#this is about like 4 different characters

[magentacravat]

@greatqueenanna I am sorry i just replied you rn (4 years later), i got overwhelmed, didn't know how to reply and forgot about this post lol.

Despite them each other having different tone of skin, hair, eyes, etc to each other, i think they are still looks pretty distinctive looks that makes them still different from Arendellian. I don't think it even need deep analysis to notice.

All Northuldran have higher cheekbones, more structure face, and dark hair. All of them looks the same, and it's understandable. Even the picture of sami people (that they use as inspiration and reference for Northuldran people) are all have their own distinctive look. Like i can see they have features you can say "Oh they looks like sami people". Honestly, i don't see them as diverse, except different hair color.

Only Arendellian that have diverse look to it's people.

Of course they have "Eurocentric" features, Norway is in Europe hehehehe

I don't think it was deceptive of me to compare Iduna and Honeymaren because at the time the movie only explained that Iduna was from Northuldra, Honeymaren is from Northuldra, thus why i was questioning "Why she looks different alone????" Why is that made me deceptive? It was the most logical thing to compare them.

Of course it was before "Dangerous Book" released, so no explanation for Iduna being adopted. If i do that now, sure it makes me stupid. But still, if they have intention making Iduna as "Native" so they can make her as the representation of certain group they tried to represented, why didn't they make it more vague? Like, simply made some of the Northuldran have similar face like Iduna.

I didn't mean to deny Iduna's heritage, i surely should have wrote it better, but please forgive me for my lack of skill for the languange (I am not english speaker and sadly it happened a lot). I am more into feeling enough and complained a lot how Disney and several Hollywood's movie production at the time very "shamelessly" making movies that said they want to represent certain minority group but only if it is fit to their narrative or if it is fits for the plot only but never taken seriously. It's like making a biography about black person that have skin and look as Viola Davis, then choose Zendaya to play the part. Or making the plot with the character from SEA native, yet casted an East Asian actor/actrees for it. I hope you get what i mean and what i aim to.

Sure it sounds insensitive when it just simply taken "Oh you surely not A-Race cause you don't look like it" But, that's what based on my though about it, so i also feel it's pretty insensitive for people to refuse to acknowledge that things like that happen too. Things like "the presented group doesn't really presented as how they should be".

Disney have many routes to play this "Oh they related to Northuldra", they can make Kristoff related to them, they can make Elsa-Anna's grandma related to them, they can make them their early ancentors, etc. But they choose to label an already existed character with already well known look to fit into a certain group of people just so they can make it a love story and suddenly the genocide never happen and suddenly the Northuldran just "have to" forgive the sisters, like do you realize how terrible that sounds? Many movies, stories, anything use this kind of plot to make people tolerate colonizers being colonizers in their colony's land, look at Pocahontas story made by Disney (althou i LOVE that movie), it happened a lot and i just feel tired when i see it Disney did it in Frozen 2 too.

But, thankfully, in the last of 4 years, more people seems to be more aware of it and dare to speak up about it. I am truly sorry, i just realized how it seems like my topic went everywhere. I really appreciate your reply in the reblog, i've seen you have a pretty trustful reputation in frozen fandom community with your dicussion, so hopefully i get to deliver my reply pretty well 😓

“PART OF THEM”

It still absurd to me whenever i read articles or when Disney said “Idunna is actually native Northuldran”. Like…. Wheeeere?

They portrayed this Northuldran have their own characteristic like higher and prominent cheekbones, wider space between eyes, almond and upturned eyes, wilder nose, stronger jawline, and DARKER SKIN.

And then they show Idunna who is looks like nothing resemble and Northuldran. They tried to show her part of “native” with her darker skin while she was A CHILD like that even not making more laughable.

She have this pretty princess normal Arendelle type face, extremely pale, nothing like the Northuldran. Does our appearance can drastically change depends on where we live? Will i be suddenly have caucasian’s characteristic if i ever move to North Europe?

“Skin can be lighter when you grow up.”

Yeah, then at least we can see some Northuldran have skin as light as Elsa then, especially since they never got the sun touch all this time.

I also find it so ridiculous for the part when Elsa and Anna said they are part of them and the Northuldran suddenly just accept them and be like “the past is in the past, forget that they betrayed us and tried to colonize us” despite they just reach there not even 10 minutes ago.

It’s make me thinking, is that how westerners still see native people? Especially to the place they was trying to colonize?

“We are part of you.” Yeah. I think that’s the magic words it seems. At least that’s what they seems to show in the movie.

Maybe because it’s the easiest way to make a community suddenly fond of you and accepting you (althought it’s tacky indeed.)

If they stuck like that because Idunna’s face already default from F1, they can make the Northuldran’s face looks more like Idunna instead. Or maybe making Agnaar’s mother as the one from Northuldra considering we never saw her and they have more freedom to create new character. Or just not making them related and completly making Arendelle have redemption arc towards the Nortuldran.

Not like making Idunna as part of the Northuldran despote she doesn’t resemble anything from her tribe. What is this? Avatar live action by Night M. Shyamalan?

[macgyvermedical]

Reference Guide to Writing Drug Withdrawal

So your character has a substance use disorder (or physical dependence to a substance for another reason). This post will tell you how to write a scene (or story) in which they go through withdrawal.

NOTE: THIS POST DOES NOT INTEND TO COVER ANYTHING EXCEPT WITHDRAWAL, WHICH IS A VERY SMALL PART OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND PHYSICAL DEPENDENCE.

Substance Use Disorders and Physical Dependence:

Substance use disorders are chronic illnesses in which a person continues to use a substance (commonly nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, opioids like heroin or fentanyl, benzodiazepines, etc...) even when acquiring or using the substance can be dangerous or cause significant problems in their life (such as problems with money, safety, law enforcement, job security, child services involvement, or physical problems like wounds, infections, side effects, hangovers, and withdrawal). Substance use disorders are a common cause of physical dependence.

Physical dependence is also it's own problem and can occur for other reasons too. For example, many people take prescription medications that they would go through withdrawal from if stopped abruptly (say, because the pharmacy couldn't fill it in time and they ran out). Assuming that the medication is being taken as prescribed, physical dependence in itself does not mean someone has a substance use disorder.

So what is withdrawal? Withdrawal (sometimes called "detox") is the process by which a body stops being physically dependent on a substance. Generally speaking, it is unpleasant. This is because when a body is exposed to a substance repeatedly, it changes how it functions to accommodate that substance. When the substance is removed, there is a period of time where the body has to re-adjust to not having the substance.

For example, alcohol is very similar to the neurotransmitter (brain chemical) GABA. If you drink a lot of alcohol (more than about 4 drinks per day) for longer than about a month, the body decreases the amount of GABA it makes naturally to accommodate the "fake" GABA from the alcohol. If the alcohol is suddenly removed, the body doesn't have enough GABA, and the effects of not having enough GABA result in withdrawal symptoms.

The difference being, someone taking a medication they no longer want to take can slowly reduce the dose to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Someone with a substance use disorder usually finds cutting back nearly impossible. Because of this, managing physical dependence in someone with substance use disorder generally means giving them a similar substance which they get from a pharmacy and take continuously (methadone, buprenorphine), or a similar substance they can then taper off of in a controlled way (benzodiazepines, gabapentin).

Specific Withdrawal Syndromes:

Alcohol/Benzodiazepines:

These are the only two substances that result in a potentially life-threatening withdrawal syndrome, and it's essentially the same syndrome. As stated above, when taken for either 2 weeks for benzodiazepines or 4 weeks for alcohol, the body decreases the amount of GABA it produces naturally. GABA is the "brake pedal" in the brain, slowing things down and decreasing the amount of activity. If you don't have enough GABA, you get too much activity, which can result in severe anxiety, insomnia, seizures, hallucinations, high blood pressure, temperature, and pulse rate, heart arrhythmias, and confusion.

6-12 hours after a person's last drink, they will experience insomnia, anxiety, tremors, and headache.

12-24 hours after a person's last drink, if untreated with benzodiazepines or gabapentin, they may start to experience hallucinations (they typically know they are hallucinating at this point).

24-48 hours after a person's last drink, if untreated, they may start to experience seizures.

48-72 hours after a person's last drink, if untreated, they may start to experience a severe symptom known as delerium tremens. This is a state where they are hallucinating severely and they don't know they are hallucinating anymore. This is also a state where the person has heart rhythm problems that could result in death. This is the most dangerous period during withdrawal.

If a person makes it through 72 hours, they are usually in the clear as far as life threatening symptoms go, though they may experience mild symptoms like headaches and insomnia for long periods afterwards.

