#they're just... so similarly introverted and serious......

[god-blues]

i love shipping polyam so much, why choose when you can just smush your fav ships together and enjoy them all at the same time

[puppywithacomputer]

S/I Intro Post #1!

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Fandom: Honkai Star Rail (tag: ⭐️🚂)

Name: R-05 (Raphael)

Age: > 1 yr (dw y'all, they're not human...well, it's complicated), appears mid to late teens (~18).

Pronouns: They/It, AFAB, disagrees with the concept of gender, presents androgynously or masc (would consider themself agender if it knew the term)

Orientation: NBLW exclusively, both romantically and sexually

Species: Former human consciousness inside an artificially grown human body (semi-human? Not like a cyborg or android, just a test tube body with someone else's soul inside)

Short Bio:

Lab Entry 08: Voice Memo: Assistant Researcher Alena Mire

After years of dedication by [REDACTED], Subject R-05 has gained sentience and fully autonomous control of its body. Subject shows a disinterest in its designated purpose of containing Stellaron energy, preferring to attempt communication with [REDACTED] and the team. Subject refers to itself as "Raphael", though it is currently unknown why and how R-05 chose this name. [REDACTED] is unconcerned by this behaviour.

Lab Entry 17: Voice Memo: Assistant Researcher Alena Mire

The lab has been breached by Legion forces. All subjects have been reprogrammed to self-destruct. [REDACTED] exempted R-05 from this programming. I have been tasked with escorting the subject to safe room 408- What was that? Something behind me? Subject R-05, run! Run- [ERROR - FILE CORRUPTED]

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F/O(s):

Kafka: Sexual/Romantic

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Flirt x Flustered, Fox x Bunny

Years back, Kafka accidentally killed a young Raphael - the soul inhabiting R-05's artificial body - while on her first mission as a Stellaron Hunter

Raphael doesn't remember Kafka, but Kafka recognizes them instantly, as R-05 looks exactly like Raphael

Raphael joins the Astral Express crew, while Kafka keeps tabs on it secretly because she's just so bewildered that they're alive

(Spoiler: Ruan Mei found a way to bind a soul to a humanlike shell, R-05 was her first and only success)

Kafka copes with hardcore flirting and manipulation to avoid addressing any real emotions

Himeko: Sexual/Romantic

Tropes: Mentor x Mentee, In Denial x Oblivious, Calm x Anxiety

Himeko is incapable of not adopting every sad pathetic child she sees on the spot (ex: March 7th, Stelle)

Very quickly realizes that something is Not Right with Raphael, but doesn't really mind because Raphael is the most unthreatening, wet-cat-vibes creature to every exist

Torn between feelings of attraction and maternal instinct

Jealous of Kafka's flirting with Raphael, tries to convince herself it's just maternal protectiveness

Stelle: Platonic

Tropes: Extrovert x Introvert, Dumbass x Idiot, Sassy x Sarcastic

Despite R-05's purpose being to contain Stellaron energy (aka their purpose is to destroy vessels like Stelle/Caelus and harness their energy as a power source), the two are basically traumabonded

Raphael would rather die than hurt Stelle, and Stelle similarly is highly protective of it

Bonding over being not quite human and enabling each other's idiocy

Ruan Mei: It's complicated

Tropes: Creator x Creation, Emotionally Unavailable x Emotionally Vulnerable, Possessive x Codependant

Ruan Mei has serious issues when it comes to her experiments

While she's not as flighty as Herta, she's not overly invested in 99% of her projects. Except Raphael

Despite not having the emotional availability to take care of her own creation, Ruan Mei refuses to let Raphael go, and is highly possessive of them, not seeing them as Raphael, just R-05

There's a vaguely sexual aspect to it, but that's mostly as a control tactic on Ruan Mei's side

(can you guys tell I like making characters feel guilty, lol)

S/I Trivia!

Raphael loves stealing clothes, their purple button down is one of Kafka's, and their "belt" is actual one of Himeko's ties. Stelle gave them their hair ties, and Ruan Mei helped them with all their piercings

The bandages deter their compulsive scratching habit, especially so they don't accidentally scratch out one of Ruan Mei's many implanted trackers

Raphael is too indecisive to choose a path, but is leaning towards Destruction, ironically their abilities are all shield based

Physically very weak, the chap-like piece over their pants is actually similar to a brace for hypermobility

Their tag will be ⭐️🐰

TBA (I literally downloaded this game two days ago lol, so pardon any lore contradictions, but it's so fun)

[heartsbind]

tatsu: on friendship, and platonic and romantic love

i've been feeling the urge to write a more formal piece about this so here we go!

tatsu is a social butterfly at heart, although as a child/young teen he was kind of seen as more weird than anything - he was actually pretty lonely. but, he loves talking to people, and doesn't really mind much if somebody matches his energy or not. he'll match higher energy and adjust to lower energy, likes to figure out what makes people tick and is patient when it comes to other people needing to warm up to him. he's kind of a people-pleaser to a point, wants to be liked; but it's a hard point - he's really not as gullible as he looks, and if he decides he doesn't like someone, he'll turn on them just as quick.

that all being said, it's easy to unlock friendship status with tatsu, and that's really just by indulging them, more or less - showing interest in them, talking to them, being nice to them a bonus. tatsu likes going on adventures, and though sometimes they even like to get up to a little trouble, they're satisfied by a trip to a convenience store or a department store. (they give a very 'midnight trip to walmart' energy--)

he's got the capacity to make a lot of friends, but he takes being a good friend, a best friend, very seriously. they'll drop everything and come over at 2 in the morning if someone needs them to, they have no qualms with being super silly and goofy to make someone laugh or smile, they will hype them up so much and fiercely defend them. tatsu isn't adverse to getting into fights for a friend's honor by any means. his friendships are hugely impactful to him - he'll be someone's ride or die.

