#who uses which name to refer to you DOES carry some relevance like it's a sign for either dislike a demonstration of control or of adoratio

[kangals]

ok so here's what we found out from kepler's embark results! buckle up, it's a novel:

to start, i did what i've done for the past 2 embark tests i've sent in, in that when activating the kit i said that my dog was a mixed breed of unknown type, and i opted to not upload a photo beforehand. and like the last 2 times, embark correctly deduced that kep was a purebred collie. so while there's some dna tests out there that definitely suck, i can at least confirm that in my own blind trial, embark got it right 3/3 times. they're great. anyway:

also keeping very in line with being a purebred collie, kep's COI came back at 42% - very high for a typical dog, but dead-on average for a collie. he shares 60% DNA with stellina (despite being on paper second cousins, which should be around 1-2% shared. woe to the collie genepool). he's got a bunch of the same relatives that show up for stellina, which is, again, not surprising. dogs from windcrest, overland, and thistlebrae pop up a lot - if you're familiar with US collie lines, you probably know them.

color traits! kep is confirmed as white-factored, which i was almost certain of based on the pattern of his white markings - you can find more info on it here (referred to as "flashy irish" white) but essentially collies that are white-factored carry the gene for "extreme white" or color-headed white. white is an "incomplete dominant" gene, meaning that one copy affects the dog a little, and two copies affects the dog a lot (remember this term!) two copies of the gene makes the dog almost entirely white (an accepted color in the US, but not the UK/europe i believe), whereas one copy of the gene makes the regular "irish white" markings (the classic white neck ruff and white socks) extend a little further than usual - you'll notice that on kep, his white extends over his shoulders and up to his knees. whereas on stellina (who does not carry the white gene), her white is restricted to her neck, front stockings, and back paws. one of kep's brothers is white, so we knew he likely carried the gene too.

he is confirmed as not a secret merle, though he technically could have been a cryptic/phantom merle - didn't think so, but worth a check.

so all of this is very expected - the health testing is where things get interesting!

embark tests for 265 different genetic health conditions, 4 of which are considered "breed-relevant" for collies: collie eye anomaly (CEA), mdr1 drug sensitivity, degenerative myleopathy (DM), and some immune thing with a long name.

immune thing - clear

DM - clear (not particularly common in collies, but it does show up sometimes and it is a nasty disease)

MDR1 - double copies! this is a recessive gene and kep is mutant/mutant, aka he carries both copies which makes him clinically affected. this is common in collies, as about 60-70% of collies have at least one copy. the good news is this just means we have to avoid/take smaller doses of certain medications and he otherwise shouldn't be impacted by it at all. also his breeder already tested him for this so i already was aware.

CEA - single copy! this is also a recessive gene, which means that kep is not affected/normal-eyed, which is actually pretty uncommon! it's estimated that between 70-85% of collies are affected by CEA (yes, the gene literally called collie eye is common in collies. wow.). i also was already aware of this since he was already tested (worth mentioning that if you buy a collie puppy in the US, a screening by an ophthalmologist to check for CEA is required by the breed club).

and then the plot twist:

embark tells me "oh hey, btw, there's two other genes you should know about"

"your dog has one copy of the gene for accumulating copper toxicosis"

fucking what

so yeah, after a lot of reading into this: there's a gene called ATP7B that's almost exclusively found in labradors, goldens, and dobermans which affects a dog's ability to filter out copper. excessive amounts of copper start to build up in the liver, and if it gets to be too much it can cause liver disease, failure, and neurological problems. remember when we talked about white and white-factored dogs, several thousands words ago? ATP7B is also an incomplete dominant gene - one copy affects the dog a little, two copies affects a lot. kep has one copy, which in theory means he is at no risk, mild risk, or moderate risk of developing copper storage disease in his life. not devastating, but not ideal.

the plot thickens!

kep also tested positive for the gene called ATP7A, which as far as i can tell is like the exact opposite of ATP7B (i know, the names suck). see, ATP7B causes copper to accumulate. but ATP7A has been shown to cause a copper deficiency. it's also incompletely dominant, so one copy impacts a little, and two copies (should) impact a lot - and kep has both copies of ATP7A.

so: kep has one of the "too much copper" genes... but he has also two of the "too few copper" genes. and studies seem to suggest that the two genes have a neutralizing effect on each other if they're both present in one dog - basically, they cancel each other out.

there's a handful of studies looking at the effects of these genes on dogs, but they basically exclusively focus on labradors and dobermans - one UC davis study even suggested that these genes might not even have an effect on other breeds. i could find absolutely no literature about these genes in collies, or even in herding breeds in general. embark helpfully added that they don't have enough data on this gene in other breeds to claim if they had any effect. the genes also appear to be sex-linked, and affect females moreso than males. one study on labradors suggested that although many dogs tested were carriers of ATP7B, few dogs were clinically affected, which would say that perhaps its not uncommon for dogs with only one copy to not be impacted.

(i'm also wondering if perhaps this could be the case for kep - given that he has 2 copies of ATP7A, he had to inherit one from each parent. given that these genes aren't regularly tested for in collies, is it possible that some lines carry them and are just clinically unaffected? it may be entirely incidental.)

so essentially, he does have one gene that may be nothing, or may cause mild-moderate issues as an older adult/senior. he also has two copies of that gene's natural neutralizer, and is male, and comes from clinically unaffected dogs. so... i think in retrospect, it's something to note on his chart and keep an eye on, but the odds seem to be very stacked in the favor of him either not being affected, or having only mild affects later down the line. could be a nothingburger, might be a little-somethingburger, unlikely to be a seriousburger.

that being said: i am VERY glad i decided to do this test! obviously i knew what breed he was, and his breeder had already tested him for the most collie-relevant conditions, so this was done on more of a whim, but it turned up this potentially important result that i now know to investigate. you'll hear a lot about how breeders who just do embark, or pawprints, or etc aren't doing complete genetic testing, because so many of the diseases these tests screen for aren't breed-relevant and lots of other conditions aren't testable. which is true. 265 genes and only 4 are considered for collies! but once in a blue moon, one of those random other genes will indeed flag, as is the case here.

so yeah: very interesting results! breed, COI, relatives, color, and most of the health is exactly as expected. but boy that one little health bit really threw me for a loop.

[chilapis]

— a more refined, detailed version of this post.

I did say that I didn’t quite know how to word my thoughts, so here is a version in which I do know how to do so. I’ll be going over all information with better application, along with the introduction of new information or analyses where need be.

There is, perhaps, no way to summarize Ajax, or anyone really, given the complexities of the subject’s character. But, if one absolutely must do so, I strongly hold that perhaps there is genuinely no better way to explain Childe than to compare him to a garnet, the beautiful, blood-coloured stone of life and passion, of strength and rebirth, of homesickness; and it is this is very justification that also leads me to believe that the red stone that he just always seems to have on his person somehow, whether it be through the earring he wears, the ones that dangles from his usual-outfit’s jacket (Blades of Glory), the one hanging from his fatui-harbinger fur-collared cloak, or even the one worn in the necklace depicted in the recent concert’s artwork.

In order to justify this comparison and association however, it is first necessary to delve into what garnets really are. Garnets refer to a category of silicate minerals that are available in a variety of species and colours, although deep shades of burgundy and crimson appear most commonly referred to in terms of the latter. Species include pyrope, almandine, andradite, and many more, though we will not be discussing anything that is species-specific. Primarily because that discussion would be more relevant if we were to discuss the composition of these gemstones rather than their believed spiritual properties, or historical significance. Because of this, if you really insist on specification — which, there is no need, since I quite genuinely had no intention of tying it to specific species, and it would be quite futile to do so even if I did considering that they almost always naturally occur in amalgamations — you may use almandines as reference, considering they’re the most common species. Garnets as a whole are quite durable, ranging from 6.5 to 7.5 on the Moh scale of hardness.

