#they're both incredibly intelligent so they both have the ability to think for themselves and have their own motivations

[one-way-dream]

sage and omega are character foils and i want to put those two in a room together and see what happens

[monstersdownthepath]

Herald of Calistria: The Menotherian

CR 15

Chaotic Neutral Large Outsider

Inner Sea Gods, pg. 280

Calistria's greatest agent and one of her most potent assassins, the Menotherian is almost always on one mission or errand or another in the Material Plane, and is noted to be "completely bereft of morals," a terrifying sentence when used to describe a normal human being, let alone when describing a 14ft-long parasitic wasp with incredible intelligence, immense wisdom, and superhuman charisma. There is no creature the Menotherian would not trick, seduce, or outright murder at her goddess' command (including Calistrians), and the trail of bodies and ruined lives she leaves in the wake of her missions are awe-inspiring even for the likes of Norgorber's career killers (which is why the two gods get along so well). Far from a direct warrior like any of the Heralds we've seen so far this month, the Menotherian is a spy and assassin of almost unrivaled proficiency, not only having raw skill to spare, but a myriad of magic and resources at her disposal which assures there are few targets truly beyond her reach, no matter how protected they believe themselves.

About the only "mercy" one can expect in regards to this vicious vespidae is that she is explicitly a tool of vengeance and is only ever loosed in retaliation to harm being done to Calistria and/or her faithful... but this is a cold comfort to anyone in the line between Point A (where the Menotherian first arrives on the plane) and Point B (the objective marker), because unlucky souls in that path are free game for her to exploit and ensorcel in whatever manner she believes will get her to her goal. While she won't go out of her way to cause any undue death and destruction (if only out of pragmatism), you can safely bet that anyone who holds any ability, information, or resource which would get her closer to her goal will have her talons (literal or metaphorical) dug into them (literally or metaphorically) before they even realize she's in the room.

It all starts with a strangely alluring elf walking through the door, an elf with a curious air about them which makes people trust them for a reason they can't quite place...

The Menotherian's first and most dangerous tool is her deceptive Alluring Scent, a toxin that lowers inhibitions and makes even the most jaded loners open up. The scent works no matter what form the wasp woman is in, wafting 30ft out from her in every direction and forcing anyone who catches a whiff of it to make a DC 25 Fortitude save or have their mood towards the big bug adjust one step closer to friendly. Not only is there no 24 hour immunity clause on this ability, it stacks with itself; anyone who remains in the aura or who exits and re-enters must make the save once per minute to avoid having their attitudes adjusted another step towards friendly, allowing the Menotherian to gradually control the moods of anyone she lingers near until they're head-over-heels for her.

She doesn't even have to speak, just be closeby and let her aroma do all the work! But if she's in a hurry, she's got Suggestion 5/day to either command someone to keep close enough for her scent to take hold of their minds, or to advance her own agenda with little difficulty. You'd think she'd have Charm Person at her disposal, but between her Alluring Scent and her +23 to all three of the main Face skills, she's practically got it built in whenever she speaks. Her Suggestion is actually the ONLY direct manipulative spell she has, with the rest of her magic either aiding in direct subtlety, her spy efforts, or in combat.

She's able to passably masquerade as a cleric, even of another faith if she must, able to use Cure Moderate Wounds and Remove Disease 5/day, along with Neutralize Poison and Dispel Magic both at will. While most of these spells DO have use for her (though she's immune to both disease and poison), they're MUCH more useful in securing favors from others, exchanging cures for what ails someone for information or some form of assistance. If there are no problems, she can easily make some, because spell-likes have no components and thus no one can easily spot she's the one suddenly responsible for an Summon Swarm erupting from nearby, or a heavy object suddenly falling onto someone (via Telekinesis), or if a sudden sting from an unusual wasp causes some incredible muscular pain that only this gorgeous knockout of an elf that came from nowhere can help with...

Crushing Despair may not seem like a social spell, but if you and your buddies are suddenly feeling sad enough to, say, have a -2 penalty to all your saves, and then this GORGEOUS knockout of an elf comes walking in promising to make you feel better (by dispelling it), well... It becomes much more difficult to ignore her requests, even when they begin getting less innocuous and more pointed, more determined. And if you resist, you may find yourself under her Suggestion spell and forced to, or worse: outright Mind Controlled.

This dangerous ability is one of her most potent tools available but also one of her most overt, as to use it, she must... well, the book says "inject her scent" into the brain of a willing or helpless creature, but there's no mention of how or via which orifice, so for the sake of your sanity and mine I choose to believe it's a deep, almost uncomfortably lengthy kiss. Since a target can be willing OR helpless, she can use it on targets she's knocked out with some form of damage, victims she's taken hold of with her allure or her magic, or creatures she's had bound by minions she's already gotten under her thrall. A DC 25 Fortitude save resists this overt control, but there's no stated limit to the number of times she can do it, so a victim may just be smooched until their brain melts away and they become her servant for the day.

Once the chemical cocktail takes hold, victims are Dominated for 24 entire hours, forced to follow the wasp's verbal commands as perfectly as they can. Though this effect is potent, it does require her to be nearby... unless she gives a thorough instruction beforehand, sending her new wind-up soldier off and out of sight. Since she's able to do this to as many helpless or willing targets as she can gain access to, and victims become more willing the longer they're around her... well, things just look worse and worse for whatever her objective is.

Honestly, to any party trying to combat her, the most frustrating bit may be trying to get through her enthralled minions and avoiding becoming said minions in the first place. If a battle breaks out between her pawns and the party, she can Teleport 5/day and Dimension Door at-will besides (both of which are good for infiltration missions but great as escape tools), likely leaving parties frustrated until they can Dimensional Lock her down and force her into battle.

At which point, y'know, now they have to deal with a gigantic wasp. A wasp likely surrounded by more wasps via Summon Swarm or Insect Plague. So uh, RIP to the entomophobic party members?

The Menotherian's full combat form is basically exactly what you'd expect, with the surprising exception of her lacking both Flyby Attack or a reasonable fly speed, as she CAN fly 50ft a round, but only poorly. This is a ground-bound wasp, and she's got to get uncomfortably close to her victims to actually harm them, because despite being a Large creature she possesses only 5ft of reach. This is somewhat mitigated by her Step Up feat letting her follow people trying to get away, but getting out of her reach still cuts her offense down considerably. She's got a CCB (1d6+9 and 1d8+9), but you may correctly surmise that her most dangerous attack is the stinger the length of a man's arm, which deals 2d8+9 damage and injects victims with a poison that deals 1d3 Dex damage a round for up to 6 rounds. Hey, you know what happens when you run out of Dexterity? Helplessness! And thus you become open to Mind Control.

Yes, having control over someone at 0 Dex doesn't seem useful, but such a victim can still speak and tell the Menotherian everything she wants to know. An especially useful target can also receive her 1/day Heal, regaining 140 HP and clearing off a lengthy list of debuffs, including ability score damage. Though she's more likely to save it for herself, having no Fast Healing and being terribly vulnerable to any status ailment that can sneak past her 26 SR, holding a Heal over someone suffering from any (or multiple) status ailments the spell automatically cures is some pretty extreme leverage.

And speaking of leverage, how does "stand down or your ally dies a horrifying death" sound? Because for special occasions when subtlety is no longer possible and maximum chaos is required, the Menotherian can Implant a cluster of horrifically swift-hatching eggs into the body of any creature she strikes with her sting once per day. A DC 25 Fortitude save is all that stands between that victim and outright death, because once implanted, victims are nauseated for 2d4 rounds, rendered basically useless as the eggs sap their strength. Once those rounds pass, the eggs hatch and the victim dies outright as a Chaotic Neutral Hellwasp Swarm emerges from the clutch and infests the victim's corpse, turning it into a puppet for the Menotherian. This gruesome death sentence is her preferred execution method, but if her life is in enough danger, she'll use it as an emergency negotiation tool; once a victim is Implanted with the egg clutch, only swift and bloody surgery (a DC 30 Heal check) or a disease-curing spell will destroy the eggs... and guess what this massive wasp just so happens to have access to? Five or six times a day, even? Best choose your next few actions and words very carefully.

The new Hellwasps aren't temporary, either. Not only will they join in the current fight to add yet another source of Dexterity damage (and another danger when hitting 0 Dex), but the swarm will continue to exist long after the Menotherian moves on to other prey, potentially making life worse for everyone in the area until a party arrives with one of these on their belt. No, it won't work on the big bug herself; she's immune to poison, remember? You're going to need a really, really big swatter... preferably, one that can pierce her DR 15/Lawful.

As both a side note and a closing note, I find it amusing that she has a minor 10 points of Resistance to Fire and Electricity, which becomes outright snicker-inducing when you consider her immunity to poison and at-will Dimension Door. You are NOT getting rid of this wasp with Raid, aerosol flamethrowers, bug zappers, OR paper+cups!

You can read more about her here.

[microchive]

either cam or gideon for the character thing!!!

GAH!!!! picking gideon because you already did cam also i want to talk about gideon nav my best friend gideon nav

favorite thing about them: how do i even begin.... i love that she isn't a hero and doesn't become one through the narrative, i love that she is so blatantly posturing all of the time and she builds herself up to be this big confident sexy funnyman because she needs that to keep herself afloat but what she is in reality isn't any lesser! she is funny and she's shy and nervous and she's so powerfully butch to the bone in a way that avoids all negative stereotypes but still manages to highlight the pitfalls butches find themselves in. she has so many layers and people reduce her to some kind of himbo when in reality she's objectively both too mean and too intelligent to be a himbo. i love that you can sense from the very beginning that she is sitting on a massive broiling lake of sadness and for all of her posturing she is both incredibly delicate and one of the strongest characters in the story. i love that she sucks so bad and died a virgin like christ jesus and even missing half her soul she remains consistent not in her outward personality but in her ability to shield her soft underbelly through some sort of performative attitude but EVERYONE can see right through her except gideon herself because everything she does is loud and annoying. she's impulsive and passionate and. incredibly annoying. i hate her and she's my favorite person ever

least favorite thing about them: probably the war crimes but it's not like she's passionate about war crimes she just doesn't gaf. this is just what a lesbian situationship will do to a guy

favorite line: literally all of them man everything she says makes me laugh.... here are some standouts though: - "If my heart had a dick you would kick it" - "I have lots of fealty in me. I fealt the Emperor with every bone in my body. I fealt hard" - "You've got two short minutes left before I punch you right in the butthole" - everything she says when talking to ianthe

brOTP: her and camilla ooooohhhh..... also her and pal. gideon works so well with the sixth house because they're just as annoying and generally peculiar as her they're just more lowkey about it