they have very minimal limitations when it comes to physical affection with friends - they're a hugger, a cuddler, a cheek and forehead kisser. and, the other benefit to being a close friend of tatsu's: you get a mom. you can be certain that if you're a friend of tatsu's, you've been mentioned to his mom. tatsu will talk about friends and crushes easily with their mom, to the point that she'll probably know quite a lot before she's even met them for the first time (though obviously tatsu won't share anything sensitive!). it matters a lot to miyu that tatsu has people they can share their heart with, and has people who will care for his heart in turn. friends of tatsu have a home away from home in the amano residence - miyu may not have the youthful energy she used to, but she makes plenty of food for dinner and loves a good game night, and she will make sure friends and loved ones of tatsu's are taken care of under her roof. she will also insist people call her mom, too - if they want.

in terms of romantic interest, tatsu is gay and monogamous, and they love just as fiercely. it would not be at all surprising if they're the one who falls in love first in a relationship - they fall hard and fast! they don't have much of a type, physically, save for an appreciation for pretty eyes (he thinks they're windows to the soul, but he likes to look in the heat of the moment, or when the other person is engaged with something they're passionate about or feel determination).

when it comes to personality, tatsu tends to be more romantically drawn to people who kind of contrast them - people who tend to be more serious, introverted; bonus points if they're still funny, even if they don't know it, or it comes out as dry wit or sarcasm. that isn't to say that extroverted people don't have a shot! tatsu is perpetually delighted by people who match their energy, but are also similarly appreciative of people who can bring him back to earth.

(indulgently, tatsu's first love pretty much upon his inception in blue lock verse is with rin, if that gives any indication of what i mean by his type KDSFDSFDSFS. i probably will play him a little obsessed with him in that regard - not that it's a thing i'll ever force, of course! but also if someone threw a rin at me i would love them forever--)

if tatsu's in love, it's devotion - in some worlds, it's borderline obsession. if they're jealous, it's borderline possessive, but in a way where tatsu inserts themself more physically - an arm around their person's shoulders, a hand on the small of their back, a quietly loud reminder that this is tatsu's person. he offers his whole heart to his person, and in term promises that he'll care for their heart like a treasure, something he'll never break. (he does try not to be overbearing, but still this does make breakups world-shattering - if it's not mutual, they'll handle it as best as they can, but they will more than likely wind up in bed for days.)

TO CONCLUDE....... i saw a tiktok of someone who was having a bad time and was in bed, and their partner roleplayed a cafe server as a sort of bed and breakfast treat; generally being silly and even pulling up a tip screen, and i mentioned it in my messy post about tatsu's love but i still think about it because it really is so real! tatsu goes at everything with enthusiasm and energy, but they can also be so soft and tender! they love so much! they think the world is so amazing because of the people that are in it!

[good-prog]

ff8 review

Main campaign date: 2023/02/17-02/27 Playtime (in game) to roll credits: 30 hrs (No Steam playtime this time; artificially inflated that metric by accidentally leaving the launcher open after closing the game.)

I think the best I can say is that Final Fantasy 8 was okay, I guess? I'm probably not part of the target audience, though I imagine the story and characters would have resonated as a teenager [redacted] years ago. Once I figured out it wasn't for me, I just sat back and tried to enjoy what I could. The stakes that the party faces throughout the story are on par with what it feels like to be a young person. The only difference is that in their world, that those crises are truly life threatening or world ending, intensified by the struggles of school, relationships, and lack of guidance from adults in the face of those challenges.

Spoiler warning for all aspects of the game.

characters/story

Despite the drama of the opening cutscene and duel between Squall and Seifer, the game started off relatively slow compared to most other FF titles. The first hour showed off the school setting and encouraged the player to read way too much tutorial text.

Initially, the Garden students in the party felt pretty interchangeable due to their lack of character development and similar character design. This issue was further exacerbated by the junction switch function, which allowed all magic and GFs junctioned to be immediately swapped with another character's. Their similarly rectangular character designs didn't help either. (I understand that they were going for realism--hence the lack of deformed character sprites--and you can hand wave their shared social background, but it's pretty bland nonetheless?) Throughout the story each party member did have their stand out moments, though they were sparse. For example, Irvine starts out as a flirty and somewhat un-serious sniper. He chokes during the assassination attempt on Edea, but his hesitance (and familiarity with the female members of the party) gets clarified during the GF memory loss reveal at the start of disk 3.

I felt a bit uncomfortable at some points with how violent the society depicted in FF8 was. Sure, the age of majority might be younger in their society, but they're also being raised as child soldiers? And yet, Edea (while possessed by Ultimecia) manages to order a missile bombing on an entire school of these children (and pit two such schools against each other--putting cadets/actual children at risk!), without any sort of objection from society at large or the schools themselves. A common comment I made through the first two disks was "do they not teach critical thinking at this school?" I guess one could argue for the main party being trained as unquestioning mercenaries, but I don't think their goal to become leaders because of the "fate" Cid envisioned for them was particularly compelling.

Side note on Cid: he keeps urging the party along, but seems to think that his prior preparation by creating Balamb Garden and training them is sufficient; surely he could have taken a more active advisory role along the way besides just throwing Squall into his position.

on Squall's char arc: I liked the asides and getting to hear his thoughts, as well as the option of different dialogue options (though they ultimately did not impact the story). He starts off being incredibly introverted, likely due to his traumatic childhood, but learns to become a leader that relies on others for help, on top of developing a romance with Rinoa, ultimately becoming her knight and promising to keep her in check should she lose control of her powers.

Seifer: Like the rest of the cast, his personality doesn't seem to change much from his childhood to the present. (could attribute to childhood trauma, I guess) Maybe I was lucky with my junctions, but he was a pushover every time the party faced him, rather than a true rival. (Well, it was a 3 v 1 battle, so…) I found it interesting that he recovers his memories of the orphanage around the same time the party does (either told by Edea/Ultimecia, or managed to do it in a different way). Nice that he, too, gets a happy ending (fishing with his buddies, Fujin and Raijin)—but doesn't get much redemption, either.