The term “garnet” finds its roots in the Medieval Latin word “Granatus”, which is derived from “Granum”, which means “seed-like”, spoken in reference to pomegranate seeds; though it took quite some time for this poor gemstone to have its own identity, considering that red gemstones were referred to using the umbrella term “carbuncle”. This name (garnet) was granted on basis of the similarity in colouring; the gemstone’s red was found to be strikingly similar to that of the fruit. Though, this association is not something that died at the naming process, never to move further; rather, becauss of this association, garnets became a symbol of marital fidelity, seen to reflect the affection shared between Persephone and Hades. It also, by relation, began to be associated with Persephone as a whole — Persephone, the Greek Goddess plunged into the underworld? The Greek Goddess known for her duality, as the Goddess of spring and fertility, but also the queen of the underworld?

Though this is a loose association to make, could the descent into the underworld not be loosely connected to the way Ajax fell into the abyss? Of-course, one mustn’t look for there to be a parallel to every role if one wishes to analyse with an open mind, so there is no Hades, and no abduction. Could this connection not be made then, considering how it was this descent that led to Persephone’s duality, and similarly it was his own descent that led to Ajax’s as well? He was a sweet boy, just a small child who didn’t know any better, but he returned different.

He returned with a piece of the abyss coursing through him in ways perhaps no-one could have imagined; he is no deity like her, of-course, and he is of no royal status, whether by blood or through marriage, but does he not carry his duality well? Is his duality not comparable to hers? A duality that balances the scale with gentle innocence and growth on one side, and death, reincarnation on the other? With the goddess even referred to as a protector(ess) in reference to the latter? Is Tartaglia any stranger to reincarnation and rebirth himself? The audience itself was led into believing he might have died, or would die, in Fontaine’s Archon quest. Was his reappearance not rebirth? Or, was his return from the abyss itself after the time he spent fighting and clawing his way through it without rest, not rebirth? What truly defines rebirth, anyway? Is he not comparable to a phoenix rising from its own ashes, all to live through a painful, self-destructive cycle once again? It is also seen to assist one in recalling their past lives but, I digress.

Garnets are stone with much history behind them; their usage as abrasives, and also gemstones, especially for decorative or jewellery purposes, has been found to date back all the way to the Bronze Age. It is a gemstone that has received so much love throughout the years, whether it be from the ancient Romans, Greeks, Chinese, Arabs, the Victorians, or the Egyptians. Many findings have been discovered regarding how Egyptians would inlay the gemstone in their jewelry as far back as 3100 BC; if was seen as a symbol of life as well as the afterlife, of prosperity, and despite both beliefs coming from two such separate cultures, is it not beautiful how perfectly this ties in to the association with Persephone, with her themes of death and rebirth? And is it not beautiful how this association ties in with Ajax, too? Is he not alive? Do his actions not scream at you to look at him, to look at the fact that he has survived, that he is here and he is alive and he is breathing and it hurts to breathe and he is blinded by his determination but he is alive. He is so alive that it is painful.

Associations with Aphrodite have also led to this stone being seen to symbolise eternity, particularly eternal love and eternal marriage, but eternity in general as well, and eternity can be seen as synonymous with immortality in a way. Considering his relation to the abyss and his ability to harbour powers that would undoubtedly kill the average person, a part of me cannot help but ponder if he truly still is mortal.

It has also found its use in ancient Romans’ signet rings, which they would use to stamp down the wax on important documents; signet rings hold great historical importance due to being traditionally worn by men of great importance, such as royalty and religious leaders, as well as businessmen and politicians for the purposes of performing their signature. Given how much importance one’s signature holds in contracts (fun fact: your face and visual identification holds less importance than your signature in contracts) and his introduction in the Liyue Archon quest, I’m sure some connections could be drawn here although I’m far too tired to do so myself at the moment. People also believed dragons to have eyes made of garnets during the Middle Ages so, take that however you will, really. That’s more or less irrelevant but I’ll be damned if I don’t shove random facts where they absolutely do not fit.

On the topic of life, did you know that in certain cultures (my own included), garnets are seen to symbolise blood? They are said to improve blood circulation throughout the body, as well as help with disorders and deficiencies related to one’s blood. They are said to provide physical strength and endurance to the wearer by strengthening their muscles as well, along with improving the health of one’s heart and bones. Furthermore, it is stated to help relieve the wearer of fatigue, whether it be physical and mental. Is all this not of interest to him? Is strength not one of the very few things he seems to genuinely care about? Is getting stronger not all that he thinks about at times? The gemstone’s association with life and health was so strong that it was historically seen to keep away pestilence and plague, with it even going so far as to be placed on wounds with the belief that it would aid recovery with its powers to heal.

It was, and still is, actually those recommended for those with a tendency to overexert themselves, and is that not who he is? A man who either does not know his limits, or pretends to feign ignorance simply so he has an excuse to push himself, to push until he breaks and shatters time and time again, defying his mortal limitations, if he even really is mortal anymore? It can also be seen to strengthen one’s survival instinct, and one’s will to pull themselves out of difficult situations. I can definitely see the latter fitting perfectly, though I find… little survival instinct in this man.

And speaking of blood, would it be wrong to highlight how much blood matters when talking about him? Blood can refer to bloodlines, to one’s kin; to the family he seeks to protect. Blood can refer to violence, to murder; to the lives he takes so thoughtlessly. Blood can refer to passion, to youth, to ambition and the ability to put it into action; and is that not all that he is? A young man blinded by his passions?

Though, while discussing strength and blood, it becomes very important to note it has a history of being used for protection, strength, and bravery by those entering into battle. At one point in history, it was even referred to as the warrior stone, or the stone of the warriors, especially by ancient Celtic communities, because it had become that much of a tradition for warriors to carry it with them. This is seen to be further highlighted by the facts it was used to decorate the battle equipment and armour of leaders and crusaders, both Muslim and Christian, as they marched into battle, with the former including battle shields and sword hilts. This was seen more prominently during the medieval era, with there being certain discoveries dating far back, such as the two shoulder armour claps found in a buried Anglo-Saxon ship dating back to early 7th century, and Anglo-Saxon sword hilts of gold and garnet from the 8th century. Are Ajax’s outfits any different? Well, yes, in the sense that they’re not utilizing proper armour pieces and he is dressed very inappropriately for battle, but my point is — armour or not, those are his battle clothes, and he adorns them with these red gemstones in such a similar fashion. How is he any different from those warriors, marching into battle adorned by the gleaming blood-red gemstone?

Speaking of battle — garnets were also utilised by Hunza warriors in the later part of the 19th century against the British, by being used in the form of pellets shot with bows and then guns later on; it was assumed that the gemstones would result in especially critical and bloody wounds, which, of-course they would. They’re stones. But the bow part can certainly be tied into Ajax, could it not? Considering he is a bow-user within the game and is actively trying to manage and improve his skills with the bow.

My final point is arguably my most favourite as well; it was actually quite a common choice for travellers journeying far from home as well, so much so that it also came to be known as the “Traveller’s stone”. It was seen as a bringer of good fortune and protection for those planning to journey far away; it was thought that it would bring them back to their homeland not only safe and sound, but a-lot quicker as well. It was given to travellers with the hope of protecting them from misfortunes and accidents while they were away. It was actually quite a common gift to loved ones embarking on faraway journeys for this reason; it has also been noted to be a popular gift among lovers to symbolise their affection but its most popular tradition — at-least historically — remains that of it being gifted with the hope of being reunited, of having this person who means so much to you, finally come back home to you. This could be taken in a romantic context, a familial context, or a platonic context; there’s absolutely no boundaries to this, though there have been records of friends exchanging garnets before parting, with the hope of being reunited through the gemstone they’re carrying with them. They were also used as good luck charms by sailors for this exact reason, because it was thought that having them would keep storms away. In-fact, the use of garnets as protection on sea is so popular that it is commonly thought that Noah only used a garnet to light his path on the Ark.