OTP: i'd have to say griddlehark because i have never stopped thinking about them ever but i do enjoy gideon x camilla (i forgot their ship name) because the cav4cav shit is so good godddd they're just two sides of the same coin, the same story with different upbringings they would help each other out

nOTP: not a huge fan of gideon and corona just because i think corona needs to chase someone who doesn't like her for enrichment purposes and gideon's schoolgirl crush on corona probably doesn't translate well into an actual relationship (let's be real though none of these relationships are going "well") but it is an interesting dynamic

random headcanon: i think she is really gross. genuinely. she picks her nose and doesn't wash her face and harrow gets on her ass about it which i guess is reasonable. also more intense but i definitely think both gideon and harrow have food issues but while harrow copes by being intensely picky gideon has some textual evidence of binge eating which makes sense to me character wise and also would explain why she developed muscle on planet malnutrition

unpopular opinion: i don't really have any once again?? i guess i like to imagine she isn't as attractive as she thinks she is but a lot of people write and draw her as a lesbian adonis which i understand because thats how she describes herself lmao. i think she's kind of cute in a weird way and tamsyn describes her as boyishly pretty so in my mind she's the kind of hot a straight man would never agree with. she is still the hottest person in the world to me

song i associate with them: I HAVE SO MANY. main ones are: father by the front bottoms, dance in room song by sipper, bodysnatchers by radiohead, suffering jukebox by silver jews, knife in the coffee by car seat headrest

favorite picture of them: this fanart: (this artist does such a delicious gideon ohhh i need her.) https://www.tumblr.com/bastardnoodle/741903153830723584/im-in-the-middle-of-reading-harrow-and-i-miss-her?source=share

[theultimatepumpkinpie]

I have always felt the Drifter and Tenno being the same person opened up a LOT of possibilities, and intresting ideas and want to know your thoughts on the two, because I think you have got some of the best views on these two one person duo ever

Because I've always felt both are incredibly intelligent but in different ways, the Operator knows all these Orokin mannerisms and ideals, they're calm, collected, they have emotional outbursts when in serious situations but are normally incredibly calm and they in the end never get so pissed it causes problems, they understand their weapons perfectly, they are probably more comfortable piloting a warframe then they are walking around themselves

The drifter while less intelligent in fields of study they make up for it in something the Operator does not have, being far more willing to take risks and being physically stronger and also extremely quick on their feet, still incredibly intelligent and even grasp many ideas the Operator cant, such as how Durviri works, how the Zariman can be a meeting point for the two, then theres also their ability to survive, they Survived Durviri and set up camp in the woods and Survived there for a long time, alone, outside of Ordis and a near dead Lotus, they crafted their own weapons, own gear, own tools, they didn't have magic void powers but they were absolutely going nuts and dropping grineer, corpus, even killed off two sentient prime warframe hybrids with a bow and arrow and their own wits to stay alive

The Operator is a more classic intelligence, this proper and well mannered void child and the Drifter is a more survival smarts person, sure they cant do all the fancy stuff or fully understand a warframe like the Operator but they don't need the Warframe to survive, they're a capable fighter without and with the warframe

Why thank you so much <3 I am absolutely not normal about these two and I’m always glad to hear that people enjoy that lol

You are absolutely right, they are both intelligent in those, different ways and yet still somewhat manage to seem like the same original person due to subtle personality ques. The reason behind the differences is likely due to their upbringing. Like the whole nature & nurture instead of the “or” argument.

Like you said the operator lends a lot of their calmness and manners to the orokin’s rule. Their training during the old war would have demanded them to be so as well as discipline towards combat. Their difficulties with managing their void powers as well as their youth could contribute to those outbursts you mentioned. The fact that they are more skilled and comfortable in the warframes is cause of the sheer amount of time they were in them as well as the time spent in the second dream after their re-awakening. And personally, I believe that part of it is also an escape from their trauma as well as someone to share and heal from the pain with (the warframes themselves as who they used to be).

As for the drifter, they were all alone with nothing more than books and videos and whatever was left on the zariman as they were never rescued. Without much to answer to discipline would take time to acquire and would have mostly been from their survival. They learned a lot of those skills you mentioned on the job and in a similar way it was their situation that demanded that of them. And they took of the mantle insanely well.

But without any real people to answer to, (only ever having people they brought to life from a book) they would not have needed to adopt the same manners. They could just be themselves in any situation and still get the job done which made them a lot more carefree in the end.

I absolutely love these characters more than I ever thought I would and I love trying to get inside their heads (and there is no short of subtleties to sort through for that) and based on what I’ve noticed from them, I think you got them down pact.  

(also sorry this took awhile to respond to, asks are unreadable on my phone and my brain is made of mice who don’t want to sit still)

[eviltothecore13]

...Did I just see someone, in 2023, claiming that the Wesker project was "a CSA allegory"?

I mean, at least they're not claiming that it's definitively canon that he was actually sexually abused, but...

*Why?*

Like. The thing the Wesker project is most obviously an allegory for is the various kinds of indoctrination that bigoted groups use to convince their members they're superior/entitled to greatness/etc because of their race or nationalitity or anything else (not that I'm saying Umbrella or Wesker work along racial lines at all, because we know they don't, but *as an allegory*). I can't find *anything* explicitly stated in canon that is about sexual abuse, but I can find a lot about indoctrination and raising him to believe he was superior--and a lot about him being incredibly privileged all his life with phrases like "the best education money can buy."

There's no *need* for anything remotely resembling sexual (or physical) abuse to take place in Wesker's backstory. (Or emotional abuse of the "you're worthless, you're pathetic" etc kind I sometimes see depicted in fics--again, the point of the project is to convince him he's *superior!* And its canon result was someone described in official materials as "confident", who genuinely believes he's superior and is never shown to doubt himself! I do think his upbringing was emotionally *distant*/not focussed on emotions because it was only concerned with success and power and that he wasn't close to anyone except Alex and later Will--but the idea of him being constantly berated and mocked and bullied just goes against both the goals of the project, and the effect we see it's had on him. Being mocked and insulted throughout your childhood does not generally *improve* someone's confidence or their opinion of themselves!)

The goals of the project are to create someone who is physically strong and capable (note, it does NOT say anywhere in canon that he was exposed to any of the viruses, or physically experimented on in any way, until 1998--it says there were "tests of endurance" which Alex according to the English translation viewed as "hellish", though in the Japanese files it's more like "rigorous training to improve their mental and physical abilities". Either way suggests more an elite/extremely challenging and difficult perhaps military-esque physical training program, rather than "strapped to an operating table and injected with stuff". Prior to 1998 there is *zero* canon indication that he was anything other than human with a lot of training physically.), highly intelligent, academically successful, ruthless, ambitious, a good leader, and fully convinced of the ideology that they are superior beings and the majority of people are inferior etc.

Starving someone, beating them, sexually abusing them, keeping them *so* isolated that realistically they would panic in a social setting/struggle to hold a conversation rather than being a highly charismatic and confident master manipulator who's very skilled at figuring people out and getting them on his side (like, I don't think he was around people enough to *form close relationships* with anyone other than Alex as a child, but he needs to have had a reasonable amount of interaction with a variety of people to develop the skills at leadership and at manipulating people, deceiving them, gaining their trust, getting them to like him, etc that he canonically has to a high degree! he is not going to acquire those skills if he is locked up in a cell in an underground lab), are all either unnecessary or outright counterproductive to these goals.

We know that, on average, even though only 13 of the hundreds got past the final stage of selection (and yes, it is confirmed to be multiple stages of selection and not "they're the only ones who survived to adulthood" as I've seen some people claim) to be given the virus, the Wesker children were generally more successful than the average person. (We can tell this just because 13 out of a few hundred were considered just as good as Wesker--who got a PhD at 17. That is more people, in the space of a short time, getting a PhD at 17 than IRL achieved that through *the entire 20th century*. And the people who did that IRL weren't doing intense physical training on top of that... or for that matter learning to become leaders or master manipulators. The project wasn't successful at creating loyalty or obedience to Spencer, but it *was* successful at seemingly everything else.)

Sexual and physical abuse *do not* make the victims more successful on average than people who were not abused. They tend to lead to children doing *less* well academically (very hard to learn when under stress and even more so if also in physical pain, difficulty concentrating, memory issues--trauma can lead not just to memory issues *about the trauma* but memory issues about all kinds of day-to-day things...), being physically weaker and less healthy (chronic pain etc from injuries, stress affecting the immune system, shorter and skinnier if they didn't get enough food or if stress affected their appetite etc--note that both Weskers we see are above average height, in Albert's case above average height and muscular even pre-virus, in Alex's case the virus only slowed the progression of her illness and didn't give her superpowers so likely also didn't make her taller, so she is naturally 5ft10 despite having been chronically ill for much of her life... not exactly looking like childhood malnourishment here...), being less confident, socially awkward or anxious or struggling to interact with people (Wesker spent most of his life in leadership positions and was able to get everyone at STARS, without exception--and including people like Chris who generally have problems with authority--to like him and place absolute trust in him), and often burning out/not achieving much later in life because they lack motivation that isn't based on fear of punishment (Wesker is certainly motivated, and has had an extremely successful career and is then very successful with most of his evil plans once he gets into the whole supervillainy thing).

Sexual and physical abuse do not make people stronger. They do not make people more confident. They do not make people more successful. The Wesker Project *did* succeed at doing all these things.

(Yes, some real-life educational/training programs with the stated goal of making people more successful or stronger have had incidents of sexual abuse, because predators join the organisation and exploit their position... but it isn't *beneficial to the program's stated goals*--all other things being equal someone who was abused will generally struggle more to be successful than someone who wasn't--it's a failure of the program, not a case of the program working as intended... the Wesker Project was scientifically designed to set these kids up for success and power and we know *it worked*, not simply in the sense of success in a narrow area like a sport at the expense of a lot of other things, but in terms of being extremely skilled and successful at a huge variety of things and extremely adaptable and fast-learning.)

If you want a villain whose primary purpose in the plot is to be someone you're meant to feel sorry for, or who hates themself, or is depressed, etc... there are so many others in various works of fiction. Wesker is not that character and twisting him into it just seems to be making him into a different character entirely from the one canon portrays.

I know some people just don't care about canon-compliance--not just because of things like people saying "his confidence is fake and would collapse at the slightest challenge" when the official RE4 book (not a noncanon novelisation like SD Perry's nonsense, official canon content) calls him "a confident man" who likes a challenge (and it's not from his POV but from a factual/unbiased narrator), but because I've encountered some *really odd* canon-breaking things in fics that weren't tagged as AU at all. (One of the most nonsensical-seeming to me, and I wish I could spoiler this like on Discord because it does need a tw but uh... tw self-harm... had Wesker portrayed as having frequently cut himself throughout his life, including frequently doing so at STARS, including only a few weeks before the Mansion Incident, explicitly described as cuts on his wrists and forearms... even though *his sleeves are rolled up in RE1* and *you can see there are no scars there*... those kinds of scars can take years to fade, and again, Wesker was physically human at this point, they are not going to vanish in a few weeks.) But I do wish stories portraying Wesker as some kind of angsty victim had a single clear AU tag on AO3 so they could all easily be filtered out when I'm trying to find canon-compliant fics.

