#purely for the sake of consistency and organization

[pippin-katz]

Merlin's Last Name

I have a dilemma. My OCD is super mad about the tags for Merlin posts, but I’m gonna tackle things one at a time, starting with Merlin.

I currently use Emrys because it’s the most common, but it’s frustrating to me because I know it’s not a surname.

Ambrosius is the second most common because I believe it’s one of the names used for Merlin in Arthurian legend. I’m starting to lean towards using it instead, but I’m not sure.

So what do you think? Spread this around please, I want to hear people’s thoughts on this.

[literallys-illiteracy]

Viktor in Arcane Season 2, Design and characterisation, an essay:

I do not like the Viktor redesign, nor his character within the show Arcane.

This is a thematic analysis of his design and depiction within the show which elaborates in moderacy why.

First and foremost, the design itself, before the character: Viktor, alongside his glorious arcane evolution in the show, is shown through an extremely organic, completely sleek design for his drones, and a membranal, coloured pattern for its corruption.

In both cases, I feel as if their design is stuck in the realm of purgatory in which it is not fully committed to either biomechanical replicants, eg. Androids, nor brutalistic utilitarian augments, eg. Adeptus Mechanicus.

As it stands, the droids in particular demonstrate this combination of themes, being almost entirely human in their appearance, showing no outward mechanical nor magical aspects in favour of a purely white, polished, mannequin-esque design.

In discussion of the droids, I want to note that for their themes of Viktor’s singularity and removal of humanity, this design does in fact work in their favour. This is particularly clear within the scenes presenting them in combat, and the moments in future when they are stalking Jayce through the world; In the final episode particularly, they are shown working in whole unison, scaling the towers and chasing people in a manner reminiscent of World War Z zombies, however in a more unified, hive mind-like manner, due to their purposeful manoeuvring acting as structure for another to get further.

These drone’s primary feature is their mask, being a visage vaguely akin to a humans, though unmoving and clearly artificial, which of course shows the inhumanity of this horde and Viktor’s rejection of human emotions – The lack of a face is an aspect that is used quite directly, most notably in Viktor’s bargaining with Mel and Jayce, alongside the skittering, almost insectoid movement that the droid features to avoid destruction.

While this singular theme of cohesion and inhumanity is in favour of these mannequin drone designs, there is more to Viktor’s characterisation than removing humanity as a blanket thought; Rather than removal for the sake of removal, rather than disdain for humanity in large, Viktor should be seeking to move to a state beyond humanity, which is shown in his own personal design.

The concept of moving beyond humanity is one that Viktor shares with Singed in this regard, being a vague dichotomy between the synthetic evolution and the biological evolution, punctuated by their respective epilogue scenes within act one particularly, however I feel as if these contrasting thoughts were intentional narrative choices, then the somewhat organic nature of the arcane evolution works against the contrast.

Before moving to Viktor’s personal design I want to share my own personal view of Viktor as a character.

I want to preface by saying that I am in no way a veteran of League itself, however I have been interested in the lore long before Arcane’s release, and Viktor’s characterisation since I learned of his character.

Viktor as a character was not always the most consistent, varying between benevolent and something near the utilitarianist machine lord we see in Arcane, his primary consistent trait was that of synthetic evolution and moving beyond humanity’s flaws, improving the human form with mechanical augmentations.

There are many routes that one may take this story path, in essence Viktor’s main consistent trait was his relation to an archetypal visionary, similar to Swain, but in the nature of humanity rather than Noxus; In all incarnations of Viktor, he should remain as this same archetypal character, in any shape or form, which all incarnations so far have successfully done.

I want to note something, there is the concept of characters who “Are created to embody an archetype not challenge it”, specifically, at least from what i've seen, popularised by TBskyen. I want to clarify that I am referring to archetypes in the psychological or unconscious storytelling sense, rather than the conscious character archetypes such as the “Nordic Viking” character archetype that Olaf embodies.

 I may write in depth at a later date relating the concept of archetypal characters to storytelling, moreso as templates from which character bases emerge, rather than the typical observation of a character itself, but I wanted to note this as writing about League made me remember Skyen’s phrase and I thought to clarify my meanings.

As i’m sure i have made abundantly clear, my personal preferred interpretation of Viktor’s character is that of the synthetic, syncretic and unifying ascension beyond humanity; Once again there are many pathways that this interpretation may lead to, notably, a utilitarian rejection of humanity is best based on one of two pathways, physiological imperfections or improvements, akin to the mechanicus, which is my preferred focus, which is akin to the Mechanicus in Warhammer, or the removal of unnecessary emotions for the sake of pure efficiency and cohesion, which reflects a character similar to HAL from a Space Odyssey – Neither of these interpretations of an inhuman herald is malicious, nor an incorrect interpretation, however i feel as if the new incarnation of Viktor leans too heavily into the purely unifying cause, when the synthetic evolution acts equally as important to the character in past and in theme.

While there is an element incorporated in the drones that Viktor creates, being faster and stronger than a human, there is a key trait of ascension beyond human limitations that these designs do not accomplish, as they are almost entirely human in design.

This improvement can be seen in the most crucial difference between Viktor and his drone’s designs, Viktor is not part of this unification, Viktor possesses differences, his walking stick, his differing mask, and his third arm, each of which marks him as separate from the surrounding evolution.

Viktor’s transformation seen in the final episodes of season 2 features many traits that I dislike for Viktor’s characterisation, especially when he takes the route of humanity’s emotions and differences being its downfall.

As mentioned above, Viktor hisself is not uniform in the same way that the drones are, being a wholly different colour, wearing a different mask, and featuring different kinds of synthetics to the rest of his flock.

Viktor’s departure from humanity is meant to be symbolised through his mask, being akin to those possessed by his drones, however having a large split, from which comes forth a decidedly inhuman remainder; the concept of his mask is one that was featured in the first act of the season notably, his suspension in the hexcore leaving nothing but his face, and his eyes glowing in the scene which he blessed the first sinn- healed the first wounded.

I feel as if, though conceptually this design is valid, the existence of his drone’s renders his divergence from the unity as antithetical to his own ideals; Though his motif if that of ascending beyond humanity, uncaring to human emotions and morals for the sake of evolution, he acts as the only synthetic which retains its humanity to any extent, while bearing the mask with the largest departure.

His gaining of this mask was a moment foreshadowed for a long time, being the only part of him that was uncorrupted by the arcane, being the only part of him visible properly during the astral sequences with Skye, and being the only part of him that is newly concealed after he abandons Skye once more; the leaving of Skye acts as his abandonment of humanity, his internal compass and anima, which is then followed by his later ascension, however as stated before, for someone who is meant to ascend beyond human individuality or emotion, he still remains as the only source of human individuality in the legion of synthetics.

I cannot stress enough this divergence, the fact that despite this incarnation of Viktor acting as an amoral, inhuman, “driven assimilator”, wanting to bring all others into the same fold, he is the only one who does not follow this tennant.

We can see this even further with the details of his colouration, his reborn body, and his augmentations; Viktor takes directly after the Hex core, being a greyish purple in colouration, with golden accents, which match in colour but not location to his drones.

Viktor’s body itself diverges from the standard drone we see, being extremely human in its design, appearing even biological, coated in metal, rather than a true biomechanical form due to its textured design, not present on his followers.

This leads to the primary problem that I have with this incarnation of Viktor, he is simply put, not the “machine herald”, and is hardly the ascensionist that defined the character for so long.

While I understand the choices made, the directions that Viktor was taken, I cannot help but think that he is simply lacking, in story and development; in thematics; and in what should be the singular unifier of these two aspects, his design.

His goal in this latest incarnation is more directly to remove weakness, rather than to build on existing strength, which both act as the plausible goals of an ascensionist herald such as Viktor, this is in large why his drones lack these same overtly mechanical, almost brutalistic design traits that are present in designs such as his Legend of Runeterra followers, yet at the same time, his own personal design features augments, rather than this same unifying design, with the third arm on his back.

While his archetypal story of ascension towards a vision remains in tact, seeking singularly to remove the human weakness of emotions and individuality, I cannot help but feel that his design does not share this trait, being the only individual in the world is not the removal of individuals, it is just the suppression.

-

Lore.