Laguna and his friends/comrades Kiros and Ward were an interesting diversion from the main plot, giving hints of the world's historical geopolitics to the player as well as context for when the player revisits those locations in the present. He seems to perpetually fail upward, and despite becoming the leader of the most powerful, technologically advanced nation on the planet, still puts the responsibility of defeating Ultimecia on Squall's party, though he sends them off with some encouragement about the power of friendship.

Ellone seemed to be more of a plot device than an actual character. She was a perpetual damsel in distress; Laguna, then Cid and Edea, then Squall were constantly chasing after her to ensure her safety, with the party only hearing about her in relation to other people. She initially sends Squall into Laguna's consciousness in a fruitless attempt to give her adoptive mother, Raine, a better death (or prevent it altogether). She also inadvertently helps Laguna and friends via infusion of Squall's power. She finally understands that she can't change the past, though she can (by proxy) experience it for herself.

plot/story?

The reveal that GF use causes memory loss seemed too convenient, but in the context of the game's outlandish plot, not unrealistic? Regardless, Irvine staying silent about it for an entire disk seemed odd; you'd think he'd at least make a comment about Edea/Matron during the assassination beyond just chickening out.

Time compression: I guess it works? It taps into some primal fear of time passing/memory loss/eventual death, and subsequently being forgotten. Even if the delivery was haphazard at times, I feel like some of the themes definitely resonated with me, particularly with respect to memory loss.

I feel like some of my peers fear getting older. A friend talked about traveling to Korea for leisure (but also to get plastic surgery). There's anything inherently wrong with wanting to look or feel younger or healthier or more like oneself; it's just that there's some denial embedded in it all. My own parents, too, talk about their own mortality, especially since their peers are getting old and sick and dying; those things are a guarantee—"when it's too late". We arguably don't know how to talk to each other in the present—their most common sentence starter is "remember when-?" as if I would remember the way I was as a child.

Beyond natural decay, in undergrad I dealt with poor mental health, and large parts of that time of my life are just gone. It's been several years, and I've healed from it enough to forget my own forgetfulness. Even now, I sometimes thumb through old journal entries going "oh, I guess that happened." (Potential knowledge gaps with respect to my professional career aside, I'm disappointed that I forgot the good times that I had and the friendships I made amidst everything going on.)

I don't really have an answer to these things beyond "oh, it just is what it is." The quite cliche'd sayings about living in the present are probably right, after all. The best I—and FF8's party—can do is to be confident about oneself in the here and now and keep moving forward.

gameplay

I didn't really mesh with the gameplay, either. Because of the game's reputation and my own miserly RPG-playing tendencies, I was afraid to level or spend magic unless absolutely necessary (e.g., for healing/recovery, and even GF abilities replaced those over time). I stuck to drawing from and carding enemies, refining the materials from cards, and junctioning that magic to stats. However, I was hesitant to refine materials, in case they became useful for weapon upgrades, or in case I got better refinement abilities (e.g., maybe I could use a wizard stone for Curaga instead of Firaga). I know that the "proper" way to amass magic for junctioning is farming Triple Triad, but I only played a couple games before deciding to do it the more grindy way. (I've played my share of Triple Triad in FF14, but I'm honestly not that big of a fan.)

Early in the game, I found that GF spam was quite effective, since it did significantly more damage than the party's attacks. For example, while escaping from X-ATM092 during the SeeD exam, the party had to do about 1.5k damage each time—doable with about 3 GF summons but much longer with standard attacks that did double-digit damage. After the party had improved stats, though, I didn't feel like sitting through the entire GF animation each time and instead favored standard physical attacks.

Until disk 3, I carded/drew from enemies as convenient, but I didn't go out of the way to farm. Boss battles dragged on a bit, but with decent junctions (e.g., sleep to ST-Atk-J on human enemies) nothing was too challenging. I was a bit worried about my subpar gameplay going into the endgame, though. After obtaining the Ragnarok, I spent an hour hopping around the Islands Closest to Heaven and Hell mindlessly drawing spells for stat upgrades. I also farmed cactuars for AP to max out all of my GFs' abilities.

My endgame build involved junctioning triple (one of the higher, but not the highest stat modifier) to each of my character's Str stats and using the standard physical attack each turn. Since there are only 2 GFs that naturally learn Str-J, I overwrote a third's Magic ability with the same so that all three characters could benefit. For bosses, my strategy was casting meltdown to increase the potency of physical attacks, then using the two other characters in the party as support for Squall's LB spam (keeping everyone healed/buffed and Squall buffed with Aura, attacking normally when it was safe to do so).

One of my gameplay highlights occurred while trying to get Bahamut as a GF. I didn't think to buff everyone with shell, so after a nasty megaflare, only Squall was left standing. Angelo was the MVP, though: he revived Rinoa, and the next turn used wishing star (dealing almost 80k damage!) to defeat the boss. (That was the first and last time I've seen him use that limit break; the party needs to be practically dead for that to occur.)