This is why most of my Wesker fics have been delayed for a while, I just find this fandom so frustrating at times because half the Wesker fans seem to be fans of a very different character... it's exhausting and makes me feel as if no-one actually appreciates the character I love, as he is depicted canonically in the games I love...

[minecraftbookshelf]

What’s the situation with hostile mobs in the marriage of the state AU? I assume the answer is different for night mobs and Illagers/witches, based on what you’ve mentioned before?

So, if nighttime mobs do exist, do they come from somewhere? Or do they just form out of death smoke like they do in the game? Slime is an important codland export, so are slimes different?

And Illagers are probably just another race right? Or is it more of a culture thing? Are villagers also a race distinct from humans? How do the codfolk/mythland interact with the swamp witches, who you mentioned before do exist?

Also this isn’t really related to the main question but I don’t want to make a separate ask; are gems antlers from elven or deer-hybrid ancestry? (Are elves just deer-hybrid fae?)

Wow that’s a lot of questions, your Worldbuilding is really good btw. (And your writing too)

It's low-key kind of scary how you you're batting...three for three? i think? on asking exactly the thing I really want to talk about XD

You would be correct, most of the night mobs are basically wildlife, if incredibly hostile wildlife. Creepers and spiders and such. (Though spiders are sometimes less hostile and more just, doin their own thing and mindin their own business.)

Skeletons and zombies are also not sentient (anymore) and are basically considered large, dangerous pests. Like if cockroaches were human sized and out to ruin your day, specifically. (I'm not sure of their exact origins yet, because I haven't quite decided how I'm adapting my base mcyt mythology for this au)

Spiders are just like real world small spiders as far as "where they come from". Creepers and Slimes are actually similar in origin, n that they are sort of a magical manifestation of an environment. They both kind of...grow? Out of the land. Slimes are a bit pickier about where they grow from.

Slimes can also be farmed (As in livestock, not in the minecraft sense) which they are in the Swamp, where they also grow at a higher rate. They can be fed algae to encourage them to grow, and then split to make smaller slimes, which can be grown in turn.

Creepers just...separate themselves from the land and wander around after dark. Unless they encounter something that causes them to explode. They're generally considered to have about equivalent intelligence of dogs, as far as anyone can tell, and don't seem to be sentient.

Illagers/Villagers are just human/human+. Villagers are usually interpreted as citizens of relevant empires (see, smajor's elves and ldshadowlady's...pastel fish people) while Illagers are a specific culture, mostly based out of the mountains. (This is mostly because I just associate them with mountains because that's where I somehow encounter most of the Pillager Towers I find while playing minecraft.) They are primarily nomadic but do have bases (said towers) and most of them consider the Crystal Cliffs to be their homeland, as much as they have one.

Witches are also humans/hybrids and its a set of abilities and skills and not a species. the Swamp Witches are a specific group who live deep in The Swamp and mainly are fairly isolated, through they do provide council and aid to the other Swamp Dwellers, particularly during the Occupied years, which was when they separated from the majority of the population and went into hiding, when they were targeted by the invaders. The other Swamp Dwellers tend to regard them with cautious respect.

There are also wandering witches, who tend to travel around and either help or harm (based off personal inclination) as they go. Pix is on decently good terms with about half of them, with the other half it is on sight. (Mostly on the part of the witches)

Most Witches do not exist on good terms with Mythland, even a few hundred years down the line. Tensions remain.

-

As for Gem's antlers...

:)

So elves are not deer hybrids (or owl hybrids) despite sharing a few physical traits. (and the fae of the Overgrown are not hybrids either, despite frequent resemblances to butterflies and/or cats)

The primary differences are instincts. Fae and fae adjacent people tend to have some physical traits of different animal species, but they aren't actually from the species if that makes any sense. They don't have the animalistic instincts and tendencies any more than they have the human ones, despite resemblances both ways.

Hybrids are actually human+, as I referred to them earlier in this post. All hybrid species started out as humans. They're ultimately the result of the environmental magic of the world (and sometimes meddling from gods and spirits and such). They will have some combination of physical traits and instincts from their additive animal species, to go along with their human ones. They will also have human lifespans and developmental cycles, with a few minor variations here and there.

(But Rain, you say, you made a whole post about Seafolk and their life cycles and development and how its different from humans? Yes because the Seafolk aren't entirely hybrids either. The Deep Oceans have their own variations of fae folk and there was much more intermarriage and cultural crossover there than on Land. But that's another post altogether.)

As for Gem in specific...All I'll say for now is that

A) There is some extant xenophobia against fae races in a lot of majority human kingdoms and half-elven and elvish-descendant individuals often struggle.

B) Gem insisted stoutly her entire childhood that her antlers are because she's a deer hybrid.

C) Deer hybrids have tails.

D) Gem does not have a tail.

[writing-rambles-by-isa]

Oooooooo I would love to hear more in general about your MC!!! She sounds like such a fun character!

UHHHH SO VERY LONG INFO DUMP BELOW THE CUT FOR ANY ONE INTERESTED

So BACKGROUND:

Fantasy setting: these are all elves (I wrote/planned this before I read kotlc, which is funny cause there are so many parallels to keeper that I couldn't have planned but unintentionally have now) but my MC's mom is a moonlight fairy (they're human sized, contrary to their sunlight counterpart, and they have the ability to project illusions, but this depends on how skilled/old said fairy is)

She's heiress to a large piece of land that in my world is called a Diadem. It's a 13th of her region and it gives her the title of Lady and also the reponsability to care for the ones that live in said region

Her mother and father passed mid-plot and so she inherited the title and role at the ripe old age of 15 (somewhat scandalous at the time, since ladies aren't presented to society or mentioned in any official record till they're seventeen)

She has a sister that's one year younger and a cousin the same age as her sister. She's protective of both (but her sister is even more protective of her, it seems)

Their family cat is called Bibi and she's very attached to her

To make the inheritance cycle easier, it's understood that she must marry down even the tiniest step (usually younger children of nobles that will inherit nothing themselves)

She (and her family) has a cursed secret that six extra people know, this is the driving force of the plot

These six people + her and her sister all live together in a single house by the third part of the story

By the second part of the story, she suffers from an injury and has to be on bed rest for the whole part. To help her recovery, her friend (whom I will call AM for clarification purposes) proposed she lighten her emotional load by having an empathy link with one of their friends (also called a strand of fate, but I won't get into that)

AM chooses AW (who is later a love interest for the main character) because he is alround the most mentally stable. This ensues AW and MC (her initials literally spell MC it's so stupid) spend a lot of time together, and they become best friends (more on the romance part)

Her dead grandmother is the source of all her issues (because she is the one who cursed the secret)

CHARACTER TRAITS:

She's so fidgety. She paces so much it makes people around her dizzy

Stress cleans but only at her breaking point.

Can be a literature snob sometimes. Despises romances that are just cliches strung together with no real themes and motifs

Discovers she actually really likes to cook, but can never get a recipe right on the first try. It takes three. Every single time

When she's mad she becomes ice cold and is bitingly sarcastic. Her death glares should her awards

She's very optimistic most of the time

Tough in the way that she'd go through hell but she'd go though it crying. She'll feel every single emotion deeply in her soul. But she'd survive. Somehow

Making out alive it different than making it out herself. She still wants to be her at the end of the day, and even if there are moments where she doesn't know what to think, she hopes she'll put herself back together and recognize what she sees

Tends to a garden every day and picks out flowers for the table arrangements.

She knows flower language and makes little messages when she embroiders

She sings under her breath all the time, especially when cleaning to pass the time

Her telekenisis is freakishly powerful, even for her species. She doesn't start being able to manipulate light and cast illusions till she is eighteen/nineteen though

She's pretty in a soft, silent way. She can be striking only with her jewels and gowns, but that isn't her style

She's so smart. Not exactly in the bookish way but in the way that people sort of tell just by looking at her. Lots of people will remark that she seems incredibly intelligent and sure of herself much before they notice her beauty

Above all else, she is gentle. She is gentle because she knows how to let go, and be at ease.

ROMANCE:

She starts falling in love when she's 16, almost 17, not that she's completely aware of it.

They started out keeping a margin of each other, but when they do start trying to be friends, they hit it off

Both super smart and their minds are in sync. It's hard for outsiders to understand their conversations fully because there's a layer of inside jokes and references embedded into each one

She was so scared AW would resent her after a few months of being stuck with feeling her emotions. She herself feels as if there's a vulnerability she's not entirely comfortable having, but she assumes it must be worse for him, who didn't even need it in the first place

He gives her a ring at the one year anniversary of the empathy link and inside it's inscribed 'a small sacrifice', which is how he views having to share it with her.

She never takes it off, and it's the main object she fidgets with

As a Diadem, she isn't supposed to marry above her rank, to make inheritance cycles work better. It's not a solid rule, nor is it law, but it's generally understood to be the best option

But AW is just some guy. He inherited a small estate from his parents, and it pays the bills comfortably enough, so when MC does realize she might like him, she doesn't need to disqualify him immediately

In a plot twist, AW was very high up in the throne line (first in line after his father's death, but there's still a second cousin who gets coronated) in another region (I won't bother with explaining the politics right now, but there are five royal families within their kingdom, one of them being the one AW is connected to)

She agonizes over this, because in one single day the situation went from being neat and clear cut to having very uneven edges and requiring more sacrifices to be made

They confess when AW is bedridden from a stab wound. She's taking care of him and she looks just so stunning and in her element while caring for him that every single feeling he had contained so perfectly comes spilling out in feverish gibberish

MC doesn't even know how to react.

They get engaged though. 🥰

They get married as soon as they can, and it's the cutest little ceremony

AW gets called by his second cousin, the King, to be his head councilman, a position of highest prestige. MC urges him to take it, even if it complicates things for her, as she's really big on family duty due to her upbringing

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK I ACTUALLY CAN'T BELIEVE I HAD THIS MUCH INFO ABOUT HER

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

Hi! Love your stuff! Could I get a Match-up for my tav? They are a red teifling with shoulder length burgundy hair from a noble family.

Personality: They're a trickery cleric (they worship lady luck) but shit at healing, they are much better at talking their way out of things (17 CHA) and literally any other spell. They pretend to be all tough but they're a softy.

Best attributes: They are quite clever and good with nature. They yearn for knowledge, they learned as many languages as possible as a kid to understand the world better. They are incredibly loyal and will go out of their way to sacrifice themselves to save a new friend (and have, there's only 1/2 a horn left for a reason)

Worst attributes: They're hot headed, and tend to make choices based on what would bring more shame onto their family's name. Which explains why they changed sides mid-crusade, when they realized they were on the bad side.

Likes: They knit and paint in their spare time. They are close with their long lost twin (a stariotypical bard).