Speaking of the sea — I’ll get back to it being used by those travelling far away in a moment, but did you know that you can find garnets on beaches as well? Garnet gneiss actually; there have been many instances of people finding garnet sand on beaches, with crystals being eroded by the lashing of the waves. Considering Childe’s hydro vision, and his ascension requiring deep investigation of the beaches around Liyue, it wouldn’t be a reach to view this as another thread of value in this association.

Anyway, I’m really just copy-pasting the following lines from the skeleton of an analysis I offered last time, but it still just… does something to me. Whether you believe in stone-related superstitions and myths or not, is there not sweetness to be found in the desperate human impulse to find comfort? Even if you view the belief to be silly, the fact that to console the anxiety and fear rooted in that separation, the people from those times dedicated these feelings and warmth to this stone, isn't that special?

^ now, applying this pasted analysis, can you not imagine the anxiety his family must feel to have their Ajax be so far away from them? You may argue that the young ones don’t know; they just think he’s a toys salesman, but you would be forgetting one very important thing. Children worry, children worry when you go away for even a little longer than expected, and no-one really knows when Ajax really comes back home. He can write them letters of his return but does he even really know? Every time he talks of returning back home, is it really a promise, or is it a hope? To see his family just one more time? Children worry, and though Teucer does not know the truth about his big brother, he knows that his big brother isn’t with him. Do you think he doesn’t get afraid that his big brother might get hurt? Don’t you think Teucer has his innocent little worries regarding his big brother? Don’t you think his other siblings do, too?

I just think Garnet is the perfect stone for him, that’s all. I don’t think I can imagine another suiting the gemstone so perfectly, or another gemstone suiting him so perfectly.

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

"Motto mo naka ga ii": The Language of Bonds in Japanese

So, we are all familiar with the fact that in Chapter 359, AFO/Shigaraki tells Katsuki, "君は緑谷出久と最も仲が良い。" (You are closer to Midoriya Izuku than anyone else.) There has been some discussion about the fan translations that interpret this as "Midoriya Izuku's best friend," which I disagree with. In the context of Izuku and Katsuki being osananajimi (childhood friends) but not tomodachi (friends), I want to talk about how personal relationships are thought of and talked about in Japanese.

Broad disclaimer: Japanese is a context-heavy language. This means that people use contextual clues and social norms to understand not just the literal meaning of what is being said, but the underlying intentions behind and the social implications of what is being said. All languages do this, but compared to English, this quality is much more pronounced in Japanese. There are millions of Japanese speakers who will all interpret scenes in media differently, just as English speakers have varied interpretations of English-language media. This is intended as a general discussion of social norms and language use, I am not suggesting everyone thinks or speaks this way.

So, naka ga ii means gets along with, on good terms, friendly with, close with. Literally, it means "relation is good." People use it in a lot of nuanced ways, because this phrase is referring to your emotional relationship with a person, not their role in your life.

Broadly speaking, people tend to describe relationships first by role. This is how you know them and who they are to you, senpai (your senior), sensei (your teacher), etc.. You are expected to treat them a certain way based on this role, and someone's first role in your life tends to define your bond for years. This is why many people continue to refer to their high school teachers as sensei even as adults, or retain a certain honorific for a senior colleague even after their employment has ended. But naming their role alone does not necessarily express your personal feelings about that person or how close you are, especially with a hierarchical role like senior or teacher. You might introduce someone as your senpai, but other people will pick up on the fact that you personally like your senpai and get along well with them by observing your interactions.

Izuku and Katsuki are referred to as 幼なじみ (osananajimi, childhood friends) by everyone who knows this about them. This carries a lot of social weight--you are expected to get along with your osananajimi. You know each other incredibly well, you are intimately familiar with one another's habits and behaviors. Generally, you would want this to be a relationship that uplifts you--someone who encourages and supports you, who helps you find your path in life--this is why it is so striking to people that Izuku and Katsuki do not get along. But that weight of familiarity is not erased by currently poor relations.

I want to use an example of a different set of childhood friends to illustrate a linguistic detail here. I am not particularly into Durarara!!, but I remembered a few interesting, relevant exchanges in the first anime. In the show, Masaomi and Mikado are childhood friends who were separated after elementary school, but kept in contact through the internet over the years. They have a very friendly relationship. In episode one, at time-stamp 3:50, Mikado calls Masaomi his 大の親友 (dai no shinyuu); this is literally "great best friend," shinyuu is used for your best friend or closest friends, dai no makes it clear he is a GREAT! best friend. Later, at time-stamp 7:02, Masaomi and Mikado run into some people Masaomi knows, and one of them asks who Mikado is, saying "友達？" (Tomodachi? A friend?)

Masaomi immediately responds that Mikado is his osananajimi. Even though they are currently good friends, he uses their life-long bond to properly explain who Mikado is. Later in episode three, at time-stamp 15:52, they run into Izaya, someone dangerous and unpredictable that Masaomi is visibly wary of. When Izaya is curious about Mikado, Masaomi downplays Mikado's role in his life. He says, "こ��つは俺のただ友達です。" (Koitsu wa ore no tada tomodachi desu.) He is saying, "oh, this guy is just a friend of mine (don't mind him! pay no attention to him!)" This is clearly an attempt to conceal Mikado's importance and, by extension, Masaomi's emotional attachment to him, out of concern for his safety.

We even get clarification later that Masaomi does see Mikado as his best friend. In episode five, at time-stamp 5:18, Masaomi's inner monologue calls Mikado his 親友 (shinyuu, best friend). They engage in extremely playful antics and Anri, a classmate of theirs, kind of awkwardly asks them, "仲いいんですね" (naka iin desu ne, you are really close, aren't you?) Masaomi agrees, repeating the term, while Mikado jokingly calls their relationship 腐れ縁 (kusare'en, an undesirable but inescapable bond).

Now, if someone wanted to tease you about a guy you have a crush on but haven't started dating yet, they might say the same thing Anri says--"Ooh, aren't you two close! You sure get along like a house on fire!" There is also the idiom 喧嘩するほど仲がいい (kenka suru hodo naka ga ii, close enough to quarrel) meaning two people who are intimate enough with each other that they argue. This can be used for all kind of relationships, but it is often said about romantic partnerships. In Japan, people are generally socialized to avoid confrontation and direct disagreement, so along with the connotation of getting on each other's nerves or knowing each other "too well," this kind of closeness means that you will speak freely with the other person, even if it results in an argument.

Naka ga ii has a lot of uses like this, it does not explicitly mark someone as tomodachi.

If AFO/Shigaraki really wanted to say "best friend," he likely would have used shinyuu. And as far as I am aware, AFO/Shigaraki does not know that Izuku and Katsuki are osananajimi--but frankly, I don't think he cares what role Katsuki has in Izuku's life, because he can clearly observe Izuku's emotional bond with Katsuki. He can tell that they have the closest, most important bond because of Izuku's reactions to Katsuki specifically being harmed. Regardless of how they know each other, Izuku cares about Katsuki the most, and that's what matters here.

[selfcontainedunivcrse]

WOE QND PLAGUE BE UPON YE 🏷️🍳 RC, 🧸😍cVwoop, 📊 for both

🏷️: What is their full name? Do any of their names have any special meaning? How did you come up with them?

