#she’s still very much an optimistic person who believes in good!

[splonk-fox]

The flaws of Jax and Ragatha, and why they matter to Pomni's character arc.

Within the two episodes of The Amazing Digital Circus that have been released so far as of writing this post, there have been two characters who have been given the most attention and depth out of any of the cast (ignoring Pomni obviously), and those two characters are Ragatha and Jax.

The duo consisting of the kindhearted optimist and the meanspirited pessimist have without a doubt become some of the most interesting characters to analyze within this series so far thanks to how much meaningful screentime and character depth they have been given within the the two episodes that we viewers have been fortunate enough to witness with our very eyes.

But why is this? Why is it that these two have received special attention from the writers so far, and what role do they play in Pomni's character journey? Well I believe I may have found the answer, and it's unfortunately one that does not spell a good future for these characters. But to truly understand where I am coming from, we must first understand who these two characters are and how they relate to our main protagonist.

To start off with the kindest of the duo, we have already learned quite a lot about Ragatha thanks to the two episodes she has been featured in so far.

Her most prominent character trait is without a doubt her kindness. She is the first person to really be genuinely nice to Pomni upon her entrance to the circus and spends the rest of the episode showing her around the place and trying her best to help her get settled in.

She's also someone who doesn't like to be overly blunt with her responses, such is shown when Pomni asks how they leave the circus, to which Ragatha, instead of just saying that she couldn't, phrases it in a way that makes it sound as if they simply haven't found a way to leave yet, this was obviously done in an attempt to not freak Pomni out too much, though this doesn't really go anywhere thanks to Jax.

Now that's great and all, Ragatha's a nice person, you can easily observe that through casual watches of the show, looking deeper however, you can see that there is a lot more going on with Ragatha than she would like to make you believe.

Insecurity is another trait that Ragatha has that, while not shown off as prominently as her optimism, is still very important to Ragatha's character.

As we see in episode 2 of the series, one of Ragatha's biggest fears is not being liked. She vents to Kinger about how she feels like Pomni doesn't really like her that much, and that clearly scares her. And why wouldn't it? The end of episode 2 makes it clear that one of the most important things in this show when it comes to keeping the main cast mentally stable, is their sense of community.

They're all in this together, they have each other's backs and will do their best to be there for each other when it's needed. That is what is communicated to us within the second episode through Kaufmo's funeral.

This segment of the episode, while somber in its tone, is also one that instills hope within Pomni and the viewer. Because it shows that despite everything, the circus members do care about each other. That abstraction is something that affects everyone and it isn't something that is just brushed off immediately, which if you recall, was the crux of Pomni's fears as seen at the beginning of the second episode, the fear of being forgotten, the fear of no one caring.

"I don't even remember her name honestly" - Dream Jax.

So with how the importance of community has been firmly established within this show's messaging at this point, it should be no surprise that Ragatha's biggest fear is not having that community. Of people not liking you, of people hating you. So how does Ragatha solve this?

Repression, that's how. Of all of Ragatha's personality traits her tendency to not display her true feelings towards things are without a doubt the most damaging.

The best example of this is how she reacts to Pomni abandoning her for the exit. The pilot would lead you to believe that she was mad at Pomni for doing this, that she didn't trust her anymore because of this selfish act.

And yet, that's all brushed to the side in the following episode. Ragatha is back to her optimistic self and is saying that everything is fine! That it was completely understandable and that there was no bad blood between them. Yet you can tell that isn't the whole truth, that Ragatha really didn't get over what Pomni had done to her that easily.

Now do I think Ragatha hates Pomni or secretly resents her? No, not really. I do think she's being honest when she says that she doesn't hold anything against her for doing this. But that doesn't mean she wasn't hurt by it. We can see clear as day from the pilot that this did affect her, so why does she act like she doesn't?

Because, from her perspective, her feelings do not matter. The only thing that does is to make sure Pomni is able to adjust, to make sure that everyone is happy, that everyone is still somewhat sane within the circus, and so she compromises her emotions in order to do this. Gooseworx has even said it herself that Ragatha often says things she doesn't necessarily mean in order to ease tensions. She doesn't want to cause conflict, she doesn't want people to fight with each other because she understands how important community is to the members of the circus persisting.

Yet in the midst of all of this, what Ragatha fails to realize is that with how she currently handles things, she is paving the way for her own mental break.

Ragatha, in her attempts to be there for others, has walled herself off from others being there for her. By lying about how she really feels about things, by acting as if she is fine, she is not allowing herself the emotional vulnerability necessary for others to be there for her when she needs it.

The closest thing we have had to this so far is with Kinger, and while having someone she feels comfortable enough to lament her feelings around is a good thing, this is one person, one person who is... not exactly mentally stable, to put it lightly. Is not exactly an end all be all solution to her problems.

Kinger being the only person who Ragatha can rely on is only gonna work for a limited amount of time, the more she represses, the more she hides her true emotions and clear mental instability, the closer she is to meeting a cruel fate, one that no one would be able to save her from because no one even realized there was something wrong with her. For in her pursuit to make everyone else happy, she has sacrificed her own happiness, as a result.

And then there's Jax.

Jax, in a lot of ways, is pretty much the polar opposite of Ragatha. While her leading trait is kindness, Jax's leading trait is being a complete and utter asshole. And while Ragatha is all about answering things in a roundabout way to ease stress, Jax is all about the blunt answers.

This is best shown to us in the pilot when, in the same scene where Ragatha tries to answer Pomni's question of "how do I leave?" in a way that wouldn't stress her out too heavily, Jax goes straight in with the "you can't". Jax is a pessimist, he has accepted that there is no way out, and is simply riding things as they go by.

Jax's leading character trait is all about causing as much chaos as he can for the sake of his own satisfaction. He doesn't care about how others feel, the only thing he cares about is causing as much chaos as possible simply because he can.

Yet that isn't all that's going on with Jax, there's something deeper here, something more complex.

When it comes to the scenes everyone points to when saying that Jax has a lot more going on with him than meets the eye, the scene where he reacts to Kaufmo's funeral is the one everyone looks at with an analytical lens, and that's for a good reason.

For I think this little scene might just tell us a lot more about Jax than we think.

One thing that I've come to notice about Jax's brand of chaos is that it's very reliant on others' reactions. All of the chaos he causes, all of the absurd and awful things he does are for the sake of seeing how others react. From throwing Pomni over the side of a truck and attempting to use her as a human bridge, or literally everything that he does to Gangle, it's all reaction-based, and that made me realize that, despite how selfish and uncaring he acts towards everyone else, community is still the one thing that truly matters most.

He needs the others so that they can react to his hijinx, as they are what give said actions meaning. If he had no crowd to watch as he acts like a shitty person, then he has no reason to do anything. But that is also where Jax's true character flaw comes in, his selfishness.

With how Jax is constantly pushing others around for the sake of his own amusement, Jax is very clearly a self-centered person. He is someone who is in it for himself and no one else. Who cares if others don't like him? Who cares if others despise him? As long as he gets to see funny things happen to people, he is gonna be okay.

But what happens when that method is no longer effective? What happens when the others don't give him the reaction he wants? What happens when he can no longer use chaos as a way to distract from the pointlessness of his reality?

Well, as scary as this may be to think about, Jax won't really have much of anything to fall back on. His cruel actions have wrote him into a corner. No one likes him, that much is obvious. And while Jax seems content with this now? What happens when he is put in the position of needing someone else's help?

Well, then he'll have no one, and it's ironically for the exact opposite reason to Ragatha. Ragatha's problem is that she is constantly repressing her emotions, despite the fact that she has people who care about her, she doesn't open up to them because in her eyes, her feelings are secondary to others'.

Yet Jax is the opposite, he's honest, he is self-centered, and that's also why he is one of the members who are in this most danger.

In a show that seems to be about how important community is and how important it is to stay together and be there for each other? To have a character who is the complete opposite of that. To have someone who doesn't care about others, who won't be there when someone else is hurting. To have someone who is actively making things harder for everyone... that just spells out demise.

Jax's true weakness is that he does not have a community who will be there for him when he needs it, he was never there for others so why should they be there for him? Meaning that when Jax is at the end of his rope, crying out for help, no one will listen, because as cruel as it sounds, most of the members would probably be happy that he's gone.

While this does admittedly rely a bit on speculation, I think what I've stated above might be the true reason for why Jax looked sad for a moment when the other characters were talking about the funerals held for those who have abstracted. Because in that small moment, he realizes he might not get a funeral of his own when he "dies", or if he did, no one would really have anything nice to say about him.

And that fear, that knowing of how the way you've built yourself up by putting others down has lead to everyone hating you, to everyone not having a single good thing to say about you... that is terrifying. And yet he hides it, he walks away, he refuses to attend the funeral because then he will have to be confronted with the uncomfortable reality of the fact that he won't die as someone who was remembered for doing good things.

The only thing he'll be remembered for, is how much everyone hated him. And all of that brings us right back, to Pomni.

I said at the beginning of this post, as well as with the title itself, that Ragatha and Jax matter to Pomni's character arc, but why is this? Sure they're both main characters so obviously they're going to influence her journey going forward, but how exactly does any of this matter to Pomni? It's simple really.

Ragatha and Jax represent two extremes, they represent what happens when you lean too far in one direction. In one case, it is caring too much about others and not caring about yourself, and in the other, it's caring too much about yoursef and not caring about others.

Pomni has already shown traits of both Jax and Ragatha. She has shown an empathetic, kindhearted side as seen in her interactions with Gummigoo, and she has shown a selfish side, as seen when she abandoned Ragatha for the "exit" in the pilot.

Pomni has shown herself to be both selfish and selfless. But what part of her matters more? Simple answer, both. It is important to care about others while also taking time to take care of yourself. Ragatha and Jax show what happens when you forget to do one of these things.

