

“I’m… apologizing?”

“For what?”

Nancy rolls her eyes, but answers anyway. “For snapping at you, and not listening to what you were trying to tell me.”

“Ok. So what about Steve?”

“What about him?”

“Are you going to apologize to him too?”

“For fighting with you?” She lets out a confused breathy laugh. “I know you guys are close but is that necessary?”

“Are you serious right now?”

Nancy blinks a few times before jolting a little. “Oh! I was too focused on- yeah, I should. It’s just been so long I wasn’t even thinking about it.”

“Do you want to be friends with Steve?”

“What do you mean?”

“He still respects you, and wants to reconnect after… everything. I don’t want you to let him drag you to hang outs because it’s easier than denying a simple request, then blowing up at him about it later. Again. I don’t know if he’d come back from it a second time.”

“I honestly don’t know,” Nancy sighs. “If I want to be friends with him. I feel like… he carries an association… The whole year I was with him I was in mourning, and we only reconnected recently because of, as you worded it, ‘recent events.’ I just… every time I’ve been with him in one way or another… something bad was going on. I feel like being friends with him would just leave me on edge all the time.”

“Make sure he knows that then.” She picks up her now empty lunch tray and moves to leave the room.

“Wait, Robin!”

“Yeah?” she stops by the doorway.

“Can we still be friends?”

“I don’t know… But we can be more than not friends.”

“Yeah… I’d want to be more than ‘not friends’ with Steve too.”

“Make sure he knows.”

“Yeah…”

We never really see how Nancy responds to being wrong, because she’s never written to be. My headcanon for how she responds to it is that she gets really pissed, but after sitting on it for a long time she has a hard time denying when there’s an imbalance. She’s logical enough to know what’s right, but she’s stubborn, and bias towards her own perspective, so things like this do need to get pointed out to her and it takes her a while to come around.

[missninapea]

My pet peeves of being an average Hazbin Hotel fan:

•The hatedom: The hate and negativity towards the show and Viv honestly gets under my skin. Like it's totally fine if you simply dislike it and let people enjoy things that are not your cup of tea, but if you seriously HATE this show and the creators other work with a BURNING passion, I suggest that you don't interact with my blog or maybe even block the tags and stuff. Like, if you despise Viv, just ignore her stuff and move on with your day.

•Redesigns: Redesigning/reimagining characters can be a great thing for putting your own twist in them. Also for character design practice, expressing creativity, and for having fun. However, it can also be used out of pure hate, saying they "FIXED" them, or saying that their art is "BETTER" than Viv's which bothers me a little. Saying "OMG THIS LOOKS SOOOO MUCH BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL" "I REALLY PREFER THIS DESIGN THAN VIV'S. SHE LITERALLY CAN'T DO CHARACTER DESIGN FOR SHIT!" "LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER OMGGG!"🙄Like, you can still critique the designs of the characters while being respectful and constructive, that's fine. I have a few critiques myself actually.

•Vivziepop: Vivzie is one of my favorite artists. Her art really inspired me so much ngl. But I'm very aware that she's flawed and not perfect. I hate when people dig up all of her controversies just to make her a villain and make her look bad. I really don't. She also responded to criticisms from antis on Twitter. In my opinion, I don't think she should've replied to them. It could be draining and also unhealthy for her mental health. I'm honestly worried for her. Maybe she should hire a social media manager or something idk. I very much care about her well-being. And some even don't support her because of her controversies.

I know you can like a show, but not the creator. I like Viv. I only support her dreams and achievements for making awesome cartoons, but maybe not her as a person. I hope she can improve and do better so she wouldn't receive any more hate.

•Guilt: Every time I see so much bashing and negativity towards Hazbin or Helluva, I would end up dwelling on it, feeling extremely guilty, ashamed, embarrassed for being a little fan. It can be very draining for me and a risk for my mental health if I constantly dwell and soak up their negative opinions. And I hate that feeling. It makes me question why I shouldn't enjoy the things I love. And it hurts.

So yeah..I don't normally post things like this, but I just needed to get that out of my system. Don't worry, I'm okay.❤️😊

[hpowellsmith]

About your new "saturday question" ("Do you prefer expressing your MC's sexual/romantic orientation via who they do/don't romance, or specifying via a choice? Bonus: would you ever enjoy setting an orientation at the start and having the opportunity for it to shift during the game?")

So, in games with only gender selectable ROs I usually just set the genders of all characters to the one I'm most interested in as a rule of thumb, meaning it doesn't really matter which way the game asks me for this

Other than that, I tend to prefer being able to actively pick my MC's orientation in a choice dedicated to this. But I also don't have strong opinions about it one way or another to be fair.

Now, there are a few styles of orientation selection that I really DISlike on the other hand and that are sort of pet peeves of mine:

When the MC sees a random person who they think is attractive and you have to select if said person is a man or a woman (or two different people, one of each, for a bi MC). I really hate it when the game forces my MC to think a character is attractive. And what if I decided my MC is not attracted to the sort of features that person has? Or maybe I want my MC to only ever have been attracted to the RO even if they are conscious of their orientation? It's weirdly restrictive.