Though lore was somewhat discussed in the prior section, it was more so characterisation that was used argumentatively before this; My view of Viktor is one that I have made abundantly clear: “An ascensionist, visionary, who seeks to herald machines or augments”. 

I have no inherent problems with the incorporation of the arcane, with his mystical presentation, nor his outward depiction as a villain, in fact, i believe that this utilitarian bargaining and carelessness acts in his favour, being one of my favourite character tropes in fiction, “Doing the wrong things for the right reasons” (Oh, worm).

My problem comes twofold, in his depiction through the show both before and after ascension, and his rejection of this sought ideal.

To summarise the first point, while Viktor acts in a cold logical manner for the scenes immediately before his rebirth, these scenes exist as the primary example of his inhumanity, placing him in the body of his drone – This bargaining scene is another that i feel could have been improved on, most notably, the spliced scenes in which we see Viktor’s face in the astral plane or something(?), severing the dissociation that would have serviced this scene and the following act perfectly. Imagine if Viktor’s face, for the entirety of act 3 prior to the finale, in which Ekko fractures the mask, was hidden; The face acts as the gateway to the soul, being the primary feature used to punctuate a creatures humanity, if Viktor’s bargaining to Mel and Jayce were without this depiction, the rejection of humanity would work far more effectively, and would have helped to enforce his separation of emotions.

Following the ascension, which occurs immediately after this bargaining, Viktor’s design is revealed, which i have already addressed my stylistic problems with, however, in his interactions following this moment, he acts in a more human manner than during the prior scenes, still holding a hope to show Jayce this beauty that he has discovered, yet still waiting until he arrived at the roof to do so?.

Viktor’s motivation is never allowed to develop in whole for the same reason that i dislike this incarnation, he refuses to act in either archetypal role of a visionary or a humanist, while seemingly attempting to remain as both.

While he claims to have become more than he ever was, more than human, his design and characterisation fail to show this at almost every turn, with almost every scene bar two (the aforementioned conversation in the council room and the moment when Ekko throws the Z drive at him) showing him as equally human from before the transformation.

While he claims to want to remove human suffering, he acts only to remove humanity in whole, not improve any aspect of it, or build off of its design, only mimic its appearance.

Viktor’s realisation of humanities weaknesses was not one that was unforeseen, and there is a theoretical merit to the concept of one who wishes to remove humanities imperfections in a communal, hive minded nature, the abject removal of all humanities aside from his own is simply a flawed execution.

Viktor, even after his transformation, clings to his flaws and to his humanity, separating him once again, even further, from his vaunted perfection: Viktor’s irregular textured body compared to other synthetics, his ostentatious mask, his seeming care for outward design, and most damningly, his walking stick, all of which far from necessary in his new perfect form.

If Viktor were to wholly choose, either ascension or unity for humanity, then I would be more than fine with his incarnation, if he had been firmly humanist or inhuman for his goals, then I would have liked his character.

If Viktor were to truly reject humanity, then why not show it first with the removal of his own flaws, his own separation of humanity, from which follows his realisation about human emotions, why have Skye representative of his humanity, of his nature in all of its flaws, when he clings still to his walking stick that represented them from the start.

The Finale.

In the finale of the show, Viktor embraces his humanity, Ekko having shattered his mask and revealed his face, following which he sees Viktor in the future having come to realise his flaws.

I dislike this ending for one primary reason.

It was never our Viktor who learned this lesson. *OUR* Viktor was robbed of this realisation, and even a flawed conclusion it may be, we have still lost a pivotal development in Viktor’s character.

There is no prize to perfection, only an end to pursuit.

And herein lies my biggest dislike of this characterisation.

Viktor’s future statement is one that has sat wrong with me since I heard it, and it is one that is a consequence directly of Viktor’s mischaracterized ascension discussed earlier.

Viktor’s sentiment is his desire to bring an end to suffering, hence that all suffering is derived from emotions, and from humanity.

And even in the end, Viktor describes this as “Perfection”. Viktor does not lament the loss of individuation, rather the loss of pursuit, that he had already completed his life’s goal.

And from this future revelation, Viktor chooses to abandon all his notions of improvement, in his future realisation borne of stagnancy, from the loss of a dream, he willingly abandons all notions of this dream.

This final speech of the future Viktor is one that almost in itself motivated me to write this discussion; should Viktor have simply lamented the loss of humanity, of minds to think, even of unpredictability, rather than the simple monotony of perfection; Should Viktor have understood the drive borne of emotions, from which progress is unattainable; Should Viktor have wished more outwardly to improve human flaws, to grow beyond human, in any way other than removing the “Human” aspect, then I would not dislike this character as much as i do.

Viktor’s design and mischaracterisation, in my opinion, are derived from a countless number of minor missteps and choices, wholly intertwined faucets of character which sought to represent discordant images of a person, souring both aspects in whole.

I do not hate Arcane, I loved it, and that is why I wish for its improvement, for its evolution beyond what it is, to improve its flaws and retain the core integrity of the show, to see it become what it could have been.

Also as a final message, having Jayce and Viktor kiss in the finale would have been infinitely better in the concept of humanity and the necessity for emotions, especially if it was preluded by a realisation of Viktor's actions and biases towards Jayce even following the transformation.

Let the men kiss riot.

Authors note: I am so sorry this is so much fucking longer than i thought it would be I didn't mean to ramble on for so long about him

[abyssalzones]

Hello! I really love your work in general and your OSDD Ford analysis, I have read it in full at least three times. There’s a line near the end about his different selves possibly becoming more organizing/appearing at different intervals, but you stop there for brevity. Would you care to share any further thoughts? (It’s fine if not.)

Thank you!!

Hi! Really glad to hear you liked it, wait did you say three times? that's nuts. god damn.

I could definitely elaborate, although I want to note that while in part I did stop there for brevity's sake I did also stop there for the sake of making a more unified point- and, importantly, I didn't want to drift too far into the realm of speculation. Or "just making shit up." I often have a hard time positing something if I don't feel it's being elaborated on from a textual basis... which might be kind of goofy when we're talking about a fanbase that was mostly AU content at one point but whatever I've chosen to die on this hill. Anyway.

All my thoughts about OSDD are highly influenced by my experiences with it obviously, therefore my thoughts are probably going to conflict with someone else's, but I think any "organizing" that would happen with separate parts would be heavily influenced by everything in ford's life calming the fuck down and not requiring a rotating cast of coping mechanisms. For example: a good chunk of clarified parts in real DID/OSDD experiences can be classified as introjects. Despite what you commonly see in online subgroups (no judgment, obviously) these introjects are often of real people that might be influential in your life.

repost of funny little comic I drew for effect ^

in my experience these things work on like... the basis of when they're Needed most. if ford is living in a healthy consistent environment with people who love him and can already provide assurances, I think the need to supplement that with any sort of internal coping mechanism would subside. then again, people are vulnerable when they're still trying to settle in a safe space after trauma, it's possible to invent an internal threat to, paradoxically, make circumstances feel more "predictable." coughs loudly. bill already existed functionally in ford's head 90% of the time so it just kind of feels par for the course that a shadow of him is going to stick around. maybe that seems sad or foreboding but I think it's just a normal part of coping with something that haunted you for half of your life. idk.

do I think these mental aspects would manifest outwardly? as in, like, fronting? not really. However I think if anything was noticeable it'd be a difference between like, "panic mode" ford(s) and "normal human citizen on earth" ford. I could definitely see a distinction of perspectives and ability between a self that exists out of pure survival (and probably still thinks he's in sci-fi hell or whatever) and the self that just chills and writes detailed notes on supernatural plants in his journal. there's also something to be said about [the entire fucking thing I wrote about dead alters and the perception of traumatic events as a type of death] and whether or not a part can actually meaningfully "die." sometimes the part of you you thought was a ghost is actually just scared as fuck and when things get less scary they start to come out of hiding. to put it vaguely.

all of these things can be attributed to other aspects of ford as a character: his c-ptsd, potential hallucinations and delusions, broader themes of death and revival irt trauma recovery, etc. but I think of any OSDD analysis I make as like, an extension of all of those things, if that makes sense.

to close off on a meme that nobody has used in years:

[novastarrart]

Banban/Devil Headcanons

Just wanna get my thoughts out there so here goes. It's a lot so, there's your warning lmao

*Note: For simplicity's sake I’ll refer to normal Banban as Uthman and the actual researcher/genome donor as Dr. Uthman*

Banban/Uthman:

All the mascots seem pretty tall so I hc him to be like 6'5"?