Ultimecia's Castle was definitely a highlight as well. I liked how it sealed off all abilities (besides the standard attack) to start, and defeating each boss enabled the party to unlock one new ability. In between each boss were little puzzles that involved both the main and secondary parties. Even if my main strategy was standard attack spam, I had to think a bit more about junctioning beyond using the "Auto" junction function. For example, one of the bosses attacks with high level thunder magic; by junctioning lightning to Elem-Def-J, those attacks could be minimized (or even used to heal). For the final boss fight, I managed to die to Griever's Shockwave Pulsar a couple times before playing it super safe and keeping all the characters topped off and shelled.

music highlights

FF8 has my favorite soundtrack of the FF games I've played so far, likely because of its use in the FF14 Eden raids. (When I first set foot outside Balamb Garden and heard "Blue Fields", I was transported back to The Empty. Similarly, when I heard Don't Be Afraid, my first reaction was "oh, that's Cloud of Darkness!") The Eden's Promise tier was where I learned to raid and also where I made most of the friends I play and raid with now, so I have a lot of fond memories associated with the music.

misc

In addition to the music, I had a couple "Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme" moments while playing the game. Voidwalker (E2) is reminiscent of Adel's fight, where Sorceress Adel junctions Rinoa, physically connecting her to her chest and siphoning hp from her each turn. As referenced in FF14's Oracle of Darkness fight, Ultimecia casts Hell's Judgement (reducing party HP to 1) as her opening move in her final form. An astute Twitter user also pointed out parallels in the ending cutscenes.

Side note: I appreciate how various fan translations of Ultimecia's speeches further elaborate on how Griever was created, as well as her motives.

conclusion/next steps

There's a lot of creativity that can go into the junction/magic system and "break" the game. For example, once Rinoa becomes a sorceress, she gains "Angel Wing" as a limit break, which is effectively a berserk magic form that has her cast offensive spells from her inventory repeatedly without depleting those stocks. So, should she only have Ultima and Meteor stocked, the AI will favor Meteor (the "weaker" spell), allowing her to do ridiculous amounts of multi-hit damage every turn. I certainly know more for a second playthrough, but I don't think I'd want to play through again anytime soon.

I'll probably just uninstall for now; with my current stats, I don't think I'll have a fruitful time tackling the Ultima or Omega weapons. Plus, if I want to play Triple Triad (with better QOL) I can always do that in FF14. I'm glad I got to experience the game, though, and draw my own conclusions about the story.

[lousirs]

I WAS WRITING THE HEADCANONS BUT THEY GOT DELETED!! RAGING!! anyways, take two under the cut lol:

The backup singers (Jack-Charles/Connor/William)

i believe in the concept art, they are called "The Lousirs" (oh hey it's my username) but I personally call them "The Triple Fries" after that one lyric from Ugly Truth that no one understands:

Somewhere the lyrics was "Back that hip like Triple Fry" and I've been running with it since. I don't know what a triple fry is, but it's them now. (The true triple fries was within them the entire time)

They are always together, similarly to the spy bi girls. Probably because they share a braincell, who knows. They are only apart during class.

Jack-Charles is the melodramatic 'leader' (there is no leader, he just likes to think that he is) Connor is the gremlin silly, and William is the most wholesome out of the group.

They are totally Lou's hypemen. If Lou says something snarky, they'll be the guys in the back saying "OOHHHHH!!!". Also the type to chant "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Susan

CERTIFIED LOU SIMP. YOU SAW THE WAY SHE LOOKED AT LOU.

Seems like the type that if you're friends with her, she's real nice, but if not she'll totally gossip about you.

Probably a brat. love her tho

She's dating Tris cause I said so

Not sure what her skill would be... Perhaps a seamstress cause she was talking about how nicely the skirts were crafted idk.

Tris

She's a DJ, or something music-y. She helps UglyDog with his dope BEATS

She's quite shy, but very passionate about music. Probably likes rock or punk music.

Susan is her 'outsider opinion' when it comes to her new tracks, although she always gives positive feedback no matter what because they're (girl)friends

Marcus, Meghan and Michael

The M'n'M'n'M friend group! They are the friends you wanna have

Meghan and Michael became friends as soon as the met (I think they'd have a sibling dynamic). Marcus is the introvert they adopted into the group later on

Michael is a total scaredy-cat. Like, he seems all confident and almost fancy when you meet him, but then a bug appears and he's screaming and running for the hills. Meghan and Marcus are more level-headed and are there to sort things.

Meghan, similarly to Michael, has two sides. She is normally cheery and sweet, but she can be very serious and logical when she needs to be.

The three still lowkey admire Lou. Not for his actions, no, but rather for his aura. He had such a cool essence about him. Michael I feel like would sometimes try to mimic this aura (acting all cool and smug) but fail miserably because he is just a silly. I love Michael a lot, don't know if you can tell lmao.

Cole and Amanda

I would be lying if I said I haven't drawn these two more than once. I love them very much also.

Cole is a psychologist, Amanda is a therapist. They probably have a little place where dolls can go to talk about their struggles. Especially after Lou's downfall. They help dolls who have been affected by his actions. ...They perhaps also help Lou, who knows.

These two are dating, also cause I said so.

Cole is more logical and straight-forward and Amanda is more emotional and sometimes sugar-coats things so that she doesn't make anyone upset. They are both very sweet and kind when you talk to them. Very supportive dolls you can trust.

They're both friends of Nolan, as they were the first dolls he interacted with before Nolan talked to Kitty (and doomed himself). I feel like Nolan has anxiety (self-projection yipee) and Cole and Amanda help him through it.

Okok I always imagined them helping Nolan with his anxiety and stuff, and he learns how to start conversations (cause he always had trouble socialising if someone didn't talk to him first). They were like "We're so proud of him! I'm sure he's going to make good decisions!" ...And then the first doll talks to is Lou, the doll who basically destroyed his self-esteem. They watch on with confusion spread across their face.

Rhidian

SPOOKY GHOST!!!

As it said on the drawing, he's one of the victims of recycling. (perhaps due to some imperfection on his torso, as it's no longer there)(maybe the fabric of his torso is mix-matched or something). I feel that Lou would use recycling as a last resort, but Rhidian unfortunately was one of Lou's limited recycles.

He was probably a cool dude when he was still around. Very chill.