When the MC meets with someone who is a set gender, and the game offers the choice to say that MC thinks that character is attractive because they're into that gender or that MC doesn't think so because they are not into that gender. For the same reasons as the previous point - it forces the MC to actually be attracted to someone I don't want them to be attracted to. Bonus negative points (for this and the previous case) if the MC not being attracted to the shown characters nor anyone else currently means the MC is ace and/or aro. Drives me crazy.

When selecting MC's orientation sets RO genders AND selecting the MC is bi/pan makes the game assign genders to the RO on a half and half basis without letting the player decide which ones are which gender. At least it doesn't happen much in games that include NB options for ROs.

The worse version of the previous point: when selecting for the MC to be ace doesn't ALSO forces specific genders on a half and half basis for the ROs because the game assumes being ace means having no preferences when it comes to romance. Fortunately I didn't see that happen much anymore.

When the game forces the MC to have dated a rando previously as a way to decide their orientation. Bonus negative points when it also forces the MC to have lost their virginity to said rando unless we set the MC as outright ace. It not only seems to assume the MC can't know their orientation if they didn't actively date, but also that unless you're ace it's impossible you didn't go physical with someone you dated.

Okay, sorry, it seems every time I answer one of these saturday questions of yours, I end up ranting!

So, onto your bonus question!

To be honest, I actually would be too scared of selecting the orientation of my MC (as the one my MC supposes they are) and hope for a possible change / the MC realizing they are instead bi or something else, because like... How do I know if the game will allow me to change? Most don't. So unless it's outright specified on the game's page or something, I just don't risk it.

With that being said, I will always remember "A Study in Steampunk" fondly in that regard. A lot of players seem to believe you have to actively state in early chapters that your MC is into men to be able to romance Finch, but it's not true! The choice where the MC thinks that it WOULD be nice to find a wife doesn't actually lock you into the female ROs, it just locks your MC into believing he's straight. And that gives place to different flavor text if you then express romantic interest in Finch. And that's actually my favorite way to play that game. So yeah, I really like a MC thinking they are straight and discovering they are not if it's actually a thing that is discussed in the game and what not, but the issue is about knowing that's a possibility or not in any given name. I would have never known about the possibility in "A Study in Steampunk" had I not code-dived after a few playthroughs out of curiosity only to discover the specific variables and "hidden scenes" in the code!

this ask is in response to this post!

When the MC sees a random person who they think is attractive and you have to select if said person is a man or a woman

Ahaaa, yes - that can be awkward. In Blood Money the orientation question was framed with a couple of men flirting with the PC; there are a lot of different options like "I flirt back because I think they're attractive" or "even if I'm into men, I don't like it so I ignore them". I don't really mind it when I come across it in games - probably because I tend to play quite flirty characters who find lots of people attractive! - but it can feel a bit off, I think. Especially when it's a random person the PC won't encounter again.

When selecting MC's orientation sets RO genders AND selecting the MC is bi/pan makes the game assign genders to the RO on a half and half basis without letting the player decide which ones are which gender.

Yeah, I don't enjoy that myself. I much prefer choosing individually: there are kinds of characters that I enjoy more or less when they're particular genders. Also if they're assigned like that it can feel like they're a kind of default, I think.

When the game forces the MC to have dated a rando previously as a way to decide their orientation. Bonus negative points when it also forces the MC to have lost their virginity to said rando unless we set the MC as outright ace. It not only seems to assume the MC can't know their orientation if they didn't actively date, but also that unless you're ace it's impossible you didn't go physical with someone you dated.

Oh - yeah that feels uncomfortable to me on several different levels! I definitely prefer things like having had a previous partner being up to the player to decide, and like you say people are perfectly able to know their orientation without having dated/slept with someone of whichever gender.

I actually would be too scared of selecting the orientation of my MC (as the one my MC supposes they are) and hope for a possible change / the MC realizing they are instead bi or something else, because like… How do I know if the game will allow me to change?

Agreed, this is something I've been thinking about a bit (which I've mentioned on a couple of the other answers). I think it's hard to frame it in a way that makes it clear it's not a bug/disrespecting a player's choice, while keeping it diagetic. Maybe it's better to have it be an OOC note rather than an in-game thing, for clarity...

With that being said, I will always remember "A Study in Steampunk" fondly in that regard.

Having played A Study in Steampunk many times and romanced Finch and Alexandra, I didn't realise there was that option! That's wonderful. Honestly, A Study in Steampunk is a masterclass in many different things - I love it! (I should probably replay it because it's soooo good...)

Okay, sorry, it seems every time I answer one of these saturday questions of yours, I end up ranting!