Dislikes: Liers, unless they have a good pokerface, and pompous assholes.

No gender preference and open to poly or monogamous.

A/N: Ooh boy, okay so since you said you have no gender preference AND you’re open to either poly or monogamous, I’m thinking @orionspaperwork best match would be a polyamorous relationship with both Shadowheart and Halsin! 

🖤 Shadowheart would be a good match for you! She’s a cleric as well, but she’s adept at healing! So she can take over in that area, whereas your Tav can play up the charm. Shadowheart also has a sort of emo complex going on, in that she looks tough and edgy on the outside, but on the inside, she’s a big softie, with a huge heart! 

Shadowheart can be wise when she wants to be, but she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, especially due to her recent amnesia, so she appreciates how clever and intelligent your Tav is. Your Tav’s ability to memorize all those different languages amazes Shadowheart. She thinks so highly of your Tav and has no problem bragging to the others about how smart her partner is. 

Shadowheart is also very loyal, and if you have her save her parents in the game, she is similarly self-sacrificing. She chooses to live with pain from Shar, so long as she can be with the ones she loves. She considers your Tav to be one of those people, and would gladly endure any trial if it meant their love would carry on. 

Shadowheart isn’t terribly hot-headed, but she can be stubborn, so she’s very understanding of your Tav’s outbursts. She’ll even defend your Tav’s actions to the other companions because she is that loyal. 

She loves your Tav’s hair. She thinks it compliments her shade very well. And she’ll gladly braid it for her if your Tav would like that.

Shadowhearet relates to having long-lost family members, so the two can commiserate and mourn the loss of time together, all the while planning for a future that more than makes up for it. 

Shadowheart adapts very well to formal situations, having been raised under Shar with a sense of decorum. She behaves well enough around your Tav’s noble family, even if many of the tiefling customs escape her. 

Because Shadowheart knows your Tav is loyal, she has no problems being in an open relationship with Halsin. Shadowheart knows that she loves your Tav, and that your Tav loves her. Your Tav loving Halsin as well doesn’t change that at all. 

💚 Halsin is also a great match for your Tav! Halsin is a huge nature lover and an archdruidic healer, so he is more than happy to help your Tav practice all of their healing spells. 

Halsin is also like a big soft teddy bear- he’s a lover at his core, not a fighter, although he will fight when necessary. This is why he admires your Tav’s inclination towards nature and uses charm to talk their way out of conflict. 

Halsin thinks your Tav is beautiful. Her red skin reminds him of the sweetest roses, and her hair the ripest pomegranates. 

Halsin, much like Shadowheart, is so impressed by Tav's wealth of knowledge when it comes to other languages. He’s stunned at their ability to communicate with almost anyone in their native tongue. He knows elven and common, but nothing about infernal languages. It was a barrier problem every so often when the tieflings took refuge in the grove because there were certain culture and communications gaps Hlasin just could not fill. Now that he has your Tav at his side, he feels much more confident in leading his new settlement of refugees because he knows your Tav will do everything in their power to make all the people feel welcome. 

Halsin also tends to self-sacrifice. After all, he got himself captured by goblins to further investigate the shadow curse. So he understands that desire. But it also saddens him that both of his lovers, your Tav and Shadowheart feel similarly as well. He wishes the two of you could see yourselves as the beautiful invaluable creations he sees you as. He thinks nature wasted no resources in creating you. Your Tav is magnificent beyond anyone he has ever known. 

Halsin encourages Tav to make the decisions she wants to make- for herself and her future alone, not for his sake, or Shadowheart’s sake, or even the sake of Tav’s noble family. 

Halsin will gladly wear any of Tav’s knitted pieces, as will Shadowheart. And they will ask for paintings to display outside their tents and/or in their homes. They’re just so in love with your Tav. 

…

Please Like & Reblog!

…

Note: My inbox and dms are still down. I managed to load the old-format submissions screen to get some of the old asks in my askbox. How, I have no idea. I reached out to tumblr support for a follow-up, but still haven’t heard back. Will let you know how things go, but for now, I’m going to fill the remaining asks either by posting a separate post with the ask copy and pasted into the text at the top OR this way, using the old submissions format. 

[lingerxng]

borderlands character descriptions whee

NORAH, THE SIREN

25, chipper, incredibly smart. has a doctorate in engineering from a prodigious university on eden-2... which is how she ended up on pandora. she has just. so goddamn much student debt. norah actually developed the original hover tech for maliwan (and a few other experimental tech), but her designs were stolen by the company. she's not terribly upset about it because she knows she can build it better. developed her siren abilities after commandant steele was killed. she can PhaseShield, throwing up a barrier that allows her to protect both herself and her allies while keeping enemies out. think like an ion loader's barrier. at higher levels it can regen ammo or health, or stun enemies who walk into it. probably other things. listen i'm not here to design a skill tree.

norah is 6' tall with dark brown hair and brown almond shaped eyes. she has a thin oval face with thin lips and a long nose. she can usually be found in her grease stained jumpsuit, tied off at the waist, toting around her favorite (augmented) maliwan pistol and smg.

"BOSS", THE BANDIT LORD

28, loyal, deadly. she looks like a psycho, but she appears to have better control of her faculties. her mask is different, too; she's painted over the vault symbol, and the holes for the eyes are missing the glass. her group, known as the saints, is loyal to her to a fault. they're an enemy to the crimson raiders, but they don't go out of their way to attack. that doesn't mean they won't defend themselves, though.

boss is 5'2 with bleached blonde hair and creamy, golden tan skin. her face is impossible to make out under the mask, save for large brown eyes. she wears the typical orange psycho pants and a loose fitting, long sleeve shirt over top. her weapon of choice is a nail-studded baseball bat.

ORION, THE CORPORATE SELL OUT

24, intelligent, mildly anxious. orion was *supposed* to take over hyperion after tassiter retired, but... well. he didn't exactly feel like putting up a fight against handsome jack, so he gracefully stepped aside. once jack died, he fully took over-- once rhys burned hyperion to the ground, he decided to start anew.

orion is 5'10 and pale all over. pale blond hair, pale skin, pale grey eyes. his face is long and thin, making him look blue blooded before he even opens his mouth. he can typically be found in slacks, button downs, and fitted vests, all of the highesr quality. when he's *forced* to wield a weapon, he prefers to snipe from afar. (he'll also take a jakobs sniper over hyperion any day, but don't let that get out.)

ICARUS, THE MISTAKE

22, sarcastic, quick to anger. icarus is one of the experiments to come out of hyperion laboratories. he wasn't caught up in eridium experiments, though; instead, icarus was the result of human augmentation. he lived in the laboratories for all his life, raised there from childhood. he remembers when they took his sight. he remembers when they took his legs. he remembers healing faster than he should, he remembers being subject to more because of that. he was given new eyes, eventually-- more importantly, he was given *wings*. icarus worked for hyperion for a short time, proving his worth, proving he could be trusted, but as soon as he was given a chance, he escaped.

icarus stands at 6'10 on artificial, augmented legs, unnatural on his slender form. he has tanned skin and dark blond/light brown hair, and his eyes are an unnatural glowing blue. notably, he has a pair of wings, halfway between mechanical and natural, coming out of his shoulderblades, stretching to a 16 foot wingspan. yes, he can fly, but no, he will not carry you. he prefers to handle a shotgun in a fight.

[n1kolaiz]

ENTJ + INFJ DYNAMIC

BSD MANGA CHAPTER 54-57 SPOILERS

Chapter 54 introduced Mushitaro Oguri, and his background involving Yokomizo was ever so intriguing to me. So unfortunately, here I am.

Mushitaro and Yokomizo's dynamic:

The 'Commander' meets the 'Idealist.'

Alright, I won't go into the details about the case of Yokomizo's death, because there's no way in hell I can explain it fluently at all. So if you need further reference to what these few chapters are about, popopretty's post would elaborate on the details and whatnot.

Before I start, here's a bit of little introduction to both individual characters:

MUSHITARO OGURI

Mushitaro appears to take a lot of pride in his ability, which contributes to his arrogant complex altogether. He had his own desires and goals, and lived out his days just to fulfil them.

His ability is called the 'Perfect Crime,' which allows him to erase any trail of evidence pertaining to whatever crime he had committed. Hence, he is also known as the 'infallible Detective-killer.'

Until Ranpo proved him wrongヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉﾞ

His personality type is most likely 'ENTJ,' the 'Commander.'

- ENTJs are known to have exceptional leadership skills. They are confident in themselves and what they do; basically, they don't have the tendency to second-guess what they are capable of. This explains Mushitaro's ambition to achieve his ends, and his ability goes the extra mile of complimenting his success rate greatly. Whether his motives or the end results were morally good or evil, it didn't matter to Mushitaro— as long as his wishes were fulfilled.

"With tyrants and demons, I'll make deal with a demon. That's in my nature."

- They're also quite outspoken with their opinions. It's a fairly minor detail, but this shows why he wasn't afraid to express the distaste he had for mystery novels to Yokomizo— including the extravagant ideas and serpentine stories his close friend based his life upon and discussed with him.

- The subtle insensitivity mixed in with an ENTJ's preference of logic over emotion highlights one of their core weaknesses: which brings us back to Mushitaro's ability to kill his friend. Say you were to put a person with a deeply compassionate heart, who's also very well in-tact when it comes to identifying emotions and being empathetical to other's feelings: would that person be able to kill a friend they'd known for so long? For the sole reason of making his last mystery novel a deathless enigma? This is very subjective perspective, but I believe that if Mushitaro was more of an emotionalist rather than a strategist, things would have turned out different for Yokomizo's eventual fate.

Side note: His insensitivity did, however, find its limit when he realised how devastating it was to have killed his own friend with his hands. Even though there's a wide scale that measures how insensitive a person can be, they are, in fact, still human beings capable of feeling. Killing someone dear to you is no easy task; there is a breaking point for the hardest of hearts.

SEISHI YOKOMIZO

Yokimozo, also known as Kindaichi, was a mystery writer who was very particular about detail and being exclusive, especially when it came to his works. His last wish he pursued to achieve before a terminal illness took his life was done by formulating a 'mystery that transcended reality.'

"I hate regret. So I've done whatever I've wanted to do. Up until now, it's been a satisfying life. But now… I've been given a time limit…Before then, I have to complete the ultimate mystery."

His personality type is identified as 'INFJ,' also known as the 'Idealist.'

- INFJ's are deeply creative and artistic, but they express it in various different ways. For Yokomizo, he portrayed his brilliant artistic skill through his writings revolving around mysteries and their compelling depths. The fictional character's namesake was also a mystery novel writer. Yokomizo was pretty well-versed with how mysteries worked and how their details ravelled themselves into elegantly, well-established riddles, which only added to his natural flair of writing.