Nowadays, he haunts the institute, acting as a audience member that only Lou can see (perhaps due to his regret, who knows).

hooh, that was a lot. if you peeps wanna send me some of your headcanons (about literally any character in this silly movie) i'd love to hear them!

fun fact: i really really really really like the background prettydolls THEY ARE SO FUN.

i have headcanons for them and everything... uhm uh

anyways, i named the ones that didn't have headcanoned/canon names (so... susan, tris, marcus... and credits to my sis for naming cole and amanda)

i've seen two names for the green-eyed back up singer so idk he has a double barrelled name now yipee

and a bonus doodle:

there's a torsoless background doll which i named rhidian. because i turn animation mistakes into character doodles (as one should)

[funkymbtifiction]

Might not be a relevant observation..

Is there any chance that as one matures, they're defined or admired by what their tertiary function develops into, i.e. how it has processed the information and led to change in the individual's strengths?

Briefly, are our tertiary functions sort of hidden treasures and our delayed rewarding interests? Again, would we seek to live life and learn to be better with inferior functions...the way every individual must learn to balance themselves, say a very serious person must learn to be mindful and carefree and thus are acknowledged as such?

Based on observations of few older, mature isfps, who are very wise, sensible, philosophical and grounded and have right insight even more so than intuitives and somehow are known for this admirable personality.

Similarly, the compassion that i feel coming off an intj seems so very endearing and tender than from feelers.

You say, a sensor/thinker won't be as good as an intuitive/sensor. I can't say that holds true regarding some people I've observed.

Any advice you've to have a grounded wisdom and philosophy?

(p s. Just a note, regarding intps, how their ti helps them understand and analyse texts and scripts is what I've observed too, i love the expressions of how they philosophise and analyse and creatively process ideas be it off a book or a film.

This might seem very low graded but as an Ni dom i too find reading poems difficult, i don't always get the themes of what I'm watching, reading, I'm always pondering something but not in the right direction. I hope I could direct myself to such ideas and philosophical themes presented in so amd so. )

Your lower functions mature as you age, yes, and become more noticeable. They are also often a source of fascination for the person using them (I can do this... this is so interesting... let's explore this more in my free time!) and so the third function is often fairly well-developed by your 30s. The inferior one, of course, takes longer. For obvious reasons, extroverted third functions are more noticeable to others than introverted third functions. An ITJ may, for example, have a very Fi-ish attitude of "live and let live" (let me live as I want, and I won't interfere with how you want to live), whereas an EFP will have a strong, obvious Te in a lot of situations (frankness, directness, facts, and clear communication or strategies). An ISP can develop insights into human (and often animal) behaviors. Etc.

The people who grow the most are those that allow themselves the down time required to process everything they are learning, feeling, developing, and as such, mature enough to bring themselves into balance. Some of this happens naturally as people slow down when they get older, and they realize that life is precious and short, so some things are not worth the effort or as upsetting as they seemed when young, but consciously choosing to do it gets you further along. :)

[witchthewriter]

Hi! I'm here for the open ships! My pronouns are she/her, and I am bisexual! A bit about my personality would be that while I can act very serious, or get angry quite easily, I can also act a lot like a child and I love to talk to people about the things I'm passionate about, whether that be a hobby, a book, a character, or something they're doing! Probably my biggest hobby is writing, and I love to get warped into worlds of my creation, and I also love to pick out different outfits, especially for summer, I also love roller and ice skating and talking with friends! Whether that be texting, talking, or running through a mall with them and going through random shops for fun! A few things I dislike would probably be loud cafes, not being left alone, and people constantly badgering me about the same thing or people just using me.

Fandoms I am doing this for:

A Court Of Thorns and Rose, Grishaverse, and Stranger Things (or Harry Potter if you don't know what to do for ST)

Want to be shipped? Here be the instructions 🦋

Thank you so so so much for participating!!! You sound like such a fun girlie <3 Wish we could be friends irl; also I would love to talk about books and characters WHENEVER YOU WANT pls I love talking about books

What each ship has in common:

⋆ Charismatic  ⋆ Independent ⋆ Kind-hearted ⋆ Badass ⋆ Surprising 

𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 ��𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Mor! (My fancast for her is Margot Robbie). I think she would really suit your playful yet sometimes introverted personality. You would definitely feel safe with Mor, as well as loved and cared for. She would absolutely spoil you rotten.

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・She would take you out to the best restaurants, the finest boutiques and gift you the most exquisite jewellery. 

・Meeting the Inner Circle and Cassian bounding over and squishing you into a bear hug. I think Cassian would definitely be one of your closest friends. The absolute mayhem you would cause – all Mor can do is laugh. 

・Slow dancing when dinner is cooking; she holds you close and rests her forehead against yours. 

・Getting dressed together and picking out each other’s outfits

・Mor has the BEST clothes too. Like imagine a walk-in wardrobe but bigger. It was literally a shock to see. 

𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Genya!!! Similarly to Mor you guys would bond through friendship then the feelings would morph into romance. You were hesitant about her at first, but that was due to the rumours at the Little Palace. Genya actually turned out to be a wonderful person.

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・You guys would have so so so much fun with her tailoring abilities. Changing up your appearance but also doing it to mess with people

・Defending her against anyone/everyone. She gets a lot of nasty looks, and even then you’ll ask what their problem is.

・She loves your company; even before getting together, she would seek you out. You were her solace. A safe place in a scary home. 

・Genya didn’t want to be with you at first - only because she thought you would be shunned as well. She didn’t want your life to get harder just because of her. 

・Picking flowers for her in the morning and placing them behind her ear

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Steve Harrington! I think you two would be the ultimate couple <3 Everyone would want to have the type of relationship that you guys have. It’s pretty iconic. He would mesh well with how you like to be social, but never push you to go anywhere you don’t want to. Honestly, Steve is a gentleman and has grown a lot since high school.

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・LOVES going skating with you. He’s like a baby giraffe and cannot stand up without your help but you guys have so much fun. It’s so funny to watch too –    

“Y/N! Y/N I’m going to fall!! Why is this so difficult!!! Y/N!!!!”