Haha don't worry, ranting is what I'm interested in hearing! It's why I've been asking :D

[phantmheart]

dev patel, thirty-one, he/him   ⟡   —   is that AMIR KAPADIA i just saw walking around kilmer’s cove? i heard they’re a RESIDENT who’s been here for SIX YEARS. it slipped my mind, since they just tend to hang out at THE PLAYHOUSE. at face value, they’re said to be CREATIVE and PATIENT, but i don’t know… some people have said they can be quite STUBBORN and RESERVED. just don’t get on their bad side, i guess! don’t tell them i told you this, but i’ve heard they DO believe in all the ghost stories around town. who knows what the future holds for them!   

basics

• full name: ashwin amir kapadia

• preferred name: amir

• nicknames: am ; ash (by his family)

• gender: cis male

• pronouns: he/him

• age: 31

• date of birth: 12th january 1993

• zodiac sign: capricorn

• sexuality: heterosexual

• place of birth: edinburgh, scotland

• nationality: british-american (dual citizenship)

• occupation: jeweller & metalsmith ; owner of charmed & co

• residence: a small two bedroom house

• aesthetics: the cool salty sea air, wax jackets, vintage books, piles of warm blankets, sparkling gemstones in the sun, steaming cups of tea, handmade cable-knit jumpers, old cinema tickets

appearance

• faceclaim: dev patel

• height: 6'

• build: average

• eyes: brown

• hair: black

• piercings: none

• tattoos: nautical compass on his inner left forearm ; two maple leaves on his right shoulder ; others tbd

• style:

personality

• positive traits: creative, kind, resourceful, intelligent, compassionate, helpful, hardworking, punctual, considerate

• negative traits: reserved, stubborn, shy

• mbti: infj - the advocate

• likes: art, literature, sweet foods, music, going for walks, reading when its raining outside, tea

• dislikes: extreme temperatures, arrogance, heavy metal music, poor standards, sports

• phobias: arachnophobia ; entomophobia

• hobbies: reading, listening to music, playing the piano, watching films, collecting old books, going to the theatre

• skills: ambidextrous (but favours his right hand), pianist (for 25 years)

• pet peeves: tardiness, sexism, prejudice, being interrupted, cutting corners

family

• mother: amrita kapadia

• father: rishi kapadia

• siblings: samira anjali kapadia (younger sister by three years)

• fiancée: tippi elizabeth saint-james

favourites

• food: anything spicy, usually his mother’s curry recipe

• drink: scotch whisky ; lemonade

• time of the day: evening

• weather: dry and cool

• colours: blue ; red ; silver

• music genres: anything classical ; film scores ; alternative

bio

— amir was born at 3:13pm on 12th january 1993 to rishi kapadia, a lawyer, and his wife amrita, an artist and art teacher. he has one younger sister named samira. they resided in edinburgh until amir was five and then moved to london to be closer to family.

— the kapadias had always been close, going out on the weekends to some place educational or of historical importance, and holidaying across the uk, sometimes venturing abroad to places like germany, italy, the united states, and mexico. the trips themselves served as valuable family time as well as creative inspiration for amrita. later amir would take inspiration, too, and use his wonderful childhood memories to create unique and beautiful things. 

— when amir was 11, the family moved back to edinburgh so his father could pursue a better job offer and his mother could set up her own shop in the city centre. on the weekends, amir spent a lot of time in the shop, helping out with daily tasks and serving customers; he grew to live the social side of it and also learned more from his mother about making jewellery. 

— amir was a daydreamer in school. he enjoyed learning, but would rather stare at a wall and think about the book he was reading or the documentary he’d watched on the weekend. it got him into trouble a couple of times, but the teachers were consistently impressed with his grades. for a long time he wanted to be a filmmaker, but having been inspired by his mother’s art from a young age and his fascination with her jewellery in particular amir decided, at the age of 15, that he wanted to make his own jewellery. his parents were very supportive of his choice and so was his sister, but only after a long period of teasing him for picking a ‘girly’ job.

— he went on to university at the age of 18, studying jewellery & silversmithing at the university of edinburgh, and loved it. amir made plenty new friends who were like-minded and enjoyed living away from home even if he had stayed in the same city. he excelled in his course and almost took a masters degree, but changed his mind at the last minute.

— after graduating, amir decided to spend a couple of months travelling alone in new england. it was something he'd wanted to do his whole life and also used it as a chance to gain inspiration for his work. he stumbled upon kilmer’s cove by accident, but felt strangely drawn to the place. he spent two weeks there and had to leave for connecticut, but he never forgot about it and looked back fondly through photographs he took.

— he returned home and worked with his mother at her shop as well as on his own jewellery making. amir began to sell his products in the shop and proved to be incredibly popular, especially with tourists, and it was this success that made amir realise he’d made the right choice in pursuing his passions and turning them into a career, even when there were times when he wanted to quit.

— at the age of 25, amir said goodbye to scotland and relocated alone to kilmer’s cove. it was daunting at first, but his heart was in that little coastal town and knew he had to give it a shot. with the money he had earned from commissions and with a little help from his parents, he managed to buy a little shop in the heart of town and establish it as a boutique selling handmade bespoke jewellery and metalwork. he named it ‘charmed & co’.

— amir met his now fiancée tippi not long after he made the move. he struck up a conversation with her as they waited in line at a café, with him asking what she would recommend off the menu. a few weeks later, she came into charmed & co and that’s when he asked her out on a date. the rest is history!