His tongue hangs out of his mouth constantly, it was done this way to make him more appealing/cute to kids.

That being said, When he's aware, he can keep his tongue in his mouth, usually to talk. But absentmindedly it just sorta lolls out.

He has a form of body dysphoria, being that he sees himself as a human, even when looking in a mirror.

This is why he hates being called Banban and not by his "true" name Uthman (or Adam if he knows you well enough).

However, he doesn't get too angry if you don't know about all that in the first place. Still, he'll correct you with some annoyance (Like he did with Bittergiggle in part V).

He has some memory problems, due to his own memories mingling with Dr. Uthman’s. Sometimes he’ll forget who another mascot is (Like when he referred to Nabnab as “That thing down there”. Or when Sir Dadadoo first appeared: “Hey is that a friend of yours?”)

The party hats hide his horns, this was partially his choice, and partially the researcher's. They were worried the horns would scare the children, so they decided to hide them with something “fun”. He doesn't mind them though, he wants to look as human as possible.

His voice is very apathetic and monotonous, he doesn't have much control over this, it's just natural at this point. Whether or not his donor, the real Dr. Uthman, spoke like this, I haven't decided on. He definitely has an accent of some sort, which he picked up from Dr. Uthman.

He's actually a lot more emotive than he is in the game! Although he does usually default to that goofy smile

He doesn't really blink! He can close his eyes, and has eyelids, but for some reason he just cannot blink. He does not realize this at all, and it unintentionally  scares others.

Thanks to his donor, he's very intelligent and can actually perform a lot of different surgeries and has a vast knowledge of medicine. He obviously uses this to his advantage to uhh open up victims.

He can consume human food and drinks, but it really doesn’t do anything for him nutritional wise, this is more than likely why he feels consistent pain near his abdomen

Hellish Banban/The Devil:

So comparing the models, bro is taller than regular Banban, so he's probably like 7ft tall

Definitely more muscular and stronger, has better endurance too

VERY FERAL. He relies on pure animalistic instinct in this form, although he is still capable of speech if he needs to speak.

Loses his "human" side and gives in to his more monstrous side. Any human memories are probably just gone at the time.

Speaking of which, If you call him Uthman, he'll probably just laugh and rip you apart. He does answer to Devil/Demon or just Hellish for simplicity's sake.

As said before, this feral side is triggered by adrenaline. Usually triggers when Uthman is about to die or is severely hurt (sorta like a Bruce Banner/Hulk sorta relationship).

His horns grow longer and sharper in this form, as well as his teeth. This is... probably pretty obvious why.

He seems to lose his pupils in this form? Uthman's eyes turn all white when he's turned or about to turn.

And that's an indicator you should start running!

Relies more so on his sense of smell, then his sight to find his prey. I like to think his tongue is like a snake which he uses to pick up scents/vibrations (another reason it hangs out).

He can DEFINITELY smell human's organs/blood/etc.

He can probably also pinpoint if something is medically wrong with their organs too (Diabetic, kidney failure, heart problems, etc.). This would be very useful, however he's not really thinking of helping you right now.

He's a lot tougher and can handle being banged/smashed around (Like that fight with Jumbo Josh). He’s VERY hard to kill.

He'll eat any organ honestly, Pancreases are just his favorite! (Maybe they're sweeter due to them producing insulin? Who knows!)

Still has some intelligence, but this is mostly overridden by adrenaline and instinct to eat and kill others. Overall, he doesn’t think correctly when in this form and will do things that are harmful to himself and others without much thought.

Aaaaand that's about it for now? Let me know what you think if you want!

[gachagon]

I like Noel Noa a lot as a mentor character. While he's not my favorite mentor figure ever, I do think he's still a really cool character and that's simply because as time goes on we learn through what he says and does that he himself doesn't really view himself as "The worlds best". That is just some title that all these other people have generally pushed onto him.

Like when you first start Blue Lock you're of the opinion that Noa is this unbeatable god of a soccer player, and that nobody can ever be on his level. But then there are times where even putting Noa in the game isn't some instant win for his team. The people Noa is surrounded by are just as amazing if not more so, than he himself is.

And I think this quality of his, to be so ordinary amongst the extraordinary is why he gravitates a lot towards Isagi, because he is also a pretty great player among even greater players. And yet all of the other players want to beat Isagi, just like how all of these top soccer players are pretty much still vying for Noa's spot as number 1.

This whole match has really been about what it takes to "stay" as number 1. Not just what it takes to reach there, but what you need in order to keep your spot. We see Kaiser trying to beat Isagi but failing because he doesn't understand what makes Isagi tick, there's Lorenzo who believes he can become number 1 and stay there as long as he has the most money out of all the players on the field, we have Snuffy who is using an entirely new method that goes against the egoist theory that Ego created for Blue Lock and so much more. All these players are trying to beat someone else in one or another, and the biggest mystery is trying to figure out what they need in order to truly be number 1.

I like that this arc, despite being so slow and sort of mundane, has introduced new ideas about egoism in general and even went against the main egoist theory that's been persistent in the series so far. But not in a way that yells "Actually teamwork DOES work" because that's not how Snuffy's theory works.

I think it's so cool that Blue Lock managed to take the idea of "teamwork" and morph it into something that's still very inherently selfish. Instead of thinking for yourself, you think like a machine and just go through all the motions with the help of one person who is truly going to take credit for a lot of these plays, because he literally invented them for this game. Now in this match "Teamwork" isn't something that bonds them together, they aren't working together for the sake of making their own goals, but of purely winning and beating the other side.

They're all still separated by some wall like separate cogs in a machine that make it all work together. And they're going up against people who all have their own goals in mind, people who haven't turned their brains off during the game to just "play' and win, but to do other goals.

And Raichi is literally the perfect wrench to throw into this machine to break it's flow. Raichi has done such a great job of doing what he was told to do from the beginning, and he's been the one constant in their game. In order for them to get on a more even playing field, they need to have some level of consistency to their own play style. They need to be slightly organized to get on the level of a machine.

[lunaneko14]

I swear, it would've been easier for Kishi to just have Karin be Sarada's biological mother — myopia being hereditary from an immediate family member is one of the biggest telling signs; two of my cousins have bad eyesight and they got it from their dad/my uncle — and, for gods sakes, Karin still has the umbilical cord after all these years — and, I don't know, maybe Karin thought Sarada would have a better life being with Sakura in Konoha (and maybe she assumed Sasuke would return with Sarada to Konoha) than with her in Orochimaru's hideouts. Something, anything, instead of making Sarada a SasuSaku baby. Because, based purely on genetics and biology, Sasuke and the entire Uchiha clan (before they basically became extinct) never had myopia, and Sakura and her non-canon parents (per the famous 2014 post-manga interview with Kobayashi, Kishi deliberately made Sakura's parents not canon because he hates her and Japanese fangirls told him they hate her) also do not have myopia. Based on just that alone, logically, it makes so much more sense for Sarada to be a SasuKarin baby, because Karin has myopia and, lo and behold, so does Sarada. That's not even getting into how Sarada literally looks nothing like Sakura, yet even without her glasses on, she looks like a SasuKarin baby.

And then, IIRC, since it's been so long since I last watched the Boruto anime, Karin and Sarada have met at least once, and their interactions that one time felt far more organic and natural and loving than any of Sakura and Sarada's conversations put together.

Then, as you and I and many others have stated, Kishi has made it clear, post-manga, how much he doesn't like Sakura and how he treats her as just some side chick who was created solely to be a failed love interest after NaruHina was created. Why bother putting SS together when he clearly doesn't like Sakura, and he consistently shows Sasuke to be miserable around her and Sarada and/or deliberately keeps him away from them? How does Kishi go from consistently giving NH a lot of positive development (as a few anons pointed out recently: even as early as Chapter 42, Naruto admitted to himself that he acts like a big shot in front of Hinata — bear in mind that this was way before Chapters 77, 80-81, and 98-105) to, well, the way he consistently drags SSS into the mud with all that negative development?

I totally went on a swerve there, sorry, I just had a lot to get off my chest 😅💁🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

No you right.