Its full name is Release Candidate! RC stands for this. It fits in with the naming scheme of Proto, which was what I settled on for Vwoop1/Web1Vwoop/Etc, which is named Proto because it’s a reference to Prototype + Prophetbot from Oneshot!

Why these guys? Minor spoilers 4 the true end of Oneshot (just this paragraph). There is a robot that is made to be the tutorial guide at the beginning of the game, who is basically treated as one of three children of a major figure in the game. It is specifically a robot who is humanlike / not bound to programming because it has been taught how to have meaningful relationships with humans. And I cannot remember why because it’s been actual years since I’ve done a full playthru I rlly need to again o7 But. It is replaced with Prophetbot. This is Prophet’s description. And while Vwoop isn't like this the whole intent of it ...

It isn’t quite analogous but the Oneshot robot thing (+ as Oneshot is in many places inspired by Little Prince, which I also need to reread) is big inspiration for everything behind a lot of how I like to interpret Minecraft and Roleplay Rules and specifically “mob children” (picking that baby piglin to be my Minecraft son type thing, which is relevant because this happened to Proto). 

But, uh, RC.

Well. Since I had Prototype, if I was going to differentiate, I’d want to keep with the programming theme, right, especially more as I’d gotten into Seren as a modder specifically and doing more worldbuilding about magic as modding and programming the game, and had an even stronger interest in meta stuff, and.

Well. I couldn’t. Call it Vwoop Alpha. Or Beta. There are implications. So it’s a Release Candidate! Also RC takes its meta-name due to like, seeing the horrors, and RC is snappy and easy, and it doesn’t really tell anyone what its name means? So just an acronym is very easy to use. RC :3.

(Ironically, it’s the most like it’s “supposed” to be, in-universe, cVwoop would be the “unstable” version but cVwoop is My favourite version because I can be biased :3. My Vwop. I think if I chose a thematic name for it it would be Vwoop Nightly/Nightly Build, because it is the most volatile and like. changes as a person due to the things around it. But I like it just being Vwoop shrug)

🍳: Are they good at cooking? Do they like to? Why and how did they learn to cook, or, if they didn't, why didn't they?

RC can cook. I think it likes to, even, but not really like. Substantially. Because see. On the server it originated from there was the mod Spice of Life, which gives different “food diversity points”. And it doesn’t really cook for that at all, so I like to think it just kind of makes. The equivalent of snacks. It cooks breads and sweets.  It eats whatever it needs to to minmax but it’s kind of scrunching its nose at some things – such is the play. When it makes a world, it is NOT adding Spice of Life.

However, Popcorn taught it how to cook, and also is the one feeding it all of the minmaxxer food. They cook together sometimes, or RC helps him gather mass amounts of ingredients to meal prep. 

🧸: What was their favorite childhood toy and why?

The first Ranboo plushie it made itself. It has made more, and more plushies in this world. But for a little while it would carry it like a safety blanket :]. It loves… Ran Boo.

😍: What traits, physical and/or mental, do they find attractive in other people?

The question probably means in like, romantic/sexual attraction but Vwoop is incredibly aroace. It has a love interest and is happy about this and is happy w/ Finch Specifically, but this does originate because it lives in a society. It’s even had all of these complexes without properly articulating that this is what it wants from fae. Which is even more what you’re supposed to do, it’s read a book before! That’s the whole point of the dating phase!!  It does, however, think that people are joking and/or lying and/or overexaggerating that attraction exists. But people are strange, so.

With that out of the way platonically it so has a type. It is deeply endeared by eccentrics and people who it views as competent. It also likes it when people aren’t as concerned as it with social propriety, too, even though it doesn’t express this (they do not make it feel more scared to be alive). As a whole honestly it just likes people that can make it feel safe? It likes loyalty (a normal amount) and it likes being able to trust people. 

📊: What is their best stat? What is their worst/dump stat? How do these affect how you roleplay as them?

This is kind of backwards since MCRP, but here is what stats I think they would have Because of how I rp them. 

I think both of them would have really high dexterity due to being small and not stopping moving. I think RC is a bit more conscious of this because its forced to be a physical fighter (large servers have too much lag to effectively use a bow, which is depressing and cruel). It definitely tries to control space when it fights, especially in environments with scary magic weapons that Do Effects To You. I would place it as having high strength as well, but its not confident in its ability to fight through Magic Nonsense, so movement is generally more relevant.

I had to ask my resident dnd player actually about cVwoop but xe confirmed that I was right in thinking Vwoop’s highest stat would probably be charisma? Its best skill is absolutely the ability to convince people of things, and to kind of control its reputation as Nice.

Both of their dump stat is wisdom, for the same reason of having about two years’ experience in this whole being alive thing.

[bnhaobservation]

I doubt we'll ever get it but I would love it if Horo gave us more information about Rei's thought process now that we know about her family. Did she want a second child because she wanted an ice baby to carry on the quirk or did she want a "failure" with a fire quirk to get away from her parents ideals once and for all? Was she happy or sad with her ice quirk daughter who inherited her quirk but not her fate of being married off for bigoted reasons? How did she feel when Natsuo came out as the perfect ice quirk baby boy her parents had most likely wanted Rei herself to be? Does she know about Natsuo's mouse eared girlfriend?

Oh, I would definitely love to have more info about Rei!

I hate how we don't even have her character profile contrary to other characters who have a much smaller role and yet have a profile, like Jiro's parents, the elementary school teacher or Kurumada to name a few...

I was really hoping her profile would be added to the new volume since in it we learn things about her family and she has a relevant role but instead... no luck.

She gets a color image (along with Natsuo) but... that's all.

To have more info about herself from her voice would have been definitely nice (I mean, why it has to be Geten the one who speaks about the Himura? It could have been her and Horikoshi could show us an image of Geten as she spoke/thought about it just to clue us in on how he too was an Himura if that was really important for future developments).

However, it could be he believed some answers were intuitive enough due to the story theme and structure.

I mean, I'm not Horikoshi but if we take your question and look at them from a Doylistic perspective...

1) Did she want a second child because she wanted an ice baby to carry on the quirk or did she want a "failure" with a fire quirk to get away from her parents ideals once and for all?

This is Enji's perspective, of course, but when the narrative doesn't try to counter it, the reader is generally expected to accept what a character say about another character as true... so likely Rei only wanted more children so that they could encourage each other (while Enji still yearned for the perfect Quirk).

The story never shows Rei as having an interest in Quirks, so she likely didn't care about her children's Quirks, she just wanted to love them, which fit with how the narrative wants to portray her as a loving mother... mostly in contrast with how Enji failed as a parent.

2) Was she happy or sad with her ice quirk daughter who inherited her quirk but not her fate of being married off for bigoted reasons?

Again, there's no reference to Rei's reaction to her children's Quirks, in contrast to how Enji is happy because, even though it's not perfect, Touya's Quirk has more potential than his own.

The narrative is likely trying to drive home how Enji is focused on his children's Quirks, so by contrast Rei isn't. Enji doesn't comment on his wife's reaction to their daughter's ice Quirk, the whole thing is likely meant to tell us that Rei instead, didn't care about Quirks because Rei is the good parent who loves children unconditionally.

So yeah, I think she was happy with Fuyumi regardless of her Quirk.

The anime drives this better home with this small addition that shows Rei smiling at little Fuyumi.

The interaction is meant to parallel Enji and Touya's but where Enji is happy because Touya shows him his fire, here Rei is happy because Fuyumi shows her flowers.

Mind you, a funny thing about BNHA that not always western readers seem to catch is that even if BNHA criticizes Quirk Marriage, arranged marriage is still a thing in both BNHA and real life Japan...