By always taking care of others, you're forgetting to take care of yourself, and by always taking care of yourself, you fail to take care of others. To find a healthy balance is to do both. To be aware of your own mental health while also making sure that others are doing okay too. And this is something that Pomni will need to realize if she is going to make it in the circus.

And this is where Jax and Ragatha become important. I believe these two will show Pomni how important it is to keep a balance of things. To not lean too far in one direction, as if you do, it spells bad news for you either way. And how will this be communicated to her and the audience?

Abstraction.

Think about it. If Ragatha and Jax's harmful practices continue without change and they end up abstracing because of it, that will be a wakeup call to Pomni, it will show her the flaws of being too selfless, and too selfish. Is it an extreme way to communicate such message? Sure, but it's also one that can't be ignored.

We, the audience, and Pomni, would see first hand the consequences of leaning too far in either direction, that if you don't find a balance, you will end up like Jax and Ragatha did.

And that's why I think these two in particular have been given so much screentime and attention these past two episodes. Because they are meant to show us the most extreme versions of Pomni's most prominent character traits.

The ability to care about yourself, and the ability to care about others.

Of course, I might be wrong in this assessment. We are far too early in the show's runtime to truly predict any big events like this. But from a narrative standpoint, I believe this interpretation makes the most sense in the way of showing us the audience, and Pomni, what truly matters. It's not just about you, it's not just about others, it's about both.

Thank you for reading.

[spydr-scorps06]

Shadows Creation!! + Maria

This was a quick doodle I finished even tho I feel horrible. After I post this I'm taking a fat nap because I feel like death

This goes along with my au for Luna Lilac!!

These are just my personal headcanons / fun ideas :)

The 3rd sonic movie gave me some good ideas for headcanons for Maria because I think she deserves a personality and story other than "she's shadows friend who died"

Maria Robotnik Headcanons

☆ Maria is very kind and passionate, especially about her friends and interests

☆ Her and Shadow are still siblings, so they do fight and mess around but its never serious

☆ Maria's very good at standing her ground and knowing how to deal with bullies, even tho no one's ever bullied her, but she's prepared

☆ She loves history, music, and botany

☆ She loves experimenting, especially with her style of clothing and what she's able to accomplish

☆ Despite her condition and her disease holding her back, she strives and dabbles in many hobbies to keep herself happy, as she's an optimistic

☆ Before her death, she got very much into a sort of 70s/80s style even tho it's the 60s but let's be fr, Maria would be ahead of her time anyways

☆ She loves music out of anything, and knows how to play the guitar, piano and ukulele

☆ She taught Shadow English and Spanish!

☆ She loves any sport, but she mostly rollerskates

☆ She likes to dance! She doesn't care about any judgement against her or her weird moves, she just has fun

☆ She believes anyone can dress how they want, girls can wear pants and boys can wear dresses, etc. (It was the 60s so) she helped Shadow come out of his shell and dress how he wanted later on

☆ She put stickers and doodles all over her notebooks

☆ Besides her other interests, she's in astronomy and meteorology alot! She began studying it the most

☆ After Shadow was created, she hung around him 24/7 and she had a very positive outcome with her disease as it showed signs of going away, but she still had chronic pain symptoms

Give me more headcanons you'd like to add to her!

[spenceragnewfics]

THE INTERN | Chapter One

Spencer Agnew x Younger!Intern!Reader

TW: None

Word Count: 1.9k

Description: Y/N has been a fan of Smosh since they could remember. Now about to enter their senior year of college, they get an opportunity to be an intern at the Smosh Office and their first day has arrived.

Every new job comes with stress. You never know what is going to happen. You could have awful co-workers, creepy or mean bosses, and horrible workloads pushed onto you by lazy co-workers, the list is infinite. 

The stress comes even more when it’s something that could become your first job in the real world. Internships are a major stepping stone in any college kid’s career, it’s the start of being over with college and being a person in society.

That’s all that is racing through Y/N’s head as they look at the studio in front of them. Many people would consider them lucky with their internship. You see, Y/N is a long-time fan of Smosh, a very popular YouTube channel, and was somehow able to get an internship with the company for the summer.

They didn’t know exactly where and who they would be working with, except for knowing that their main job would be helping with social media. Looking at their phone, it shows that they still have ten minutes until they should be there but the anxiety was killing them too much to be any later.

Taking a deep breath, they grip onto the bag on their shoulder and walk to the front door. Pushing the button, they wait until a voice comes over the speaker, “Hi, how can I help you?” They lean down to be face-level with the camera. “Umm, I-I-I’m Y/N L/N. I’m the new intern.” Their voice comes out nervous, hoping they didn’t get the days confused or anything. They read the email what felt like a million times to make sure they were right.

“Yes! Alright, come on in! I’ll meet you at the door.” They hear the door unlock and push it open. Walking into the cool space, the heat from the outside slowly starts to melt from them. Looking around, the office looks much cooler in person. A lot of it is familiar but some things are new or haven’t been shown in videos.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you!” A gentle voice says, pulling them from their daydream to look at the woman in front of them. The short Filipino woman standing in front of her is smiling kindly, “I’m Selina. Welcome to Smosh.” The woman sticks her hand out for Y/N to shake.

“I’m Y/N, which you already knew, and I know who you are. I’ve been a fan of the channel for a long time. That sounds creepy though, I’m so sorry.” They say while shaking her hand, thankfully the woman has a good sense of humor and is laughing. “It’s not creepy at all. I knew it would come with being in some videos. It’s always cool to meet fans. This must be like a dream for you.”

“Yeah, honestly, the whole process felt like a major dream. I can’t believe I’m here. I had my friends dump cold water on me when I got the email about me getting the internship. It was dumb but helped make sure it was real.” They confess as they play with their hands. Nerves still being the main thing Y/N is feeling.

“I can tell you're nervous. Don’t be. I promise, this place is very chill and the people are amazing. As long as you are willing to work, you’ll fit in well here.” Selina says, comforting the nervous mess that is in front of her. “Thank you, so where do I go?” They ask after taking a deep breath.

“Well, I will give you a tour, and then when we get done with that we will go to the conference room and you will meet some of the people you’ll be working with and some of the higher-ups. That does include Ian and Anthony.” Y/N perks up a little, their mood becoming more optimistic by the second because if everyone is like Selina, then this will be the best time ever.

They follow Selina as she takes them around the office. It’s very empty because it’s a shooting week so most of the office is helping with filming stuff. She got to see all the different pods and meet some of the office-focused staff like Emily, Josh, Peter, and Marcus. 

Once the tour is over, the two head back to the front so Y/N can go to the conference room. “And that over there is the conference room. That’s where we do most of our big meetings and important stuff. That concludes the tour, if you have any questions please don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Thank you so much, Selina. I will keep that in mind.” Y/N says, slightly laughing as the two walk to the conference room. “Now this is where I must leave you. I am very excited to be working with you.” She says, giving Y/N a comforting squeeze on the arm before walking away.

Turning to the door, they can see a few people in the conference room. All people They recognize. Tommy, Alé, and Zoe are the only ones in there so far. Taking a breath, they open the door with a kind smile, “Hello, I’m Y/N L/N. It’s nice to meet you.” They say as they walk in, catching the attention of the room.

“Oh, you scared me! I didn’t expect you already, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m Zoe.” Says the blonde woman, walking over to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you, as well.” They say as they walk to the table. “I’m Alé, welcome to Smosh. You impressed us with your interviews and work.” The CEO says and it makes their heart soar.

“That means a lot. Thank you.” Alé gives them a kind smile before they turn to Tommy. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you fellow social media person,” he says, a little hint of amusement in his voice. “It’s nice to meet you as well. I’m so excited to be here, honestly. This is a dream.”

“Okay, you don’t have to butt kiss anymore. You’re already in.” He jokes, making Y/N laugh. “It shouldn’t be too much longer until the rest are here. I think they’re finishing a shoot.” Alé says and Y/N sits down. They look around, not knowing where to sit. “I won’t bite, I swear,” Tommy says, patting the seat next to him.

They sit next to him and put their bag on the table. Pulling out their laptop and tablet, Y/N opens up the important stuff that holds their digital work, video ideas that her advisor said could come in handy, and some examples of videos she’s worked on for her classes.

A few minutes pass with the groups sharing small talk until the door opens. Looking over, Y/N feels nervous all over again as Ian and Anthony walk into the room with Erin D. walking in behind them. “So sorry, we’re late. The rest are coming in soon.” Anthony says before turning to Y/N.

Their eyes widen when he looks at them, not believing this is real again. “Well hello there, you must be Y/N. I’m Anthony.” He says, walking over with his hand stretched out. “I know, I’ve been a fan for a while. Thank you again for this, it’s a dream come true.” They say as they shake his hand. Ian chuckles while walking over, “We’re glad to have someone so talented on our team. Your work is amazing.” He says, shaking their hand as well.

“That means a lot. Y’all’s videos got me through years and years of homework and projects.” They say, laughing a bit. “Well, we’re glad to have helped,” Anthony says as the door opens again.

This time Shayne and Courtney walk in and behind them is someone who makes her heart race for a different reason. Her breath halts when Spencer walks into the room, dressed in a jean jacket, button-down, rolled jeans, and boots. His curly hair was held back by a cap on his head. 

The three sit down together, across from Y/N and Tommy. “Okay, everyone is here. Thank you all for coming. Today we are welcoming a new addition to our office for the summer. Y/N L/N is coming to us from across the country and is currently in their senior year of college. Welcome, Y/N.” Alé says and the room claps.

Tommy motions for them to stand up, “Uh, hi. I didn’t expect to say anything but I’m Y/N, if that’s not obvious. I’m a social media management and multi-media production major. I’m a little nervous being so far from home but excited to be here for the summer.” They say, a shy smile on their face as they look around the room.