Note that medication for alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal like other benzodiazepines, phenobarbital, and gabapentin are given only for the first 5 days of withdrawal, tapering to lower doses each day. This gets the person through the dangerous part hopefully with no life threatening symptoms. It does not mean all symptoms are controlled, but they are hopefully kept on the milder end while the brain learns to make it's own GABA again.

Opioids:

Opioids include a range of drugs including prescription medications like oxycodone, hydromorphone, and morphine, as well as street drugs like heroin. Today, the street drug supply in many places is heavily adulterated. Many samples of heroin (and even "pressed pills" made to look like prescription opioids) contain the much stronger opioid fentanyl (which increases risk of overdose) and the sedative xylazine (which causes wounds) in addition to the expected heroin or oxycodone.

Opioids work by pretending to be endorphins- another neurotransmitter usually used by the body to reduce pain and stress. Similarly to GABA in alcohol use, the body reacts to having sustained high amounts of fake endorphins by decreasing the amount of endorphins it makes itself. This means, when the opioids are no longer present, the body can't make itself feel good or recover from pain.

There are many parts of the body that endorphins work in, including the brain, gut, nerves, and spine. When they are removed, symptoms include:

Nausea and vomiting.

Diarrhea.

Insomnia.

Anxiety.

Increased body temperature.

Racing heart.

Muscle and bone pain.

Sweating.

Chills.

High blood pressure.

There is not really a universal timeline for these symptoms like there is with alcohol. For someone who primarily uses short-acting opioids, withdrawal begins 8-24 hours after the last use (though anxiety and cravings can start much sooner). For people who primarily use long-acting opioids, withdrawal can take up to 36 hours to begin following the last use. Generally, symptoms peak within 1-3 days after they start, and acute symptoms last 10-14 days.

Unfortunately, someone who has an opioid use disorder will frequently experience cravings for very long periods of time (potentially the rest of their life) after they stop use. For this reason, people do significantly better at reducing or stopping use over the long haul if they are taking an opioid replacement drug like methadone or buprenorphine.

Methadone and buprenorphine are prescription medications that a person goes somewhere each day to get (methadone) or picks up each day from the pharmacy (buprenorphine). The drugs essentially make it so the person won't go into withdrawal and will have significantly fewer cravings for as long as they take the drug.

The management of opioid withdrawal is usually done by switching the person from a street drug to one of these opioid replacement drugs. However, it is important to note that methadone doesn't work immediately (usually it takes about 2-5 days of titrating it up to get it to a high enough dose to work, longer if the person has a very high tolerance). Buprenorphine requires a certain amount of time in withdrawal (usually a day or two) before it can be given, or it can make withdrawal worse instead of better (something called precipitated withdrawal).

Once someone is on one of these medications, they can choose to stay on them (recommended) or taper off (nice to be off meds in theory, but high rates of return-to-use).

Cocaine/Amphetamines:

Instead of pretending to be a neurotransmitter, stimulants like cocaine and amphetamines prevent the body from re-absorbing the neurotransmitter dopamine, leading to a whole bunch of it hanging out in the brain. This increases concentration and energy and boosts mood. However, taken over long periods of time, the brain kind of burns out and fails to respond to the high levels of dopamine.

You may have heard that amphetamines and cocaine don't have withdrawal states. That would be a myth. People who use stimulants repeatedly for long periods frequently have a withdrawal that is essentially the opposite of the effects of stimulants- they feel very tired, have trouble focusing, and feel depressed because their brains can't use dopamine the same way they did before the drug use. This may last for weeks after cessation of stimulants.

Unfortunately, unlike with alcohol and opioids, there's not a ton that can be done for this withdrawal. There have been several studies, including testing medications like the antidepressant mertazapine, the migraine medicine topiramate, as well as naltrexone and buproprion (also an antidepressant).

In Conclusion:

There is so much more to drug use, substance use disorder, and physical dependence than I am covering in this post. I am just covering a small part of physical dependence, however the cause, by discussing the effects and common treatments for withdrawal.

Thank you all for reading this far! I hope you learned something and will use it in your writing!

[fortunelowtier]

Ok so for those who dont know, Hazbin s2 leaked

and I dont mean like a few bits here and there. I mean a MAJORITY of Hazbin Hotel Season 2. Songs, plotlines, storyboards, roughs, entire episodes uninterrupted (albeit JUST the roughs and raw VA audio), character ref sheets, the whole 9 yards. It's hard to get a total count because it's getting stuck down so quick but if I could guess I'd say about 3/4 of S2 has leaked

And the curious part of me started digging into it and looking at everything, there's some shit in there that's managed to make even the most die hard Hazbin fans stop and go "wait what", but among all else im just curious on how this even happens

Like i know the general theory is disgruntled employees but like...a leak of this scale? For damn near 75% of a show headed by the largest company on the planet to leak to the internet in a matter of minutes? They either have really poor security or it's a LOT of disgruntled employees from different departments all leaking at once

[certaintylikelightning]

i feel like something that’s so fun about watching d20 specifically is the intersection of comedy improvisation and roleplaying. like actively choosing your reaction in the moment to make the bit funnier AND incorporating that into your character?

specifically thinking about the way gorgug and kristen as characters walk that line — kristen’s inability to take anything seriously in fhjy is partially ally going for the throat comedically (“what are you, 4 different dogs?”, “heyyy girlie”, stripping down in the hallway, the interaction w her parents) but then it fully becomes part of kristens character arc of “chaos isn’t cute”.

and gorgug at the festival was obviously zac choosing to be the straight man and playing up his reaction for laughs (“the lawnmower? the lawnmower?”) but it also perfectly fits gorgugs character of awkward kid with extremely vocally sex positive parents + barbarian rage = kid who’s absolutely fucking had it today, and just adds that beautiful roundness to gorgugs mostly peaceful character

[raviollies]

actually no im gonna yap

im trying SO HARD to gaslight myself into liking veilguard but so many narrative choices just make me scratch my head. I AM NOT DONE, I currently gotta go to Weisshaupt.

I'll start with things I like so far:

1. I think the game is really pretty and I like the puzzles :) Antiva is GORGEOUS, I think one of the prettiest areas in the entire series.

2. I really like the Minrathous/Treviso choice. More of that please! some actual drama and consequence!

3. Assan is adorable and I cannot walk past without petting him. I didn't anticipate myself liking Davrin so much since I'm usually drawn to magic babies over warriors, but he's probably my favourite alongside Bellara. I think him having left his clan is very interesting narrative choice (I am totally not biased considering it's very similar to Daee's story)

4. Thank you lord almighty for the wardrobe/mirror system. Godbless.

5. Everytime Lucanis speaks I think of Puss in Boots and that brings me great joy. Whimsy even.

6. When you place Tevinter decor in the lighthouse, they have a Hookah right beside a fresco of Solas killing Mythal and that is mind bogglingly hilarious. I do love that the Shadow dragons know how to unwind. We're turning up after fighting for elf rights.

7. Solas surviving entirely on meat, raisins and honey feels very r/malelivingspace

Things I am Not Liking So Far

1.Minrathous feels utterly toothless. Its described as terrible, den of slavery, conversion therapy through blood magic, treatment of elves being terrible - yet we walk around unimpeded. I expected a similar experience as the Winter Palace, or fights that could be avoided if playing as a human.

LAVELLAN is introduced in the TEVINTER TAVERN, wearing TEVINTER CLOTHING, like it doesn't...make much sense to me? Inquisition set up the cross roads with Morrigan AND the Inquisitior, it feels like it would have made much more sense narratively not just from..."I am the fucking Inquisitor In Fucking Minrathous" but "Solas and the crossroads are a vital connecting point of these characters story."

Speaking of Inquisitor, wildly bizarre to me that neither Solas nor Varric comment on you meeting them. Solas has a weird painting of the Inquisitor chair, but you meet the mf face to face and he just does't acknowledge it. I am not a Solavellan player but I felt Really Bad For Them In That Moment.

I think a good moment of comparison is the difference in tone of DAI and DATV...When we find out the orb is elven in DAI, Solas warns us to keep it to ourselves, with Lavellan even remaking that the world will blame us for Corypheus. In DATV, we inform everyone that Elven gods are attacking, and there's no thought or conversation about the impacts of that on Elves in society. The only one to mention it is Davrin way after we've been spilling the beans left and right.

2. I'm not done the story but hey has anyone mentioned we haven't fought a single Fen'Harel agent, what's up with that... I expected to be fighting Elves based on the epilogue in Tresspasser but ?? ???

3. I'm sorry I HATE THEM DISREGARDING THE WELL OF SORROWS IN FAVOUR OF MORRIGAN WHEN SOLAS MAKES A HUGE DEAL OF YOU BEING TIED TO MYTHAL IF YOU DRANK FROM THE WELL. Oh sorry, if it was unimportant then why the fuck did you go on a monologue about how you're "her creature" and connected to her. It felt like a retcon of the importance placed on it in Inquisition and how much of a deal both Solas AND Morrigan make about it. I'm sorry picking a ROMANCE was more important than acknowledging THIS?? ? ??