・Dustin LOVES YOU, he probably has a crush on you tbh. But he thinks you and Steve are really good together. It gives him hope for his future. 

・El and Max coming to you for advice; you being like their cool older sister who does their make up and hair. I can totally see you apart of the mall sequence where your running into every shop and trying things on

・Steve spends a LOT of time at your house. Your parents absolutely love him, and they were shocked at how respectful he was. So they feel comfortable with him being in your room

・He would love to spoil you, I mean he doesn’t have that much money and you tell him to save it instead. But he can’t help it, so you told him to get creative with his gifts. And he started giving you like homemade jewellery, he learned to bake etc., 

[cosmicangst]

all of tears of themis ml have such great dynamics with the mc and i enjoy all of them but Luke’s relationship with her is the one that breaks my heart the most and I’ve only recently started looking into it reading dates and his personal story. What is your take on all the boys’ relationship/dynamic with mc? Sorry if this is too long of a question, feel free to ignore me if it’s too much of a hassle!! Have a blessed day❤️

they really do! and no worries at all i love babbling

for me, a main theme that resounds in every boy's “route” is loneliness and possibly alienation in pursuit of a higher goal or ideal (which ties w the other theme of mental illnesses/disorders prevalent in a lot of their cases.) it's no wonder that the plot really kicks into gear with rosa joining the nxx, which was created for the purpose of bringing these individual, disparate professionals together for the purpose of addressing the insidiousness brewing under stellis's chrome gilded facade. they're stronger together than apart. rosa having special ties with each of them is one of the few who can see their more genuine sides, which is part of the reason why they gravitate to her. as such, their individual and unique dynamics shine less on the fluff (which are cute) but on the ones where she bumps heads with them directly or they both come across a bump that parts the curtain of that persona.

marius is the one who i relate to the most and never fails to make me laugh. his dynamic with rosa is fun and playful, which at the end of it, is just a light cover for the deeper care they reserve for each other and masks the complex underpinnings of what's really happening. i've talked extensively about marius and rosa before so i'm going to leave him out of this one

artem wing

artem is my favorite archetype and personal bias. he’s a hyper-competent, gentle but challenging mentor at work and an introverted, nurturing, and obviously lonely man who didn't really have the space or time to explore or indulge what it really meant to be young.

as a prodigy, artem fully dedicated every part of himself to his career. he often highlights his "boring" personality, his straitlaced manner and inability to relate to people on a casual level as points of insecurity. because of his lack of experience in relationships and the persona he's cultivated for work (involuntarily or not) as an intimidating perfectionist, artem is less secure in his pursuit. where the other guys, marius and vyn notably, will flirt openly with her, artem will step back either from his own professionalism or his own lack of candor in being so open. he's a private person who's probably kept a lot of his own self that didn't fit with being a career man in the back. being confronted for the first time with a woman that he wants and who similarly pushes him past his comfort zones, these repressed sides come out in unexpected and sometimes childish ways (see: atmospherics ssr) and quite possibly once they get together, he'd probably be the clingiest boyfriend ever lmao (outside of marius maybe but i think marius would be only half-serious about it)

out of everyone, i posit he spends the most consistent time with her (in current day.) for being the most reticent, artem is possibly the most “what you see is what you get” kind of person. i really can't imagine him indulging in some kind of nefarious agenda or plot or hiding some dark, secret background the way i sometimes indulge for the others when i hc. he and rosa share the same means and the same ends, and on the occasions they differ on the means, he would rather she commit to her ideals rather than mold herself to fit into his own (that fight they have in episode 2 of his personal story is quite possibly my favorite rosa-li interaction so far.) he’s her steady rock. at the end of the day, he just wants to do his job right and be loved for his mundane normalcy and rosa wants to develop into the kind of genius of artem’s caliber and find someone who can recognize her efforts. they both teach and learn from each other all the time. whether it’s their careers or their relationship, they’re always making an effort to meet each other halfway.

luke pearce

luke is rosa's history and foundation and our only point of reference for who she was before the story began. he knows rosa and her family. he is her family, romanced or not. even if she did get together with someone else, he's the most inevitable presence in her life (with death being literally the only thing that would keep him away.)

he knows sides of her the others haven’t even seen or learned yet. it’s with him that we see those sides she thought she had already left behind. because of their history and the fact that he's the closest to her in age (along with marius but the fact that he's even younger adds a unique layer to their own dynamic), rosa doesn't have the hangups of deference and respect for her seniors the way she does for artem and vyn. she does respect luke and is constantly wowed by his abilities but he's already familiar to her. she witnessed him in the trials of puberty so like they're well past that stage of awkwardness and initial distance in friendships. as such, she has more shorthands in their interactions. she can make fun of him, push him to a certain extent, and not be worried about turning him away completely.

but their layers of knowledge about the other does add some complexity to their closeness, in that they know each other like family but some parts of themselves are essentially strangers they’ve developed in the eight years they’ve been apart. luke wants her to retain the purity of their childhood memories and doesn’t want to sully that by showing his more coarsened and merciless sides, even if that means keeping her at some distance. plus the fact that he’s on a literal timer that she knows nothing about adds a sense of tragedy to even their most lighthearted moments.

along with artem, luke is the most reserved in his pursuit of her, which is not based on an internal insecurity but rather the more immediate, external threat of his death. he knows and hates himself for playing the losing game of spending more time with her. aaron is the only one who hasn't given up on him yet (and rosa would be too if she knew) but luke has little optimism for the future. if rosa found out and there was truly nothing to be done, she would stay with him regardless and try to concentrate on the present and not on the little time they have left together. luke knows this and wants to prevent as much heartbreak as he can. but in his years of isolation doing missions and possibly risking his life, he's cultivated this sense that he knows best ultimately, not realizing or perhaps in denial that abandoning her to ignorance is actually the most heartbreaking thing he can do.