Their eyes stop on Spencer who is looking at them with a soft expression. The kind he has when he’s listening to people, the same one they’ve seen in many videos. “It’s very exciting to meet you, Y/N. Welcome to the team.” Courtney says, a kind smile on their face.

“Yeah, I’m excited to see what you can bring to the games channel,” Spencer says, keeping his eyes on them as they sit down. “Yes, thank you for bringing that up Spencer. Y/N, we have looked at the stuff you’ve done and from what you’ve told us plus input from your recommendations. You’ll be mainly helping with the gaming channel.” Alé says.

“Really? That’s so cool.” Y/N says, a smile bright on their face. “Yeah, so you will work with Tommy and me mostly to get things done,” Spencer says and they nod. “Okay, I think that’s all we have. This was just a meeting for you to get to know a few people, mostly the ones you will be working under.” Zoe says.

“Okay, sounds great.” Y/N says, an optimistic smile bright on their face. Everyone stands up, those who already met Y/N leave while Shayne, Courtney, and Spencer stay behind.

“So, Y/N, what have you done at college besides your degree stuff?” Courtney asks, wanting to get to know the newbie more. “Well, I am a part of my school’s esports team. We’re still kind of new but have done pretty well. I also was on the university paper but I stopped so I could do my internship.” They explain.

“That sounds super cool, you must be a good gamer to get on an esports team.” Shayne acknowledges. “I try, it’s not something I do all the time. Mostly for fun and I kinda joined because of my ex but that’s a long story.” 

“Ah, the things we do for love.” Courtney reminisces, “I think you will fit in great here. I know Trevor will be happy to have someone close to his age.” Spencer jokes. “I’m super excited, this is honestly a dream. I’m not even sure I’m awake right now.” Y/N confesses.

“I think I know how we can break that. Since it’s your first day, you can sit back and watch how things go then we’ll throw you into the deep end tomorrow.” Spencer says, his eyes never leaving Y/N. “Ooo, that sounds scary. Fun, but scary. I like it.” They say, perking up and putting their bag on their shoulder.

Courtney laughs as they wrap their arm around them, “You are gonna be perfect here.” They say as they all walk out of the conference room.

[miyamiwu]

Previously, I talked about Shang Chao’s and Xia Qing’s contrasting ideologies on what kind of hero Yang Cheng should be. Gist of that post is that to Xia Qing, Yang Cheng and E-Soul are different people. But to Shang Chao, there is no difference between them; Yang Cheng is E-Soul and vice versa.

So isn’t it just interesting that on the night Yang Cheng became a hero, Xia Qing—despite actually already knowing that it was Yang Cheng under the mask, as revealed in Episode 6—she called out the name E-Soul instead. Meanwhile, Shang Chao, who has only just learned the truth, called Yang Cheng by his real name with no hesitation.

It’s small moments like these that really convince me that Shang Chao is the right person for Yang Cheng. He’s just so naturally in sync with what Yang Cheng needs, and at that moment, Yang Cheng needed acknowledgement of himself as a person. Sure, he just did some superhero stuff, but the name Xiao Youzi called out back then was still E-Soul. That Trust point may have given him the boost to defeat his enemies, but it didn’t really do much to raise his self-esteem.

It’s just like that time he got asked out by Xia Qing while in his E-Soul costume. He also didn’t feel good about that:

So Shang Chao’s presence at the end of Episode 6 was very timely.

On the night Yang Cheng became a hero, the first person to call him by his real name and acknowledge that it was him, Yang Cheng the person, who did all those stuff, was Shang Chao.

Not the kid he saved. Not the girl he’s always had a crush on. But Shang Chao.

And what’s more affirming than being personally acknowledged by someone whom you think is superior than you in every way?

Xia Qing is nice, but she pays too much attention to Yang Cheng’s weaknesses instead of his strengths, and that doesn’t really help our Yang Cheng, who already has low self-esteem. Pity is the last thing he wants from her.

Shang Chao is different. At this point, he doesn’t know much about Yang Cheng. He only sees the diamond in the rough, while the people closer to Yang Cheng are being too careful with the dirt around it. But Yang Cheng doesn’t need to be reminded of the dirt; he knows that himself all too well. What he needs is to be made aware of the diamond within him. Shang Chao’s verbal encouragement and proactive support help with that.

This becomes clearer as Yang Cheng starts cooperating with Shang Chao:

Xia Qing is a realist who will point out the cons, while Shang Chao charges ahead optimistically in spite of the difficulties. His wealth and privilege allows him to do so, and by extension, it also gives Yang Cheng the resources he needs to give things a try. But more importantly, it also gives him the courage to dream:

Before he started working with Shang Chao, Yang Cheng didn’t even have any plans for the future:

But Shang Chao took him by the hand and opened his eyes to what he is capable of:

He gives him concrete steps on how he can act like a hero.

And also outlines a clear future for Yang Cheng.

At surface level, it may seem like Shang Chao is just imposing what he wants on Yang Cheng, but I don’t think that’s the case.

Yang Cheng had zero trust points his whole life. Nobody really expected anything from him. So Shang Chao clearly stating what he wants from him and fully believing that he can do it, although new and confusing, should be not unpleasant.

Because at last there’s someone who believes in him. Someone who isn’t just a random number on his wrist. Someone who actually sees him and supports him every step of the way with concrete actions.

Shang Chao is exactly the person Yang Cheng needs.

[jozlyn-moon]

The Cipher Twins

Ford’s Journal Entry:

(It’s long! And one of the first Journal Entries I’ve gone fully into making!)

“How and Why that devil managed to “conceive”, and I use this term loosely, is beyond me. Especially when it’s taken in mind how careful with planning he chooses to be. But the outcome of two children that share such gains of his power is.. well- reckless, but that does give us a view that he isn’t as on his game as much as he once was, which in my eyes shows as a beacon of hope. Continuing though-

These two have been an eye opening pain in the ass to deal with in all the years that they’ve had to be in my life… and that’s saying quite a bit. From the oddities that sprout from their father’s genes to the oddities that come from each of their unique personalities that stem from their own special quirks, to study them has been an experience. Though, if I shouldn’t lie.. I may have chosen a favorite of the two for one reason or another and even if either manages to get a hand on my writing their opinion would not much matter in the end.

To begin on the first, Lily Cipher, a rambunctious but albeit pleasant kid to be around. An attribute which I could only give thanks to in the mother’s raising of both of the twins which I presumed had fortunately been enough to quell any evil nature that may have been held in her soul. Along with the fact that there had been no contact with the father in her and her sibling’s upbringing. Ignoring that fact- She can be described as a great help around the lab, seeing as age and stress have worn down my ability to keep steady with my motor and cognitive skills… she comes in handy as a shockingly fast learner, but to no surprise really as much as I don’t want to point the praise at where the origin of the ability may have come from, I do have my guesses to who it was passed down from.

She is a very curious and hyperactive child as well, being quite fascinated in the little things and anything that moves, she could only remind me of Mabel in her younger years in the most bitter sweet way possible. I pray for the moment that she’s alright.. but besides that point-

I find that she’s been a large help in also understanding, if not, being able to decrypt the genetics of my enemy, with her ability to shape shift into a form similar to the beings of Bill’s late home dimension, flatlanders as they’re called, she has given key samples of skin and DNA that have properties no normal being can handle nor have. I believe she and her brother are direct keys in Bill’s downfall. And while I wish to be optimistic to the outcomes of their existence at the current time, I do hold dread for whats to come. As while I may have positive outcomes with the more sweet hearted sibling… I have trouble describing the short tempered and snide one as such. Liam is another whole pile of bones to dissect but i’ll get to his summary soon enough.

Lily, and what baffles me the most about her, is how something so, well giddy and sweet by nature, can come out of such a creature that can be so, by choice, dangerously and maliciously evil. But then again, that damn triangle had always had his charms at his hand, so it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if that had passed along to his spawn.

And as much as I want to be paranoid of my enemy’s daughter, seeing first hand her grow up with no influence of her father’s morals and presence due to her mother separating from that devil before either of the twins were born- it lets me ponder on the thought of the nature vs nurture theory and how whether or not natures of the parents pass down to the kin and how much it actual effects their psyche.

Albeit with Lily, she works on her own will with a good moral stand point and natural urge to uplift others in sometimes slightly odd but endearing ways. Though i’m afraid that it’s her brother that leaves me still questioning the nature vs. nurture stand point, as I couldn’t say the same completely for her twin.

Liam Cipher, a more reserved kid but leaning on socially aloof by choice, is one who leaves me sleeping with one eye open. Literally. Seemingly gained the temper of his father along with a slew of other worrying traits that I would rather not be in the presence of while someone has lit his fuse. He is the sole reason why I had to ban or at the least limit the use of both of their magic to the mundane and simple party tricks after an incident with him that cost me half my sight with a fit he threw when he was younger.

Though as his mother insists to me greatly, it’s not the child’s fault for the traits he was born with, he can’t help himself she claims. And while true to some extents I can’t help but feel the dread towards the thought of another Bill like being sprouting due to the “freak accident” of them being somehow made into existence. From the personality to even the damn voice that the kid shares with himself and his devil of a father, I can’t just shake off the feeling of a tense shiver that always crawls up my back when thinking of him growing older.

The only saving grace, and what calms my already paranoid nerves falls upon the ones I could think have a good hand in quelling those unsavory traits, the one’s I label the family buffers. I.e his mother, sister, and at times the cousins that are there to talk him down out of a potential blow out. I couldn’t even dare muster the thoughts to wonder what he’d turn to if his mother nor his “siblings”, if I could even loosely consider the cousins as such, weren’t there to quell his snappy nature. But for the sake of my cortisol levels, I can’t let those scenarios overcome my already racing thoughts because I have enough to deal with now in taking care of both of the twins that have been enough of a hassle on my growing age.