- Generally, INFJs are reserved, but incredibly idealistic. Yokomizo was seen to be very abstract in his idea of thinking, and this is due to the fact that INFJs have a thing for pondering about life and the meaning behind everything.

"Mushi-kun, I bet you're laughing at me for destroying myself for the sake of mystery. But if that's the case, maybe there's no such thing as unshakable values. Maybe it's up to us to decide what to put value in and what to live for. After all, we have the right to turn our own decisions into our entire world. It is, foolishly enough, the greatest luxury afforded to mankind."

- As for their weaknesses, some INFJs are very hard to get to know. They are mysterious at times, which prevents them from being flamboyant with their thoughts and opinions. Yokomizo had a very lighthearted, mystifying nature, which made him a very interesting character altogether. Despite having a high regard for their intimate relationships— INFJs can be quite private. Mushitaro vaguely points out his self-contained, introverted mannerisms in this panel:

Now, I'll get to my point.

ENTJs and INFJs don't ideally match up, but when it comes to general friendships, there are a few details that suggest an accomodating dynamic between the two personality types. These qualities emanate from Mushitaro and Yokomizo's friendship with each other.

Opposites attract in most cases, correct?

Well, in this case, ENTJs and INFJs have a lot of similarities:

intelligent

intuitive in thinking

determined

goal-oriented

But the more numerable contrasting qualities is what really brings out the agreeable traits between Mushitaro and Yokozimo. Think of it as a system where two opposites mutually keep each other in check:

1. Mushitaro bases his life on the gaining his own needs and wants, and is very firm in his sense of realism, while Yokomizo is more focused on the deep, complexities of life itself. This may come off as impractical to ENTJs, but also compliments their coordination with INFJs. Realism limits idealism, but idealists can also expand the boundaries realists place themselves in.

2. INFJs accept people and ideas as they are, not willing to put others down just to prove themselves right. Yokozimo's tolerant behaviour stands in contrast with how authoritative Mushitaro is, especially when it boils down to his arrogance— he isn't afraid to spit his pride right into his opponent's face.

Kneel, detectives! I am the king of crime! No one can force me to sin and repent!

Just for laughs reference^

So it's safe to say that because Yokomizo had an acquired sense of serenity and open-mindedness, he was able to tolerate Mushitaro's extravagant, subtle histrionic characteristics, which were laced with his superior complex.

3. In the manga, Yokomizo speaks and converses with Mushitaro in a way that suggests that he is careful with his words. INFJs are gentle and generally sensitive to the needs of others, so they tend to be careful with what comes out of their mouths. Mushitaro, like most ENTJs, are quite blunt. This points back to how insensitive they come off, even if they don't actually mean it. So when it comes to Yokozimo explaining tales of mystery to Mushitaro, Mushitaro doesn't hesitate to mock Yokozimo; but because of how understanding Yokozimo is, he doesn't take Mushitaro's opinions too seriously to the point of discounting the value of their friendship, because he knew Mushitaro didn't use his words with the intention to harm.

If you were to place a more dominant persona in Yokomizo's position, I doubt that that person would be able to tolerate such behaviours. Then again, this is crucially subjective.

I suppose the main thing I wanted to point out was how ENTJs and INFJs balanced each other out by cancelling out each other's extreme traits, and keeping each other in the middle of the equilibrium altogether. But another thing I'd like to point out to sum up Mushitaro and Yokozimo's relationship was this: the fact that Mushitaro had to kill his own friend to grant his dying wish. Dying for someone or by someone's hands is easier than killing someone, especially if that someone is dear to you, no? I guess that's the part I can't fathom— it was the type of relationship that stood out way more than I had expected. Say, the roles were switched, would Yokomizo actually kill Mushitaro? Or would Mushitaro think of such an incomprehensible way to die in the first place? Or what if these two friends had different, more superior traits that coexisted in conflict all the time, would Yokomizo even depend on Mushitaro with such a task?

The speculations are endless, or maybe it's pretty straightforward. Though, I hope this made sense.

Okay, I'm done rambling for now. Thank you for reading!

[zodiactalks]

Love Life with Aquarius Woman & 5 Brutal Truths

Aquarius women have long been considered one of the most unconventional signs in the Zodiac and with good reason! This quirky, charming, intelligent, and bold sign can easily turn your world upside down.

But, are you ready for her?

Falling in love with an Aquarius woman can be an easy, almost unavoidable thing to do. However, it doesn't come without its challenges; after all, a woman as outstanding is bound to be complicated.

Her intelligence, her ability and preference to think outside the box, her desire to explore the world in new ways, and her closely-guarded heart will make any attempt at a romantic relationship with this revolutionary sign a bit of an odyssey. It'll be the kind of romantic adventure you'll fondly look back on in years to come.

It can also be just plain challenging, full of bumps and arguments that make for bad memories rather than good.

So how do you make sure you're getting the former and not the latter? By learning as much as you can about Aquarius women as quickly as possible.

Here are five brutal truths about loving Aquarius Woman.

#1. They're obsessed with being authentic.

Aquarius women can't stand the thought of being one of the bunch and will go through all kinds of extremes just to make sure she stands out as unique.

They're often described as weird, quirky, eccentric, or just plain freaky, and while those adjectives fit rather nicely, it's essential to understand that Aquarius women often play up to them.

Make no mistake, Aquarius women are often into unusual things and love some of the weirdest things you can imagine, but they also tend to be a bit performative in their interest; the moment they find something quirky and fun to do, they'll make sure the world knows it.

It's not enough that they're into collecting spiders or photographing other people's auras, oh no, they'll talk about it, and they'll talk about it often, ensuring no one around them can miss the fact that they're so quirky and unique.

It's one thing to be into weird stuff. It's a whole other thing to make that "quirkiness" part of your personality, and Aquarius women tend to do both.

So, if you have unconventional interests, chances are you'll find something in common with an Aquarius woman, just be prepared for her to make a big deal about it.

#2. They're know-it-alls.

No one discusses the fact that Aquarius women are wicked smart and interested in cerebral pursuits. They love learning new things, adore reading non-fiction, are obsessed with collecting all kinds of useless little facts, and generally are always pursuing the opportunity to acquire new skills.

Aquarius women are one of the most brilliant and capable women in the Zodiac, and they'll make damn sure you know it.

Honestly? There's nothing wrong with this. They've earned the right to flaunt and share their knowledge and skills with the world. After all, what good is information if you don't use it? What good is knowledge if you don't share it?

The thing is, Aquarius women are far from humble, and if they're proud of their achievements –as they should be– they'll make it their life mission that you, and everyone else, are aware of them.

She wants people to know she's the smartest and wants people to look up to her. In fact, though she might not voice it, she wants people to feel a little dumb next to her because she knows she rocks that hard.

As you can imagine, this behavior can get quite annoying, so make sure you're ready for it because it's not going anywhere.

#3. They hate romance.

Aquarius women are one of the least romantic creatures in the face of the earth.

Their straightforward, logical, somewhat aloof personality translates to a person who thinks romantic gestures are corny and stupid, and someone who would rather skip all the niceties and superficial gestures and get straight to business.

It's not that they're incapable of love, as this sign loves fiercely, it's more that they prefer to keep their romantic gestures as plain and sincere as possible.

They tend to see traditional romantic acts as performative and not really honest. Flowers and chocolates may be nice, but did you buy those because she likes it or because you think that's what she expects of you?

Long walks down the beach, sunset kisses, expensive dinner dates followed by a movie? Those are perfectly serviceable dates, yes, but are they really what you want to do, or did you choose them because she's a woman and those are the to-go date ideas?

Aquarius women want something sincere, something honest, something that truly reflects what you two like and what unites you as a couple. Giant teddy-bears are good, and all, but they mean nothing if you just get them because you think that's expected of you.

Instead of using movies and pop culture to plan your date, personalize it to make sure it's something she really would love!

If she's into birdwatching, then a picnic in the forest might be better received than a romantic dinner at a restaurant. If she's really into fishes, then a coelacanth plushie will beat a teddy bear every single time.

Forget what the movies have told you. If you love an Aquarius woman, none of those tips will work!

#4. They're incredibly indecisive.

Maybe it's a side effect of their highly active mind, perhaps it's just the way they interact with the world, but Aquarius women overthink just about everything that happens in their lives, and, because of that, they can be incredibly indecisive.

Trust us; an Aquarius woman doesn't take decisions lightly.

Yes, she might be an adventurous spirit always on the lookout for new experiences, but that doesn't make her spontaneous. Far from it, Aquarius women like to consider the pros and cons of all activities she joins and will make their due diligence when it comes to researching and making sure that activity is right for them.

Even when they've done everything in their power to ensure the best possible outcome, they'll doubt themselves and second-guess their choices at any given moment, simply because they're well aware that no one can plan for everything.

#5. She reinvents herself constantly.

If you want to be with an Aquarius woman, you need to be prepared to love her through her many, many phases. None of that 'I hope she doesn't change' nonsense. She will change, and she will change constantly.

She'll explore new interests, try her hand at new hobbies, pursue new objectives, and follow new styles and fashions just to see if it works for her.

Aquarius women want to experience everything the world has to offer and, to do so, they can't allow themselves to be static. They need to be in constant motion, always changing themselves.

If this sounds challenging, it's because it is.

This trait is one of the things people have the most trouble understanding about Aquarius women, but it's the one you need to embrace the fastest to have a happy life with her.

She won't become a different person from one day to the other. Aquarius women are, after all, always loyal to themselves, but she will pull the rug under you just when you think you're getting used to her quirks.

Our advice? Don't try to understand her; just love her as she is.