Someone needs to tell Kishimoto to stop forcing Sakura to be Naruto’s Bulma, she’s not.

He purely wanted that SSS family because it would look off (at least to him) if just the boys had kids plus it would put her in the same place as Tsunade in a more pathetic way (because at least Tsunade was loved, her lover was just killed in battle. They could’ve very well had kids had he not died.) rather than have her surpass her master (Naruto had love and family unlike Jiraiya and with Sarada, Sasuke would be rebuilding his clan and turning good).

Kishimoto wants so bad to make Sakura the new Bulma except he has no heart in her. Bulma is an actual useful character. She was boy crazy but she left that to her teen years and she didn’t put up with men disrespecting her like Sasuke did to Sakura and look what happened, Vegeta kisses the ground she walks on now and they have a second child. Vegeta even quit training to be with Bulma for the birth of their daughter while Sasuke wasn’t even busy and he never came in for a birthday.

[ambersky-art]

Fan Reference Project: Masterpost

A masterpost of all the drawings I make for this project!

But what is this project?

This Fan References project is my goal to draw every (or nearly every) character from various fandoms. For some fandoms, I also plan to draw specific species if they're unique enough from irl creatures. The plan is to create a simple reference for each character consisting of at least one fullbody and flatcolor sketch, a color palette, and the character's name and the media they're from. These references will be posted daily. If you'd like to scroll through them all, every drawing will be posted under the tag wip: fan references and I will update this post as I go.

Included Characters

You can find a list of all the characters and creatures on this spreadsheet. Characters in white cells have already been drawn, though it's likely that if they are not linked here, then I have simply not posted them yet. I'm very willing to take suggestions, however, I make no guarantee of getting to it quickly/there's a chance it could take a long time for me to get to that character.

How will it work? What is the point?

Every day from January 1 (unless I specifically post that I am going on hiatus) I will be posting one of these references. At some point, I might increase the number of characters posted each day. I will be drawing these characters alphabetically, and they will be posted alphabetically. I will also be numbering each character in their post, both for the fun of seeing just how many characters there are and for organizational purposes. I wanted to do this for two reasons. The first is because I feel it would be good practice in drawing characters that aren't mine. I always feel like when I draw fanart based purely on grabbed images from media, there's always something off. Hopefully with a reference in my own style, it becomes easier to draw these characters. The other is so that I have my own clear reference for these characters, with an established color palette, so that I can draw the characters consistently.

Other Notes

This post could act as a notification post. At this moment (12/21) I'm unsure if people would want that. Just let me know if that would be a good idea, and I can post in the replies with a changelog of sorts once a week with which characters have been posted. All timelapses of these drawings are posted on my Instagram (@/ambersky0319) - at the moment (01/08) I don't intend to post them here.

Character Links

Below the cut is the actual masterpost portion with all the links. Unlike the posts themselves, which are posted alphabetically regardless of fandom, below the characters are organized by fandom. The fandoms are organized by character count, the fandoms with fewer characters first for the sake of scrolling.

Nimona (10)

Alamzapam Davis || Ambrosius Goldenloin ||

Buddy Daddies (15)

[characters]

Arcane (26)

[characters]

Danny phantom (34)

[characters]

Soul Eater (40)

[characters]

The Arcana (43)

Aisha ||

Carmen Sandiego (50)

Agent Zari || Amara || Ambessa ||

AFK Journey (53)

Alpha Bear || Alsa ||

She-Ra (54)

Admiral Scurvy || Adora ||

Avatar: The Last Airbender (75)

Aang || Admiral Zhao ||

Minecraft Diaries (82)

Aaron || Abby || Aerith || Alexis || Amber ||

Tangled the Series/Varian and the 7 Kingdoms (92)

Adira || Amber ||

The Owl House (99)

Adegast || Adrian Graye Vernworth || Alador Blight || Amber || Amelia ||

Nanatsu no Taizai/The Seven Deadly Sins (100)

[characters]

Stardew Valley (103)

Abigail || Alex ||

Total Drama (114)

Alejandro ||

Voltron (123)

Acxa || Adam || Alfor || Allura ||

How to Train Your Dragon (145)

Alvin ||

Hilda (161)

Abigail || Abigail's Dad || Adeline || Agnes Bragga || Aldinn || Alfur Aldric || Aloysius || Alvin ||

My Little Pony (Gen 4) + Equestria Girls (506)

Ace Point || Adagio Dazzle || Ahuizotl || Amethyst Maresbury ||

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (588)

BotW characters + enemies, a few TotK characters (NOT npcs like villagers, stable people, etc.), and most TotK enemies (must have differences to BotW counterparts)

Aerocuda || Agus || Aji || Akrah || Aliza || Amali ||

[hestiadoesstuff]

Have I posted anything about my ocs here yet? No. Is anyone going to understand who these people are? Absolutely not. Am I doing this anyways? Yeah why the hell not.

These are all part of the same superpower-world, btw! I have more ocs but these guys are the ones who take up the most space in my brain, and this is just the main protag team :)

1.) to get lost: Farid Besides Caspian (see number nine vvv), I've got to go with Farid. He doesn't really have a reason to drive outside of the city very often and he doesn't have a good lay of the land, so without some kind of map, he'd absolutely get lost.

2.) to kiss and tell: Farid Theoretically it would be Farid, but he's not exactly telling anyone considering the only people closest to him consist of three basically-children (in his eyes), a much older coworker, one guy his age who is extremely asexual, and his father. He doesn't have many other friends for a while...

3.) to 'forget' to text back: Imani Almost said Caspian but the poor guy's already got memory issues, so he'd just forget for real. Imani would notice the text and throw her phone across the room while working on one of her projects, put off responding for days, then make up some flimsy excuse that no one's going to buy.

4.) to know the lyrics to every song you play: Samson Samson is more of a Metallica or Johnny Cash guy himself (with a semi-secret soft spot for early Taylor Swift), but he'll also listen to whatever's on the radio. He's unintentionally memorized a lot of lyrics from a lot of different bands and genres, from vocaloid/nightcore/breakcore (Imani) to 90s indie/pop rock (Sylvia) to smooth jazz/japanese city pop (Farid) to his favorites of classic metal and old country.

5.) to not realize that they are being flirted with: Sylvia Sylvia isn't used to being in the spotlight in the slightest, so if someone came up to her and started flirting, she'd absolutely assume they were just there for a friendly chat. Then someone else like Farid or Nadia would have to break the news and she'd probably just bluescreen.

6.) to lose their keys repeatedly: Imani Imani is the queen of organized chaos, but that doesn't mean she doesn't constantly lose her things anyways. Usually it's because she's thrown it somewhere stupid assuming she'll put it up properly later only to forget about it in two seconds.

7.) to apologize first: Caspian Caspian isn't really sure why he apologizes so much. He's sure there's a reason, he just can't remember it (nor can he remember much of anything before he was kidnapped, experimented on, then rescued by the main crew). It's a habit he slowly grows out of, though.

8.) to leave a party early: Sylvia Even though her headphones help tremendously, Sylvia's sensitive hearing can be a terrible inconvenience. Especially at a setting as potentially loud as a party, she might have to excuse herself early for the sake of her own sanity.

9.) to get lost in a place they already know: Caspian Memory problems and regular dissociation episodes is not a fun combination, as it turns out. Before he gets his PSD (a little Havanese who he names Aslan), he doesn't like to go out by himself for fear of something like this happening.

10.) to cheat while playing a game: Imani Both Imani and Farid are competitive, but Farid is much more serious about it. Imani would absolutely cheat (both in his face and behind his back) purely to screw with him.

11.) to survive in the wild: Samson This man grew up in the country with a survivalist mom and military parents. There's literally no chance anyone else is as prepared as he is.

12.) to sing when they think they are alone: Farid Most of the main crew wouldn't care much about singing in front of their friends, but unfortunately for Farid, he's got permanent Stick-Up-His-Ass Syndrome. Appearances mean a lot to him (though in his defense, he's had to deal with a lot of bullshit in the workplace because of an undeserved bad reputation), so he wouldn't be caught dead singing in front of other people.

13.) to be someone's wingman/woman: Samson Unfortunately for everyone else, Samson is so self-assured that he experiences very little embarrassment. If one of them makes the mistake of mentioning that they find someone attractive, Samson will beeline right to said person and tell them straight-up that his friend is interested.