Liam for the most part has made it clear that he has a distaste for me, I believe sprouting from my coldness towards his mother for being deceptive at the beginning of our begrudging guardianship over the kids. And he places it as if I have no good reason, if it wasn’t clear that I have some bother that hiding the children of that damned demon under my nose with what current family I have left wasn’t something to not be chastised for. Not to mention that her withholding from the implicit truth had allowed me and my great great niece and nephew to harbor an attachment to the twins which if I had known before hand their origin… would not have ended well for her.

But I am not heartless, I do understand the fears that may have accompanied the weight of telling the truth at the time. And I’ve learnt that I shouldn’t be one to not swallow my pride and say I know I would have probably acted rashly. But as someone who freshly lost what family they had left at the time I feel as if it would’ve been just.

I don’t hate either of them, even while one may be more a pain in the ass than the other. I do believe I care for them in some sense. Liam is a help to me greatly, I won’t downplay that factor at all, he’s the one that helps me draw in the newer journal entries and goes out to scout with Chloe to do some cartography of the surrounding landscape. A quirk he seems to be great at with a sense of great direction and keen eyesight, something even younger me couldn’t get down right away. My body can only do so much these days as I’ve already made my point earlier that my hands and even now legs can’t do what they did often like they used to.

He’s smart, more smart than he gives himself props for, he knows how to channel a certain charisma and silver tongue that lets him find the best supplies, of course if it isn’t the case that he had stole them in the first place. And like his sister, there is no second thought to where he got that ability from, but it’s better to not dwell on it, just for my sake at least.

Both are a handful in their own ways, but they have grown on me- and they do hold insight in how we may be able to stop weirdmaggedon once and for all.

And I pray that it can be in time.”

(If you made it down here thanks for reading it! I want to make sure I have Ford’s characterization down to some extent 😭 My grammar may not be all that great but I tried lol)

[iamnmbr3]

Great answers! I do love the idea of Sirius as DADA teacher!

Here's another one for you: rank these characters from worst to best for the post of Minister of Magic

Albus Dumbledore

Lucius Malfoy

Sirius Black (again cause I love him and I read a fic about this once)

Minerva McGonagall

Barty Crouch Sr.

oh god. these clowns would all be such terrible minsters of magic. why are you doing this to me? ok fine. here goes.

Lucius Malfoy: I think because movie!Lucius was sort of toned down and defanged fandom sometimes forget what a nasty piece of work book!Lucius was before he had his downfall and got all sad and pathetic. Fanon!Lucius often gets turned into kind of a joke but book!Lucius was out there torturing muggles for fun by night while he had the ear of the Minister by day and was, seemingly, extremely adept at subtly spreading his pureblood supremacist agenda in government. (Honestly, better at it than Tom because unlike Tom he actually cared). Also in book 4 it's very clear that if he had gotten hold of Hermione - a fourteen year old child - on the World Cup grounds he would've attacked her without hesitation (been eager for it, in fact). Yeah he wasn't down with Voldemort's whole thing but that was more because of the effect it had on him personally. with Voldemort out of the picture he was top dog and he was doing just fine. All this to say, as Minister the policies he enacts are...not good to say the least. He'd be out there building a violent pureblood supremacist dictatorship in a heartbeat.

Albus Dumbledore: Albus says he can't be trusted with the power of being Minister and honestly...I believe him. He'd still play the same messed up manipulation games he plays in canon but on a much larger scale (while simultaneously feeling bad about it and telling himself it's for the greater good). He does some truly epic mental gymnastics to convince himself he needs to make himself dictator for life and then things spiral because obviously anyone who resists him is evil right? Right? Of course! The alternative is that he is wrong and he doesn't want to think about that. Also, he doesn't seem that bothered by house elf slavery and his ideas for getting nonhuman magical creatures on his side in canon seemed to involve asking nicely but not actually granting them rights. So I'm not super optimistic on that front. So yeah. This just turns into the whole of wizarding Britain getting gaslit and thrown into insane situations by a madman who seems so wholesome and lovable and yet... Also. Given how poorly organized the Order is I think it's safe to say that all other flaws aside, the man does not have a gift for management.

Barty Crouch Sr.: Listen. He ALSO sucks. Very clearly ok with slavery, not a fan of due process, and allowed Aurors to torture confessions out of suspects. His only saving grace is that he does love rules so he'd probably eventually step down and wouldn't make as many potentially damaging changes as Dumbledore.

Minerva McGonagall: Her no nonsense attitude ensures that any meeting she runs actually accomplishes things. She's smart. She's sane. She's stable. She doesn't care about ending slavery or changing the status quo, but she's a lot better than most of the options. She's not especially creative or good at political games though which often hampers her ability to carry out objectives and prevent bad actors (i.e. Lucius and his faction) from getting their way.

Sirius Black: What does the man who hates authority do when he finds himself in a position of ultimate authority? I don't know but I'd love to read about it! Sirius is actually pretty shrewd (contrary to fanon) and I think he'd actually turn out to be a natural at handling politics (much as he might hate it). He also understands traditional pureblood society (he is a Black after all) but he doesn't idolize it (he hates being a Black) which would allow him to understand and work with multiple factions. Additionally he can be forceful and authoritative. He's impatient, often biased and unfair, sometimes quite cruel, can be temperamental, and again, has 0 problem with slavery. So like. He's not good per say, but he's actually better than some of the others. (At least with him meetings are never dull because if he gets bored enough he just turns into a dog and eats the agenda).

[highly-flammable]

Is Peeta optimistic or is that more how Katniss sees him as a symbol of hope?

Peeta is not blind to the risks or chances of bad things happening, nor is he a stranger to the cruelty of human beings. But I would say he has faith in humanity still, and would like to believe that with effort and goodwill, some measure of good might be derived from even a horrible situation. So he is a very cautiously optimistic character, in my books.

But I will argue that he is not free of cynicism given that he is a victim of abuse and neglect (at least emotional). This part he suppresses the best he can, but it comes out when he tries to ascertain how much others will value him. His self-worth is very low and he does not trust people to usually return the kindness that he himself extends towards others.

That kindness, however, is his defining trait in Katniss’ eyes, and completely sets him apart from everyone else due to the timing of when it was first demonstrated. Katniss had nothing to live on and nobody’s kindness to rely on, until Peeta burned the bread to give it to her. He was her sole ray of hope in one of the bleakest moments in her life, and that trend continues after they are put into the 74th Hunger Games together. From that period it becomes reciprocal, what one person gives, the other tries to return, not just because a debt is owed, but also because they truly care about each other. For Katniss, Peeta himself is not an incredibly optimistic person, but Peeta’s existence fuels her own optimism. And she tempers some of his cynicism in turn, being one of the only people in his life who truly value him as a person and demonstrate a willingness to prioritize him.

[polished-obsidianstone]

Someone asked: What’s your thoughts on pessimism?

Meowdy, lovely! Thank you for the ask! 🌺 Pessimism: 1. a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; a lack of hope or confidence in the future. 2. a belief that this world is as bad as it could be or that evil will ultimately prevail over good.

I can't say that people who have this view/belief of life are entirely unfounded. Especially in the current era where everything is broadcasted online, we can see very personally the extent of hatred, lies, aggression, suffering, death. It's normalized, even glamorized. Some even say if you can still be so optimistic about life, you're surely privileged. If only you had seen the extent of cruelty, of destruction, or if you had gone through it yourself... you would not be so optimistic. The general idea I see everywhere is something along the lines of: hope is for the naive, the overly joyful and excited are fools, people who are calm and generally chill are typically ignorant of the world around them, or they just do not care enough. Pessimism is considered the enlightened, mature view of life. The opposite of hope and optimism, which is for naive people. Responsible, mature people cannot afford to hope, too much can and will go wrong. If you keep hoping, just to be let down, you'll get hurt. I think Pessimism is as much as a safety mechanism as a coping mechanism. It's how we deal with the extensive amounts of negativity in our lives and the hurt we experience from it. Nonetheless, I don't agree with Pessimism. It is too easy to slip into a state of hopelessness. It's too easy to be overfilled with frustration or even hatred at life. It's too easy to have your perspective clounded by the negativity. Feminism for example. Feminism is one of those things where to be in it, you have be in the trenches. You have see all the misogyny, sexism, women exploitation. And you have to see how women willingly turn away from Feminism, and it's stradegies for their liberation. You have to see how we get repressed and smeared by opposing political movements. You have to watch as everyone believes them, and falls in alignment with them. You have to research history realize this happened for centuries. But on the completely opposite side. You get to see: the women who do find Feminism and latch on. You see the women who learn to love themselves, who learn it's okay to exist as she is, despite what our Patriarchal Society has told her. You see the woman who gain enough courage to leave her not great boyfriend, and be confident in her single status, learns to live their life for her and only her. You get to see the incredible displays of solidarity women put together. Mass protests, voting, charities. You get to watch yourself grow as a person. While Pessimists aren't unfounded or necessarily wrong-- It's arguable to say that, perhaps, they focus on the wrong things. We are capable of growth, change, and progress. As much as it is the nature of life to suck, it is in our nature to go FUCK YOU! to that bullshit and do better. To be kind, and to force success and fulfillment into existence. Even if our generation doesn't establish equal rights and liberty for all people, consider, how do we contribute to the few people who's lives do become at least a little better than before? How do we contribute to our own lives? I believe, even if nobody benefits at all, a life spent dedicated to the advocacy of good is more than enough. You know you tried, and however small, you are a stone in the path to future efforts that will come after you. Thanks for asking! I liked writing this! Much love! @synthral

[gachagon]

Hypocrisy anon here and I agree completely with your response, especially the tags.

I really hope a p:eg writer writes a fic about a Danganronpa character being plopped into Project Eden's Garden cause I feel like the dichotomy between them and the cast would be so good.