"But Ravie, they can't account for Inquisitors personality and making them important would piss people off" then just kill them off. If they're set on Morrigan carrying this piece of narrative, I would have written the Inquisitor off the table before the choice becomes relevant. Have them help you in the ritual at the start of the game and die. I feel similarly about Varric, because he feels like the writers stuffed him in the closet to not talk which just...JUST KILL HIM. Its better than being relegated to furniture!!!!

3. Speaking of Morrigan why the hell is so nice. This is not my beautiful mean witch wife. In fact everyone is nice. Even hardened Lucanis has been polite to me.

4. I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH ROOK. I profoundly hate starting off friends with Varric (and him getting shelved like what was the point). It ruins a lot of initial RP for character establishment, because it limits how the player character FEELs about the whole thing, your motivations are GIVEN to you. Furthermore, it feels like rook HAS an established character. I don't feel like I got to play my rook, just say things slightly differently based on an already established character. I dont feel like I am roleplaying a custom character, just as Biowares stand in protagonist. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the level of interaction that BG3 provided me.

The opening sequence is bizarre to me, because IF I MAKING THE STORY....I would have had the introductory quests for each of the companions be the first quest based on the faction you select (Shadow dragons with Neve, Mournwatch with Emmerich, Crows with Lucanis etc. etc.) That way you establish your character based on the faction and immediately get a little tutorial on what kind of character you're going to be playing. I would even keep the introductory quests the same with minor dialogue tweaks. The ritual would come after the tutorial prologue mission and then you start with Harding and the companion you got introduced with, since the order you get them...really doesn't matter or impact anything.

5. I think the Venatori and Antaam following Elven Mage Gods is kinda dumb. Sorry. I thought they both looked down on them for being either Elves or Mages/didn't even acknowledge them. What the hell is their goal anyway

My criticisms comes down to...I don't know what themes the game is trying to tackle? The game SAYS things but doesn't actually do anything with these topics. Minrathous HAS a slavery problem but we don't see it. Treviso is ruled by a faction of assassins but it's like a good thing! Elven gods are responsible for everything wrong in the world, but the narrative implications of what that means for modern elves are acknowledged in passing like acknowledging the weather. The game feels hesitant to actually unpack any of these things despite being the one to put them on the table.

Anyway I am going to finish the game and probably play on Daee with a Solavellan Inquisitor to see if that improves my experience by picking a character who is more tailored to the Rook they portray/not having an emotional connection to the Inky, but atm...Man I Had Hopes. Made me feel stupid for getting so hyped up for a conclusion to a story arc for a character THEY SPECIFICALLY LEFT ON A CLIFFHANGER FOR A DECADE. I'll just draw art, lie face down in the ground and imagine a more narratively satisfying conclusion to my Inquisitors story.

[chiiyuuvv]

✶ ─ CARD DECLINED!

“you'll be alright,” the donut lover, riwoo, chimed. he looks over to his pouty friend with a sigh, his hands opening the cafe doors as the bells rang under them. 

“maybe I'll feel even better if I got some free food,” taesan squinted his eyes at his ‘friend’, his arms crossing like he was a 3 year old baby being denied candy. 

unfazed, riwoo heads to the employee room before snapping his head back to taesan, giving him a glare. “just sit down until I'm done with my shift, and don't mess with anything!” before taesan could respond, riwoo closes the door, the boy groaning when he sees the employee putting on his apron and going about his day.

technically, taesan didn't have to sit down. he could have got on top of the tables and started singing like he was a character from lemonade mouth, or he could have ran out to the street and jumped on top of a car or something. so many intrusive thoughts.. yet his feet pull him to the line of customers beside him, his eyes glancing at the small booths near the windows to his phone. he sighs again, today is going to be so boring.

…

“seems like your card isn't working, ma'am. do you have any other way to pay?”

“uh-”

“oh, I got it,” taesan is pulled from his phone when he hears the polite voice of the cashier. when he reaches over to swipe his card in the machine, he hears a soft gasp of shock, his lips unknowingly turning into a small smile. strangely, that made him feel pretty good, donating to the poor. well, maybe they weren't poor.. or maybe they were… who cares?! anyways.

“thank you so much,” he hears the customer beside him gush, clearly taken by surprise by the teenager's kind actions. just as taesan was about to tell the individual ‘you’re welcome’, he turns his head to lock eyes with the person and freezes.

It's.. it's.. her?! taesan almost has to pick up his jaw from the ground once he realizes who was in front of him. it was y/n, who he thought was the prettiest girl in the world. and someone who was way out of his league.

for starters, y/n was known for her warm persona, a smile always fixated on her lips as she helps the ones she loves. taesan, on the other hand, was quiet with a side of emo, headphones always on top of his head as he's always in his own world of music and homework. two completely different personalities, yet he still finds himself drawn to her, where he enters his loser boy crush era. it's pathetic, he knows, his friends are sure to tell him all the time.

“is there any way i can pay you back?” her soft voice brings him back from his thoughts, his words stuck in his throat when he sees her puppy eyes. god, why is she so cute?

✶ “oh, no it's okay,” taesan manages to muster out, the back of his neck burning red as his hands run through his hair, “i was just doing it for the aura points anyways.”

“the what?” y/n tilts her head in confusion, looking at the boy like he just lost his head. ✶ 

panicking on the inside, he feels a harsh tug at his collar, looking over to see his shorter friend pulling him away from the crime scene. thank god! taesan felt as if he was going to die standing there for another second.

after her card declined, y/n swore she met an angel who decided to pay for her food out of the goodness of his heart. taesan, the angel, never thought he would see his crush face to face. would he use this chance to finally talk to her after long years of pining?

[chapter one] previous ⇆ next

✶ winning option, option b

option a's results: if this option won, taesan would still be in a daze before he would be pulled away by riwoo

option b's results: if this option won, taesan would say something embarrassing to y/n, before being pulled away by riwoo

➢ taglist : @peterm4rker , @twelveuselesshyungs , @fry1ngpanman , @ihruaz , @slytherinshua ,

@luvnicho , @cherrycolaberry , @love-4-keum , @miyawwn , @bee-the-loser ,

@kazemiya , @starfallia , @sa3ha , @jmclouds , @rain-starss ,

@tkooooop , @fgumi , @nujeskz , @prettyange1 , @en-dream fill out form to be added!!

[chososcamgirl]

“ 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 ”

꒰ঌ ໒꒱ ⸻ 1.6k followers celebration event !

જ⁀➴♡ ATTEN-HUT!

hihi hello! welcome to my celebration event where i, SERGEANT SWEETHEART, assign scenarios & headcannons to a random match !

જ⁀➴♡ HOW DOES THIS WORK ?!

easy! all you have to do is send me an ask describing your personality! it's your standard matchup event where you'll specify what fandom you want you’re match to be in. my job as sergeant sweetheart will be to assign a dynamic & scenarios based on you & who i think would be most fitting as your match!

you'll select a maximum of three questions (or four for moots) you'd like me to answer about your match, and i'll do my best to answer based on my idea of what your relationship would be like !

જ⁀➴♡ WHO CAN I BE MATCHED WITH ?!

• you will not be able to choose a specific character but you can specify what fandom you want character to be from & gender !

• your fictional other should be a character from jjk, haikyuu or aot only.

• note that all characters will be written as adults (18+) by default (everything is still sfw !)

• only one match per person

જ⁀➴♡ ANYTHING ELSE, SERGEANT?

here are some guidelines when requesting :

• anyone is free to join ! you don't have to be a follower or mutual to take part.

• on that note, all scenarios & hcs will be sfw or at best lightly suggestive, so everyone of all ages is free to join

• you can send your requests on or off anon. i recommend sending it off so you'll be notified, but it's all up to you ! edit: if requesting on anon, feel free to assign yourself a name or emoji!

• don't be shy! i feel like a lot of people are shy when talking about their selfship because they may feel cringy or embarrassed. trust me i'm not judgy at all. i love reading selfship posts so describe yourself in as much detail as possible!

જ⁀➴♡ PICK A QUESTION, ANY QUESTION!

• note that before answering questions, i will provide a description of what dynamic i think your match would have !

• starred questions (*) have potential to receive slightly suggestive answers

remember you can only pick a maximum of three while moots pick four!

1. how did you first meet ?

2. who confessed & how ?

3. who fell first & who fell harder ?

4. first date ?

5. what do others (ex: parents/friends) think of your relationship?

6. toxic things they do ?

7. toxic things you do ?

8. what do you often fight over ?

9. why/how did you break up ?