14.) to plan a romantic date: Sylvia(?) I don't know about this one, actually! Samson is strictly no-romance, I can't see Caspian or Imani being huge on the dating scene either, and Farid is more of a no-strings-attached kind of guy. I guess Sylvia would be the most likely out of the main cast, but she's too busy fighting for her life (literally and figuratively) to consider dating for a long, long while.

15.) to start blushing: Sylvia She's not used to receiving genuine compliments, so she's very quick to get bashful and deny them.

16.) to get arrested: Samson Granted, a majority of the cast operates illegally in one way or another, but Samson is the most openly screw-authority, ACAB, eat-the-rich out of everyone. He generally keeps it toned down for the everyone else's sakes, but he doesn't especially keep it a secret either... There's a non-zero chance he says the wrong thing to the wrong person and suddenly he's behind bars for disobedience for authority or something (assuming they actually manage to arrest him, of course---he's not going down without a fight).

17.) to talk during a movie: Imani/Farid For all their differences, Imani and Farid love to gang up on whatever movie they're watching (doesn't matter if it's good or not) and nitpick every possible detail just for the hell of it.

18.) to say I love you first: Samson Samson isn't into romance in the slightest, but he's absolutely a family man and not at all afraid to show it. Even if he doesn't throw the exact words around often, he has no problem saying them out loud, and his actions usually speak loud enough for him anyways.

19.) to be a cuddler: Imani Imani is a touchy person and utterly unapologetic about it. She'll give you personal space if you ask, but otherwise, she's in your face and hanging off your arm and throwing her legs across your lap and looking over your shoulder and so much more.

20.) to forget about someone's birthday: Imani Again, Caspian gets a pass here because he has Genuinely Severe Medical Issues. Imani also has a bit of a slighted memory, but she's also much more capable of treating/managing it. Half the time, if she's forgotten something, it's either because she was too busy hyperfocusing or she just kept pushing it off, the latter of which she will admit is just her fault.

21.) to always wear the same outfit: Farid Aesthetically, it's Caspian. He's got like Five entire outfits he's comfortable in and he's fine with that. Realistically though it's Farid---man does not have a healthy work/life balance. He's been sighted wearing the exact same suit around headquarters for almost a week straight. Rumors have it he even keeps an microwave in his office so he can work on a case for days without having to leave for food (he will neither confirm nor deny).

22.) to not be able to keep a secret: Imani Girl doesn't even realize half the words that come out of her mouth, she just likes to talk for the hell of it. There's a reason she's not privy to most of the sensitive information on the crew's missions...

23.) to defend their friends in a fight: Farid Samson is a close second, of course, but Farid would actively get in someone's space defending a friend, find out said friend was wrong all along, and then continue defending them like it was a matter of personal pride. Samson would just discover his friend was wrong and then immediately slap them upside the head.

24.) to drag the others to the dance floor: Sylvia Almost said Imani here, but actually, Sylvia's the only one out of the crew besides maybeee Samson to actively enjoy physical activity. She would totally dance along to music while working in the kitchen or something only to drag along whoever's unfortunate to find her first.

25.) to fall asleep first at a sleepover: Sylvia Towards the beginning of the story when she's interning during the day, working evenings, and doing vigilante stuff at night all while barely running on fumes, she is Not Getting Enough Rest. She's definitely spent more than a few lunch breaks passed out in Farid's office with the blinds drawn. Even after she escapes her brother, starts a healthier lifestyle, Plot happens, and the main storyline ends, she's kept busy enough that anything later than an 8 pm bedtime is really pushing it.

Send this to someone who has OCs

Most likely...

to get lost

to kiss and tell

to 'forget' to text back

to know the lyrics to every song you play

to not realize that they are being flirted with

to lose their keys repeatedly

to apologize first

to leave a party early

to get lost in a place they already know

to cheat while playing a game

to survive in the wild

to sing when they think they are alone

to be someone's wingman/woman

to plan a romantic date

to start blushing

to get arrested

to talk during a movie

to say I love you first

to be a cuddler

to forget about someone's birthday

to always wear the same outfit

to not be able to keep a secret

to defend their friends in a fight

to drag the other's to the dance floor

to fall asleep first at a sleepover

[sword93]

Okay so I’m thinking about a sort of Rapunzel inspired AU of MLP following Flurry Heart and Cozy Glow.

Basically Chrysalis escapes the stone prison by slowly absorbing love from passerby’s for a few months.

During all the chaos of everyone going on a manhunt for her, realizes that she has no way to fuel herself consistently, she’s running on fumes, and that won’t help her find a way to exact revenge, which with Queen Twilight, Chancellors Luna and Celestia, and a Pony-Creature Parliament in power, Creatures and ponies are now far too well organized to simply divide and conquer.

She does recall though one particular pony who was bursting with love….Flurry Heart. She’d kidnapped her once before with her parents, before Starlight facilitated her defeat.

So Chrysalis did something incredible risky- she needed that battery of love. So she used all of her tricks and kidnapped flurry heart, with no trace of either of them left. She quickly absconded from Equestria towards the furthest shores.

Not much love that way, as it was full of war and greed fueled by oligarchies, but she could find allies and make a plan- all while her new battery daughter kept her well fed.

A few years later, Cozy Glow emerges, having been released on Twilights orders, as Equestria was now secure, there was no need to keep a child imprisoned. Cozy was given a chance to rehabilitate, but she ran off as soon as she could.

Cozy eventually ends up at the farthest shores, in Southward, and turns to crime, as her charms don’t work on these hard, angry, and downtrodden people.

She decides from observation that the best way to get power is money, in this new land, and becomes a notorious thief-for-hire, no better Heist planner around.

She drifts away from her early megalomania tendencies into simply wanting a life where she can control everything for herself, pure independence. (I head-canon she had a bad childhood experience that made her obsessive about being in charge. Now she thinks it’s too much work and effort- she’ll only work for her own sake now.)

Cozy takes on the biggest job of her life- stealing an already long-ago- stolen artifact, with a plan to sell it back to Equestrian Royalty, earn herself a luxurious life style on a little island somewhere. The artifact is a tiny tiara, apparently infused with the magic of the lost Alicorn Princess of the Crystal Kingdom.

This is where Cozy bumps into Flurry, now known as Fleury Hearth, when she hides away in an old tower in a dark forest.

Fleury, meanwhile, dreams of seeing the outside world- she had read in her books before about a wonderful place of ponies like her and her mother.

And in the North of that country, a place where the grass is greener than green, the buildings shine like precious gemstones, protected by love from the harsh snowy conditions.

Her mother told her that Equestria only looks nice, that the other Alicorns are all terrible Tyrants. Fleury told her she wanted to help the poor ponies and take down the Tyrants. So Crystal Bliss had been training her to use magic better.

Her mother is a big time mafia boss and taught Fleury that sometimes you have to do bad things to get good results, but Fleury was too kind hearted to pick up on the family trade.

But lately Crystal has been cagey, making Fleury stay inside more, on edge, and recently they got into an argument. Fleury wanted to help more with Crystal’s plans for Equestrian liberation, but Crystal recently stopped her magic lessons and shut down all talk of her leaving the tower or Southward ever again. (Chrysalis is too paranoid and possessive of Flurry funding out the truth and losing her permanent battery too early.)

Fleury,in possession of the tiny tiara, makes a deal with Cozy, that they would go together up to Equestria so Fleury could see for herself how the ponies are being treated, and bring back information to her mother- that would prove to her she was ready to help! She wasn’t a little filly anymore!

That’s pretty much all I have so far but I just like the idea a lot. Anastasia and Rapunzel vibes and music from there fits well.

[ihavetomakethisblog]

Controversy comparison

Nothing gets more controversial than a United States election, baby!

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the president elect Donald Trump has been to work picking his cabinet members. and also to the surprise of nobody, people have problems with them. I decided to take opposites and run with it for the sake of this and grabbed a story from Fox news, commonly associated as a farther right news organization, and CNN, the democratic news strong hold who consistently fail at delivering any quality news. Despite my comments towards CNN, I also find Fox news to spout some unbearable nonsense, the only difference is that Fox at least doesn't want to make me switch the channel every time its on.