Like I could see the cast seeing Makoto as a complete anomaly with how optimistic he is even compared to Diana. With Hajime I could see many of the characters shunning him with Damon doing so too. Nagito and Kokichi I feel like would be even more wildcards than they were in their own games.

If Eva had been with any other group she either wouldn't have murdered or I think she would've won that Killing Game. The THH and SDR group were like so friendly and trusting of one another that each trial was a gut punch because they knew someone had genuinely betrayed them or felt like they had been backed into a corner into becoming one of the Blackened. (Aside from Celestia who was just straight up trying to win it lol)

I definitely think she would've won the Killing Game for THH if she befriended Naegi and still did her whole "I'm gonna frame someone else" plot. Only because I think Naegi and the others would have had too much faith in her T_T

Hajime had to vote for multiple people he actually liked so I don't think she'd have won SDR's Killing Game, but alternatively she wouldn't have murdered if she had a support group and seeing as the SDR crew were like legit besties even after the Killing Game, I could see her not resorting to murder.

V3 however, idk I feel like she would've lost. She'd have had to tell a lie so convincing that it'd trick the REAL Ultimate Liar, Kokichi Ouma and I just don't see Eva doing that. But I do think she'd bond with other characters in V3 because she wouldn't be the only person with an "unusual" talent. (That, and her ostracizing starts because she's the first to point out the naivety of believing no one would murder. The other crews I feel would've had more people who would've agreed with her openly rather than following some leader. That way she wouldn't be alone in her opinion, which sort of makes her spiral from the jump.)

Like Kirigiri and Byakuya would've agreed with her in THH, I can see Fuyuhiko and Peko backing her up on the whole "we really CAN'T trust people like that..." point, Maki and Shuichi would've also agreed with the idea of it etc...but in Eden's Garden the only person she had was Damon, and Diana agreed but not outwardly and she did just stay quiet for the most part T_T (i love Diana but I feel like Eva had a bit of a point, it's like when you're in a group of friends and they're bullying someone and you point out how they're all being kind of mean, but nothing happens bc you don't do anything personally to distance yourself from that kind of behavior.)

That, and the other crews didn't have a "leader" until like the very end. Sure there was someone to help lead the discussions of the trials, but outside of trials they didn't have someone who dictated what they did or when they did it etc. Like nobody was looking to Naegi or Shuichi or Hajime as leaders to make decisions for everyone. When Wolfgang was like "Just bring any suspicious clues to me next time Desmond" I knew that shit wouldn't fly if it was THH or something (Byakuya would've called him out on it so fast lmao)

[rockybloo]

Could you expand a bit on how Jack and Nana's interactions with Romulus and Remus involve social commentary? Really curious to hear about that.

Heads up because this is a long one

Jack has a big fat crush on Nana, who is basically a Lupine (specifically she is half human and half Lupine) which is among many magical races on Lore that have a messy history with humans (because humans have bad history starting shit with any race that ain't the mundane in Lore)

Lore isn't the same hostile place it was eons ago BUT there are still some humans out there who feel uneasy with nonhuman beings.

Nana's mother doesn't see Jack as a good fit for her daughter and views him as a bad influence since, after they became friends, Nana has become somewhat more adventurous. Nana's mother is slightly paranoid about the world and the dangers it contains for the more magically inclined. And she doesn't think Jack is careful enough in how he navigates it for him to be around her daughter.

Romulus and Remus have encountered many of hostile humans in their lives. Way more than Nana, because they are VISIBLY Lupines (and they also are older and have traveled many different places). They don't have cloaks to hide their ears and they are not small at all. They are actually among two of the tallest OCs in Beanstalked since Lupines are naturally very tall. It's just that Nana lost the gamble of life and came out tiny.

It's partially because of her small size that the Big Bad Wolf Brothers are worried about her wondering around with the Fabled Five. She thankfully hasn't encountered much hostility save for when her father died protecting her. Her dad was also VISIBLY a Lupine.

Romulus is the biggest voice of concern and he also isn't too fond of Jack, believing him too weak to protect Nana. And as far as Romulus cares, Jack is just a human. Yeah he's Bookmarked, and Bookmarked face some scrutiny from some that believe they are bad omens, and he has fangs, and his eyes go green sometimes, but he's human compared to Nana.

He's magically inclined but he's not immediately VISIBLE like Nana when she takes her cloak off. And he definitely ain't as visible as Romulus and Remus.

Remus doesn't mind Jack and is willing to help him when it comes to learning more about Lupines. He tends to bump heads with his brother about Jack...which adds on to Romulus not completely vibing with Jack.

Jack does his best because he loves Nana and wants to keep her safe and happy. He works to learn more about her and Lupines in general as well as other magical races in Lore.

He is Bookmarked and a Slayer, but these are things he is learning in real time throughout the entirety of Beanstalked. He lived a relatively sheltered life on a farm in an area where there isn't any fear of magically inclined beings, so he doesn't know the danger or hostility that Nana, Romulus and Remus know. And he probably wouldn't have ever learned it if he stayed put on the farm even after revealing he's Bookmarked because, AGAIN, the area he lives in is chill when it comes to magical beings.

And boy didn't even grow up knowing he was a Slayer, which LITERALLY ran on his dad's side of the family, so that's a whole magically inclined side of him he has to reconnect to that will be a wee bit of a struggle for...reasons (spoiler reasons). It's also a side that his mother purposely hid from him because she wanted to keep him safe.

So he's much more optimistic about Lore compared to those three. Remus is also an optimist but it's more so just because of his personality and not a lack of experience. Jack is optimistic because he came in late to the game.

SO YEAH -- I accidentally did something here. I might have sprinkled a little bit of personal experience in there because I tend to prefer writing from what I myself know.

But there's def something there. 👁️👁️

[marley-manson]

well i shouldn't have complained about how annoying all the criticism and hate in the yellowjackets tag is because i think i cursed myself lol

I am less than enthusiastic about the season 3 finale unfortunately.

I think the writers turning the hunt from the pilot into a secret faction vs faction battle of wills was meant to be just a neat twist and a way to add more interpersonal conflict, but like, I'm actually here for the story of the fucked up survivalist teenage cannibal cult and how it still impacts and tempts the survivors 25 years later, and what that says about like, the nature of humanity and stuff.

I'm not super into 2.5 people bullying 10ish other people into cannibalism because they're mentally ill/power hungry, while the innocent ones plot against them to save themselves. That is just inherently less thematically rich, and less interesting in terms of complex characterization, and it introduces irreconcilable problems.

Like eg if Natalie is a saint trying to save everyone who sees the cannibalism as completely fucked up and is horrified by Lottie and Shauna... why was she just as into the hunt reprise in the season 2 finale as anyone else?

I get that they're trying to explain some discrepancies (like eg Natalie and Shauna civily interacting as adults I assume) by mentioning trauma fucking with their memories a few times this season, and I'm willing to accept that as a way of smoothing some continuity over even if it is a bit shoddy lol, but like this is a total 180 of thesis statement.

Now to be fair and because I'm an eternal optimist, this only truly kills my interest if the show doubles down on the good guys vs villains angle, and that does seem kind of unlikely to me.

Like for one thing, the show is still very direct about how fucked up the adults all are. Melissa is on the "good guys" side in the teen timeline, and she just killed Van for the sake of stabbing someone in the adult timeline. Tai is back in Dr Jekyl mode and she just ate Van's heart raw lmao. The show has pulled back on Misty's sociopathy a bit, but she was introduced torturing her patients and cavalierly killed a woman in season 1 and I think the show still knows she's fucked up. Also she was very casual about Callie killing Lottie.

Plus it sounds like they're all going to be trying to kill each other next season. Probably with shifting alliances and surprise enemies and allies, rather than strictly Misty and Tai vs Shauna vs Melissa. And like, Tai and Misty seem to be instigating it, which isn't exactly good guy behaviour lol, given Shauna didn't do anything to them.

And as for the teens, the overall framing sucked, but lbr more than three of them were howling for blood during the hunt. Most of them believe in the cult, Akilah killed her own animals to facilitate the hunt because Lottie told her to (I think), they all ate Ben while partying, and they all went along with Lottie's decree of a sacrifice pretty easily. And Misty has been blatantly fucked up in various ways the whole time. Saint Natalie might be a write off unfortunately, but you can't tell me Shauna's the only one into it. (And honestly Natalie could show her own dark side in a conflict with Shauna or something pretty easily.)

Like don't get me wrong, obviously I love Shauna going full villain protag and embracing her inner cannibal, and I'm looking forward to finding out what that's going to look like in the adult timeline. But I'm interested in Shauna as representative of a dark aspect of humanity and maybe the most extreme of them, not so much as a fucked up evil anomaly because she's just a bad person. If it turns out that she's only fooling herself when she says they all actually loved it deep down and that's what they had to repress, and she's the only one who loved it, I'm going to be upset because I was calling "they all loved it and that's what really fucked them up" the basic thesis of the show on my initial watchthrough of the first two seasons, and I was extremely happy about it.

But I've still got plenty of hope that season 4 will continue to be fun. I mean even if the teen timeline continues to annoy me, all the adults left are certifiably fucked up and about to battle royale each other. That should at least be entertaining.

[bobaboob]

stardew valley canon-ish ages

My take, anyway. I tried to base this as much on canon evidence as possible, but I am 21 myself, so this will likely be influenced a little by that.

So, from youngest to oldest, starting with the children:

KIDS (0-18)

Vincent: (8-9) He’s old enough to have remembered Kent well before he was deployed 3 years ago, but young enough to care mostly about himself still (like most kids before 10-11).

Jas: (9-10) She’s clearly really intelligent (see Penny’s lines about her), and old enough to understand what happened to her parents/why she lives with Marnie and Shane, but she still plays with dolls and jump ropes in her spare time, so I feel like this is a good age for her.