— he now lives with tippi and their cat shelby and are planning to get married in the summer of 2025.

[thedemoninmywalls]

🫚 for the f/o infodumping ask game?

@luin-no-koibito

🍓 - disregarding the career your f/o currently has, what other career would they consider going into, if given the chance?

Hmm, good question! Rire would be happy with any job that gives him some kind of power and security. He'd probably be great as the greedy CEO of a large corporation lol

🍍 - if you could change any one thing about your f/os backstory/character, what would you change? why?

Aww Rire is perfect the way he is <3 I guess I would like to learn some more detail about his history and why he is the way he is. I don't think all demons are evil, so how did he turn out so despicable? 🍌 - does your f/o have a vendetta against The Big Light™? what kind of lighting do they prefer?

I honestly don't know what this question means but The Big Light makes me think of God which makes me wanna infodump about angels and demons!! It's easiest to think of angels and demons as political parties. They both serve God, but have different ideas about what God actually wants (no one has talked to God since creation). Angels believe that being a good person and embracing your positive characteristics will help lead you to God. Demons think that embracing your negative characteristics will lead you to God. Angels and demons are not good or bad, pure or impure, they are people just like humans. Some angels are quite evil and some demons are very kind. Rire happens to be a particularly evil demon, and he doesn't care about embracing positivity or getting close to God. He only cares about power; and as far as he is concerned, God doesn't exist. 🍋 - if your f/o could change one thing about themselves, what would they change and why? Rire is a narcissist who thinks he's perfect lol. If he thought about it, he'd probably wish that he didn't get jealous so easily - it's quite inconvenient sometimes.

🍋‍🟩 - is your f/o superstitious? is there any habits they follow or quirks they have to follow said superstitions? like not opening umbrellas indoors to avoid back luck?

Well. He is a supernatural creature. He already knows what's dangerous and what's not XD 🍐 - does your f/o have any nervous ticks or idle quirks they do? like mindlessly tapping on a desk or fiddling with their hair when they're stressed?

Definitely! Rire taps his foot and his fingers when he is impatient. When his tentacles are out, he wraps them around his fingers. 🫚 - is your f/o a picky eater? is there any foods they will not under any circumstances, gun to their head, eat?

Technically, Rire doesn't need to eat. If he does eat, it'll probably be fancy, gourmet food - he doesn't need to lower himself to eat anything less than perfection. 🥦 - does your f/o have any pet peeves? things that just really really get on their nerves? what are they and why?

Humans XD Certain human things just get on his nerves, like their inability to get along with each other and their constant self-destruction~

[ategods]

respond to the following prompts out of character, then tag others you'd like to get to know a little bit better.

roleplayer name: beanie

roleplayer pronouns: she / they !

muse name: so many

preferred communication: i prefer disc! as long as ur ok with me forgetting to reply and long intervals of silence 😣 i def appreciate ppl who are comfortable with double texting me too (sometimes i just need a reminder).

experience: oh god lmao i think i started Roleplaying around 15 years ago on like swedish forum sites, and then i moved onto tumblr groups maybe 13 years ago? 12/11 for indie?

preferred roleplay type: para rp, either on tumblr or discord tbh. as far as genres go i love horror & romance (-:

pet peeves & dealbreakers: constant negative posting, vagueposting. dealbreakers for me would be forceshipping, taboo/triggering rp that isn't tagged appropriately and tbh a serious lack of enthusiasm in interactions, just because it makes me feel pretty anxious.

plots or memes: either one! tho i'm definitely better at sending and then replying to memes than getting & answering them.

are you like your muse?: i feel like a sprinkle a little bit of myself into almost all of them, but i'd say that the character i'm the most alike is my oc mio :)

tagged by: @embodies thank u my luv xo tagging: @bha3ls, @leaten, @palespawn, @moonsworn, @justsurvival, @darkdevour & whoever else sees this !!

[inversionimpulse]

not to make everything about a personal pet peeve, but I can't help but feel like a lot of the backlash against the full announcement of Emio: The Smiling Man is another example of people becoming overly attached to their favoured outcome to such a degree that the only metric they can use to judge the actual outcome is merely how similar it is to what they wanted.

Like, take a step back. What did the initial teaser promise?

Something creepy, atmospheric, and M-rated about a fucked-up dude in a paper bag mask. And no more.

I, naturally, can't tell how you feel, but I think Nintendo delivered on this promise.

But some people concluded that the evidence pointed towards a survival horror game. Which was a fair interpretation at the time! But it was not the only one - as evidenced by the fact that there was at least one person who correctly called that it would be a new Famicom Detective Club - and, as it turned out, it was not the correct one.

"I was wrong" can be a mark against a thing. I fully believe that. All value judgements like that are based in large part on such irrational things as how the thing made you feel, and that's right and good and impossible to divorce from the human experience anyway. Being wrong can lead to a negative emotional reaction. While it may be more healthy to work on not having that reaction, it may also not be my place to judge. But it may not be the sort of mark you shout out to the world with your whole chest, you know?