...and, I think, this is actually what Horikoshi is subtly trying to criticize.

Not the attempt to create a baby with a perfect Quirk, but the fact Enji wants to marry Rei for self interest and not love, and Rei's family is all in favour of the marriage because it's advantagious for them too.

This is still a thing in real life (though luckily it's slowly disappearing), and it's likely what Horikoshi is trying to criticize.

A more adult story "Umineko no naku koro ni" discusses the idea behind arranged marriages. Here I present you a bit of an exchange between a mother (Eva) and her son (George) when she wants to push him into an arranged marriage (as she had been pushed into). Don't be fooled by the western names, they're pure Japanese people, it's just the family which has an obsession for western names.

"Shouldn't marriage meetings be done at a more mature age...?! I still don't feel like I've become an adult..." "Of course, we have no desire to rush into an immediate engagement or marriage, right? It isn't a problem if you deepen your friendship, and then when you settle down as you age, have her moved to our family register." From Eva's forceful appearance, and George's somewhat lazy one, the others could catch a glimpse of the scheme behind this marriage meeting. They didn't know who this other person was, but it was surely someone profitable to Eva's family in a business sense. This whole thing about having them have an engagement relationship until they changed registers to deepen the connection between the two families felt almost like a political strategy. "Marriage isn't something you do after you start liking someone. You fall in love after you do it, right? If you marry just based on emotions, you'll definitely regret it. There's definitely nothing wrong with choosing a person with a secure background for your partner in life, and then building up emotions of love."

In case you're wondering the story (which is placed in 1986 so not centuries ago) isn't in favour of arranged marriages, it just presents the view on it of an important rich family.

Plus Eva, the mother, having been lucky and having been married to a really amazing man, doesn't see nothing wrong in what was done to her.

By having Rei's kids speaking against how Rei was sold, by showing how bad her marriage was, I tend to think this is what Horikoshi is subtly trying to speak against, arranged marriages, not so much just Quirk marriages.

Of course, we could argue that the Himura's tendency to marry among them isn't meant to parallel marriages for interest but marriages out of racistic beliefs... and it could be but Horikoshi tosses it so late in the game it feels like something he came up all of sudden. It was a perfectly valid point to make but it ended up being too rushed to be something that can be apprecciated.

I tend to wonder if the problem was maybe the "Dark Hero arc" was meant to be longer and in it the whole Himura family thing as well as Enji's father death were meant to play a bigger role... but the arc ended up being cut short and so Horikoshi had to salvage what he could when it wa too late for him to give it the space it needed.

(also, part of the Todoroki's story was retconned so it's hard to judge things correctly but more about this later).

3) How did she feel when Natsuo came out as the perfect ice quirk baby boy her parents had most likely wanted Rei herself to be?

The visual shows her smiling at baby Natsuo and "School Briefs" have Natsuo talk about her as a loving mother for him, one who compensate how his father didn't look at him, and in the manga interactions with Natsuo she just seem to love him so I would say she was happy with how Natsuo was.

I like to represent Rei as a single child in my fic, but in truth we don't know if she was a single child. Rei might have siblings, brothers, and she might not even be the firstborn. The main family could have had more children than Enji did for all we know, and, in truth, what they really needed was only a male heir to carry on the family... which they might have had. The Himura's thick blood narration is likely there to insure the readers the Himura children would all have an ice Quirk due to the Himura thick blood, to the point that even Touya, who apparently seemed not to have it, ultimately had it.

So in addition to the story showing Rei having no interest in her children's Quirks, it can be that her family already had a perfect heir and no expectations where put on Rei, as it can be she was just a second born child like Fuyumi (in a traditional Japanese family all the expectations are generally put on the first male child born in the family, not even on the second male child unless, for some exceedingly rare reason, the first male born child fails at being a suitable heir).

However Natsuo's birth came with a big problem tied with it.

Rei didn't want another kid, not so much because she didn't want more children, but because she figured Touya would be hurt by them trying to product another perfect Quirk child.

The story feds us with Enji's excuse, that they're having it because this will stop Touya from burning himself, this will make Touya give up.

There's a debate in the fandom if, at this point, Enji committed marital rape or if Rei let herself be persuaded and agreed reluctantly to have Natsuo.

(by the way, on June 16, 2023 the Upper House of Parliament in Japan passed passed unanimously a new law which, in addition to raising the age of consent from 13 to 16, defines rape as “nonconsensual sexual intercourse” and removes a previous requirement that the crime had to include physical force to be called rape. Until now, Japan’s laws on sexual assault did not mention consent, reflecting skepticism that anyone could be forced into sex without violence... and, even though it does not deny spousal rape, no court has ever ruled on such a case, except in situations of marital breakdown... meaning by the time Horikoshi wrote this scene he might have not concerned himself with the whole matter)

Regardless of which theory you decide to embrace, Natsuo having an ice Quirk doesn't fix things by either proving Enji right or wrong, which is what leads to Shouto's birthday.

So while the narrative doesn't show Rei as a woman interested in her children's Quirks, the narrative also tells us that Natsuo's ice Quirk is a problem because, with it, the situation can only stay unchanged or get worse while I think she had hope that Shouto's perfect Quirk would have solved things.

4) Does she know about Natsuo's mouse eared girlfriend?

Manga and anime translation seem to disagree but this is the text in the Japanese manga.

'Zemi de kanojo de kitan datte'

ゼミで彼女できたんだって

"I heard (from you/from someone else) that (you/he) got a girlfriend at the seminar."

The sentence doesn't say from who Fuyumi heard it (nor if she's talking directly to him or reporting what Natsuo is doing to Rei), so it can be she heard someone say so, but it's more likely Natsuo told her so, especially since Natsuo and Fuyumi talk about what Natsuo will do with his girlfriend to celebrate the new year.

The manga will also show Fuyumi meeting the girl... so it's not like he's hiding her from his sister, a sign they weren't educated into thinking Heteromorphs aren't someone they should associate with.

So I think that the idea is that with that sentence Fuyumi just informed Rei about how Natsuo has a girlfriend. As the topic immediately switches it's hard to say if Natsuo eventually said Rei more about her, like that she's an Heteromorph.

Would Rei or someone in the Todoroki family have problems because she's an heteromorph? Likely not. They're all city people and the manga established that in big cities Heteromorphs aren't discriminated in fact according to Shoji, Heteromorph kids kile Koda and Tokoyami and others who grew up in cities would only have read of such things in books...

...and even the Heteromprh guy of the MLA agrees that in cities discrimination is a thing of the past.

The overall narrative message was that, in addition to how education can win discrimination is that yes, the UA kids (Shouto, Mineta, Tsunotori) when talking to Heteromorphs called them by their animal Quirk but this doesn't mean they're racist, they just don't know any better, which yes, wasn't something that impressed positively many in the fandom as it seems a poor way to handle all that but, for the sake of it existing let's just say the narrative wants to tell us city people won't think ill of Heteromorphs so probably Rei, which I assume is a city person since she's from the main house, wouldn't see them any different from how she would see other people.

Plus, narratively, she's meant to be a good person.

Note though that this is all said from a Doylistic perspective. Because the author wants to say certain things or doesn't say certain things or has certain themes it's reasonable to assume my speculations could be the answer but... there's nearly zero canon proof of it so it's not like I can call all I've said as surely right.

Plus there's something to keep in mind about the narrative of the Todoroki story, something that can cause problems in interpreting Rei and the narrative around her correctly... which is that the whole Todoroki plotline was retconned, possibly even more than once.

In fact, we start with this bit in chap 44 in which Shouto says he NEVER went to see Rei (after she was hospitalized).