Leo: (11-12) He’s just a little guy. He remembers his life before washing up on Ginger Island, and speaks to the player like they’re equals moreso than the other kids, but he’s young enough to have a crush on Jas and be unsure of the world. A little guy. 

BACHELORS AND BACHELORETTES (19-40ish)

Younger (<27):

Sam: (20-22) The youngest bachelor, and with clear evidence. Kent has been deployed for 3 years when he returns in Year 2, and he claims Sam has “become a man” since he’s been gone. I took this to mean he literally came of age, but it could also mean ‘become an adult’ in mindset or appearance. Either way, he’s probably not much older than his early twenties.

Abigail: (20-22) The youngest bachelorette. Abigail’s graduation party is mentioned in one of Emily’s voice lines as having happened sometime in the recent past before the farmer showed up. Since she’s currently enrolled in online college courses (see her and Caroline's voice lines), this is referring to her high school graduation. Like Sam, she’s also more childlike in mindset than some of the other marriage candidates.

Maru: (21-23) I think Maru is a recent college graduate (and knowing Maru, it likely took her less than the full four years). She seems content working in her father’s lab and the clinic for now, and seems to have no designs on grad school anytime soon, or a career outside of the valley. Furthermore, she’s the youngest child of her and Sebastian, who judging by their relationship is probably several years older than her. That places her in her early twenties as well.

Alex: (21-23) Alex mentions high school like it wasn’t that long ago in his lines about being on varsity. Even assuming Alex’s mother Clara had him young, given that his grandparents are able to live, clean, cook, and travel on their own, it makes sense for him to be in his twenties. He also aspires to go pro in gridball, which places him just out of range of college gridball but before he would be considered ‘out of his prime’ in IRL football terms. Plus, his only job is the ice cream stand in the summer, so he’s likely not in the career-seeking stage of his life.

Penny: (24-25) With Jas and Vincent being in the 3rd-4th grade range, it’s likely Penny has been teaching them for a few years now. Her shy demeanor and social skills might be indications of youth, or she might just be like that naturally. Regardless, I don’t believe that she’s older than 25, as she appears to still have trouble standing up to her mother and she’s still very optimistic about the future, given her circumstances. She could feasibly be older, but it feels to me like she’s one of the younger bachelorettes.

Haley: (24-26) Haley’s old enough to ‘know better’ in her attitude in early dialogue and heart events that she later regrets. She and Emily’s parents also seem to have no qualms about leaving them alone and in charge of their property. However, like Sebastian and Maru, I think there’s several years between Haley and Emily by how they interact and speak of each other. A lot of Haley’s hobbies are also that of a young unemployed person (shopping, sunbathing, etc.), and she hasn’t yet learned to cook or clean for herself at the start of the game. All of this puts her in her mid-twenties to me.

Older (>27):

Sebastian: (27-29) Like I said, he and Maru seem to be several years apart. He already has significant skill in programming, and hates that no one seems to ‘respect’ his work, so he takes pride in his career. He still hangs out with Sam and Abby, and hasn’t seemed to save enough money to move out of his parents’ house, so I doubt he’s thirty yet. Other than that, I have no proof but vibes. He feels like late twenties to me.

Emily: (30-32) Definitely one of the older bachelorettes. She’s one of the most mature in terms of emotions and conflict, and her parents left both Haley and their house to her charge. She’s clearly old enough to bartend, and be friends with Shane and Clint, two men likely in their mid-thirties. She could easily be older than this, but I don’t think the age gap between her and Haley is more than six or so years, so I’m putting her in her early thirties.

Leah: (32-34) Old enough to have had a long-term romantic relationship several years in the past (as she moved here after Kel, and she’s been here some time already). She’s also had years to practice her art and make a career out of it, and the funds to own her own home. To me, the only real limit to her age is personal preference. For me, I think she’s in her mid-thirties, but like Emily, she could easily be older.

Elliott: (34-36) Confirmed ‘older’ in secret note #7, as with the next two. Has an established writing career and the money to own his own cabin. He also expresses discontent at the thought of growing “grow[ing] old as a lonely hermit.” Elliott is melodramatic by nature, though, and also claims to have only moved to the valley a year before the farmer. He could be older, but I think mid-thirties makes sense.

Shane: (33-37) Probably looks older than he is, thanks to his habits. He’s young enough to not have taken sole charge of Jas as her godfather when her parents died, but old enough to have been a legally viable guardian when it happened. Other than that, could be anywhere in his thirties.

Harvey: (38-42) Clearly one of, if not the, oldest bachelor. Medical school is eight years, plus a residency afterwards, and all before he moved to the valley. He also alludes to getting older several times and emphasizes the farmer’s comparative youth in several voice lines. Harvey is however old you want him to be, and to me that’s late thirties to early forties.

TOWNSFOLK (40ish - 80s)

Sandy: (28-36)* Could be anywhere in this age range for me. She’s friends with Emily, and owns her own shop, but that’s all we know. 

Clint: (35-38)* Other than Sandy, the only single character of ‘marriageable’ age who isn’t a marriage candidate. Judging by his demeanor and overall vibes, I don’t think he’s forty yet, but I do think he’s approaching it. He wonders how he ‘ended up’ in the valley and laments being lonely amongst a bunch of families at festivals, but he also sees Emily as a prospect and doesn’t hang out with the older crowd of townsfolk. Fittingly, Clint is at a sort of awkward in-between age of the young folk and everyone else. Poor guy.

Jodi: (38-40) Old enough to have a young adult son, young enough to dream about travelling and living for herself. I also subscribe to the headcanon that she and Kent had Sam young, just before Kent enlisted. 

Kent: (41-43) See Jodi. Old enough to be Sam’s father, young enough to still be considered for the draft.

Pam: (43-45) Stay with me. Like Shane, she definitely looks and acts older than she is because of her habits. I believe she had Penny young, like Jodi, which would explain more about her and Penny’s father’s dynamic. She could easily be older, but I think it’s more tragic if she isn’t.

Caroline: (45-48) Old enough to have a young adult daughter. Young enough, however, to have either had a daughter with Rasmodius or be the daughter he had, depending on your interpretation of the Wizard’s line about that.

Robin: (48-50) On her second marriage with two kids, one of whom in his late twenties. Still has no problem with her carpentry work, though, so probably not far into her fifties.

Demetrius: (45-50) Also on his second marriage (see books in bookcase in their bedroom), and Maru is at least 18. Could Demetrius be younger than Robin? That would be fun.

Pierre: (49-53) See Caroline. Has an established business in town and seems to have lived in the valley for a long time, hence why JojaMart is so heinous to him. Youthful enough to beat Morris’s ass in that one cutscene after you finish the community center, though.

Morris: (50-55) I dunno. Manager-aged.

Gus: (50-55) Both an established business owner and a friend to the older crowd. No grey in his hair or mustache. Pretty safely assumed as middle-aged.

Marnie: (52-56) Old enough to be the sister of one of Shane’s parents, and also old enough to find Lewis attractive. Young enough to have no problem doing her own farmwork (see line about spilling her cow’s milk bucket while milking).

Willy: (58-60) Could easily be older, but I like to think the sea-weathering makes him look older than he is. That said, he’s clearly one of the old-timers of the valley.

Gunther: (55-60) I dunno. Curator-aged.

Linus: (60-65) If you buy the headcanon about him being an ex-CEO, this age fits. Regardless, his hair is visibly white, but he’s limber enough to get around just fine.

Rasmodius: (60-65) See Caroline. Other than that, I dunno. Wizard-aged.

Marlon: (63-68) White-haired with a bad leg. Despite this, the only bed present in the adventurer’s guild is a bunkbed, and the guy he lives with uses a wheelchair, so we can maybe assume Marlon climbs up to the top bunk to sleep. Good for him? 

Lewis: (63-68) Grey-haired and old enough to have been in the valley when the farmer’s grandfather was living on the farm. Young enough to find Marnie attractive and garden his plant beds by himself.

Evelyn: (73-78) Also old enough to have known your grandfather. Pretty clearly an old lady. Still cooks for herself and George, though, and takes care of the town flower beds. Maybe not into her eighties yet.

George: (75-80) Pretty clearly an old guy. The mining accident that paralyzed him was thirty years ago, and before that he claims to have been just as capable and strong as the farmer, so I’d put him at 45-50 back then.

Gil: (75-80) Same as George. Maybe he was injured in the same accident. Visibly grey-haired and rarely leaves the adventurer’s guild, so probably pretty old.

[roselilianhale]

I have a rq!!

A platonic Emmett x friend!reader who he learns has the same last name he had when he was human (McCarty), and the same dimples as him.

Turns out, she’s like a great-great-great niece or smth and how they talk ab it n how he explains all the vampire stuff and they become besties!!

Notes: Sorry, I know this is really short compared to my other fics!! also thank you for your patience, I really appreciate it! But I hope you still like it! 💗

Warnings: None!

Emmett Cullen x platonic!reader!

"I can't believe you're my great, great, great niece! That's awesome!" You laughed showing your dimples.

Emmett smiled as well, "And you've got my dimples as well!"

You couldn't believe it either. You had a great, great, great uncle who happened to be a vampire. You'd never thought when you moved to Forks that you'd make a lot of friends let alone family. You still couldn't quite fathom the idea that he was a vampire. It was kind of crazy. You were still processing the information he had told you but you gladly welcomed him, with open arms. And he did as well. You'd met his family and for the most part they were welcoming as well.

They were sweethearts except for a few who were a little more closed off. But you didn't take it personally. You couldn't blame them. You couldn't help but feel emphatic of them as well. They were vampires who strived to be good and care for humans and the bloodlust must be difficult even after multiple decades. It seemed to be a difficult task and for that you wouldn't blame them or have any ill will towards them. You knew if you were a vampire you'd want somebody to be understanding of your predicament.