I think you ought to learn to love the mystery itself. I think being contradicted is good for you, unpleasant as it is and as difficult as it is for me and my RSD. I think presuming an answer and getting so attached to it that the real answer makes you angry can be foolhardy.

(The other consideration is that the people who were in a position to be disappointed by it turning out to be a visual novel are generally the type of people who would not have looked twice at a visual novel no matter how it was revealed, and are thus essentially irrelevant. Emio could only have disappointed them, the only difference is that this way they were briefly "tricked" into caring... and a seemingly significant number of other people, who can care about VNs, had their interest piqued in a way it might not have otherwise)

[alkalische]

I saw your Bagpipe redesign posts. I love your breakdown of her design and how you fixed it. There are so many cool characters in Arknights that then get depicted as Generic Skinny Anime Girls and it drives me bonkers. You and other artists on here are doing fantastic work and feeding us starving fans.

You mention Horn’s design throwing you out of immersion; big fucking same. I don’t know her backstory yet(not that far in the story) but she’s a soldier carrying around two giant shield/mortars/sword things(?). And they’re trying to tell us she’s not built like a brick shithouse??? I personally picture her sorta like @gothducky ‘s big buff butch depiction. And every time her character pops on screen I’m like “who are you???”. I didn’t even realize she didn’t have pants till seeing your redesign and it’s like WHY is she not wearing pants when fighting with fucking artillery shields….!!!!????

THANK YOU! It made me really happy to read that! I'm going to use your ask as an excuse to talk about character design issues i have in arknights so long post

(more under cut)

One of my only complaints about Arknights is how they'll introduce a character to be 'very big and strong and capable of pummeling your ass' and it is just noodlearms mcgee

(image: Hoshiguma, Nearl)

like i think BOTH of these designs are absolutely fantastic and are able to convey the character's personality very well, but i do Not. believe.

and hell yeah i love it when artists draw the women of arknights with the muscles they RIGHTFULLY deserve to have (big fan of @/dlartistanon's depiction of saria and nearl)

have this cropped saria i drew a while ago because buff women supremacy

Just a massive personal pet peeve is when, as i said in my bagpipe complaint post, the character is very 'tell, not show'. I think that no matter how interesting the character is in their files and in their story appearance, I'm still unable to connect with them if i'm unable to picture their design doing that.

It's especially egrigeous if the character is supposed to be wearing a uniform. I would actually have no problem with the 'thighs showing while fighting on a battlefield' IF. IF it's clear that that's supposed to be a casual outfit.

Like this is such an issue for me that i kind of zone out whenever a character comes up on the screen with a noticeably horny design (fuckin.. rockrock) because it's so distracting in a negative way

(Image: Rockrock)

I do Not know what the hell i'm supposed to tell from this design. I just know that i Do Not. like it and it makes me have little desire to learn more about the operator

In my opinion the designs in Victoria are very divisive because the good ones are very good (Bena, Shalem, Reed) and the 'bad' (more boring honestly) ones are very bad (Rockrock, Nightmare, whatever's going on in Skyfire's beach skin)

Sorry for rambling on and on i'm just very passionate about storytelling in character designs lmao

[thejesterconcept]

Headcanons For! NIghtmare!Sans!!!

Unlike Dream, he doesn’t have an accent or rasp, due to being free and being able to spend those 500+ years without Dream as he wished

He also isn’t innocent

He heard people swear and stuff, and so after he had some free time, he went to go learn what those words were, and he knows now

He just doesn’t swear, it’s a pet peeve for him

He finds watching Dream not know, though, absolutely hilarious

They are always wanting to more, and so he reads a lot of history and nonfiction

Probably knows another language, like either latin or french, and will write stuff into one of those languages just for secrecy

Canonically uses he/they pronouns, maybe he/they/its

Either aroace, or just somewhere on the a-spec, like demiromantic/demis_e_xual

If not aromantic tho, likely gay. Just, full out gay

He does not discriminate, you fool

Queerphobia also confuses him

Not a headcanon, just a neat fact, his favorite flower is a rose

Nightmare also probably has either coffee or tea, leaning towards tea

Their preference for a|choh0l is w!ne. The good kind

Writes in cursive

Nightmare has days, where he’s just regular old sadistic goopy octopus, we know this, but also days where he’s just out of it, very sad and depressed

Has a soft spot for children, but he'll still traumatize them if they happen to be there. He just won’t hurt them

They survive Dream’s arrows only because they’re covered in pure negativity. It still really hurts though

He doesn’t know about Ink not having a soul, mainly due to Ink keeping up with the vials

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Was tempted to get Fresh to join him, but was mildly unsettled by him and changed his mind

Hates losing control of situations, I don’t need to explain myself on this

Knows there’s something up with Ink, doesn’t get how his brother gets along with Ink

Knows ASL from when he was younger and bored. He’s actually super good at it

If he ever met Shattered!Dream, those two wouldn’t get along. They’d be trying to undermine and manipulate each other, never work together