So, what did CNN have to say? a lot and it wasn't the best. Immediately I noticed something about CNN. They give the bare minimum info and refer to everyone as in relations to Fox news. Not everyone is defined by being associated with Fox news. For the love of God, CNN gets way with spouting the bare minimum and it works because people believe them. Honestly, look at who we're getting, compared to what we have. The only reason anyone remembers Biden's cabinet is because he claimed it to be the most diverse cabinet of all time. Other than that, there really isn't anything notable happening up there. Overall, terrible news article and incredibly unprofessional to the people its talking about

Now then, Fox news, it wasn't much better. However, I will say that everyone was treated with the dignity and respect their career demanded. Fox showed respect to the picks and didn't label them some mindless, insulting dribble like CNN did. Now that could be because some of them are associated with Fox, regardless, they didn't focus on the pointless stuff, they focused on what the readers should hear about the cabinet picks. Fox doesn't do much else except preach the good things about them, I'd like to see a middle ground. And that applies to CNN too, they only preached the bad stuff. Show some respect, but also, just tell the neutral truth. That's it.

So, is the truth discernable? No. No it isn't. Every person has a bad side, this true regardless of political orientation. However, it really makes me mad when people paint the democratic cabinets as pure saints and the republican cabinet as a crime against humanity. to find the truth about someone on trumps new cabinet, just look them up by name. CNN will paint them as an evil tyrant, whereas Fox news will treat them as the king of the land. Both aren't good ways to look at this. So take initiative, do the work yourself on a topic like this, like I had to.

[priyanshisingh]

Kojic Acid Market Is Expected To Generate A Revenue Of USD 72.9 Million By 2030

The latest market report published by Credence Research, Inc. “Global Kojic Acid Market: Growth, Future Prospects, and Competitive Analysis, 2022 – 2030. The global demand for kojic acid was valued at USD 62.5 Million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 72.9 Million in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 2.20% between 2023 and 2030.

Kojic acid is a natural compound that is widely used in various industries, primarily in the skincare and cosmetics sectors. It is derived from different sources, most notably from fungi during the fermentation of rice for the production of sake (a Japanese rice wine). Kojic acid has gained popularity for its skin-lightening and anti-aging properties, making it a sought-after ingredient in skincare products.

Kojic Acid Market Key Growth Trends paint a promising picture for the future of this industry. Kojic acid, derived from various natural sources such as fungi and fermented rice, has gained significant popularity in recent years due to its remarkable skin lightening properties. The market is witnessing a surge in demand as consumers become increasingly conscious about their appearance and seek effective solutions for hyperpigmentation issues. Additionally, the rising awareness regarding the harmful effects of chemical-based skincare products has steered individuals towards more nature-derived alternatives like kojic acid. With an increasing number of manufacturers incorporating this ingredient into their product formulations, the market is experiencing steady growth across regions around the globe. Furthermore, technological advancements have facilitated large-scale production methods that ensure consistent quality and purity of kojic acid-based products.

Skin Care and Cosmetics Industry:

Kojic acid is primarily used in the formulation of skin care products such as creams, lotions, serums, soaps, and masks. It is known for its ability to inhibit the production of melanin, which is responsible for skin pigmentation, thereby helping to lighten dark spots, freckles, and other forms of hyperpigmentation.

Skin Lightening and Hyperpigmentation Treatment:

The skin-lightening properties of kojic acid have led to its use in products targeting hyperpigmentation issues, such as melasma, age spots, and uneven skin tone. Its natural origin is also a selling point for many consumers seeking more organic or natural skincare options.

Global Demand:

The demand for skin lightening and brightening products has driven the growth of the kojic acid market. This demand is especially high in regions where fair or lighter skin is considered desirable.

Regulatory Considerations:

In some regions, there have been discussions about the safety and regulation of kojic acid in skincare products. Some concerns have been raised about potential skin irritation, allergic reactions, and the long-term effects of skin lightening products.

Competitive Landscape:

The kojic acid market is competitive, with numerous manufacturers and suppliers offering kojic acid as an ingredient to cosmetic and skincare product manufacturers. Companies involved in producing kojic acid may include both large chemical manufacturers and smaller specialty ingredient suppliers.

Research and Development:

Ongoing research and development efforts are focused on improving the stability and effectiveness of kojic acid in cosmetic formulations. Researchers are also exploring ways to combine kojic acid with other ingredients to enhance its skin-lightening properties and reduce potential side effects.

Browse 228 pages report Kojic Acid Market By Grade (Pharmaceutical Grade, Cosmetic Grade, Food Grade, Others) By Type (Normal, Ultra-high Pure) - Growth, Future Prospects & Competitive Analysis, 2016 – 2030)- https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/kojic-acid-market

The Kojic Acid market presents both opportunities and challenges. To navigate this market successfully, stakeholders are advised to consider the following recommendations:

Firstly, manufacturers and formulators should prioritize rigorous research and development efforts. This includes enhancing the stability and effectiveness of Kojic Acid in skincare formulations, as well as exploring innovative combinations with complementary ingredients to maximize its skin-lightening benefits while minimizing potential side effects.

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Thirdly, differentiation and diversification strategies should be explored. While Kojic Acid has proven efficacy in addressing hyperpigmentation, the market's appetite for natural and alternative solutions continues to evolve. Exploring novel botanical extracts, peptides, and sustainable ingredients can open new avenues for product innovation and market expansion.

Furthermore, market players should stay attuned to shifting consumer preferences and cultural sensitivities, particularly in regions where fairness standards are evolving. Adapting marketing and communication strategies to align with broader societal shifts will resonate positively with diverse customer bases.

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Why to Buy This Report-

The report provides a qualitative as well as quantitative analysis of the global Kojic Acid Market by segments, current trends, drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, and market dynamics with the historical period from 2016-2020, the base year- 2021, and the projection period 2022-2028.

The report includes information on the competitive landscape, such as how the market's top competitors operate at the global, regional, and country levels.

Major nations in each region with their import/export statistics

The global Kojic Acid Market report also includes the analysis of the market at a global, regional, and country-level along with key market trends, major players analysis, market growth strategies, and key application areas.

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Related Report: https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/polychlorotrifluoroethylene-pctfe-market

Related Report: https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/polybutene-market

Browse Our Blog: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/kojic-acid-market-analysis-demand-statistics-top-revenue-singh

Browse Our Blog: https://medium.com/@priyanshi_97937/kojic-acid-market-analysis-with-size-revenue-growth-drivers-and-forecast-to-2030-a5cef27aba1f

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[wayfares]

#𝚆𝙰𝚈𝙵𝙰𝚁𝙴𝚂  :   a  selective low - activity   western multimuse   sideblog  for  characters  featured  in  the  rockstar  games  red  dead  redemption  i  and  ii.     very  private  and  headcanon  heavy.     an ode to lost souls,  self recognition and self love through the other,  the kindness of strangers,  bloodstained hands chasing waterfalls ;  man and their appetite,  and the knife’s edge of love and greed.     made  11/13/21.     performed by jean,  23,  they/any,  cst.

documents.

dash rules. . .

you do not need to be following my main  to follow and interact with me over here.     however,  i do require that i be following you from there before interaction.

001.     activity

hey there !!    i’m jean,  23,  white,  use they/any pronouns,  and i write pretty sporadically.     this goes for ic and ooc interactions.     i un  /  fortunately work 40 hour work weeks,    and only get every other weekend off,  if that,  so my schedule makes consistent muse difficult on top of my focus.    sometimes i’ll be able to get out a couple drafts a week,  others merely once,  or not at all. if i haven’t replied or answered something in a while,  please know it’s nothing personal !     i’m just taking my time until i feel good about what i can put down.     i have other rp blogs i try to run as well,  therefore i might be very slow on this one at times.     i can be quite the flaky rp partner,  so i apologize in advance for that and completely understand if my antics   [  or lack thereof  ]   result in an unfollow.

002.     selective  

because of the previously stated,  i’m also highly selective with who i rp with.     i want to not to bite off more than i can chew,  and for the sake of pacing myself,  my activity will be reserved for mutuals only.     i reserve the right to drop threads with  /  unfollow  /  block anyone for whatever reason  ;  i won’t be exercising this left and right,  but it’s for my own comfort.     ocs  /  crossovers  /  duplicates are always welcome <3   [  duplicates let me know if you need me to tag same - muse posts and i’ll be happy to !  ]   mains are allowed,  as are exclusives if it happens organically,  but so far it’s not common if that’s a concern for any !