10. at what moment did they fall in love ?

11. at what moment did you fall in love ?

12. what do they not like about you ?

13. what do you not like about them ?

14. what do they love most about you ?

15. what do you love most about him ?

16. how was your first kiss like ?*

17. their favorite activity to do with you ?

18. their green flags in your relationship ?

19. how did they propose ?

20. what's having a family with them like ?

જ⁀➴♡ WHAT BASIS DO YOU WANT YOUR MATCH TO FOLLOW?

🍫 - fluff

🍡 - comfort

🍰 - crack

🍨 - hurt/angst

𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐈’𝐌 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄…

જ⁀➴♡ ARE YOU IN SERGEANT IYA’S SPECIAL CADET FORCES?

— this is for moots only! pick 1-2 items

🪽- moodboard of your relationship

🏹 - text conversation with your match

💒 - 3 songs your match associates with you

જ⁀➴♡ HOW TO REQUEST?

to participate, you must send me an ask following this template. starred (*) questions are optional. any requests that do not follow instructions will be deleted!

• pronouns

• *gender + any relevant information regarding gender identity (ex: perhaps you don't wear certain clothing, or use she/her pronouns but prefer to be treated as male. this is to avoid me making you uncomfortable in descriptions)

• *sexuality (if unanswered, i will assume you are attracted only to the opposite gender)

• fandom you want your match to be in (refer to list of accepted fandoms)

• what questions you want me to answer (3 or 4 max)

• your perception of what you would like your match to be. everyone has different perspectives on different characters; so i'd like to see your match through your eyes in order to make more accurate hcs !

that's all! please remember i can only take a limited number of requests. i can't guarantee requests will be answered on a first come first serve basis, but i recommend requesting as soon as possible! when requests are closed, the prompt below will go from "start" to "end!"

• moots & active followers/anons will get priority in receiving answers; this is a milestone event after all

requests close on 11/11

[1percychase]

Unpopular opinion: Nico's trauma is over rated

Okay so I'm not saying that it's not validated or anything, there's a reason it's over rated, but so many fans act like he's the only one and that no one else's trauma matters because Nico has it the worst. When did we start comparing literal trauma?? I think somebody we should look into more is honestly.. Percy. He's the main character and all, but it's almost like all the fans forgot how much he's gone through, which is CRAZY to me. Anyways I have a list cause I love making list and yeah.

1. Getting abused by his step dad, which made him feel worthless and like he didn't matter.

2. Everyone bullying him.

3. The only person who ever seemed to care about him, his mom, disappeared.

4. Getting punished bc of his father.

5. Getting accused of stealing something and getting sent on a quest at TWELVE.

6. His first friend at camp betrayed him, which gave him trust issues.

7. His best friend getting kidnapped.

8. Getting turned into a guinea pig, which actually gave him a phobia over.

9. Having suicidal thoughts while only being THIRTEEN.

10. Never thinking he is enough.

11. His other best friend being kidnapped.

12. Watching Bianica sacrifice herself after he tried to stop her.

13. Holding up the literal sky while also being injured.

14. Being blamed for Bianica's death (and believing it.)

15. Finding out Nico is a child of Hades and deciding to protect him against the Prophecy even if he hated him.

16. Annabeth mad at him bc Rachel likes him, even though he can't control that.

17. Getting lost and separated in the Labyrinth.

18. Watching Pan fade out of existence.

19. Watching Bekendorf explode on a boat.

20. Being the Demigod of the Prophecy.

21. Fighting a war on his birthday, the battle of Manhattan.

22. Watching so many people die in front of his eyes, knowing he couldn't save them.

23. Silena betraying him and the camp (I don't think she was a bad guy at the end but yea.)

24. Feeling guilty that Luke committed suicide and blaming himself when it isn't his fault (idk how true this one is but I've seen it so..)

25. Being kidnapped and all his memory taken away.

26. (This one is kinda a joke) Watching Octavian kill his pillow pet.. rip perry the panda pillow pet.

27. Being in another Prophecy of the seven.

28. Being afraid of drowning, while also being a child of Poseidian.

29. Falling into Tarturus with Annabeth.

30. Going completely psycho and mad.

31. Leaving Bob it Tarturus and feeling super guilty about it.

32. Making Gaia rise with a nosebleed.

33. Fighting in the battle of camp half blood.

34. Thinking Leo died.

35. Finally thinking he has a break and getting asked to help Apollo.

36. Becoming an older brother. (it's not like physical trauma but I'll explain it later)*

37. Jason's death.

38. Going on more quest to get college recommendation letters.

*okay so becoming an older brother was on this list because even if he was so happy to get a half sibling, he's been an only child for a long time and it's hard to accept new people in your life. Also older brother duties. Even if he was just leaving the house when she was a couple months old, I still put it on there bc many people can count it as one. Also I'm the oldest out of 6 kids growing up so I would count it lol*

And people still have the audacity to say percy was too much of a jerk in heroes of olympus, please. I would act the same way.

Anyways I actually have a list of a lot of different characters traumas cause I got bored one night so if you want to see the other list, tell me!!

[mykuup]

Of bone and bloom - Cryptid!Eddie Munson AU Epilogue

Moodboard + summary + Serie Masterlist

My masterlist

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Epilogue

Summary : What you call something you're dreaming of, appearing in front of you in the middle of the day. Magic? Hallucination? Insanity? Yeah.. it's definelty insaity right?

wc : 1,067 words

Warnings : fix-it end // back to 1986 bc it's his year baby // fluff // kinda soulmate ending? // monster romance // MDNI // size gap // no mention of y/n // afab reader (but no description)

A/n : I will never say thank you enough. You guys are incredible! Thank you for all the love you gave to this story. Every like, every comment, every reblog went straight to my heart. Your reactions were priceless and I LOVED reading y'all.

I'm not a huge blog, I'm not a very good writer but I don't mind because of all the kindness you sent me during this serie. I'll always be grateful 💜

@saphirmoraitie I love you beyond stars. Thank you for being in my life

Taglist : @jasminelafleur @maedesculpaeusoubi @sassidykassidy @arabellagreenleaf @babybatlover @littlexdeaths (aka @thefreaksrecs )

This year is my year. I can feel it!

Eddie had always been a little different. His friends, his band, his age and his obsession with Dungeons & Dragons—it all made him stand out in ways he wasn’t always sure he liked. But there was something else, too. Something he couldn't quite explain, even to himself. It wasn’t just the dreams he’d had for as long as he could remember. Or the way the woods that bordered his town seemed to call to him like a familiar song. It was something deeper, a pull he couldn’t shake.

For years, he had played it off. After all, who would understand if he said he felt like part of him belonged to another world? But it was more than that—it was as if his soul had been searching for something. Or someone.

That was why she had appeared in his campaigns. The creature. An NPC (non-playable character) he’d created from scratch—though, if he was honest, he wasn’t sure where the idea for her had even come from. She was a beautiful, mysterious guardian of the forest: powerful yet kind to the players. He named her “Wildflower,” avoiding a human name to keep her untethered to his world. Every time the Hellfire played, Eddie found himself giving the monster—the cryptid he would say to Gareth for the millionth time— more depth, more of a backstory, more of his attention. She was his favorite character, a quiet obsession that gnawed at him in ways he didn’t quite understand. 

His friends teased him about it sometimes.

“What’s with you and this forest spirit chick?” Jeff would joke, and Eddie would shrug, laughing it off. “Just a muse, ‘kay?” he’d say, though even he knew it was more than that.

Still, he never imagined he would actually meet her.

It was a late afternoon in the fall, the crisp air clinging to the last vestiges of summer warmth. Eddie, as usual, had slipped away to wander the woods. The high school behind him felt stifling, too loud, too full of people who didn’t get him and Mrs. Clark’s class had nearly driven him up the wall. He needed space to breathe, a chance to be alone, to smoke and unwind.

Out here, at his usual picnic table deep in the woods, there was a quiet that settled his mind. The rustling leaves, the scent of pine, the earth solid beneath his boots—it was where he felt most at home.

But today felt… different. There was a hum in the air, a subtle vibration, like something was stirring just beyond his senses. Drawn by that feeling, he wandered deeper into the trees, his feet carrying him farther from school, away from the noise and chaos of the world. The pull grew stronger, guiding him until he found himself in a small clearing.

And then Eddie saw something. Someone.

At first, he thought he was dreaming. The thing was standing beside a tree. A form that looked like a girl was standing there, her antlers entwined with vines and blossoms, her eyes glowing softly in the fading light, looking exactly like the cryptid he created.

She was there. His Wildflower.

The one he had drawn over and over during class, sketched in his notebooks, described in vivid detail to Dustin, Jeff, Gareth, and all the members of Hellfire Club. The character he’d built at the gaming table and saw in his dreams. She was real. You were real, and you were standing right in front of him.