But he’d also be shook at the idea of Dream being corrupted

Guilt-trips Dream a lot

His eye can and will glow in the dark

He kinda gets along with Geno, initially visiting him, because of Geno eternally suffering, and then Geno tried interacting with him

Now, Nightmare goes, sometimes, to heal or gather energy if need be, to clear his head, advice (he knows Geno ain’t leaving, and only Reaper comes to bug him), and he often borrows books from Geno, and they talk about them

They’ve started bringing their own books to Geno, but it would never call him a friend

Might try to attack or scare off people like Swap, or just anyone in general if they remind him of his younger self[not saying Swap does, just saying he’s included]

Ink can be an annoyance to him, but also useful

He’s THAT uncle to any Error/Ink creations [Paperjam is a shipkid, but also not,  can explain]. He will offer them stuff if they do crime. Likely also spoils them, but also makes them cause more chaos

Can see Passive’s ghost, and communicate. Sometimes listens to him. He only turned Dream to stone instead of killing him because of Passive

Speaking of Passive, he follows Nightmare around, and sometimes forgets he’s a ghost, and can’t talk with others

[peddling-rp-memes]

Kirby's Character Development 101 Questionnaire

A while back, I mentioned on my rp blog that I have a sort of questionnaire for myself to fill out when adding a new muse to make sure they're really established in my head before actually starting to write them. A few mutuals were interested in seeing what that looks like, so I finally got around to posting a blank copy.

You can treat this as either an ask meme to reblog, or something to copy-paste for your own personal use in muse development. All I ask is you don't claim this as your own.

As always, remember to specify for multimuses!

001. Do they have any scars?

-- Appearance

002. Do they have any tattoos/piercings?

003. What is their natural eye color?

004. Do they wear contacts to change their eye color?

005. What is their natural hair color?

006. Do they dye their hair?

007. Do they keep their hair long, short, or in between?

008. What does their clothing style look like?

009. Do they dress in “the norm” for their gender presentation?

010. Do they wear any kind of make-up?

011. Are they invested in their physical appearance?

-- Identity

012. What is their gender identity and sexual orientation?

013. What is their relation to their gender identity and sexual orientation?

014. What is their relation to their ethnicity/heritage?

015. How do they feel about their nationality, current or of origin?

016. What family members had the most impact on them?

017. What is their relationship with their family?

018. Do they connect with their sense of self or reject it?

019. Is their sense of self tied to another person or thing?

020. What does their morality look like?

021. What other names are they known by? 

022. Do they know any languages besides their birth tongue?

023. What religion were they raised in, if any?

024. Are they religious at present?

025. Do they hold to any superstitions?

-- Health

026. Do they need glasses?

027. What mental conditions do they have?

028. What physical conditions do they have?

029. Do they have any allergies?

030. What notable injuries and/or illnesses have they had?

031. How diligent are they about their personal hygiene?

032. Do they keep up with their medication if they have any?

033. Are they particularly concerned with staying healthy/clean?

-- Symbolism

034. What colors are they related to?

035. What animals symbolize them?

036. What plants symbolize them?

037. What celestial bodies symbolize them?

038. What time of day are they most related to?

039. What is a number or numbers that relate to them?

040. What elements are they most connected to?

041. What type of weather are they?

042. What season of the year are they?

043. What kind of precious material are they?

044. What type of music fits them best?

045. What songs are closely tied to them?

-- Preferences

046. What is their favorite food and drink?

047. Do they like sports?

048. Do they like hot or cold weather?

049. How do they feel about animals?

050. How do they feel about nature?

051. Do they prefer science or the humanities?

052. Are they booksmart or streetsmart?

053. Are they more comfortable in large crowds, small groups, or totally alone?

054. Do they feel more in their element in urban or rural settings?

055. How do they feel about math and language?

056. Do they prefer to travel or stay in one place?

057. Are they good about getting out of their comfort zone?

058. What’s their sense of humor like?

059. Do they have any special interests?

060. What pieces of media are important to them?

061. What are their pet peeves?

-- Sociabilities

062. Are they more introverted or extroverted?

063. Are they paternal in nature?

064. Do they want kids?

065. What level of emotional intelligence do they have?

066. How do they communicate their thoughts and feelings (positive or negative) to others?

067. What are their love languages out of the classic 5?

068. What are their love languages not included in the classic 5?

069. How strong is their sense of empathy?

070. Do they allow themself to be vulnerable or keep all at a distance?

071. Do they struggle relating to others with foreign experiences?

072. How quickly are they to give their trust?

073. Are they more of an optimist or pessimist?

074. Are their emotions easily influenced by others’?

-- Romance & Sexuality

075. Do they fall on the aromantic/asexual spectrum?

076. Do they want to be married?

077. What type of features are they attracted to?

078. What type of personalities are they attracted to?

079. What type of personalities repulse them/are a turn off?

080. Would they be open to a threesome?

081. Would they be open to a foursome or more?

082. Would they be okay with an open relationship?

083. Are they polygamous?

084. Are they open about their sexuality (both orientation and general)?

085. Are they comfortable with casual sex?

086. How comfortable are they with discussing sexuality in general?

087. What are their kinks?

088. If they could choose, on average, would they prefer slow and sensual or fast and rough?

089. Does emotional intimacy play any part in their enjoyment of sex?

090. How tolerant are they of kinks they don’t have?

091. Are they more prone to the dominant or submissive role?

092. Do they prefer the penetrated (bottom) or penetrating (top) position?

093. Are they a sadist, masochist, or both?

094. Do they prefer to give or receive oral sex?

-- Misc.