003.     etiquette

the basics  ;  don’t be an asshole,  any transphobia,  biphobia,  homophobia,  racism,  whitewashing,  pro - shipping,  incest,  etc,  will be blocked on sight.     no godmodding,  please cut your threads,  continue asks in new posts,  etc,  and no stealing of any personal concepts of mine.     loose inspiration is fine,  of course,  but if i see repeated similarities,  i may or may not approach you about it.     formatting - wise,  here is an example of my prose style.     i primarily use big ol’ text and static or no icons,  but feel free to format however you like and i’ll try to match you somewhat.     when following,  i generally keep an eye out for decent prose.     it doesn’t have to be anything fancy !     but if there are a lot of typos  /  missing commas  /  inconsistencies,  i will probably be less likely to follow back.     this is purely preference on my part.     if icons are used at all,  it will mostly be for primary muses,  otherwise i generally go iconless.

004.     shipping  

i’m all about exploring meaningful dynamics,  whether they be platonic,  familial,  antagonistic,  pre - established,  etc,  so feel free to shoot me a message if you’d like to plot something out between our muses !     while the mun of this blog is 18+,  smut just really isn’t my thing  ;  referenced  ‘ offscreen ’  as it were is fine,  as are nfsfw headcanons and such,  maybe fade to black  /  time skips,  but for the most part,  you won’t find any roleplayed smut on this blog.     this of course is muse dependent and does not apply to any underage muses.     romance is fine to some degree,  but again,  if they are a child,  anything beyond lighthearted and innocent experiences are off limits,  no exceptions.     if i see you’ve aged up a minor character for shipping purposes,  it will result in an instant unfollow.     if at some point i flesh out adult verses for them,  these shipping rules will not change.     on that note as well,  i do prefer to rp with muns who are also 18+.     i don’t see your age somewhere in your rules or pinned,  it will affect my willingness to follow.

005.     memes

memes from anyone,  anytime,  for the muse or for the mun,  are always welcome,  and often a go - to ice breaker of mine since starter calls make me nervous.     please don’t hesitate to send a good handful since i try not to cage myself into answering ones i just don’t have muse for.     i find if i force stuff,  i’m just less likely to ever actually get it done,  so don’t feel like you’re overwhelming me if you send more than just a couple for me to choose from.     asks from mutuals will be prioritized,  and i’ll most likely only continue threads with them as well.     please remember to specify which muse your asks are for unless it’s to one of my sideblogs.     if you want to start a thread from an ask,  i greatly encourage it !     i just ask you start from a new post to keep things tidy !

006.     triggers  

many of my muses have canonically been through some messed up stuff,  as well as leaning horror - adjacent to me in many ways,  and this blog will be portraying that accordingly,  including trigger - heavy content such as  :  depression,  ptsd,  panic attacks,  violence,  murder,  kidnapping,  self harm,  smoking,  abuse  /  neglect,  animal death,  horror elements,  cannibalism,  torture,  brainwashing,  death  /  resurrection,  religious imagery,  etc,  but i will try to tag it as  ‘ trigger // ’.     on that note,  please do keep in mind  :  any abuse present on my blog will be in headcanons or backstories,  never actual threads.     if i’m writing with villain muses,  physical harm may be present,  but i refuse to roleplay any domestic  /  animal  /  harm or abuse in any form.     my personal triggers are visual eye gore,  visual self harm,  and visual vomit.     please do feel free to say something if i forget to tag a post and i’ll try to tag it for you right away !

thank you for taking the time to read my rules,  and rest assured if i follow you,  that means i’ve read through yours as well <3

007.     blogroll

* enslaughts.     a low activity horror - heavy multimuse. active.

* dvrast.     a selective slow jesper fahey. active.     follows from enslaughts.

wayfares.     a selective low activity western multimuse. semi - active.     follows from enslaughts.

* vigilaent.     a selective low activity dc multimuse. active.

greatloss.     a selective slow five hargreeves. hiatus.

clericlost.     a selective slow william byers. hiatus.

mindsflayed.     a selective slow mind flayer + vecna. hiatus.     follows from clericlost.

[faint-petrichor]

not being the ultimate beneficiary of imperialism does not mean you still aren't being paid off to condone it! if you're recognizing it harms you anyway then you're getting closer to the truth but you have to keep going. you need to learn how the material wealth (not simply dollars, but commodities and infrastructure) of the global north is built on the extraction and exploitation of the global south.

it is a fundamental contradiction: even if the "greedy oligarchs" went away, the global south would still have to be exploited ruthlessly to sustain the standard of living your country has come to expect, even as that standard of living declines. the productive forces of the entire world are currently funneled towards the imperial core, leaving workers of the global south even less of a beneficiary of their labor than you are. fixing this inherently requires a substantial reduction in the availability of commodities in the global north.

if you say "I don't care about that, I just want health care and food and housing!" then realize any abundance of those is still currently built on the same exploitation. raw materials are extracted from the global south by workers who are enslaved or in otherwise despicable conditions. your farms are tended by immigrants with no rights, barely paid and brutally exploited. it's hard to acknowledge, but this is the current reality. this is happening to your fellow man every day, and whether or not you like it, you are in some capacity enjoying the fruits of this pilfer. if it makes you feel sick it should!

it doesn't matter if you have x or y when others don't, but making excuses to justify your complacency in the exploitation and deprivation of others is pure chauvinism. this is exemplified the most by how you have framed solidarity of the global north working class as something global southerners must earn, rather than something that should be unconditional by principle.

if anything, it is global northerners who need to prove to the global south that they care about them—something they have consistently failed to organize on the most basic level. it's not enough to look after yourself and 'your own', as that clearly means you are willing to throw others under the bus for your own sake.

Honestly I feel like the internet in general is so USAmerican centrict because I once said only rich people have coffee machines, and a bunch of Americans called me poor. And like yeah maybe to them im poor because im from South East Asia but like im comfortably middle class here my parents dont have a coffee machine I don't either and none of my friends has a coffee machine. Everyone just uses instant coffee.

Like just because it isn't a luxury to YOU doesn't mean it isn't a luxury to the rest of the fucking world

I think what a lot of people are too uncomfortable to hear or face is that their baseline conditions are as good as they are at the expense of other countries. I think this is a reality that makes people uncomfortable, that what constitutes a minimum salary in the US would make you middle or upper class in various parts of the world. I think people are just really uncomfortable by that notion and they should be but it's also important that they face it

[92fs]

There’s a popular opinion that Mello’s rosary is a sign of going for “mafia aesthetics” rather than a sign of his faith, but I deeply disagree with this opinion. 

In this post, I want to discuss Mello’s crosses being a sign of his personal religion rather than the sign of his aesthetical leaning. 

There are multiple religious attributes that we see Mello wearing in the manga: rosary on his neck, prayer beads/bracelet with a cross on his wrist and a cross on his Beretta: 

The rosary Mello is wearing is a Catholic rosary with a pendant - a flat bead in the middle. The bracelet with a cross is not another rosary, but rather something that looks like a prayer bracelet with a cross. Both of these are religious attributes and while a rosary is very often seen as an aesthetical piece, prayer beads are not.  The cross on Mello’s gun also looks Catholic and might be there for the sake of “blessing for a good shot” if Mello’s religious. Otherwise, there’s not much reason for the cross to be on the gun handle. 

The opinion I often see is that these symbols are tied to the aesthetics Mello seems to follow, but this sounds like a reach to me. The reason is because we actually do have another character who wears crosses for aesthetical reasons - Misa. Let’s compare the crosses: 

It’s obvious that Misa’s cross and Mello’s one are drastically different. Mello’s cross is detailed, with beads and a pendant - obviously religious whereas Misa’s one is a simple chain with a cross-shaped pendant on it. She doesn’t wear any prayer beads or anything of the kind either. The creators knew how to portray someone with an aesthetical approach to wearing crosses - which they did not do when creating Mello. 