vyn richter

vyn…. idek where to start with vyn. vyn is a fascinating contradiction between gentle menace and sly sweetness (and to a more subdued extent, the genteel noble and the cutthroat brute.) i think it's funny that he and artem share a similar worry that their "perfectionism" prevents her from relating to them. but where artem fears that she puts him on a pedestal as her "idol of worship," vyn worries whether she'll put her trust and intimacy into someone else because he's not capable of fully caring for her needs. out of everyone, i think vyn is the most possessive of her esteem and attention and the most likely to retaliate against any interlopers in his own quiet and cunning way.

luke and vyn share similarities in that they'd both willingly embrace the role of the "god of death" if it meant rosa's well-being and achievement of her goals. but where luke would possibly lose a little sleep in the thought of what breaking his moral boundaries would mean for him personally and how rosa would view him, vyn would sleep like a baby lmao vyn is like the bane to luke's batman ("you merely adopted the dark..." ok lol i'll stop.) he's self-possessed about every aspect of himself, both the good and the bad and his only worry is his inefficiency. he doesn't want to just support her; he wants to be the best out of everyone to the point that he will always be the one she seeks out.

idk all the details about his background but it appears to me that he felt choked by the constrictions (and possible hypocrisy) of his nobility, which has colored his general pragmatism and morality. as such, whether he was alienated by others or purposely alienated himself from the people and views of his upbringing, rosa's entrance to his life seems almost like a rebirth of sorts that accompanies his immigration into this new country and this new name.

uniquely, he seems to test her to approaching certain lines that the other lis steer clear of, which only ever end with her confirming her principles (and making him want her even more lol) where rosa will always consider the law and the right way to do things, vyn will default to his inner sense of right and wrong by his own judgment and desires regardless of what propriety or law demands. he talks like a gentleman but he knows how to act like the opposite if it’s for a purpose he deems as right and just. you notice in the promo art ft rosa as the statue of themis that vyn is the one taking off her blindfold (aka her impartiality)? he would always want her to pursue the truth in her own way but i get the sense that he would have no qualms dirtying his hands and working in the shadows to help her bring the truth to the light. he’s the other, darker side of her coin for better or worse

[varusai]

🌹 ROSE - do they like valentines day? have they been confessed to before? have they confessed to anyone before?🎀 RIBBON - how would they fit into other worlds / aus? what aus would you like to try out? what fictional world would they fit / not fit into?💤 SLEEPING - do they fall asleep easily? what helps them🍰 CAKE SLICE - favourite cake flavour? are they specific about types of cakes?(I'm not sure if you're doing this anymore, but could you possibly do this for Thace, Ulaz and Sniv?)

just a heads up, this was an oc ask thing that i was doing for pbp, hence why it was tagged with sendak, haxus, and shiro, since they're the main characters who have shown up in the fic and have a lot of characterization. ngl i dont remember who sniv was so that ones out. and thace and ulaz haven't shown up yet so they haven't reached oc status but i do have personality hcs for them so here we go

🌹 ROSE- do they like valentines day? have they been confessed to before? have they confessed to anyone before?

i don't hc that galra have a 1 on 1 equivalent to valentines day, but a major part of galra culture when dealing with serious romantic relationships are the declaration and gifts to follow. and since i ship thace and ulaz, it was thace who 'confessed'. It was gonna be him or nothing because ulaz actually thinks a lot of that shit is silly and ridiculously performative. he's very private and introverted and actually wasn't too happy about it but they got it all worked out.

🎀 RIBBON - already answered. not for thace or ulaz specifically but the answer is still the same.

💤 SLEEPING - do they fall asleep easily? what helps them

rip to them because neither of them fall asleep easily lmao. the stress and anxiety of being undercover really takes it out of them and they've both developed pretty bad insomnia. especially thace, since his position is the most precarious and difficult to maintain. ulaz gets off a little easier since his position is not directly in the public eye, but the extended amount of time around haggar and the druids is similarly stressful. leads to a lot of paranoia. he both has trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

as for what helps?? nothing really. medication is off the table because it could mess with alertness upon waking if there's an emergency so the only option is to just deal with it. both of them tend to keep themselves very busy. work work work until they just drop and finally sleep. especially ulaz, he's notorious for this.

thace is somewhat better off due to the fact that he does have actual friends in high command. the op requires him to socialize and network and he's in tight with all the different cmdr/lt teams that rotate through central command. so spending time with other people and resting communally when he's comfortable enough to do so helps him. especially when haxus is around since haxus knows about him being a blade agent and spy and really doesn't care.

🍰 CAKE SLICE - favorite cake flavor? are they specific about types of cakes?

thace actually doesn't like cake or really sweet stuff at all lol. much more of a sour flavors person. or kind of the lightly sweet but mostly spicy deserts, so he really wouldn't touch cake with a ten-foot pole.

ulaz however loves cake. fruit flavor specifically, and nothing that's super dense or overly rich because it will make him sick.

[austennerdita2533]

Hi to my friend and favorite Austen scholar :) I was wondering if you consider Darcy and Elizabeth an example of the opposites attract trope? I get that they APPEAR very different, with Lizzie exuberant and prone to laughing and teasing while Darcy is a fundamentally serious, reserved introvert. But as I reread and rewatch, I'm struck by how alike I think they actually are. They're both very critical, discerning and quick to judge, they're both extremely clever and intelligent, they're both very insightful (though, like all of us, only when it comes to people other than themselves and those they're closest to!), they're both close to very few but fiercely loyal and loving towards those they do let in, they're both very analytical and contemplative, they're both too stubborn and prideful and reluctant to change their ways until they both learn that's more a sign of strength than weakness. I could bore you by rambling further, but hopefully you get the point! I'm curious whether you agree that they're actually more fundamentally similar than different...? Or am I just as off base as usual?!

Hello lovely, and what a good question!