His breath caught in his throat as your eyes met. You froze, your ethereal form tensing as if unsure whether to run or stay. But Eddie... he couldn’t move. He could only stare, his mind whirling with thoughts that refused to make sense. How could this be real? How could you be real?

But then, something clicked. Deep in his chest, a recognition stirred. It was like a lock turning, a door opening to a memory he didn’t know he had. His heart raced, but at the same time, he felt... calm. Like this was meant to happen.

He took a slow step forward, dry leaves crunching beneath his boots, breaking the spell of stillness between you.

“Wildflower, you’re here!” he said, his voice soft but filled with the weight of years he couldn’t explain. As soon as the words left his lips, he knew them to be true. He had been searching for you his whole life, even if he hadn’t realized it.

You blinked, and for a fleeting moment, your expression softened. Recognition bloomed in your eyes, and Eddie’s heart skipped a beat. Did you know him, too? Could you feel the pull between you, the connection that seemed to stretch across lifetimes?

You took a step toward him, each movement as graceful as if the earth itself were guiding you. Slowly, you reached out, your hand hesitant, and Eddie met you halfway. His fingers brushed against yours, and a spark shot through him—not painful, but electric, like the entire forest was alive between you.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” you whispered, your voice soft as the wind but heavy with meaning. Eddie’s chest tightened. He had no idea how or why, but he understood your words. It seems like he also thought he would never see you—his whole life. The dreams, the stories, the inexplicable draw to the woods—it had all been leading him here, to you.

“I feel like I’ve waited for you all my life,” he murmured, stepping closer. His heart raced, but he felt no fear, only certainty. “And now you’re here, and I remember you.” Finally, Eddie understood—this was where he was meant to be. With you.

The world around you seemed to blur as he took you in—your radiant beauty, the shimmer of the air around you, and the sense of belonging that settled over him like warmth on a winter’s night. He had always felt out of place in the world he was born into. But here, with you, he felt whole.

“I’m here now,” you whispered, your voice trembling slightly with emotion. “And I won’t leave you again.”

Eddie smiled, his heart swelling with a mix of relief and joy. He knew this was only the beginning. Somehow, across time and lifetimes, your souls had found each other again. He had no idea what the future held, but he didn’t care.

Because he was finally home.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Who do you think are the ten core characters of the series? Is there a difference for you between importance to narrative/narrative roles and regularity in appearance for you?

Yeah, appearance count and narrative role aren't the same thing. Like, a character can be super plot-relevant or relevant to the themes but not have much on-page time.

And it's a damn hard question. Like, HP has so many characters, but a lot of them are like, random NPCs, so let's see if I can do this without bias for my favorites (since the bias is here). The order isn't necessarily in the right order, but it's the order in which they came to my mind.

The first 3 core characters for the plot/narrative are obvious:

1. Harry Potter

2. Voldemort

3. Dumbledore

I think Harry is an obvious choice as the main character and narrator. I don't think he needs further explanation.

Dumbledore and Voldemort are examples of characters who technically don't have as much on-page time but are so incredibly integral to the narrative. I mean, in book 7, Voldemort is barely there, and Dumbledore is dead, but both of them are still at the helm of the narrative.

So, yeah, these gotta be the top 3.

The next 3, I think, are:

4. Ron Weasley

5. Hermione Granger

6. Severus Snape

Like, Ron and Hermione are Harry's best friends. They are super integral to the plot and narrative of the books and appear more than any other character besides Harry. Ron represents the wizarding world, he is the main member of Harry's surrogate family (the Weasleys) so he's so incredibly integral. Hermione is the brilliant muggleborn, she is eleven both for her active part in the story and also for what she is in this world with the blood status tensions.

Snape, while not appearing as much, is instrumental to the narrative as a whole and to how the plot goes down. Snape, as the double-triple agent that he is, is also pretty representative of the story's themes of love and sacrifice, which supports his narrative importance.

Then, the final 4 to reach 10 are a bit of a struggle for me, and I feel my biases rearing their head, but I'd go:

7. Sirius Black

Sirius is the first real parental figure who's competent and whom Harry truly trusts. Sirius' existence is both important to the themes (the black sheep of the Black family) and more so to Harry's personal arc. His death and Harry's grief over it are so prevalent in Harry's story far into Deathly Hallows. Also, he's relevant to the Secret Keeper plot and James' and Lily's deaths.

8. Reberus Hagrid

Hagrid is the person who introduces so many of the ideas we know of as part of the Wizarding World. He's Harry's (and ours) first guide to the magical world and remains instrumental in getting Harry and Co useful information throughout the books.

9. Peter Pettigrew

I mean, none of us would be here without this rat. He got James and Lily killed, he resurrected Voldemort, and he then accidentally saved Harry at Malfoy Manor. He's surprisingly important.

Number 10 was the hardest, and I considered a few characters, but I decided to go with:

10. Lily Potter

Lily has little to no page time. We don't know about her as much as we know about James, but I think she's more integral to Harry's story. She represents love strong enough to rebound a killing curse. She saved Harry, and her sacrifice protects him quite literally throughout the books. It's why he defeats Quirrell in book 1, it caused Voldemort to keep him alive long enough to escape in book 4, and it's potentially why he came back after dying. Lily and her death are big themes in the books for what it represents and what she represents more than just her as a character.

Both Lily and James haunt Harry's narrative, but I feel Lily does so a bit more. There's a reason "you have your mother's eyes" is emphasized so much. Harry at his core, is more similar to Lily than James. That and the love Lily represents are core aspects of the story.

So, these are my picks, I tried to be as objective as I could, 🤷🏻‍♀️

[lostsyren]

“And interestingly enough, the scene where he says that he's doing this for him and Sophia, [Drew] played it a handful of different ways.” I wonder what different ways he played it. https://showsnob.com/outer-banks-brianna-brown-keen-hollis-robinson-season-4-interview-netflix-01jbwfrr0at9

Tysm for sending this in lovely <3

Ugh this is why we need Fiona and Drew to have an interview together, so they can tell us all about their little intricacies in crafting their characters and backstories and motivations and internal monologues (also need interviewers to ask the important questions and stop asking Drew and Madison how they feel about riara and instead on what is actually happening in the show😭🙏)

Maybe he played it in a more assertive way, because in the final take he’s still pretty calm, and instead opts for a more snarky tone. Another way he could’ve done it is in a mocking way– like I can totally imagine him letting Hollis get up all over him and then kind of condescendingly be like “I’m doing this for me and Sofia” pushing her off him with a scoff or something to embarrass her.

Someone needs to follow this up with Drew (it will never happen because interviewers never ask about Rafe and Sofia😓)

[chuunyu]

I've been thinking a lot lately about how Mizuki is kinda too perfect as a trans character. Their family is accepting and they can pass effortlessly. The only issue they have is really the only one that could be left after that point: society's view of trans people.

But while this is great and I really appreciate how Mizuki is written, handled, whatever, it just makes everything about being a regular transfem hurt even more...

I've been working on a 4 hour video essay about Mizuki for almost a month now and every time I replay parts of the story involving Mizuki's sister Yuuki, I just can't help but begin to break down. The way she has never left Mizuki alone when they were vulnerable, the way she's supported Mizuki with everything she possibly could. Her words, her gifts, her clear love for Mizuki is something I wish I ever had. I've always been alone I feel like. I never had anyone who I was able to comfortably share my femininity with. Even now, I feel like that same femininity isn't something I can share with most trans women I meet.

When I see the things Yuuki says to Mizuki, it's just too much. It's this amazing warmth that I never had and I wonder if I will ever get to have. Even outside the story... I just read an alternate timeline fic where Ena's the one who gets Mizuki out of the closet and not Yuuki. Even that like, it really hurts you know?

Beyond Yuuki, the way that Mizuki presumably doesn't have to put effort into passing is difficult as well. Truly their only obstacle is finding acceptance. And well, for them, there is still the existential obstacle of being trans - being born in the wrong body - but it doesn't stop them from presenting comfortably in a way that they're happy with. Meanwhile, I feel like most trans women don't get to pass. I think I've only known one trans woman who passes.

So now there is not only acceptance (which is more complex and difficult if you don't pass), but also this whole aspect of maintaining constant courage against the negativity of society, which is a tremendously heavy thing. And sure, Mizuki deals with this too, but in a different way. The door for them to blend into society is open, but for those who don't pass, the door might be so hard to find that it might as well not be there.

When I compare myself to Mizuki, I just feel... inadequate. I never meant to do it intentionally but the moment it happened it sent me into a spiral.

"I'll never have what they have."

And I know they're a fictional character and are probably an unattainable standard but idk it just, it's hard not to compare myself? Maybe I'm just stupid.