Now, a lot of people seem to assume Mello’s crosses are there for the sake of keeping up with the “Italian mafia aesthetics”, but the mafia in Death Note is never said to be Italian.  Officially, it’s a westcoast criminal organization with a man as the head of it - his name is Rod Ross. He has absolutely no religious symbols on him, is only shown wearing a chain, and it seems like a reach to assume that the mafia as portrayed in Death Note handles religious attributes as aesthetics: 

Not only that, but the gang majorly consists of people with German and American names, thus not fitting the “stereotypical Italian mafia” image people seem to impose on it.  It needs to be noted there are characters in Death Note with Italian-sounding names, like Giovanni or some names Light put down in the notebook, so the creators clearly knew how to create a stereotypical Italian syndicate group - but they did not. 

The gang isn’t even Mello’s, he’s simply associating with them. So, there’s no reason to assume that there’s any connection between Mello’s temporary association with a criminal group and his crosses. Also, it’s important to note that the creators likely had no idea what they were doing when creating this criminal organization. Judged by its members and by the way it functions, easily being dragged into helping Mello and treating him like a boss, it’s more of a criminal gang that a family-like structured mafia syndicate. 

Lastly, symbolism wise, Mello isn’t just shown wearing a cross or two. He’s constantly around very detailed, specifically Catholic attributes, crosses with and without crucifixes. It is even there when he is shown dead, which seems very important to me as there’s no reason to show something purely added in “for the aesthetics” in a scene as impactful and important as the character’s death. In LABB, he also speaks on “the Almighty”, comparing the shinigami to this deity he’s talking about - which also points out his religious standing. 

To sum it up, to me, it seems like Mello’s explicitly religious. With the gang that is not even his nor Italian, with Mello wearing other specifically religious objects, including a prayer bracelet, and with his differences from a character who was in fact portrayed treating cross-shaped objects as aesthetical means - I fully believe Mello is supposed to be Catholic.

This plays well into the plot as well as the dichotomy of Mello and Near being opposites of religion and Tarot-base spirituality. Treating Mello as someone non-religious, to me, is missing a lot of obvious symbolism and stripping him off a very important part of his personality. 

[oysteringofclamelot]

A Lesser-Spotted DinLuke Rec List

Hi!

I’ve noticed a lot of requests for fic recs lately (I know I’ve been wanting some!), but it seems like it’s always the same few getting recommended, and while I agree with those being good, I’ve already read those, and it feels like others have too.

So I set out on a little foraging quest with a few parameters laid down, in order to make a rec list that didn’t feature any stories that I’ve seen recommended before.

Those rules were:

1.       Completed fics only – this was for my sake as I didn’t want to be left wanting as I read these. 

2.       None of these were written by my friends, nor by me. I purposefully chose authors with whom I’ve never interacted, or at the very least, people whose Ao3 names I do not know. This list is based purely on the fic itself.

3.       No toxicity. No dark!character, no “possessive” behaviour, no SA, no rape, none of that. None. I don’t tolerate it.

4.       This is not an absolute list – and I urge you to take a deep dive into the tag. Want to avoid the Nasty Stuff? Here’s the link to the search I used, with the exclusions I used.

5.       Sorry, I didn’t rec fics that just aren’t for me and my preferences, again though, I urge you to take a look! There’s lots of treasures to be found!

6.       THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST IN ANY WAY! Go explore! Give some love to lesser-known fanfiction authors!

(Authors, if you don’t want to be on this list, please let me know, and I’ll remove you)

And now, my findings (under the cut):

5k and Under

Consultation – Jestana, G, 320 words, Pre-relationship, canon-divergence, discussions of the Force, short, sweet.

Devise – Rivulet027, T, 1k, pre-relationship, pining, crushes, discussions of being a Jedi, soft

Sunrise – Eccentric_Grace, G, 1k, fluffy, small hurt lots of comfort, Luke has PTSD, Din helps, very soft, very gentle, well written

Pink like the sun going down, maybe – SunshineAndaLittleFlour, T, 1.5k, Modern-AU, humour, slice of life, short but sweet

Organ Chords and Lightening – this_is_too_fyucking_much, T, 1k, Canon-divergence, sexual tension, competency is sexy, sparring, UST

bowie in the morning sun – bespokebones, T, 4k, Modern-AU, campy horror, mark Din down as scared and horny

the body was made soft to keep us from loneliness – torrents, G, 5k, Character study, canon-divergence, absolutely beautifully written

 6 – 10k

My Pain Fits in the Palm of Your Freezing Hand (Taking Mine) – Acespacedweller, G, 6k, Angsty, tbobf ep 6 feelings, Grogu’s choice, and whether he really has to make one.

Imposter Syndrome – motherofcorgis, G, 6k, Pre-relationship, crushes, self-doubt, what it means to be Luke Skywalker

winning love by daylight – sinkburrito, T, 9k, Sailor-Moon-esque AU, a delightful read, very fun, a little angst, action

 Over 10k

I have made this place around you – HeadOn_HelmetOff, T, 25k, Falling in Love, a little angst, pining, meet-cute, soft

The Way – 1am1ronman, M, 33k, Canon-divergence, Lightsaber training, beautifully developed relationship, Din Djarin Keeps the Helmet, (This is absolutely wonderful, a true gem)

 As stated above, this is in no way an exhaustive list, but I hope it provides a starting point for those who want to find more DinLuke, but are wary of where to look, or simply are overwhelmed by all the possible choices.

If you’re concerned about coming across works that are consistently untagged, incorrectly tagged, or cover subjects you dislike, I’ll direct you here to a post about how to block things on Ao3 using site skins.

[liquidmodernmusic]

In Pursuit of Intellectualism

While I'm no longer a teacher, I still hear from some of my former students from time-to-time informing me about their studies, asking questions, or with words of gratitude. This one in particular hit my inbox with an intriguing question today.

Would love to hear YOUR opinions on the topic, too!

STUDENT'S QUESTION: Do you think America is more anti or pro intellectual today ?

"Short answer: Yes. America is INCREASINGLY anti-intellectual.

Long answer: Kind of.  There are a lot of nuances that don't allow the matter to be so easily defined.  Like most issues (racial, social, sexuality, etc) there are things that are better and things that are worse when it comes to intellectualism.  

On the  side, our country is increasingly MORE educated as post-secondary education is kind of a requirement for most job fields but education isn’t necessarily intellectualism.  While college used to be all about intellectualism it has now devolved into glorified job training.  University used to be about pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowledge, gaining a broad understanding of a wide array of specialized concepts, and a free-discussion of differences in opinion; that is simply not the case in the modern day.  Most students are forced to go there by parents, have a fear of future debt (and therefore don't want to spend extra time there), and face a VERY polarized world which doesn't truly value critical discussion. 

We also have the wealth of human knowledge at our fingertips and searchable within a few keystrokes, but fewer use this in an intellectual way than use it purely for self-gratifying entertainment.  While there is nothing wrong with people choosing to use their time in the way they see fit, echo chambers, social media bubbles, and disinformation make the average person ill-equipped to advance their own intellectualism unless they have been trained to do so which education/society are not great at possible because a pacified populace is easier to rule than a thinking one.

Education is NOT interested in intellectualism in the modern day.  While individual teachers take up this mantle and do the best they can, the system wants docile test-takers who think in a formulaic fashion so that their thoughts are equally formulaic which, unfortunately, turns those interested in furthering intellectualism off.  In my 12 years in education, I witnessed the degradation of the public education system at the expense of quality education, meaningful discourse, and student growth.  There are a million reasons for this (most political, sadly) but at the end of the day, education is a business that employs many people and is focused on public image and metrics rather than actually promotion intellectualism and therefore will be maintained no matter the cost to society.

Finally, it’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of any body that seeks to tell people “truths” about “myth” in order to control their behaviors and thought.  And while religious ideas (“God”, order to the universe, rules of decency) are a wonderful concept, the pushing of them at global and governmental levels is damaging in my opinion. Organized religion is, at its root, anti-intellectual (believe the text, what the “teacher” of it says, or bad things will happen) and since we indoctrinate youth regularly to it (against their will) it is one of the leading factors of our anti-intellectual society.  If you are taught that every answer goes back to “because God” that IS anti-intellectual.  

So, yes.  A LOT has changed since the 80s, some good, some not-so-much.  But isn’t that human history?  We tend to think of the world as a steady progression from “dark ages” to enlightenment but I look at it as more of a dense fog that becomes a little less thick over time yet never fully lifts.  While old problems have improved, new ones have stepped in to replace them and none of them ebb or flow at consistent rates."