Note that Fuyumi's question seems also to hint at how it was Shouto's choice to decide not to go to her and she's surprised he's doing it after all this time but she's not worried about which consequences this could have on her mother, just if they would need her father's permission to do so.

Then we move to chap 250, which implies Touya died after their mother was hospitalized and THIS caused Rei to get worse to the point she couldn't see Shouto any longer.

So it's no more Shouto's choice and he never went to her. Now it's just Rei getting worse in hospital AFTER TOUYA DIES so Shouto couldn't anymore. And Fuyumi singles out just Shouto, which imply she and Natsuo could.

Then we jump to chap 302 magazine version in which Rei says how, after Touya was gone she began seeing Enji in her children, meaning this is what caused Shouto's burn, the visual supporting the idea... though the visual adds Natsuo too to the kids which reminded her of Enji, not just Shouto.

So no, Touya now didn't die anymore after Rei's hospitalization but before it, meaning Rei too was also responsible for not going after him when he went on Sekoto Peak.

This time though, someone warned Horikoshi of how he contradicted previous canon and so the whole thing was changed for the volume version. A page was added to make clear Rei was in hospital when Touya 'died'...

...and the image behind Rei's balloon was switched to one that showed her hospital room.

Narratively it would have probably been better if Rei's lines of dialogues had been switched so that those saying she was in hospital were placed where we can see the hospital door and the one in which she said she couldn't stand the sight of Enji in the new page but whatever.

Why all this is relevant?

In the very first part of the story Rei is, narratively, just a victim. She's a good mother, who suffered a lot, to the point Shouto forgets her smiling face when she told him he could be a Hero and remembers her solely crying...

...when in truth she also found the strength to smile and support him...

... never mention the times she would get between him and his father and get hit in his place...

It would stand to reason such a good mother would have protected and supported Touya too, and the fact she ended up hospitalized was why he ended up unsupervised, making the whole thing with Touya something due to which solely Enji was to blame.

But, when he fixed Touya's history in chap 301/302, Horikoshi likely decided the whole family had to be to blame.

So Rei isn't supportive of Touya's dream (which in BNHA is generally bad) but tells Touya to stop as well...

...and in the first draft was even meant to be at home and be as well responsible for not going after Touya when he was on Sekoto Peak and then burned.

The worsening of Enji and the consequent snapping of Rei would be caused by Touya's death of which they both were directly responsible as they didn't go after him.

Only... Horikoshi is then reminded Rei couldn't be at home when Touya burned as she was hospitalized before Touya's 'death'... so things... get changed.

And that's not the sole instance where the narrative change things.

Both Shouto and Touya points out how Enji forced Rei's family to give her up.

...only for Rei claiming that yes, her options were limited but she chose and could have refused (and the Himura family looking not forced at all but delighted to sell her off)... only for the story to late tell us hadn't the Himura family sold her to Enji, they would have handed her off in marriage to some distant cousin which basically it's insurance Enji didn't have to force her family at all to sell her. Selling daughters was standard practice for them.

And those aren't the sole instances where the narrative gives us mixed or retconned messages.

(Despite all this though I still love the Todoroki story!)

So... it's really hard to figure which message the narrative, for now, is trying to pass about Rei, beyond that they wanted her to be an overall loving mother and good person, who however made a mistake with his eldest and snapped when she saw her youngest.

As a result, since canon is so vague and the narrative changed way too many times, well, more CANON info about her would have been greatly apprecciated, at least as far as I'm involved.

Since Horikoshi isn't even showing her profile though, I fear he just isn't interested in doing so... which for me is sad as I TOTALLY LOVE THE TODOROKI FAMILY and really wanted to know more about them...

So yes, I join you in the wish for more info about the Todoroki family because speculating as I just this is fun but... it's not canon and my guesses might have been completely off track.

Thank you for your ask and sorry for the long reply but I love to talk about the Todoroki family!

[galacticsand]

Movelang #000 - Introduction to the Language and Noun Class System

Nophhurra, my friends! Today I begin a series of posts showcasing an experimental conlang that I've been working on now and tinkering with for just over a year. At the moment, this language does not have a name in-conlang, and so I'll be referring to it for the time being by the language's project name "Movelang". Originally this language came about as the result of an idea that I wanted to experiment with in a conlang, and the language has since solidified and expanded in more ways than one. In this post, I'll be introducing you all to Movelang, along with the goals that I have since codified for it. As it stands, this language currently holds no connection to my Personal Conworld Project, as it is currently only an experiment, and I don't see it being adapted in any way for it, at least for the time being, but who knows, that could change one day!

The origins of Movelang lay in a discord server that I was and still am actively a part of. At the time, a group of us were discussing neat and nontrivial noun class systems that could potentially be used in a conlang, and one of us (I can't remember exactly who right now, but I do know it wasn't me), suggested an idea for a noun class system that is based on the mode by which nouns in question would be transported or moved around. We all loved this idea right away, and we set originally to put together a server collaborative conlang to implement this idea. After some time passed though, the project fell into obscurity, but I still found this idea to be super cool, and wanted to experiment with it further, and so I ended up stealing the idea, and building it into my own personal experimental piece!

The resulting noun class system shown above is what I ended up with after reconsidering the original class system that we had come up with together. The system I devised consists of 8 noun classes, a slight upgrade from what had originally been 6 more broad classes, which are distinguished by a mode of moving, carrying, or transport used for associated nouns in the appropriate class. I also gave each class a cool name that reflects the mode of movement associated with it as well! The class definitions are of course broad as well, as is the case with all languages that make use of noun classes, and not all nouns that fit into one of these classes will follow the category specified for each one.

In terms of goals, my primary goal was of course to implement the cool noun class concept that the group I was in had originally devised: to set up noun classes based on mode of movement for prospective nouns. Aside from this, my intention is also to experiment with a couple of other aspects of conlanging that I had been wanting to use hitherto. One of the big ones is being able to create a lot from a little in terms of derivations, which I've been able to do for the most part already, in addition to a loose adherence to naturalism, which hasn't been as big of a goal for me with this being an experiment, as already mentioned, but has helped me to keep the language looking plausibly realistic for the most part.

As I continue sharing more bits and pieces with you all about Movelang, I hope to show you how I've been able to adhere to these goals as its development has moved forward, slowly but surely, and I can't want to show you all what I've made very soon!

=-=-=-=

This is my first big post to the blog, and my thoughts can sometimes be all over the place, especially if I'm super excited, so do let me know if you'd like me to clarify anything mentioned here. Feel free to drop me an ask and I'll answer it whenever I find the time if it adds to the post! Who knows, maybe I'll even give a sneak peak of what I have to come later, if it's particularly relevant... Until then, hope you all are as excited as I am! :D

[pride-database]

Transgender umbrella.

Transgender flag, by Monica Helms:

The baby blue stripes were chosen because it is the traditional colour for boys, while the pink is for girls. The white stripe symbolises those who are intersex, transitioning, or see their gender as neutral or undefined.

This flag was deliberately made to be symmetrical, so no matter which way you fly it, it's always correct. This, according to the author, is a metaphor for trans people finding correctness in their lives.

Meaning of Transgender:

Someone who doesn't identify solely, completely, and always as the gender they were assigned at birth.

Trans- is a Latin root which translates to "across".

What does "gender assigned at birth" mean?

When a baby is born, the doctors declare "it's a boy" or "it's a girl" based on their genitals. This means assigning a gender identity that others will classify them as, based on their sex.

If they have a vagina and ovaries, they're assigned/designated female at birth (AFAB/DFAB), while if they have a penis and tesicles, they're assigned/designated male at birth (AMAB/DMAB).