They're just too perfect, despite how "rough" their story is. I think it's really their downfall in terms of becoming the best possible representation and I mean, I was never expecting that from them. It's just an issue with their character I think, though one that couldn't really be avoided with how the writers wanted to execute their character.

Idk, I love Mizuki but sometimes it hurts when I think about them.

[morallysuperiorlips]

4 (Oddly) Specific Types of Relationship Dynamics That Are GUARANTEED to Make Your Story More Interesting!

1.) Friends with Benefits to Enemies to Lovers: Let's be real. We ALL love a good enemies to lovers moment (it's easily one of my most loved tropes, hands down). But, a great way to really charge up that underlying hate that eventually flourishes into the perfect romance is by giving your characters a relationship before they became enemies...not just friends in this case, but friends with benefits. With that specificity, there's also a pre-existing sexual relationship that might really help in charging those negative feelings toward one another. Like, they were already intimate, and have seen those very private things about one another, but now they're fighting? Woof.

2.) Friends That Are Deeply in (Platonic) Love: No, I'm not talking friends to lovers. I'm talking friends that are just simply platonically in love. There's nothing sexual about their relationship, and there isn't really anything inherently romantic about it either, but they might show their love in ways that might traditionally be seen as "romantic." Intimate hugs, cuddling, saying "I love you so much," etc. I feel like I don't see this enough in written friendships and think it's wonderful for two characters to be so connected in a way that's not inherently sexual or traditionally romantic. GIVE US MORE PLATONIC ROMANCE!

3.) The Love Triangle...But They All Love Each Other: This is for my OT3/poly homies out there. This one made the list so I could scream it from the rooftops: IF YOU HAVE A LOVE TRIANGLE, MAKE THEM ALL BE IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER, COWARDS. OTHERWISE, IT'S JUST AN ANGLE, AND THAT'S NOT FUN FOR ANYONE. The concept of a love "triangle" is so overdone, and now we're in a new era--show me the throuple. Show me them trying to get over their feelings for one another and they just can't. Show me the complications of it all. Show me how they come to terms with loving two different people. Show me how they make it work. Show me how they show their love for one another in their non-traditional way. Nobody will see it coming and if your readers are anything like me, they'll appreciate you for it.

4.) Close-Knit Established Couples That Have Already Gone Through the Wringer: It's kind of crazy, but I haven't read a lot about established couples that already have a past of their relationship bonds being tested. It's always about the fresh new couples on the scene, and while I'm all for it, I love a couple that's already gone through some shit and are already fortified against whatever else is coming their way. Of course, that shouldn't stop you from throwing them back to the metaphorical sharks again, but I feel like it will be substantially more interesting to watch a couple who has already fought for one another (and won) do it all over again. How to they fare in comparison to a fresh couple? Are they annoyed about it? Or maybe they find it amusing because "been there, done that"?

As always, GO WRITE SOMETHING TODAY! <3

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Love in the Big City, Ep 5-6: Visuals to Support Adaptation

So…I already covered a lot of the questions from this week’s discussion in the original book club and couldn’t think of anything else to talk about but the visuals which felt like a bit of a cop out since this is a book talk. So, shout out to @lurkingshan for encouraging me to write this! 

So, if you couldn’t tell from my original essay that got way too in the weeds about antiretroviral medications in Korea that Part 3 was one of my favorite parts of the book, then let me inform you that before I watched Ep 5-6 I…(1) finally purchased Love in the Big City, (2) re-read all of Part 3 before starting the episodes, and (3) actually took notes on my thoughts while watching 5 and 6. 

Which means Park Sang Young’s writing was fresh in my mind. 

What's Fun About Adaptation

Something that is always interesting to me in adaptations between mediums is how they convey information. Love in the Big City the book is very internal. Young is very matter of fact about a lot of his life. He doesn’t like to linger. And as such I think there are moments where it is harder to parse his loneliness in the book, just like there are moments where it is harder to parse his loneliness in the show. 

And despite the fact that Part 3 is the most faithful to the book, there are some incredibly important visuals that change or at least add context or depth to the story we have already been told.

The Funeral

One of the most glaring differences being the opening scene, because fun fact, in the book we never get confirmation that his mother dies.

Full disclosure, I cried at the end of Episode 4 with the ending scene of Yeong’s mother and him at the park because that image could have been plucked directly from my head when I read the scene in the book.

But we open Part 3 with Young forgetting his passport and leaving Gyu Ho to go on a trip to Japan alone, rather than opening on a funeral. When Gyu Ho and Yeong meet for the first time in the show,so much of the scene is spot on from the book including the harassment of the DJ, the removal of the shirt, getting elbowed in the face, and Yeong kissing Gyu Ho on the dancefloor and Gyu Ho tasting his blood. With one major change, Yeong has his chief mourner’s band with him and drops it in the club. In the book, he does not have such a thing and instead drops his phone case. So we’ve already have a much heavier visual significance behind his and Gyu Ho’s first meeting re: Gyu Ho getting some information about how Young handles his pain (he’s at a club immediately after a funeral), and what he’s been through (literally just lost a parent).

Kylie

Gyu-Ho + Kylie

Another notable visual moment that signified a difference for me was during the scene where Yeong is telling Gyu Ho about Kylie. Because, as I mentioned in my og Part 3 post, not once in the entirety of the book does Young ever use the term HIV. The T-ara’s call it the bug, and he and Gyu Ho call it Kylie, and no one else knows. And that lack of visuals on the term HIV, I think, is an important part of Young’s character, and a good way to indicate Young’s shame around his diagnosis. So again, similarly to how we never get confirmation from Young in the book that his mother dies, we never get explicit confirmation that he has HIV. You have to read in to it, you have to know the context clues: the symptoms of acute HIV infection, what antiretrovirals are used for, etc. But in the show, we get some informational pamphlets slapped down in front of Yeong that tell the audience explicitly what Go Yeong has been diagnosed with, even if he still never says the term himself.

The T-ara’s 

The biggest example being the T-ara’s. For those of you who haven’t read it, it may be surprising to find out that in the book Young does not mention the T-ara’s were in his life at all until Part 3. And I say it might be surprising because in the show they have been there from the very beginning. They were at the hospital after Yeong’s suicide attempt, they were there to support him after his mother’s funeral, they have been there for years. And they were there for years as well, through Jaehee, through his mother’s cancer, in the book, but he only brings them up when he starts talking about how he was first introduced to Gyu Ho. 

And thus they come off as far less central to his life. 

Which diminishes the emotional impact of moments like the HIV joke and the fact that he doesn’t tell the T-ara’s about his status. Here is how Young explains it in the book: 

“I told my mother and the T-ara gang that I’d been discharged early for a ruptured disc….Apparently not all of them were total idiots because one of them did ask,  -What the fuck? Did you catch the bug? -Oh no! You’re on to me! We cackled it away. When I drank with them, and some guy rumored to be poz passed by, our resident clown Eun-jung would say 'Everyone cover your glasses,' and we’d all burst out laughing. I’d laugh along until I remembered, Oh right, I’ve got it in me, too, which sent a chill down my spine. But mostly I don’t think about it that much.” (p. 167)

But now, with the show using the T-ara’s as the throughline, emphasizing how important of a role they play in Yeong’s life, that scene carries a much larger emotional impact because a) we have seen the T-ara’s literally fighting hospital staff to show Yeong love, b) we have seen the T-ara’s acting as pallbearers for Yeong’s mother’s casket, and c) we can literally, physically see the emotional impact that the T-ara’s joking about catching HIV has on Yeong. Both in his initial moment’s reaction, the way he plasters on a smile because that’s how he’s always masked his pain, and the way he runs to hide in the dark with his secrets. 

All of this to say that the inclusion of the T-ara’s as the thread between parts exists for no other reason than to cause me and everyone else maximum emotional damage.

The Hands

That’s right…. CAPTAIN HANDS IS BACK BABY!!!!! *Insert air horn sound effects here* 

Because Hyung’s reaction to Go Yeong trying to hold hands and the subsequent unearned pinkie touch was already on my mind from last week, I took particular note of the portrayal of hands in Part Three both in the book and in the show. And I am so glad that I did. Because I got to experience the absolute highs of seeing the change from the book to the show of how visible Gyu Ho and Go Yeong are with their physical affection. 