It warmed your heart knowing even after he couldn't be with his family he had grown up with he found a family and people who loved and cared for him. It was also delightful to know he found someone special in his after life or vampire life? You weren't sure how to refer to it but you were just happy for him that's all you know.

She hadn't been the most welcoming but you tried to not take it to heart or too personally. She seemed to care for Emmett quite a bit so you tried to think optimistically rather than negatively.

He then explained that they sparkle like diamonds. They freaking sparkle! You could barely believe it!

"Wait you sparkle like, like actual sparkles." He nodded. "Wow." You said mouth agape in shock.

Carlisle intervened, "Yes but you need to understand you cannot tell anyone about this or else our family could be endangered." You completely understood you wouldn't want to cause them problems especially to your own family. And to you it didn't make sense why you would tell anyone else this wasn't your secret to tell, it's not your business you're not going to go off and tell people.

"She won't, don't worry." Edward answered before you could say anything.

You were confused, "How do you know I won't?" He raised his brow, "I just mean you don't seem like someone who is very trusting of someone they just met."

"I'm not. I can read your mind." he said bluntly.

"What?" You asked. Emmett laughed at your expression. "Okay I wasn't expecting that." You said, surprised.

'I don't think anyone does, dear." Esme says warmly. "True." You said. You turned your wrist to look at the time, "Oh shoot look at the time, I have to go. It was amazing meeting you all, Thank You so much for having me."

"You're welcome." Esme and Carlisle said.

Esme gave you a warm smile while Carlisle shook your hand. Alice gave you the gentlest hug she could while being excited. While Jasper simply nodded. Edward didn't say much and Rosalie followed suite. But Emmett gave you a bear hug and twirled you around. You in that moment decided that he gave the best hugs in the world. You couldn't help but laugh and you thanked him, sweetly. A warm feeling spread in your chest as you left the Cullen household.

[conniesministallion]

☆☆𝓘𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓟𝓸𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝒫𝒶𝓇𝓉2☆☆

Warnings: Violence! (Rafe/Ward)(Rafe/JJ) Angst!

Pairing: Rafe x Black reader

This is Rafe's POVs

*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*

I cant believe I'm sitting here looking at this man's bald ass head again. Granted I am too but still we both look older than we are. I guess that helps with dealing to older customers. Selling this shit to kooks isn't as easy as selling to pogues. I know I shouldn't be but who the hell is gonna help me when things get hard besides her.

Sofia is eh..ya know somebody, she's help, very caring and optimistic but she still doesn't compare to her.

She however helps me figure shit out, calms me down, she's smart and understands the shit I go through. Plus, besides Barry she doesn't judge the shit I do.

Grabbing the kilo off of the small brown table in front of me. I start packaging it up for the next party we're about to throw at Topper's. He's paying too, especially after we almost got busted last time from some punk who was mad about paying for all the coke he was doing that night.

Turns out his dad is a cop,

That i've already sold to twice.

But of course I had to make an example so I beat his ass.

" Yo, the rest is in the trunk let's just sell this shit and bounce when it's over. I got shit to do, plus I have to get your girl from work." Barry says as he peeks behind the screen door.

Standing up and glaring towards him as I grab my keys, " Not my girl bro just someone I keep around."

" Ya okay country club whatever you say, I don't even treat my best piece like that."

This mf, I swear. Sofia is nothing but a smart lil girl I keep around for a good time. Honestly, it was easy. I mean she's still new to the island and she hasn't been out much. I'm just practicing being a nice person.

I bump past him and head toward the car, tossing the last kilo I had in his arms.

"Shut up and come on".

*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*

I'm sitting here staring at the last message I sent SIX HOURS AGO. Why the hell hasn't she texted me back. This lil girl got me messed up. I know she seen when I asked why Maybank's ass isn't blocked. Realizing I'm shaking I send her another message before I'm interrupted but a high pitch voice.

Soulmate: Stop ignoring me mama and block him. I wanna see the screen recording too.

"Why aren't you paying attention to me Rafey?" Sofia whined to me grabbing my arm and resting her cheek on my bicep.

Sofia. Sofia. Sofia.

So cute, but so very annoying and very fucking clingy. She's not the one I want to cling to me. The one I want is ignoring me on an island where she probably has a boyfriend waiting for her. Just thinking about it is pissing me the fuck off.

" I'm too busy selling Sofia, I got you when I get done. Meanwhile, you wanna line or are you just drinking tonight?"

She starts batting her little eyelashes up at me , "Just drinking but I will have a little line if you don't mine doing it for me."

I sat my phone on the white couch underneath me and grab my black card to start the line for her. I only do Y/N's lines and that's only when she's drinking. Two for one night and only on occasions cuz I'll be damned if my baby end up like how I was. I love her way too much to sit and let that shit happen but her puppy eyes are so cute and we ended up coming up to an agreement.

Two lines every three months, not every party and not every time she gets drunk. I'll know if she gets it from somewhere else but she knows better than to try that shit.

" Here Sofia, it's ready let me know when you want some more." I handed her a rolled up bill and getting up the go talk to Barry.

I already sold my portion and the rest was for the three of us to share when he gets done with his. Topper is talking to Kelce and some red haired chick I've seen around in a corner.

Making my way downstairs and into the living room I spot Barry talking to someone on Facetime while handing a baggie to some dude in a red polo setting his money in the pile on the table.

" It's all good baby, you'll be home soon right? You want me to let him know or you want to just stay with me?"

" I'll come over yours first and we can just go back to his together." The other voice on the phone sounding familiar.

Who the hell is he talking to? I know he doesn't have a girlfriend so the hell??

"Yo who's that? Are you done selling or what?" I sat on the couch next to him and start counting the money in my pocket

"It's ya bestie boo or whatever the hell girly shit she be saying." he said chuckling and handing me the phone.

" Hi baby, I miss you. Even tho you kinda trippin at the moment." Y/n says. Fuck she's so damn cute, I miss her too but why hell didn't she text me back. And why the hell did she call Barry and not me.

" Hey mama, I miss you too but why you ain't texting me back." I ask her.

"I did text you back baby and I sent your toxic ass evidence." She said rolling her eyes at me.

I'm acting shocked knowing damn well.

" I'm not toxic mama just protective and I didn't see the message yet. When you coming home?" I asked her setting the phone on the table to lean against the wad of cash.

" I'm coming back tomorrow love, have my room ready please? Or yours it really doesn't matter. Barry is staying with us by the way, we'll let you know the details later yeah?"

I sit back crossing my arms across my chest and look at Barry. " So when were you gonna tell me about this plan?" I asked him

He shrugged back and took a sip of his drink. " She wanted me to wait until she got back bro my bad."

Before I could respond I feel someone putting their face on my neck. Looking back I see Sofia. Fuck. I haven't told either of them about each other.

" Who's that Rafey your cousin or something?" She said, looking over my shoulder.

I shrug her off and before I even respond, I see Y/n's face turned up and frowning.

" Cousin, oh lord baby. Of course, you got a new one while I was away. Just make sure my room is ready please love and thank you." She says rolling her eyes as she puts her suitcase down in front of her bed.

" I gotchu mama don't worry see you tomorrow. Say bye to Barry baby." I turn the phone towards him as he waves.

She waved back and smiles hanging up the phone. Rubbing my hands down my face and handing him his phone back.

He smirks and giggles at me clearly being entertained with the situation.

" She's gonna fuck you up country club." Laughing as he threw his head back laughing.

" I'm already knowing."

*+:｡.｡　　｡.｡:+*

<3 <3 <3

A/N: YAAAAAA second part kinda nervous yall lol.

[juniperpyre]

24 for jilyyyyyy 🫶🏼

24. How do their personalities affect their relationship? Do their characteristics compliment each other, or clash often?

i really do think their personalities compliment each other even before they get together. they have such great banter and they both love banter/bickering. they each like a challenge. and that's more for their casual, day to day interactions.

on a deeper level i think they balance the other's more difficult traits. not flaws, necessarily, more the parts of being a person that are the hardest for them

this is so long bc i'm procrastinating two things

i think james is a very stable person. emotionally, and in his own self conception, and then physically i feel like he'd have a really solid, reassuring presence from his athleticism and confidence. i know there was a kind of popular hc that he's emotionally repressed and insecure, and then the other side of that where he's "the sun" (aka a golden retriever).

i don't think either of those are true, but i do think he's an optimist and doesn't like to dwell in sadness and pain. he'll express it, yea, but he's not a big revisitor of past issues once he feels they've been solved. he'd rather joke about it.

lily is more ephemeral. she never has a place to put her feet, and she is def an "everything i've let go of has claw marks" girl, but also a runner. i don't think she dwells once she lets go but it takes a long time for her to let go.

she's perceptive. as she gets to know someone she learns all of their tiny idiosyncrasies, the way she analyzes people makes some swear she learned legilimency at age 13. she's a sweet, friendly person, but i imagine james has more natural charisma. he can connect with anyone in just a few minutes—very different from how lily connects with people.

generally i think james is much more easygoing, but i don't think lily is a stick in the mud, she just likes trouble less than james. which is to say, she enjoys trouble from time to time. they're both self-important (manifesting from opposite places) and stubborn. they're both incredibly loyal and forgiving. they share the same values, as well as a few flaws, which makes it easy to accept the flaws (or even like them) and make a life together.

of course, the stability of james offers lily a place of respite. his optimism helps her see the good when both parts of the world beat her down. and it's satisfying for him to take care of her like this

lily really sees james, and unlike sirius, the only other contender for james-understander, she pulls at the threads he ignores. and she knows how to weave them back in without having to ask. james never stops moving unless lily (or later harry) tell him to stop, and sometimes he needs lily to do that.

they're both very determined, stubborn people, who's perspectives were developed through continually choosing to do the right thing and learn from their mistakes, so they do butt heads. james believes he should be taking action rather than sitting still and lily believes his optimism is deadly

oops they were both right!