095. Would they be considered “out of touch” with the present day?

096. What are their feelings about recycling?

097. Do they have any grasp of Internet culture?

098. What’s their average level of energy?

099. What are they proud of?

100. What do they regret?

101. Do they have any secrets?

[stealanity]

hey guys, let's go for a big announcement okay?

so, we're near my three-year anniversary on this blog. the 13th of march will mark the day i posted my first piece of writing on this platform (color palette will forever be my precious baby). and before i say anything about the negative aspects of this post, i would like to thank all the people who have supported me and my work for years / months now. every time i received a little interaction, a little message in my askbox, or feedback about one of my writings, my heart couldn't help but vibrate with happiness. so, i'd like to extend my warmest thanks to everyone who kindly took the time to express their opinions on what i've written over the past three years, these little words mean so much to me, in ways you can't imagine.

and, this is where i'm going to start talking about the negative things i have to say about this post : i'm wondering if i'm going to continue writing and posting here.

for months i've been thinking of closing this blog and stopping writing : as most of you know, tumblr writers complain a lot about the lack of feedback on what we produce. i don't mean to blame you all, but it's a real problem that never ceases to discourage every writer behind the computer. i understand that some of you are shy, and that's perfectly all right : but the askbox anonymity option doesn't exist for nothing. even if you only come to say "your last writing was great" and you think it's lame to leave a message just to say that, tell yourself that this simple little sentence can brighten a writer's day. i know you hear the same thing over and over again, but if a lot of people are talking about it, don't you think that proves that it's a real problem for us?

in other words, the lack of interaction from readers to writers is the biggest pet peeve of writers on this platform. just imagine : you walk into a store, and a writer is alone at his signing table, no one stopping to listen to him talk about the book he wrote with all his heart, sleepless nights spent writing, all so that no one would stop and take an interest in him. how would you feel about this person? you'd be sad and sorry for him, right? well then, tell yourself that, it's exactly like this writer, that we here, as tumblr writers, feel when no one gives us feedback. you feel ignored. we give our time to offer you something to read about your favs, completely free of charge. we give you the opportunity to imagine scenarios, and ask us to write down your ideas precisely, all so that, when your request is granted, we have no feedback on what you thought about it? this won't last much longer, believe me — because little by little, all the writers here are losing hope and patience, and deciding to stop doing what they love just because they're constantly ignored and not thanked for their work and efforts. yet, i know a lot of writers who deserve to be praised and complimented for their talent every second of their existence, and i feel so, so sorry for them that they have to endure such a thing. and, if you look closely, you'll see that it's only the writers themselves who leave feedback on other writers' work — because we know how important it is and how much we need it every day.

which is why i'm announcing today that i'm questioning the future of this blog. i haven't made a decision yet, maybe i'll do it tomorrow or in three months, whatever. but the problem is there, said and repeated, over and over again, and i'm more than discouraged.

nevertheless, thank you to all the writers on this platform for all you do. you sometimes make my heart skip a beat, my eyes water, laugh until i cry and smiling from ear to ear, because you're that good. you're so good at giving people chills and filling their heads with stories, with your perfectly chosen words and your marvelous ideas, each more incredible and interesting than the last. and i'll never stop complimenting the talent of the writers here, because you guys are truly amazing and tumblr wouldn't be the same without you. i know it's hard to evolve here, but know that among all those likes, there's this one reblog that makes all the difference.

you are so brave, and i thank you for always being here to share your talent.

anyway, let's end it here !

thank you for your attention, have a nice day, or night, or anything,

— xoxo, matty

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

oc deep dive questions!

Tyyy for the tag @kaleido-scope-lady <3 i loved learning more about Ophelia<3 Gonna go for Muro/Celia bc im predictable. questions at the bottom for ppl to copy if they want to do this!

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Teachers. school was rough for them and there's a reason beyond needing to work full time that he fully dropped out at 16- it was only Paula that stopped him from droping out before that

Do they have any pet peeves?

Picky eaters. im one myself but he will ask if you have anything you cant eat and then will cook and if you dont like the food and dont finish your plate he will judge you [In his opinion food is food and good food is great but bad food is at least something so be grateful]

ALSO people who comment on peoples accents. He speaks very strong Neapolitan so most italian speakers cant easily understand him, he tries to tone it down but if you are rude about his accent and he is understandable he gets very pissed off. Tesoro who is a polyglot and loves learning languages and accents is the main point of interaction with people from outside the city for this reason

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Tape recorder, record player and a [field] hockey stick. He doesnt play hockey anymore but he loved it and keeps some of his old sticks around [unfortunately the ones that he used as a weapon had to be destroyed lest they be used as evidence]

What do they notice first in a person?