[bonsaiiiiiii]

Gormiti zodiacal signs!

because I got inspired by @purplerose244 (thank you darling for the inspo) on her post about the possible Gormiti bois' nationality, and also because why not?

also big thank you to @littlemagicalsylveon for the help and for bearing with me through all the wrong/incorrect zodiacal websites SKKAAAKKSKAKAKSKK

let's get into it, but WARNING! YOU WILL FIND MEMES IN THE WAY (because that's my way to express myself):

Riff (and Finna):

what do we have to say about him (them)? he's a straight up Aries, all ways! apart from the the info sourced from one of the 1000 websites "The first sign of the Zodiac, Aries are the trailblazers. Passionate and independent, Aries will never do something just because everyone else is doing it—a Ram needs to be 100 percent committed to the task at hand. Competitive to the max, the best way to motivate an Aries is to turn something into a contest. Aries will put everything they have (and then some) into winning. Loyal, smart, and impulsive, they always have multiple projects on their mind, and won't be satisfied until their work, social life, and personal lives line up exactly with the dream life they've envisioned." I also got a ref pic here:

I mean, if that doesn't portrait Riff every day--

let us continue with Trek:

I believe that Trek might be a Taurus. we firstly thought of assigning him to the Leo department, but since Leo are born natural leaders (and other reasons on top of that) we both don't think of him to be a Leo. "Smart, ambitious, and trustworthy, Taurus is the anchor of the Zodiac. Amazing friends, colleagues, and partners, Taureans value honesty above all else and are proud that their personal relationships tend to be drama free. Bulls get the reputation of being stubborn, but they're not always stuck in their ways. This searching sign is willing to see another point of view, but they won't flip-flop on an opinion just to make someone else happy. They will shift their thinking only if they truly have a change of heart."

ref pic:

Ikor:

so, based on his personality we believe of him to be in between Libra or Virgo; I mean, he is very cautious, precise, and resort to the power of mind whenever he has to decide something, and those are qualities both Libra and Virgo possess: "Intelligent, kind, and always willing to put others before themselves, Libras value harmony in all forms. Ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty, Libra adores a life that looks good. As the master of compromise and diplomacy, Libra is adept at seeing all points of view, and excels at crafting compromises and effecting mediation between others. This sign has a rich inner life yet loves other people, and they're always happiest with a large group of friends, family, and coworkers on whom they can count." and regarding Virgo: "Smart, sophisticated, and kind, Virgo gets the job done without complaining. Virgos are amazing friends, always there to lend a hand and also lend advice. Practical Virgos are incredibly adept at big picture thinking, and planning out their life, their vacations, and what they're going to do today isn't a drag it makes them feel in control and secure."

ref pics:

(oops, did I just insert a meme in there? uh, my bad lol)

Eron:

like with Ikor, I believe that he might be between Gemini and Aquarius? why, you ask? well, it's simple: a Gemini is a natural at being 'crazy' and has a very open mind. as for Aquarius, he tends to be crazy too, but he's a bit more introvert at first glance, and I don't believe of Eron to be this way XD, so I'll put them both in here just tbs. "Energetic and quick-witted, Gemini never gets stuck in the past and doesn't ruminate on what might have been. Instead, they move forward with glass-half-full optimism and an ability to always look on the bright side—and land on their feet—in nearly any situation. With a mind that's constantly racing, even when they're just quietly hanging out, the Twins never get bored. In fact, Gemini are happy keeping their own company, and can often turn their solitary daydreams into reality." well, if that isn't him! as for Aquarius "Independent and enigmatical, Aquarians are unique. There is no one quite like an Aquarius, and because each is so incredibly individual, it can be tough to describe them as a group. Aquarians don't like labels, and may shy away from any adjective—even the good ones you might bestow upon them. Aquarians believe in the nature of change and evolution, and even though they're a fixed sign, they may not necessarily believe they are the "same" people they were when they were born." eheh.

ref pics:

Aoki (and THANK YOU @littlemagicalsylveon FOR THIS!!!):

she. is. a. Virgo. qween. PERIODT. no need to explain more.

idk where to place Siran, and that's all for this post. literally.

[kannra21]

Monoma loving hours and I'm actually very tired by now

*I know many of you have already discussed similar things so I decided to add my own opinion as well. Hope you enjoy!*

Still announcing my general disappointed with ch215. Whatever, I'm glad to know Monoma's Quirk better and that the clocks he's working with are more than just some accessories on his belt.

I think they're really cool and help him overcome his small disadvantages a whole lots *well, not in the circumstances he was currently in but I'd like to see him more in action and actually using them*.

So basically he snaches them from his belt. Destroys them and-

Voilà, the Quirk is out.🎊

5min limit doesn't mean anything to him if he can use 4 different Quirks in 20min. However, he needs to use them very wisely because every Quirk doesn't work the same way and they also have to be suitable for the problem he's facing at that moment. That's where his ability to adapt and manage new situations comes in.

I don't want to exaggerate or anything but I think in terms of intelligence, he comes right after Yaoyoroz because damn, you need to have a top-notch brain for such tricky things.

Too sad that strength plays the leading role in their hero world. If you have power, it doesn't matter how or why you're doing the things you do. As long as you can destroy everything that comes in your way, there's nothing that can stop you from getting what you want which sounds... kinda villainous in a way, don't you think?

Shigaraki is right. The main difference between a hero and a villain is that heroes are fighting for the good and villains for the evil. But the main question remains- are the heroes really good and are the villains really evil? First of all, heroes and villains both came from the same type of society- people, normal civilians.

Becoming a hero or a villain is a choice, not a lifestyle. Heroes are there to protect people and villains are there to harm them. Why? Heroes want to make them feel happy and safe while villains want the opposite. What's the matter with the villains? This-

People are constantly judging and not thinking about the consequences they're causing to others. They always ended up comparing themselves to those who are much more superior and successful, making them building a sense of insecurity and fear.

They were forced to push themselves beyond their limits in order to prove themselves and show how far they can possibly go. They had to let them know that their criticism didn't reach them as they were facing their challenges with anticipation.

They could easily turn villainous but no, they choose to protect those same judging idiots who repeatedly let them down/hurt them/accused them/ignored their efforts, all for the sake of becoming their better selves. By choosing the right path, they already confirmed how strong and capable they are and they'll make exceptional heroes one day. In conclusion, there is no way Monoma will become a villain because he already reached this far and gained other's trust. He made friends who are looking after him. He's already a part of something big which he can't abandon this easily.

BTW

This is the ultimate proof that Monoma isn't entirely obsessed with class a as many think he is. He's simply mad at anyone who's trying to show off class b by stealing their spotlight. His class is the best, try to prove him wrong and he won't give you any piece of mind.

He's so dedicated to his rambling that he doesn't mind Kirishima's friendly exchange with Tetsutetsu in the background. It's clear that the hatred he feels is directed towards Bakugou for obvious reasons. While Monoma is the group's person, Bakugou does everything on his own and hates when someone interfers with his business to the point where he becomes arrogant and rude. I can't recall Monoma being any of it because he only uses people's failures as an example to make them feel bad about themselves and we all know that the truth hurts the most.

I'm not defending him or anything, what he does is certainly not nice, but I want to say that his way of expressing bitterness is much more effective than Bakugou's because he makes sense at some point. Bakugou just acts like a thug.

And while he certainly does behave like an absolute madman, I'll still love Bakugou and Monoma equally because there's that one thing Monoma doesn't really understand about Bakugou's personality and that's his undying wish of becoming no.1 world's greatest hero. It's his ambition from an young age which pushed him further into accomplishing his goals. Yes it sounds selfish and yes it seems like he doesn't give a damn about others, but that's his lifelong dream which he can't give up to a friend just for the sake of being nice to each other.

From the flashbacks of the kindergarten we could see how many expectations and how much pressure people were putting on him because of his talent. His mom accused him of being weak and causing trouble for the entire U. A. when in fact, the school was guilty of his kidnapping and took responsibility for it's mistakes. He was raised to solve his problems through violence, he doesn't know for any other way. So it's not arrogance, he's just ambitious but shows it in a rearher inappropriate manner.

Monoma doesn't like that and I can understand why. Unlike Bakugou, Monoma is an underdog. No one ever cheered for him or supported his goals. When he saw Bakugou and his indifference or rather ignorance towards his audience, he thought he was acting ungrateful and that pissed him off. Especially because Monoma is the most grateful out of all the characters.

He wants to be recognized among the crowd and accepted by his peers by means of finding a place where he truly belongs, something he couldn't achieve when he was little. Bakugou doesn't yearn for fame or money. He wants to prove himself and push his limits because winning is what heroes do. Their life goals are different but their ways of dealing with things are surprisingly similar. They're throwing shade wherever they go and they're incredibly noisy, with Bakugou spreading insults and Monoma mocking every living soul but that's the way they are and people grew accustomed to it.

I mean look at this-

Similarities:

blond

smart

rude

sad

sarcastic

uncomfortable

embarrassed

In conclusion:

They share the same level of bitterness + their friends(Tetsu and Kiri) are also very good friends which indicates their similar tastes in people they appreciate.

Also something from Noragami:

"YOU HATE THOSE THE MOST LIKE YOURSELF"

Tbh if bnha was all about class 1b, Monoma would be, in fact, favorable because everyone would have a bad impression of class 1a for being rude and arrogant thanks to Bakugo since we'd only see 1b's side of the story. And although everyone made friends with each other and now are staying on good terms, they're still having this sort of rivalry between them which is completely normal considering the fact that 1a still precedes in particular aspects.

Despite this friendship, Monoma does not believe them in a slightest. He looks at their relationship in a way that class 1a uses their friendship to distract them from trying to be better than them. If you are in good relations with someone, it is natural that you will go easy on them because of the empathy we feel towards others. He thinks they're playing them in order to get what they want. It affects their reputation as a hero and class 1a represents their concurrency so it isn't all about some friendship between kids, it's their future and their careers that get affected as well.

But then again, Monoma isn't fighting for his own selfish purposes, he's doing it for his class. He loves his class from the bottom of his heart and he wants them to succeed, that's why he's so annoying. Class 1a represents their concurrency, they're taking away their spotlight. They're limiting their chances of becoming pro heroes while class 1b is so much better than them and that's what actually bugs Monoma.

They’ve worked just as hard as class 1a, they’ve overcome all the same scholastic obstacles and yet it’s always 1a on the news, 1a in the papers, 1a surviving yet another dramatic and utterly glamorous supervillain encounter. See, 1a gets all the luck.

If he was selfish, narcissistic and egoistic, he'd constantly complain about deserving his place among the best in class 1a but no, he's proud to be with his friends because b class is all about solidarity and teamwork. His class loves him and he's getting along with everyone just fine. His cooperation stats are 4/5, he's a very friendly person.

His intelligence and tactics stats are 5/5, he's a smart person and he obviously doesn't do shit without a reason. His power and speed stats are 1/5, he's weak and very insecure in himself. Naturally he would develop a inferiority complex to protect himself but at the same time trash talks himself to talk up his class which I find very funny and kinda sympathetic in a way.

I bet everyone's just seeing this annoying side of him but there's so much more to his character and Kendou understands that all too well. That's why they're never arguing or fighting for their own beliefs because she knows how much he's hurting. And it's not just him, most of his classmates are also having a sort of rivalry with class 1a but they're being less obvious about it.

Seing this side of him made me start to really like him. He's a sad character with a great desire to belong somewhere and that's probably the reason why I can't possibly hate him. That's just my opinion but I hope others can relate as well. ❤️❤️❤️

[that-one-crazy-metal-bitch]

Metal Astrology #1~Mayhem

Was I asked to do this? Nope! I was bored and I decided I'd make a post about the members of Mayhem's astrology. Obviously I'm not going to claim any of this is accurate, it's just a little bit of fun and nothing serious! If anyone wants me to do a band or a person or even themselves, I'm down with that, just send me a message.

In brief, this is how each aspect works:

The Sun is your 'core’. The Moon is your 'inner' self, your emotions, your values. Mercury is how you communicate and express yourself. Venus describes who you are in love and interpersonal relationships And Mars is your temper and sex drive-- although I'm not really going to be going into it here too much. 

So without further ado.....