In the book, Young describes the first time he holds hands with Gyu Ho as follows: 

“Words disappeared. I swallowed, loud enough to be heard, and our knees were touching. I covered our legs with my coat. We held hands underneath it. Soon, we were stroking each other’s thighs. Each looking in the opposite direction. We passed the Ambassador Hotel, Cheonggye Stream, and Ewha Wedding Hall, then the little theaters of Daehak-ro as we approached my house. Passing a firm and hot grip back and forth through our linked hands.” p. 157

Compare that to what Hyung says in Part Two:

“‘-Are you saying you’re ashamed of me?’ ‘-Yes, that’s right, I’m ashamed of you. You want to hold my hand in public, you call me baby. I mean, what would anyone think?’” p. 111

Compare that to what we see in Episode Four with Hyung…

…and to what we see in Episode Five with Gyu Ho…

THE COAT DOES NOT EXIST!

Gyu Ho is introduced in the story as the bartender at a gay bar, he is kissed by Yeong in public at the club and continues to pursue him, they get coffee together, they are physically affectionate on the street, and here they are meeting for the third time, and holding hands in the taxi where they could be observed. It is such an important little change for me to visually affirm that Gyu Ho does not have the internalized homophobia that was causing so many problems in Go Yeong’s last relationship with Hyung. 

And similarly we see Go Yeong and Gyu Ho cuddling up to each other in the passenger seat of the moving truck in full view of the driver, where in the book Young only describes them trading body heat through their thighs. 

And again with the rain sequence. Which I thought was interesting to include here, because it is such a prominent and important component of Part Four. Though it makes sense to include it here for the sake of maintaining a more cohesive timeline. But I was losing it when they were holding hands in the rain, with those double fucking rainbows cutting straight through them.

gif by @jimmysea

The Dream

The dream is a completely new scene in the show. Young does not dream of Jaehee or his mother, and I thought that was an interesting addition. To have Go Yeong hear Gyu Ho knocking at his door and to be haunted by the specters of the last two parts of his life, Mi Ae for the first part, asking him if he is okay and why he’s still living alone at her place. 

His mother and Hyung in the second, asking him when he is going to come home and asking if he’s met someone good, respectively. And what an ominous goddamn omen those three are, hinting at Yeong’s masking of pain, his feelings of displacement, and the specter of a relationship that failed. All things that will eventually contribute to the failure of Yeong and Gyu Ho’s relationship in the show.

Misc. 

This is, unsurprisingly, getting long so let me just acknowledge a couple of other visual moments that really fucking got me:

The red crucifix that glows out over the horizon when Go Young is telling Gyu Ho about Kylie. It’s the first thing my eye was drawn to, and it feels like a ghost of his mother looking in on Go Yeong, especially because it matches the red crucifix over her funeral portrait and on top of her casket. 

The child talking about their mother that makes Yeong turn back to chase after Gyu Ho

Yeong’s chapped lips when he’s being diagnosed with HIV as a juxtaposition to Gyu Ho helping Yeong put chapstick on.

The Kylie lyrics

FUCKING. GO. YEONG’S. SMILES.

[terramythos]

I Score FFXIV Fishing Titles (based on how fucking cool or fun they sound).

Note: I am NOT including titles that you can earn on any Disciple of the Hand job; this is only for titles you HAVE to be a fisher in order to earn. Also, sorry if I missed any of them LMAO.

FISHER NATION... there's way more fishing titles than I thought, so grab your rod and get ready to cast! 🎣🎣🎣

‘Of the Irresistible Lure’, from “I Caught That VIII”- Catch and record discovery of 1,460 unique fish.

6/10. I mean this one is OK, any title that can drop ‘Irresistible’ in there has something going for it. It’s just not a compelling title to me when there’s so much cooler sounding shit to pick from. And if you’ve gotten this title, you for sure have access to those cooler ones.

‘Master Fisher’, from “The One That Didn’t Get Away IV” - Catch 10,000 large-sized fish.

3/10. Come the fuck on, man. At least in the English-speaking client, everyone is going to be thinking about “Master Baiter” and missed opportunities. Even without that context this one is pretty boring. And considering how fishing mechanics work, how does catching 10k large fish imply mastery of any sort? That’s probably the most boring achievement to get in fishing.

‘Meadowcaster’, from “A Fisher’s Life for Me: La Noscea” - Obtain all five “Good Things Come to Those Who Bait: La Noscea” achievements.

8/10. This one is pretty good, and it’s one of the oldest fishing titles in the game. There’s two others that are very similar. The use of ‘caster’ for fishing is funny, but also applicable for the combat part of the game. Unfortunately this and the other two are a huge grindy pain in the ass to get. ‘Meadow’ is a little dull to me though.

‘Forestcaster’, from “A Fisher’s Life for Me: Black Shroud” - Obtain all five “Good Things Come to Those Who Bait: Black Shroud” achievements.

7/10. I don’t think “Forestcaster” rolls off the tongue as well as the other two achievements. Kind of boring if I’m being fully honest, but I’m sure there are characters who can use this title to great effect.

‘Desertcaster’, from “A Fisher’s Life for Me: Thanalan” - Obtain all five “Good Things Come to Those Who Bait: Thanalan” achievements.

10/10. This shit sounds so fucking cool to me, I might even actually get this title despite the grind. ‘Desert’ goes way harder than the other two from this achievement series, IMO.

‘Master Caster’, from “Go Big or Go Home IX” - Catch 100 different varieties of big fish in areas explored during A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, or Stormblood.

8/10. Master Fisher wishes it was this cool. The clever rhyme calls to mind FISHER NATION poetry, which helps this one a lot. The only reason it ranks so low is because….

‘Grandmaster Caster’, from “Go Big or Go Home IX” - Catch 204 different varieties of big fish in areas explored during A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, or Stormblood.

10/10. Automatically overshadows the previous entry, and for good reason: this one takes some real fuckin’ effort to get. I’m so happy to have finally gotten this title. It’s extremely funny to wear it when playing a ranged magical job. Also, ‘Grandmaster�� makes me feel like a chess champion or something.

‘Lord/Lady of Far Waters’, from “Go Big Far from Home V” - Catch 45 different varieties of big fish in areas explored during Shadowbringers.

11/10. God this one is so fucking cool we are hard-locked into this title for the forseeable future once I actually earn it (currently 43/45). I think this is my favorite fishing title? It’s so unique and powerful…. Nobody does it like her.

‘Big Fish’, from “No River Wide Enough” - Obtain the achievements “Go Big or Go Home XVI” and “Go Big Far From Home V”.

4/10. Can I be real with you. Whose idea was it to make the achievement for earning BOTH of its strong predecessors so fucking boring by comparison? This is definitely a flex title, but one I will not be wearing for more than like 20 seconds for some screenshots. This one gets points for reminding me of the movie of the same name, which was Pretty Good (TM).

‘Wavewalker’, from “Go Big Till the End” - Catch 40 different varieties of big fish in areas explored during Endwalker.

6/10. Listen, I get what this is going for. It’s a play on Endwalker. The thing is, Wavewalker just doesn’t evoke anything special to me. I think of regular surfing. I think of weird new-age crystal people projecting onto the astral plane, but in the most boring pseudoscientific way possible. I think about some kind of maneuver the audience might do during a concert. Just kind of mundane to me.

‘The Final Fish’, from “Fish Fear Me” - Obtain the achievements “No River Wide Enough” and “Go Big Till the End III.”

7/10. The sequel to ‘Big Fish’ sucks a little bit less, but it’s still not super special to me. I might wear this one a little longer when I get it. At least we have a play on Final Fantasy with this one. I would feel less boring wearing this one than some of the other entries on this list. To be honest I think "Fish Fear Me" would have been a cooler title instead of making that the achievement name.

‘Rod of the Firmament’, from “Skyward Rod III” - Earn 500,000 points toward your skyward score as a fisher.

8/10. You can make so many dick jokes with this one. A solid (heh) title, no notes, we appreciate this.

‘The Nest’s Own Fisher’, from “The Height of Angling” - As a fisher, submit 300 artisanal seafood items for the second phase of the Ishgardian restoration.

3/10. Man what is this even going for? The only real connection that comes to mind is a fishing bird or something. How do I use this? It gets a couple points for novelty since it’s unlike other fishing titles, but that’s it. Especially considering the next one does it better.

‘Featherfall’s Finest Fisher’, from “Fishers of a Feather” - As a fisher, submit 300 artisanal seafood items for the third phase of the Ishgardian restoration.

7/10. We’re getting somewhere with this one; we got the alliteration going, ‘Featherfall’ sounds cool as fuck. Probably not a title I’d use but it’s way more appealing than the previous.

‘The Risensung Fisher’, from “An Ode to Angling” - As a fisher, submit 300 artisanal seafood items for the fourth phase of the Ishgardian restoration.

5/10. Aaaand back down again. I know it’s a play on Dragonsong but “Risensung” just sounds awkward to me. It just does not work for me, too awkward and weird. But at least it’s better than the first of these.

‘World-class Troller’, from “On a Boat V” - Earn a cumulative total of 3,000,000 points while ocean fishing.