Their comfort level, are they confident and at ease in the environment? are they nervous and on edge? Pretty good for judging how the conversation is gonna go, and if it will turn violent- and how to avoid it.

On a scale from 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance?

It certainly gets higher over the course of his life, to about a 7 maybe? its not chronic pain haver levels of pain tolerance, but he can grin and bear through a lot. Most regular wound being he fails to entirely stop a bullet before it hits him, so he has a lot of bullet grazes that he powers thru till whoevers shooting at him is dead.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Freeze. as an adult he freezes more, he used to fight but freezing up is safer these days and causes less regret.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

He may not come from a big family, but he seems to have collected one around him- It starting as just his Mama and her, then Cecio, but by the time Celia was 11 Conficcare was spending more time at their flat than at home, and after his mothers death and them joining Passione, Tesoro moved into the flat and then Rametta started spending more and more time there.

He loves them all and in his dream world they are all as close, just without the negative things that drew and kept them together. Part of the reason Rametta placed into the role of father figure was because he tries very hard to be

What animal represents them best?

Dog. One of those big working dogs that's fiercely defensive and loyal. if he was a dog he would be a rescue- previously abused and mistreated and so dubbed violent but gets a new life protecting some puppies- he acts like a kicked dog enough already. i dont know a breed of dog that is tiny as puppies but grows massive but that's 100% him.

What is a smell they dislike?

Gunshot residue. He has a distaste for guns that's very hypocritical but given how many times hes seen someone go from alive to very much not in the space of a few seconds it makes sense- Baccios death being a very notable example.

Have they broken any bones?

Yep! at 16/17 in an upcoming fic she badly breaks an arm, and shes probably broken quite a few more.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Intimidating. In a kinder light, ruggedly statuesque. The bright reds and golds of his outfits might bring to mind a poisonous animal.

Are they a night owl, or morning bird?

Both! Hes used to long hours and late nights, and loves his midday siestas. If it wasnt for Conficcares nursing shift hours he would be the person always awake first and asleep last, he likes to wait up for anyone out late and have breakfast ready in the morning before people wake up.

What’s a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Not sure on hate, hes far from a picky eater, but he loves chorizo and salami. Butter fried chorizo with mushrooms and cheese on bread is the default breakfast and he will often snack of a stick of salami through the day

Do they have any hobbies?

Music! he loves listening to music, and he also loved being a mechanic, he takes very good care of his vehicles and really enjoys maintaining them - and racing them.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprise?

Badly. one the initial surprise is over he finds it sweet but you better hope Human Algebra didnt deem it a threat- so no jumping out at him

Do they like to wear jewelery?

Jewelry can cause issues in fights, so he tends to avoid it. He wears his mothers rosary on his wrist tucked into his sleeve and has a few rings that he occasionally wears but other than that he keeps it to a minimum. He would love to pierce his ears and have earrings but hes half torn someone else's ear of in a fight with their earring to many times to be comfortable with having one himself.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Messy is an understatement- at least for teen Celia, but Marco taught her to write in block capitals, so while the spelling and grammar may not be great and the letters may be mirrored, its somewhat legible- it just takes effort so for anything long he gets someone else to write it or uses a voice recorder.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Worry. Grief & anger to but that underlies it. He worries a lot- very much a mother hen who needs to know where eveyone is and that they are safe. he worries about how much people eat- food insecurity is a bitch- and worried about if he has made the right decisions.

Do they have a favourite fabric?

Given his main outfit is a denim jacket and trousers, probably that. Linen is nice and cool which is great in napoli!

What kind of accent do they have?

Strong. 'Canonically' he has a very thick Neapolitan accent to his Italian- if not just speaking it, probably even heavier than usual Spanish influences on his accent and slang- talking of slang he has almost definitely picked up a bit of Sinhala and Ukrainian- the languages of two largest immigrant populations in Napoli- as well as possibly bits of Chinese- as he grew up in an immigrant dominated area of the city.

[based of 2023 demographic information so probably very different from the 1980s but i haven't been able to easily find previous data- i will deep dive at some point but basically he will have picked up some words and slang from the dominant immigrant groups]

[EDIT: earliest data i can find with demographic info is from 2004 and its still Sri Lanka then Ukraine, but after that its Poland]

In my head however- he speaks halfway between Cockney and MLE [Multicultural London English] as of around the mid 80s in Hackney when MLE was growing to replace Cockney as the majority spoken dialect.

EDIT: Paula is Egyptian and so she would have an egyptian arabic accent, though due to xenophobia she will have worked hard to minimize it. Muro has other stronger influences on his accent but there are little bits here and there that will show up in his accent

-

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Do they have any pet peeves?

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

What do they notice first in a person?

On a scale from 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

What animal represents them best?

What is a smell they dislike?

Have they broken any bones?

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Are they a night owl, or morning bird?

What’s a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Do they have any hobbies?

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprise?

Do they like to wear jewelery?

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Do they have a favourite fabric?

What kind of accent do they have?