Per Yngve "Dead" Ohlin.

January 16th, 1969.

Västerhaninge, Stockholm County, Sweden.

Sidenote: his was especially hard to do because he was born during a time when there was a lot of changes in the sky and I don't have the time of his birth so, I did it to the best of my ability.

Sun in Capricorn

Moon in Sagittarius

Mercury in Aquarius

Venus in Pisces

Mars in Scorpio.

Dead's sun is in Capricorn, which means at his most basic, he's an ambitious, intelligent and hard-working. People who have their suns in Capricorn tend to be very stubborn and hard on themselves (due to the fact that they're so hard-working and have such high standards). They can also be loners and can seem emotionally distant. They're firm about what they believe in and they don't half-ass anything. 

His moon means that emotionally speaking, he's likely to have an optimistic demeanor. Those with Sagittarius in their moons are naturally independent, passionate and love to learn. They make great teachers too and are always 'searching'. They tend to be concerned with philosophy, religion and are creative. His mercury is also a creative one, if not very peculiar. 

Mercury in Aquarius tends to have an... 'odd' way of expressing itself. They're intellectual but in an unconventional way. They're not necessarily loud or eccentric about it, in fact they can be rather distant and detached, they have an interesting and unique way of looking at things that can make it hard to relate to them. Despite that, they make very interesting friends and often have a subtle and witty sense of humor. Their humour is usually dry and sarcastic, so much so that it can be difficult to tell what's sarcasm and what isn't. 

His Venus is in Pisces, which lends to a dreamy yet moody aura. These types of people are often soft and want to be protected, even if they can't express it. They're imaginative folks with a tender heart. They're easily disappointed due to the fact...well, they live in a dream. They're not always the most realistic and because of that, they can be quite unreliable in love. 

And finally, his Mars is in Scorpio, which is an interesting placement if you asked me. These people love challenges and pushing their own limits. They're intense, curious and have incredible will-power. Despite their intense nature, they've got a good temper and usually remain pretty cool. They don't 'crack' easy which can make them seem secretive and guarded. 

Scorpio is generally the 'sexiest' zodiac sign and people with this placement can have a sort of intense and mysterious sex appeal. 

On the downside, even if their temper is rather good, they can be violent and sometimes take their pain out on others, emotional manipulation isn't impossible. But despite that, they also make incredibly loyal friends and, you know, generally aren't manipulative.

Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth. 

March 22nd 1968. 

Egersund, Rogaland, Norway.

Sun in Aries

Moon in Capricorn

Mercury in Pisces

Venus in Pisces

Mars in Aries

Okay so I'm pretty sure nobody would be shocked to hear that Euro was an Aries. They're ambitious, curious, passionate and they have strong personalities. They get bored easily, so they're innovative but they also hate boredom so they're impulsive. They've got a charismatic nature and they tend to have a lot of friends. They can be self-centred and controlling though since they’re the ‘leaders’ of the Zodiac. 

Since his Moon is in Capricorn, he's likely to be rather stubborn and headstrong... yet practical. They have goals and they work towards those goals. He's not the most empathetic of sorts and people with this placement like everything to be direct. They usually surround themselves with those who agree with them because they can be argumentative at times. They have strong opinions and think they're always right.

I thought that Euro having a Mercury and Venus in Pisces was hilarious and out of place with the rest of the aspects. Since he and Dead share a Venus, it's safe to assume that I don't have to rewrite it, although a funny addition would be that those with their Venus in Pisces can not only be masochistic itself but have an attraction to those with masochistic tendencies. It tends to make them feel bigger and better to have something vulnerable at their whim. 

As for his Mercury, it's also sort of funny because those with their Mercury in Pisces will usually have something... uh... 'soft' about them. A soft smile, a soft laugh, voice. Even if they're not actually any of those things, they may look it. They're not intimidating-looking people... at all. They're similar to Mercury in Aquarius with the way they're also unique and intellectual but the big difference is that they are not as organized. In fact, they're very, very disorganized and despite their similarities, both signs tend not to get along well. Mercury in Pisces tends to be a lot more wishy-washy and it changes it's opinions rather quickly. Even though they're interesting, they can become annoying because not only are they moody but they're also not very realistic in their plans or expectations.

Euro's Mars is, one, unsurprising, two, depending on how you look at it... not necessarily so good. Essentially, people with these Mars' can be sort of like a giant flaming cactus, bumping into everybody. "Fuck you, get out of my way!!" Aries is at home in Mars, but it's probably not so good to have your Mars in a sign Mars rules over. How are you in terms of your aggressive? Oh, you're merely the most aggressive possible sign. Goody. That's not to say that he's an inherently bad person. It just means he's aggressive. Boy, is he ever fucking *aggressive*. At best, these people shine like the sun itself but at their worst, they can set fire to themselves and everything that they love. They're incredibly driven, passionate and impulsive and it can become destructive as they tend to believe the end justifies the means. They can be extremely quick tempered and aggressive but despite this, it never lasts long and they don't hold grudges. Despite all of the aggressiveness of these people, they’re are the kind of people who achieve great things. They're the sort who keep going even if it's uncomfortable, they'll do the things no one else is willing to do to get to their goals. They're fiercely loyal to their friends and incredibly fun people to around.

Jørn "Necrobutcher" Stubberud. 

April 13 1968. 

Ski, Akershus County, Norway.

Sun in Aries

Moon in Libra

Mercury in Aries

Venus in Aries

Mars in Taurus.

Necro and Euro share a sun so I think you already have a fair idea of what an Aries is like already. Despite that, the other positions make him a completely different type of person. 

His Moon sign softens his emotional nature. People with their moons in Libras are inherently quite friendly, they love partnership and they hold those close to them very dear. They're giving, patient and forgiving. They're good peace-keepers and mediators because they're driven by a need for calm and security. However if it's just not working out, they can quickly become very irritated. All of it is really fine and dandy but it can cause conflicts because their willingness to give everyone a fair shot can make them seem fake and the way they're seemingly too-good at expressing themselves can make them seem disingenuous and insincere. Sometimes they don't understand that everything doesn't have to be pretty and clean and that emotions can be dirty, messy and chaotic.

Both of his Venus and Mercury are in Aries which does kind of contradict everything above (But if you thought any of this was fool proof then that was on you. This isn't Myers-Briggs, this is literally just astrology) if his Mercury is in Aries then he's might curse a lot, he might have a blunt and harsh way of speaking. Despite that, Mercury in Aries are passionate speakers and they're good speakers at that. They're the kind of person who can make you feel things and they don't bullshit. They're dynamic, honest and their enthusiasm is ddictive. They have a good sense of humour and they love to laugh. On the downside, they can be pretty defensive because they tend to be very sure of themselves. His Venus adds to that effect, except he's ALSO bored easily. These people like the chase, they like to tease people and play games. They like physical contact, wrestling, play-fighting, tickling, the like (TMI: they're also extremely sexual). They're ambitious and impulsive and they're naturally curious. They're not the most graceful with their emotions and they usually do shit big. Subtlety isn't their strong suit and that can make them seem almost a little arrogant and self-centered. They're not the type to know when it's time to stop.

And finally... his Mars is in Taurus! What's a good and bad placement is generally very subjective but I'd consider this to be pretty good. Mars in Taurus is steady, goal oriented and easy going. They tend to have a laid-back yet manly/womanly sort of sex appeal. They know how to pick their fights and generally have a good temper...until you piss them off, that is. Taurus has a reputation for the most stubborn sign so people with this placement can be unforgiving, possessive and overprotective. They don't trust easily and if you piss them off, it can take a long time before they finally let go of it-- if ever. They also dislike criticism and react poorly to it so with them it's "my way or the highway.”

Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg. 

August 2nd 1969. 

Trysil, Hedmark County, Norway.

Sun in Leo

Moon in Aries

Mercury in Capricorn

Venus in Gemini

Mars in Sagittarius

Simply put, Leos are... hot. They're ruled by the sun, they're quite literally 'hot'. They tend to be good looking because they're self-obsessed and they tend to be well-liked because they're simultaneously warm, generous and kind. They're dynamic and big yet languid and lazy. There's something special about them just by the way they hold themselves. They're silly, playful and they hate being ignored. 

His Moon is in Aries, which gives him an assertive and independent streak. Usually very live-in-the-moment, do-it-now-remember-it-later. Those with a Moon in Aries can be temperamental, they're not the most sensitive or patient of folk, in fact, they can seem pretty selfish and, honestly, do put themselves first more often than not. Despite it, there's something playful and teasing about them. They're very honest people and they typically mean well.

Hellhammer's Mercury is in Capricorn. These people tend to have a really blunt and simple way of speaking. They can either be really good at communicating or not at all. They're not the most philosophical people on this planet, they're more of the 'practical' sort. They do what needs to be done and they don't have patience for people who waste time. They make careful decisions and they think before they speak. They usually focus on one thing at a time.

On the other hand... his Venus is in Gemini! Having Gemini anywhere can pretty much ensure that you like words. People with a Venus in Gemini are fun, smart and witty. But they're pretty much impossible to tie down and crave new experiences. They're pretty playful but maybe a little too light-hearted. They're not the most serious people to have around, they are however, a good conversation partner and are typically charming and flirty.

Mars in Sagittarius are... a mix of things. On one hand they're pretty out-there but on the other they don't really like conflict. They don't have a lot of patience to deal with it. They've generally got a good temper, they're playful and fun-loving but shit can get serious when you don't agree with them. They somehow don't give a fuck yet give all the fucks at the same time. They do good with exercise because they're quite restless and they like to have several things going on at the same time!

Welp, that’s it! I cant reiterate enough that this shit it just for fun and not to be taken seriously. Hopefully this wasn’t too long...

[veryotl]

I feel like we can see so much more of their personalities in OFD2: Like Hoshi seems to take a lot of heat for a while and even make it funny, but there's definitely a point where he'll snap. Seungkwan seems to have such a high EQ and is intuitive to what others around him are feeling and feels everything on a higher level. And a lot of them said they tried not to get angry bc of the cameras, and it makes you kinda wonder what they're like without cameras...

Pt.2 of OFD2 thoughts: Jun always puts others first which is opposite of the hyung team typical “leader” aka KING . Also, 95 line dynamic is interesting- I think JH is definitely devious and cunning, while SC is dorky dad but very competitive, and JS was the first to say, “should we talk about it?”- to which the other two agreed with. I wonder what 17 thought when JH debuted under an “angel” image. DK is kinda naive? But in a way that makes him trusting and very supportive of others.

I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond!! I wanted to wait until I had a computer so I could give this the work I think it deserves, and plus it helps now that I’ve finished OFD2!