Very rarely, and only in certain cultures, if a child's genitals are ambiguous they may instead be assigned indeterminate/intersex at birth (AIAB/AXAB) (More on intersex in a different post).

Useful terminology:

Sex: the combination of physical elements (genitals, reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones etc.) that classify someone as female, male, or intersex.

Gender: the social, psychological, cultural, and behavioural categories of woman/girl, man/boy, or non-binary person, which carry their own behavioural expectations (gender roles).

Cisgender: the opposite of transgender; someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth. Shortened to "cis".

Trans woman/girl: someone who identifies as a woman despite not having been assigned female at birth. Women who have been assigned male at birth may refer to themselves as MTF (male-to-female).

Cis woman/girl: someone who identifies as a woman and has been assigned female at birth.

Trans man/boy: someone who identifies as a man despite not having been assigned male at birth. Men who have been assigned female at birth may refer to themselves as FTM (female-to-male).

Cis man/boy: someone who identifies as a man and has been assigned male at birth.

Note: there should always be a space between the adjective "trans" and the noun it accompanies; it is not written as "transwoman/transman". Trans is just a descriptive word, and when someone's trans status is not relevant, you should just refer to them as a woman/a man.

Non-binary: anyone whose gender identity doesn't fit within the binary of man–woman. It fits under the transgender umbrella because non-binary people don't identify fully, constantly, or solely as the gender they were assigned at birth, although some non-binary people may not find the term transgender useful to them. (I'll get into more detail on non-binary in the next post.)

Transition: the act of changing one's appearance, name, and/or pronouns to express one's trans gender identity.

There are 2 types of transition:

Social transition: the act of going by a different name, different pronouns, and/or a different gender presentation.

Medical transition: going on puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and/or having gender affirming surgeries/sex reassignment surgeries (GAS/SRS).

Gender dysphoria: a feeling of distress around the gendered parts of one's body and/or the gender one is socialized as, that can lead to mental issues like depression if left untreated.

Attempts to treat it with conversion therapy have been unsuccessful and are extremely harmful; the cure for dysphoria is transition.

Types of dysphoria:

Body dysphoria: distress over one's primary (genitals) and secondary (voice, hairs, height etc.) sex characteristics not matching one's gender identity. This type of dysphoria is best treated with medical transition.

Social dysphoria: distress over being gendered incorrectly (this act is called misgendering), being called the wrong name (deadnaming), and just generally being seen as a gender one doesn't identify as. This type of dysphoria is best treated with other people respecting the individual's pronouns and calling them their chosen name, even if it's hard to get used to.

Mental dysphoria: distress over one's internal reactions not matching the reactions of the gender one identifies as.

Not all trans people have all 3 types; in fact, some trans people may not even have any type of significant dysphoria.

Gender expression: the way someone dresses to express their gender.

Crossdresser/Transvestite: someone whose gender expression doesn't match the expectations for their gender identity. For example, someone who identifies as a man but likes to dress femininely (regardless of whether he's a trans man or a cis man). Transvestite is an outdated term used to medicalize such people, so it is best to just refer them as crossdressers, unless they have reclaimed the term.

Slur ahead!

Tranny: an offensive term used to degrade trans people. Has been reclaimed by some trans people, but absolutely do not use it on a trans person unless they specifically ask you to.

Subsets of trans:

Transfeminine | Transmasculine

Transneutral | Transandrogynous (colour-adjusted cause the original's dark grey stripe was a slightly different shade)*

These terms indicate the "direction" of one's transition:

Transfeminine (shortened to transfem): transitioning towards a more feminine gender.

Transmasculine (shortened to transmasc): transitioning towards a more masculine gender.

Trans women are transfeminine, and trans men are transmasculine, but these words' meanings are not limited to these two: non-binary people can also be transmasc or transfem. Others however prefer different terms to describe their transition:

Transneutral (shortened to transneu): transitioning towards a more neutral gender.

Transandrogynous (shortened to transangi): transitioning towards a more androgynous gender.

Difference between gender-neutral and androgynous:

Although often used interchangeably, technically gender-neutral refers to something that is neither masculine nor feminine, while androgynous means it is both masculine and feminine (andro is a greek root for "male/man/masculine", and gyno for "female/woman/feminine").

This is reflected in the flag colour choices, since purple is a combination of pink and blue, while yellow is completely separate from them.

Things you should know about trans people:

Trans people aren't mentally ill. Yes, gender dysphoria is still listed in the DSM-V, but it is no longer considered a disorder; the diagnosis still exists to make it easier to access the medical means for transition.

"Rapid-onset gender dysphoria" is just a myth; no amount of outside influence can turn someone trans.

The amount of people who regret transitioning has been shown by multiple researches to be extremely low; for example, an US survey of 27,715 trans people found that of the 8% of people who revert their social and medical transition (detransitioners)—and of which 62% end up retransitioning—only 5% did so because they realized transition wasn't right for them. That's 0.04% of all people who were surveyed. The rest detransitioned due to financial, medical, and discrimination issues, and especially due to pressure from loved ones. It is especially uncommon to detransition after a gender-affirming surgery.

Being trans is not a sexual perversion. Why would anyone willingly subject themselves to all the discrimination trans people face every day—even risk being arrested or killed in some places—just to live out a sexual fantasy?

"Trans" vs "Transgender" vs "Transsexual":

"Trans" can be short for either "transgender" or "transsexual".

Transsexual is an older, mostly outdated term for trans people: it refers to those who transition medically and surgically. It's disrespectful to refer to a trans person as transsexual if they don't specifically tell you the term they identify with. This is because it's been used to medicalize trans people, and additionally not all trans people want or are able to undergo sex reassignment surgery.

Transgender by comparison is a more neutral term, and refers to any trans person regardless of whether they intend to undergo medical transition or not. (When in doubt, just use trans!)

Some info on HRT:

Hormone Replacement Therapy consists of injections/gel/pills/patches of Testosterone (T)—the dominant male hormone—for transmascs, and Estrogen (E)—the dominant female hormone—along with anti-androgens, for transfems. These enact a "second puberty" of sorts e.g. a voice drop and facial hair growth for people who go on T, and breast growth for people who go on E.

If a trans kid hasn't started their puberty yet, and wants to delay it to decide if they want to undergo a different kind of puberty instead when they turn 16, they may be prescribed puberty blockers instead. These are reversible, meaning that if you stop taking them, you'll undergo a typical puberty for your sex.

HRT and puberty blockers aren't any more dangerous than any other medication: they've been used on cis people for longer than they've been used on trans people, for example puberty blockers for kids who have their puberty too early, or T for women who bodybuild.