9/10. This title is perfect for silly little geese who do a little bit of trolling now and then. What kind of trolling? Well, that is simply for you to decide…. I knock off a point because this doesn’t scream ‘fishing title’ to me. But it IS a fun title nevertheless.

‘Ocean Fisher’, from “No More Fish in the Sea III” - Score at least 16,000 points during a single ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

4/10. Yaaaawn. It’s giving ‘Master Fisher’ energy. At least this one makes me think of the ocean and not Master Baiting. But man what a generic title. Who gives a shit. Why would this be your pick ever?

‘Master of the Sea’, from “No More Fish in the Sea IV” - Score at least 20,000 points during a single ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

9/10. WAY better than its predecessor. It’s not quite ‘Lord of Far Waters’ but it scratches a similar itch to me. There’s so many cool ways to use this one in terms of character, glam, etc. A strong pick for sure.

‘Doom of the Deep’, from “Near, Far, Wherever Fish Are III” - Score at least 16,000 points during a single ocean fishing voyage on the Ruby route.

10/10. Cool as FUCK. Very little can stand up to this one. The alliteration, etc… it’s so foreboding and badass. My only complaint is it’s a little too easy to get for such a cool title, IMO… but that doesn’t hurt it in the rankings.

‘Octopus Traveler’, from “What Did Octopodes Do to You?” - Earn the “Octopus Travelers” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

8/10. Octopath Traveler gamers probably love this one. I guess it’s a little funny since that’s also a Square Enix property. I’m mostly giving it an 8 out of a sense of obligation considering. Also, octopodes are cool as fuck.

‘Shark Hunter’, from “What Did Sharks Do to You?” - Earn the “Certifiable Shark Hunters” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

1/10. Shark hunting sucks IRL and I hate that this reminds me of that :( A sad title. Maybe you can make it work for a really elaborate Jaws cosplay but that’s stretching it.

‘Jellyfish Fanatic’, from “What Did Jellyfish Do to You?” - Earn the “Jelled Together” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

6/10. This probably goes hard for jellyfish fans. IDK, I think jellyfish are fine, pretty cool organisms, but I wouldn’t personally consider myself a fanatic, so I don’t really get it.

‘Sea Dragoon’, from “What Did Seadragons Do to You?” - Earn the “Maritime Dragonslayers” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

7/10. Big title if you’re a Dragoon main— it’s a fun pun and everything. But also I feel there are cooler Dragoon titles to pick from, even a cooler fishing one, so it’s a little mediocre. It’s fine, whatever.

‘Balloon Catcher’, from “What Did Balloons Do to You?” - Earn the “Balloon Catchers” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

2/10. Balloon Catcher. Balloon Catcher? This is dire. This is bad. Keep this one away from me. Anti-cool if I’m being fully honest. Balloon Catcher… at least it’s not Shark Hunter, I suppose.

‘Deadliest Catcher’, from “What Did Crabs Do to You?” - Earn the “Crab Boat Crew” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

8/10. Like, the title itself is fine, pretty good even, but it does not scream “fisher” to me in a way that matters. I know it’s a play on The Deadliest Catch, but it simply doesn’t wow me. It does score pretty high for general badassery.

‘Manta Maniac’, from “What Did Mantas Do to You?” - Earn the “Sticking it to the Manta” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Indigo route.

7/10. This is super similar to Jellyfish Fanatic, but this gets an extra point for the alliteration. I also personally like manta rays more than jellyfish. Sorry, jellyfish fans.

‘Sea Comber’, from “What Did Shellfish Do to You?” - Earn the “Maximum Mussel” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Ruby route.

2/10. Bro this suuuuucks. We’re fuckin’ combing? Inherently it’s not as bad as fucking ‘Balloon Catcher’, but it scores the same because HOW COULD YOU NOT DO A PLAY ON SHELLFISH/SELFISH FOR THIS. Fuck you. This sucks ass.

‘Squidzure Dragoon’, from “What Did Squid Do to You?” - Earn the “Squid Squadron” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Ruby route.

9/10. Definitely the cooler Dragoon fishing title (it’s weird it happened twice). Absolutely brilliant pun, and it’s an iconic enough play on ‘Azure Dragoon’ that people will recognize it from the main story. No notes, great title.

‘Shrimp Mariner’, from “What Did Shrimp Do to You?” - Earn the “Shrimp Smorgasbord” bonus during an ocean fishing voyage on the Ruby route.

3/10. And back to the depths. What are we even going for here? This is stupid. There’s nothing cool about this. At least it’s a little more fishing related, I guess? I hate it less than the other 2s? Not a vote of confidence, I’ll say.

‘Otherworld Angler’, from “Live Long and Prospero” - Complete the quest “Morsel of the Deep.”

8/10. The poor man’s ‘Lord of Far Waters’. It’s a cool title and inherently provides the context behind it, which is impressive. It’s from Shadowbringers, after all. If you don’t have other cool fishing titles at your disposal, this is a pretty easy one to get. But as someone with cooler titles, this isn’t one I’ll be using.

‘Erudite Angler’, from “Sufficient Data” - Complete the quest “Pastures New.”

5/10. This is basically the Endwalker version of the previous title, and it doesn’t excite me. It’s just not as cool. I will say that this quest is basically the ‘this will negatively affect the trout population’ meme put into quest form. It’s hilarious and I recommend doing it. The title is just a mediocre reward for it.

‘Of Countless Catches’, from “Forever Fancy” - Complete the quest “An Odd Fish Odyssey.”

7/10. Love the alliteration on this one, which is the Dawntrail version of the previous two. I like that we angled away from Angler and into some new naming territory. To be honest, I think this should have been the title for the ‘Master Fisher’ achievement, but it is what it is.

‘The Ambitious Angler’, from “I Like Big Fish and I Cannot Lie” - Complete the quest “The Beast of Brewer’s Beacon.”

6/10. I didn’t even know this title existed??? I only found it scrolling through achievements. It’s just from a random ARR fishing side quest? Wild. Anyway this is fine. Maybe I’ll go get it. But there’s SO many cooler titles. This might be good for someone just starting their fishing journey.

[stayatsam]

onto a big thing about the companions...the roleplaying opportunities for Rook as a whole in the game are super fun, very varied, and i was not expecting the sheer amount of origin-based content i was going to get out of this (if context helps i'm playing a warden mage)

the COMPANION writing is very odd in Veilguard and definitely all over the place. Davrin and Neve are my opinion the ones who most consistently feels like "this is a dragon age companion" compared to previous games, with Davrin''s conflict with Lucanis especially good

i...feel bad. i don't really like Emmrich a whole lot, i was expecting to, but he's not a dragon age character. as i've progressed his questline i'm confused as to why we're chasing this mad scientist in big steampunk goggles instead of doing what's most pressing, like fighting the blight. i feel like Sten in DAO right now: "Why are we doing side quests lets go kill the archdemon!"

his group lines boil down to "we can't do anything about the biggest blight in the world until we solve our PERSONAL problems" which almost feels like the game holding my hand TELLING me to do the companion quests. which is you know, sure! it's a game i'm going to do them, but the dialogue feels off, and his entire character is out of touch with the setting sadly. i wanted to like him but the mourn watch quests remind me of fallout 4 settlement requests. "Rook, there's another haunting on the otherside of thedas we need you to kill"

i don't really feel very strongly about Bellara, not gonna lie. i wish they gave her a little more to chew on, i feel like there's good potential there and she got the short end of the interesting-stick

Harding is a weird one. i like her as a companion, but she feels like a new character wearing scout Harding's skin. i..admittedly don't take her out a whole lot though

i like Taash lots and not just because they're trans, it's cool to get a more inside look on Qunari customs and their family dynamics. their dialogue with Lucanis is probably what makes me like both of them lots.

the thing that does kinda irk me with Lucanis and Taash though is the way Spite isn't taken all that seriously, well overall i feel like. in DA2, Anders is seen as a constant threat by the rest of the party for being possessed, but there's a scene in Veilguard where Taash talks to spite like they're talking to a bad dog and not a literal demon that wants to KILL KILL KILL. this is also why i think Davrin is one of the best written companions since he's the one who reacts as a Thedas-based character WOULD to a demon-possessed assassin. and you DO get to see the two of them make amends despite their differences. the Lucanis-Davrin relationship is well thought out in my opinion

companion writing is overall pretty weak? it's hard. i like each companion individually and don't actively dislike any of them, i'm neutral at worst on a couple. i think what made me mostly resentful was having to hear Emmrich basically summarize "we can't save the world! i'll be too distracted thinking about my mad scientist ex-colleague and everyone else's drama etc. etc." like damn

i think after playing all day today i've bumped it back down to a 7/10...i have a feeling my final rating will probably be 6/10 or stick at 7