[heylittleriotact]

Rook Questionnaire

inspired by @cassieuncaged's BG3 Character Development Questions but for Rook instead!

@emmg tagged me in this, so here you are - thanks for making me think about a lot of these because I hadn't considered them 😅

Answers under the cut due to length (teehee)

1: Where in the Thedas is your Rook from?

Nevarra, probably.

2: What is your character's alignment?

I entered Amina’s answers into an online quiz just for shits and giggles knowing full well that my Lawful Good girl would make Steve Rogers look like a knuckle-dragging thug with the moral fibre of a used car salesman.

3: Race and subclass?

Elf, Reaper

4: If your Rook was a companion, where would they be found?

Probably in a cemetery in a small town on the continent trying to put a wayward spirit to rest. Or at an extremely expensive boutique hotel in Orlais (she got a discount for offering to stay in the allegedly haunted room).

5: What emotion did they usually pick?

Positive/optimistic with the occasional purple choice. She reads the room and doesn’t act overly familiar with people she doesn’t know well.

6: What companion are you platonically close with?

She becomes quite close with Bellara. Amina admires her optimism and passion for life despite her own regrets and hang-ups. Her excited, keyed up energy compliments Amina’s manic border collie energy and somehow their energies sort of like… harmonize and cancel each other out. It’s really wholesome. Like you know how they sometimes assign dogs to cheetahs so they don’t get too stressed out and die? That’s basically the vibe with Amina and Bellara, except they both think they’re the dog and not the cheetah. 

7: Romantically close with?

She is romantically VERY close with Emmrich. In fact they get married and live happily ever after, and enjoy an adventurous sex life, and have exactly one (1) child.

8: Who are they suspicious of?

She tends to give the majority of people she encounters the benefit of the doubt, but is inherently wary of anyone who telegraphs any indication that they see spirits as lesser/tools/pests/evil because she fundamentally doesn’t understand why anyone would treat a spirit differently than a person.

She’s not sure what to make of people who treat their families poorly/disrespectfully. She understands that there are all sorts of dynamics out there, and not all family relationships are good, but she would give her left kidney to have a petty argument with her mother, or have her dad question her life choices. She’d much rather take the hardships that come with family than her reality where she has none.

9: Does your Rook get along with their chosen Faction?

For the most part. She’s extremely dedicated and passionate about her work, and she takes her oath to protect the living and the dead very seriously. She’s well-principled, disciplined, and is above corruption and political machinations. She’s very approachable, however, and has a knack for getting people to like her - even the ones that initially don’t. 

Obviously some people are of the mind that she’s an inflexible hard-ass, but she truly believes that rules exist for a reason and order is infinitely better than chaos. If someone chooses not to like her for that fact, she doesn’t take it personally: she let go of people-pleasing years ago. 

Varric always thought she and Aveline would have been fast friends.

10: Are they proficient in playing any instruments?

She taught herself to play the lute when she was 14 because she thought people would be more keen on being friends with her if she knew an instrument. It didn’t help much, but she can still play a little if she feels inclined.

11: Weapon of choice?

Sword n board baybeeee. 

12: What is their orientation?

Pansexual.

13: What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it?

She doesn’t love it, and will actively exhaust every other option before entertaining it as a solution. If she’s decided she’s out of options and killing you is the only one left, better kiss your ass goodbye though, because if she’s decided the only solution ends with your death, you’re absolutely going to die very soon.

14: What hobbies does your Rook have?

Shopping. Fashion. Sewing - if she didn’t end up with the Mourn Watch she would have pursued becoming a clothing designer/tailor. If she ever did decide to permanently step back from the Watch I could see her opening a quaint, bespoke lingerie shop or something. 

15: What NPCs do they like? Which one's do they dislike?

She pretty much likes everybody until they give her a reason not to, and even then she doesn’t take it personally. The First Warden really wore on her because his willful ignorance was actively endangering other people, so she wasn’t keen on him for that, but she also knew he was just another poor bastard trying to do his job and yeah sure he’s an idiot, but he’s not a malicious idiot. 

16: Do they have a favorite creature in the Thedas?

Wisps hold a special place in her heart. She makes no secret of the fact that she wants a dog/mabari after she moves in with Emmrich, and when he says that the Necropolis apartments are no place for a pet, she reminds him every moment she gets a chance (in writing, via three separate students, and on one occasion in the form of a corpse who recited her wishes as a limerick) that he also owns a sprawling estate on the outskirts of the city with OODLES of room for a dog. Why, they could get a whole kennel of them and a dog would be such a lovely way to teach Manfred about caring for other creatures…

17: Do they enjoy life as an adventurer?

Yes and no. She’s grateful that she can be a force for good in the world, but the danger and uncertainty of it tends to wear on her especially after she and Emmrich get together. Life as a Watcher is dangerous enough as it is - what kind of crazy person actively seeks MORE of it when they have someone waiting for them at home? 

Emmrich actually forces Amina to stop for a minute and consider her mortality and her legacy. She thought she didn’t matter before. That her life would be a blip in time: inconsequential and certainly not worth mourning when she dies, but he seems devoted to showing her that’s not the case at all.

18: What would your Rook be doing if they weren't recruited by Varric?

The Thedosian equivalent of being a Ghostbuster lol. 

19: How do you think they'll meet their end?

Oh she will die old and comfortable in bed, with her family beside her and a smile on her lips as she announces that she’s off to be reunited with her sweetheart. It’s all happy endings here. 

20: Would they side with Solas or fight him?

After the ritual, she wanted to see Varric’s goal through: she wanted to finish what her friend started and make Solas see that he didn’t have to do what he was planning to do. When Solas’ spiritual origins were revealed, she felt further compelled to help him see reason: no longer was he just a man burdened by guilt and regret, but a spirit dealing with them, and it was her sacred duty to help spirits whenever and however she could. In this case, she saw her responsibility change from “stop a foolish man from ruining the world” to “aid a tormented spirit."

That said, after the truth of what happened at the ritual site became clear, she was livid. She felt hurt, tricked, and as though her own kindness and tendency to believe in the best of people had been used against her. Her own grief was used against her in a cruel trick. She questions if Solas can actually be reasoned with anymore, and has about hit that point I mentioned earlier where she starts to see death as the only remaining option. Emmrich is the one to talk her out of this, urging her to remember her oath as a Watcher and encouraging her to not give up hope. 

So Solas really has Emmrich to thank for happily ever after with his vhenan because Amina was 10000% done with his shit.

21: What is your Rook's favorite ability?

The thing with the big spectral scythe always feels extremely badass no matter how many times she does it.

22: What languages is your character fluent in?

Common, Nevarran, Orlesian, and Tevene. She knows conversational Antivan and next to no elven despite her ancestry. It’s important for Watchers to be fluent in many languages, as the dead tend to be quite chatty, and the spirits that reside in the Necropolis can’t all be assumed to speak Common. 

23: What do they do after an absolute crisis?

Keep finding things to do. If she sits still for too long it’ll all catch up with her at once and become overwhelming, but if she keeps finding people to help and helping them, she can put it off indefinitely. This has led to burnout in the past, and without someone like Emmrich around to basically force her to deal with things rather than burying them under work, it would happen again.

24: Does your character believe in the afterlife?

She thinks that anyone who says they have a definitive answer to that question is lying. There are so many things about magic, the Fade, spirits, and the soul that aren’t known or understood, but she has witnessed enough evidence that she feels confident in some sort of continuation of a person’s essence beyond the veil of death. What that ultimately looks like/entails is a mystery, but she finds comfort in not knowing every detail. It would be anticlimactic to set out on that next Big Adventure if everything was spelled out in advance. 

25: What specialization best represents your Rook?

She is the Reaper-est Reaper who ever Reaper-ed. She’s capable of keeping up with the insane physical demands of the work, but also possesses the compassion, empathy, and patience that make a good Watcher. She loves caring for the living and the dead, and approaches her work enthusiastically. Also, she’s just kind of… odd. A trait that many Mourn Watchers possess. 

26: What animal best represents your Rook?

Border collie. Needs purpose. Needs activities. Needs to be contributing in a meaningful way. Otherwise will get severely stressed out and die, probably. 

27: What was their life like before the events of Veilguard?

Amina was having a crisis of belonging before Veilguard. She’s questioning her purpose and place in the world after being soft-exiled from the Necropolis and is just kind of drifting from place to place and doing the only thing that she knows, which is Watcher work, but the people she’s helping aren’t exactly tripping over themselves to thank her for any assistance she renders because of the inaccurate assumptions most make about the mortalitasi. 

She’s not in a great place. She’s struggled to feel like she belongs anywhere her entire life because of her start as a foundling, and by the time she meets Varric she’s largely of the mind that she’s a burden that people simply tolerate out of politeness and moral virtue. But Varric… he really seems to like her. Care about her even. The more time she spends with him, the more she starts to think that she’s not just a receptacle for pity and charity, and that maybe she actually deserves to connect with people. 

28: Is your character the de facto leader of the party? Or do they consider someone else to be the leader?

Amina has zero qualms with taking charge of a group of people and telling them what to do… especially if it keeps them alive in a dangerous situation. 

29: If you could choose a different faction for your Rook, which one would they have joined and why?

I think her sense of honour and duty would have made her an excellent Grey Warden. She’s got too much of a conscience to be in the Lords of Fortune or Antivan Crows.

30: What's your favorite thing about your Rook?

She has this quiet, understated strength about her that could easily be mistaken for shyness or passivity, but she’s actually just so humble and kind and good that she tries to make herself as approachable as she can, even with her scarred face, somewhat crooked fingers, and the tip of one of her ears missing. She wants to be someone that people can trust during their darkest times, and if given the chance will unequivocally prove herself to be that person. She is literally a knight in shining armor with a pure heart and so, so, so much love to give.