There are quite a few interesting turns and revelations of personality, I agree. I like how the large conflict happened partially because they felt pressured to be entertaining. Part of Seventeen’s charm is how raw and natural they are in their humor and their dynamics. They’re all very harmonious after years of being together, and their humor flows very naturally just from their personalities. However, when put in a situation where they feel as though they are not interesting enough or funny enough, they begin to play jokes or make decisions that are not natural for many them such as hiding the other team’s objects or being mean spirited. They force themselves to try and be funny when they don’t feel they’re amusing enough because they don’t want to lose the love and attention of the fans which they consider valuable but also fragile, and stemming from how we think they’re funny or cute, which is true. But then directly after, they show the real reason why so many fans love Seventeen. Joshua goes to Coups and says “You know… I think they were really hurt. Maybe it would be good to talk to them?” and Coups says, “Do you think so? You’re probably right. We need to fix this right now.” and they all gather and apologize and talk it out and go back to being a team and a family. And I think that’s so so important. They consider their good will and strong relationships more important than any show, any gag, anything and even if Coups as the leader doesn’t realize he needs to call a meeting, he creates an environment where Joshua or any other member feels safe enough to tell him when there’s an issue or something that could be resolved or done better. And THAT’S leadership and family and everything.

Onto the personal levels, I’ve always called Seungkwan my honorary little brother and one of my “mind twins”, someone who thinks like me, because I honestly believe he’s incredibly emotionally intelligent. He senses the mood, and is so intuitive to everything happening around him. I believe that’s where he gets his humor and his desire to make others laugh, because he can tell when the mood is bad and he makes it his mission to find the right thing to help the members to feel better, even if it means kicking his legs up after hours and hours of exhausting practice and cheering that they can make it through even though he’s just as tired as everyone else.

Jun is another one of my “mind twins”, because he very rarely enjoys being in charge of things, but he likes to feel in control. Normally, he does this by remaining in the background, doing what needs to be done as he sees fit. If the room is a mess, he’s not The8 levels of must-keep-clean, but if it bothers him enough he’ll clean up without mentioning it or making it a big deal, or he’ll cook when he’s hungry or Wonwoo asks him. His episode of being the king fascinated me, as we don’t get many chances to be in the spotlight and in power. The very first thing he does is he recruits Seungkwan, very likely because, as we just discussed, because Seungkwan has the ability to read the atmosphere of the members and smooth things along well, helping it be less awkward. Jun also tries his own ways of making it less awkward, by making cute jokes and referring in kind, cute ways to the members in the rare occasion that he has to tell them to do something. The hyung line turning “leader” into “king” was actually a cute, fun change to make, and it demonstrated a lot how the members each handle the responsibility. Coups, for instance, jokingly become a tyrant, because for once the role of leader is a temporary, easy task with only the burden of deciding a schedule and buying things instead of his usual thankless, hard work of mediating with the members and the company and dissolving fights and having to be the voice of reason and hard work. Wonwoo also used it to be tyrannical, because generally Wonwoo is an easy target for teasing and fun jokes and he doesn’t take it too much to heart, but this gave him the power to turn the jokes around. Jun, however, demonstrated himself in the way of being a little more caring and worried about the members, and it was fortunate it fell on a day where the production team had planned a full schedule so he didn’t begin to feel horribly pressured.

‘95 line dynamic is so interesting. As individuals, there’s the leader with the responsible dad side as well as the immature kid side, the dark angel who is both kind and cunning, and the sweet and gentle boy who is also a dork. They all have multiple “faces”, sides that they show at different times. And then there are pairings which is almost like a mix-and-match flavor game. You can have the cunning swindler who is willing to manipulate his way into anyone’s heart and the sweet boy with the soft voice who you can’t help but love without him doing anything. You can have the hyper competitive boyfriend-winning-a-stuffed-animal-at-a-fair type and also the kind heart who will joke and compete but will make sure you’re okay when it’s all over. You can have the caring but snarky angel who will care for you but do so in an overblown “who’s child are you” way and the leader who cares for you by taking your punishments for you or making you sit down with the person you’re mad at and talk it out even if you don’t want to. The dynamic possibilities are amazing and just so so good and I can’t talk too much about them, but the example of the episode with the whole mess going down is a fantastic example of the dynamic of Joshua and Coups, which we don’t see often. Joshua going to Coups and openly expressing his own discomfort, but not telling Coups “as a leader, go fix it” but gently nudging him, opening him to the idea of it, and Coups readily accepting the guidance and idea as the leader. I hope we can see more of their dynamic soon.

and lastly since this is getting way too long, precious DK. DK has a very interesting image, somewhere between awkward and naive. I’ve written about this before, but I think one of the most if not the single most important dynamic in Seventeen is the one between Hoshi and DK. As friends, they’re cute and Soonseok is life, but as people, Hoshi is so so important in DK’s life. DK is a little naive, but he’s also very kind-hearted. because of this, he aspires to do what Seungkwan can do, read the atmosphere and brighten people’s day with jokes and laughter. However, often it backfires on him. People end up laughing at him instead of with him, calling him naive when he wasn’t being, and sometimes they don’t laugh at all. While some things are fragile about Seungkwan, his jokes being rejected aren’t that high on the list. However, for DK, it feels like a personal insult to his good intentions and it can get him down. Hoshi is a popular member, and his friendship with DK sort of validates DK’s fragile confidence, giving him the boost he needs to try and lighten the mood. Hoshi balances out DK, laughing at his jokes and taking his concerns seriously, and he helps act as a connection to get DK to Seungkwan without the burden of them sharing the same role without the burden of seungkwan getting more praise and recognition, and seungkwan recognizes his good intentions and can help his jokes take off like Hoshi can. Without the presence of Hoshi in the group, it’s hard to imagine that DK would be anything less than a black sheep talented but often unable to communicate with the rest of the group. He is naive and trusting, but he’s also supportive just like you said, and i’m glad during OFD we got to see him develop a character without the help of Hoshi for a little while, kind of to show how much his confidence is grown, even just for a little bit. 

[themomsandthecity]

The Infuriating Reason Young Girls Stop Believing They're Super Smart at Age 6

Young girls are starting to feel less intelligent by age 6. Our friends at YourTango are here to tell us how to fix this terrible misconception. . . . and what we NEED to do to fix the confidence gap for girls. There's a depressing new study that argues that girls start doubting their own intelligence by age six. Age SIX - isn't that crazy? According to the research, published in Science Magazine, when boys and girls are age 4 and 5, both groups are equally apt to say their own genders are "really, really smart" (approximately 70% of each group). However, by age six, boys' confidence in the intelligence of their own gender remains fairly constant, while girls' confidence starts to plummet. Only 48% of six-year-old girls identified their own gender as "really, really smart." That's a huge drop. In the words of the researchers, "the present results suggest a sobering conclusion: Many children assimilate the idea that brilliance is a male quality at a young age. This stereotype begins to shape children's interests as soon as it is acquired and is thus likely to narrow the range of careers they will one day contemplate." As the parent of a young girl, I can tell you that I've seen evidence of this trend firsthand and it really, really sucks. "Dad, I'm terrible at math." I hear this a lot from my fifth-grade daughter, despite all evidence to the contrary on her report card. (Her math scores are totally in-line with the rest of her grades.) I don't remember exactly when it started. She used to be equally enthusiastic about all of her subjects in school. Reading, science, history, even math. In the beginning, she was just a sponge for knowledge. She'd often talk about how she was going to be an astronaut/movie star when she grew up. But then, as school progressed, something subtly shifted. You could see her moving herself away from the hard sciences and aligning herself more towards the humanities. If it was just a matter of talent or personal preference, that would be one thing, but her performance in math and science has never wavered in her school work. There has never been a performance gap between her work in math or science and her work in any other subject. However, a confidence gap is readily apparent. A self-esteem gap. No matter what I (or her teacher) tell her, my daughter does not think that she's "smart" when it comes to math. At some point in her education career, my daughter - and many daughters I know - began doubting their abilities. They started demurring. They became self-depreciating. They began shaking their heads and saying "I don't know. I'm not good at this" WAY more than their male classmates, even though, at this age, girls perform stronger academically than boys do. One of the interesting aspects of this new study is that the researchers found that, when they asked six-year-old girls if they wanted to play a game for children who are "really, really smart" or for children who "work really, really hard," girls were much more likely to opt for the game for "hard workers." So girls know they get good grades and they know they work hard, and yet they are still apprehensive to regard themselves as smart. This gets back to the researchers' conclusion that I mentioned earlier - When children are young, they assume that brilliance is a male quality. Which, once again, sucks. And I'm saying that as the father of a daughter and as a man. Men are NOT inherently smarter than women. My often-oblivious gender has just been given less reason to doubt itself over the years. Why? That's the big question at the end of the Science Magazine study. How did this happen? How do we fix it? In a NPR story about the research, Sapna Cheryan, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Washington, suggests that various environmental factors probably play a role in the confidence gap - things like stereotypes, media exposure, and "parental beliefs." I think you can sum all that up under one word - REPRESENTATION. In society, we are much more apt to cite brilliance in men than we are in women. There is vast evidence that women are underrepresented in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). When we see geniuses and scientists in movie and TV roles, they are largely played by men. When kids learn history in school, they heard a lot about figures like Thomas Edison, but female scientists don't get the same attention. (There are a lot of historical and social reasons for this - including the fact that many early female scientists were either discouraged from pursuing their academic careers or had men take credit for their work.) ALL of these reasons point to why representation MATTERS. Not too along ago, Lego introduced their first-ever playset featuring female scientists. That MATTERS. The movie Hidden Figures, the true story about the incredible contributions of female African-American mathematicians to the U.S. space program, was a massive success. That MATTERS. If we want girls to start trusting their academic abilities as much as boys do - which doesn't take anything away from boys at all - we have to start showing girls MORE examples of women who are out-and-proud about their technical brilliance. We need to give them role models. We need to stop stereotyping. When we teach science and math to our children, we need to make sure that all of the important figures referenced in those studies aren't just men. There are easy ways to do this. Definitely take your girls to see Hidden Figures, and buy them the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur comic books (about a highly intelligent little girl scientist and inventor, recently named the smartest superhero ever). Seek out as much media as you can about very smart girls and women. Point them out when you see them on TV or in movies. But also, watch your own language. Do you subconsciously refer to doctors, scientists, and astronauts as "he"? Do you refer to little girls as "pretty" or "cute" and boys as "clever" and "smart" (or "tough")? You might be shocked at how much language biases like this creeps into our lives. We need to show girls that their gender holds a place in STEM subjects and that no one - their teachers, their parents, their society - doubts that they are "really, really smart." Because brilliance ISN'T just a male quality. But, regrettably, confidence can be. Check out more great stories from YourTango: * If You Use The Term "Opposite Sex," It's Time For a Wake-Up Call * 17 Happiness Truths From Love and Relationship Experts * 55 Inspiring Quotes That Capture Your Wacky, Wonderful Friendships * 50 Absolutely Perfect "I Love You" Quotes That Nail True Love http://bit.ly/2lp4TGa