You know, I've always considered Darcy and Elizabeth to be opposites on the surface but then quite similar beneath it. (That probably reads like a bit of a cop out on my part, but I think it makes sense if you slice it apart.) I'd argue that combination is largely what makes them such a captivating pairing overall.

The so-called "opposite" attributes Darcy and Elizabeth possess work in a two-fold fashion. On the one hand, it explains why they butt heads in the beginning because, in personality, not to mention in the manner in which they're both able to interact with people - acquaintances and/or strangers, especially - they are diametrically opposed. She's extroverted, lively, good humored, and easy to engage in conversation. He's severe, socially inept, broody, and reserved to the point of being almost monosyllabic at the best of times. That difference fosters a lot of tension between them initially. They don't know what to make of each other. How to interact. It also helps to create, elongate, and preserve the canyon of misunderstanding that makes up their dynamic for the first half of the book.

On the other hand, the differences in their dispositions are also where hardcore attraction comes into play. They both gravitate toward, seek to investigate, rather, the qualities the other person has that they do not. It's like catnip. Draws them in like magnets. They're both similarly afflicted in that regard, I'd say.

Darcy is bewitched by Elizabeth's vivacity and openness, by her ability to laugh at the absurdity that is present throughout society. She's easy among new company where he is stilted, uncomfortable, and he LIKES being around her because of that. It draws him out of his shell. Forces him to be more present and attentive, even if "more present" manifests only in the heady looks he shoots at her from across the ballroom. He's stimulated by her wit, by her teasing. She astonishes him (in a good way), keeps him on his toes, and that's exciting...erotic.

Elizabeth, too, even in her most fastidious "I have never sought your good opinion" moments can't help but be caught up in the enigma that is Darcy. Arrogant and taciturn though he seems, his aloofness, as well as the natural reserve which surrounds him, makes him equal parts interesting and grating to her because she's unable to fully figure him out. She tries to glean what she can about him from observation, from limited time spent in his company, but he's essentially a lockbox (rude!), so instead she has to rely on the gossip that other people (Wickham) have related, and even then she's not satisfied. She still wants to know more. Needs to know more about who he is. She says herself that the different accounts she's heard of him "puzzle her exceedingly." The point here being that she can't stop trying to puzzle out the man from the second they meet no matter how hard she tries. She's caught up without realizing just how caught up she is. I mean, even when she's declaring she hates him I'd argue there's still a part of her that's more enthralled with him than anything. He remains an unsolved mystery, which is maddening as well as a little dazzling; so conscious or not, she feels a pull toward him. It cannot be helped. She's in over her head. I believe she's desperate to know if there's more to him than meets the eye (though she'd rather die than admit such a thing.) So really, his introversion has its own attractions for her as well--it keeps her probing, orbiting.

Like you mentioned, too, Darcy and Elizabeth have a lot of traits in common. They're clever, contemplative, critical, astute, and stubborn, to name a few. However, where the juxtaposition comes into the mix is how these things are expressed in their individual personalities. Because, in that regard, they do express or convey these traits differently. I think that's where the "opposites attract" trope could apply.

That said, Darcy and Elizabeth do both face similar conflicts throughout the novel. They're each prideful in their own way and must learn how to overcome their own snobbery, their own criticisms of people. I think we tend to overlook that as something they share because of how it manifests, again, with respect to their individual personalities and social classes. But without that tenet of similarity tying them together there'd be no romantic tension in the novel. That's the whole point of conflict upon which the whole plot turns - their respective (and mutual!) pride and prejudice. Also, if they both weren't loyal and protective of those they loved most in the world, and if they hadn't had a mutual evolution where they'd learned not to be so quick to judge others and forgive past grievances, then the romantic resolution between them would have fallen flat. As readers, we wouldn't have been rooting so hard for them to be together if they hadn't had those things in common. Right?

Part of the reason we consider Darcy and Elizabeth to be well-matched match by the end of the story is because they're opposites on the surface who are bound by the same moral fiber - character - underneath. They're good people who have made and learned from their own mistakes. That growth is what matters. It's because of their mutual self-reflection and self-improvement that they're able to come together to form a healthy union.

In my estimation Darcy and Elizabeth are similar in all the big ways that matter - smart, devoted, forgiving, dependable, loving, etc. - and different in ways - cheerful, stoic, witty, quiet, rich, bougie etc. - that allows their dynamic to feel fresh and surprising...not to mention swoon worthy as hell!

[luna-whiskers]

In general, do you prefer ships with people who contrast/complement each other, ones where their similarities help them bond, or a combination? I feel like Usagi and Mamoru were meant to be the former, but in what ways do you think they're similar? What about your other major ships?

I have a lot of ships that could fall into either of those categories, and a lot of ships that are a mix of both. What makes a ship work for me tends to be whether the characters are complementary or not. That doesn’t necessarily mean similarities or differences, that means whether the similarities and differences they have actually fit together in a way that feels right. It’s about bringing out the best in each other instead of exacerbating the worst. Like, one of the reasons that Reinako appeals to me so much is because I feel like they balance each other’s extremes while also relating to each other on a deeper level. On the other hand, I find Minako/Kunzite really appealing because they are similarly driven and duty-oriented. 

Like, an example of a ship that I can’t see working because the characters are too similar is Mamoru/Ami. I absolutely love them as friends because they have so much in common. As a ship? I can’t see that working. They both tend to internalize problems and quietly suffer instead of talking out their feelings, which I think would just compound any conflict they might have. I’d rather see both of them with somebody who would be able to help them open up a bit.

With Usagi and Mamoru, they start out looking like complete opposites, with him being more of a serious introvert and her being a cheerful extrovert. But it becomes clear over time that they share the same values and desires. Mamoru seems mysterious and aloof, but he is actually very sensitive and has a sense of humor. Usagi seems like a goofball and an airhead, but she is actually serious about the things that matter most to her. They work well together because they compensate for each other’s flaws, while being alike in all the ways that matter most.