*here's the original transandrogynous flag, if anyone wants it:

Whew; sorry for the wordiness of this one! I hope all trans people are living their best life! See you in the next post 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[waywardsalt]

loz in the court of the crimson king au bulletpoints or whatever because i never talk about this au but want to yap abt it now!!!!!

yeah the fact that its named after that album is important the song of (mostly) the same name i used as a framework for the plot, the other songs in the album are used for character/other plot stuff and relevant whatever, im going to use song lyrics for chapter titles, there are literally characters referred to as the crimson king, the black queen, the yellow jester, all that from the song it’s all relevant and also the album is good listen to it. once the lyrics in moonchild are over i wont blame you for dipping after that point its mostly Noise

primarily a ganonbeck au but its also the one with the homoerotic friendship(????) between bellum and linebeck that did the most in making me realize that yeah i do actually ship it

also the au where i have to pull off linebeck being 19-20 and the adoptive older brother of link and aryll. but he also has to pull it off in-universe because ofc he looks nothing like them and also looks older than he actually is and the cane really doesn’t help

also yeah cane user linebeck when he was a kid he fucked up his ankle really bad (ha) and it didn’t heal correctly so he needs a cane on occasion it’s a whole thing and i hope to actually do this justice when i get around to writing this au

general setup of linebeck being an adopted family member to link and aryll and their grandmother, and he spends half of his time living with them in their small apartment and being the one most capable of actually making money, and leaves every other week for a full week to do work out in the city

the city is a sort of industrial sort of city, split into some major districts, with hylians and zora and gorons and all of the major races living in this sorta industrial slightly fantasy city. there’s a train system. originally there was some kinda body of water between sections of the city primarily to allow for sea travel but it truly doesnt work for what the story needs so it’s just a sort of industrial type city, and the whole story takes place only in the city

general plot idea is that while linebeck spends half of his time at home with his adoptive family, the other half of his time he spends, yes, doing odd jobs around the city, but most of his income comes from working directly with bellum, who assigns him targets for murder and theft, which he carries out while in costume of the 'demon of the gray moon', an urban legend figure in the city that he came up with when he was like seven that he's mostly able to pull off because of bellum's support

bellum is one of the leaders of the city. there's five and they each anonymously hold control over one of the districts in the city and all try to get and edge over the others and all have assorted little lackies working for them. bellum does have a gaggle of lackies (tbh theyre likely going to be versions of the bosses) but he is the most close and open with linebeck, who is also the only one to know that he operates as one of the leaders

ganondorf is another leader. he's the crimson king (technically one of two) in question. the main thing that kicks of the story is bellum tasking linebeck with spying on and doing research into ganondorf to see if he's one of those leaders, as bellum has a strong hunch and is trying to identify the other leaders

linebeck and bellum met when they were kids, linebeck being an actual kid and bellum kinda just. pretending to be one and acting like hes aging at a human rate and w/e. link, aryll, and their grandmother have technically met bellum, but when he appears much more human and uses a false name. he very rarely actually uses his little real demon form in this au

yeah linebeck spends a lot of his time in his work weeks hanging out with bellum and taking advantage of the higher quality of life he gets when crashing at bellum's place and living in his part of the city. there's a whole. county mouse city mouse thing going on. he does not, in fact, save a lot of the money he earns at work for the sake of his adoptive family

linebeck does really care about his adoptive family but has more complicated feelings about them and his situation, but does genuinely try to make sure they're safe, having convinced bellum to help him in that, though his more dubious activities do also happen to

in general there's the split between linebeck's time with his adoptive family and his time with bellum and as the demon of the gray moon, and how they end up mixing even while he tries to keep them separate for reasons that are mostly selfish on his end. including him deciding that he should ask ganondorf out on a date while bellum desperately tries to keep him focused on the job at hand

[blackjackkent]

OK, we made it to the counting house. WHERE IS MY BOY!

Hm. No immediate sign of Minsc and he's kind of hard to miss so I guess we'll just go look around.

It turns out that I did lie slightly about being able to read red-tagged documents as long as you don't pick them up; everyone in the bank, including all the customers waiting in line, disapproved loudly when I tried to have Hector look at the accounting books behind the desk.

Some other interesting documents to look at, though, including this on a random table:

Vault 1, 3, and 5 are all names we recognize; I wonder if bringing Wyll around would be useful for getting into the Ravengard vault. Might have to look into that later.

2 is also a name recognizable from BG1/2, as I was reminded by another document nearby:

*trumpet fanfare* BG1 reference!

Grand Dukes Belt and Liia Janneth appeared in BG1 and Siege of Dragonspear. Silvershield is also a familiar name; not Daryn, but we met Duke Entar Silvershield in BG1/SoD - he was Skie's dad. Despite what ended up happening to Skie, I guess Entar did have another kid to carry on the family line.

(I don't *think* any of this is actually relevant to anything, I'm just enjoying nerding out about all the little details. :D )

There are a lot of doors and chests around that Hector is very much not allowed to touch. We might have to touch them anyway but let's try chatting with the clerk first:

"Welcome to the Counting House. I'm Head Clerk Meadhoney - how may the Fellowship of Financiers serve you?"

"You seem a little nervous, Saer Meadhoney. Had some difficult customers today? One in particular calling himself the Stone Lord, perhaps?"

"The who? The what? All right, fine -- the Head Banker may have just taken a customer by that name down into the vaults. Rather large. Rather heavily armed -- which is against regulations. But I'm sure the Head Banker knows what he's doing."

"I assure you -- he does not. You're right to be nervous - but let us pass, and all will be well."

The fact that we're having this conversation while covered in blood from the fight with the gith is probably not helping our credibility.

"Eh, well... who is this Stone Lord to you?"

Hector, as usual, taking the honest and direct route until it stops working: [PERSUASION] "A friend. He might do something stupid down there, but we can help."

"That would be most unusual. But then again... so is our visitor."

Jaheira gave this kind of sad little laugh... "That he is. But don't worry. We can handle him."

"Very well. Show the guards this *temporary* vault pass. And should my superior ask -- keep my name out of it."

All right, we have a way into the bank! Sadly I have to stop here for the night; more tomorrow after my stream, most likely! :D

[amaiguri]

How I Am Developing Character Voices

I have LONG STRUGGLED with all my characters sounding too similar. So... I've just created a spreadsheet to try to sort out how the characters are supposed to sound different. (Or specifically, narrators -- I think, in dialogue, the characters are more distinct. Maybe. I hope...)

For each character, I defined their:

Intended Vibes -- This is the general feel/design goals of the character.

Words/Metaphors -- This is a list of words the character might use that demonstrates their linguistic landscape and/or the metaphors they would use.

Syntax Demo -- This is an abstract sentence that both describes and demonstrates the default rhythm of their speech.

Gimmick -- This is anything weird I have tacked onto their character to make them FEEL more distinct, such as repeating themselves 3 times or speaking in 2nd-person.

So here's examples of some of the more-similar characters who I have now defined to ensure they stay different:

Arlasaire

VIBES Feral Punchy Angsty WORDS/METAPHORS "Burn" "Fire" Pain, Sharp, Hatred "Cracked" "Puffed" Military/battlefield mindset "Fuck" but only when she's super panicking, never for sex. SYNTAX Word. Word. A longer sentence that describes it. A shorter one. One. GIMMICKS One word punches. Identifying her emotions.

Saravanya

VIBES Melancholic Guilty Devoted WORDS/METAPHORS "God, Please" "Praying" "Thundered" "Authority" "Swore" Trailing off like in Japanese... Carnal/specific body parts ("Thenar", "Brow bone", "sloughed off the parental corpse") "Unseen limbs" Rivers, eddies, specific flower names, fog, clay... "Their heart beating next to mine" Intertwined SYNTAX Here is a short sentence. Here is a second. Here is a longer sentence that elaborates and demonstrates the pounding of my unsettled heart. Here is a sentence to elaborately demonstrate my self-hatred. But focus. And back to the matter at hand. GIMMICKS "You" to refer to herself when disassociating Capitalizing important concepts as if she worships them

Zalathiel

VIBES Intelligent Sociopathic Ayato from Genshin WORDS/METAPHORS "Disdain" "Exude Enmity" Demon/monster metaphors & Game metaphors "Sophistry" "Ostracism" "Fallacious" "Injurious" "Equivocation" "Specious" Reluctant first-person commentary "Consanguineous" SYNTAX With regards to the current topic, here is something relevant: A specification. Here is an additional humble suggestion, with a brutal conclusion masquerading as a mere fact. Which it is, in my perception. GIMMICKS Overwrought language "You" is the audience Must show off intelligence

Diacaius

VIBES Intelligent Charismatic Ardyn Izunia from FFXV WORDS/METAPHORS Chess/Lantriculi "Morrow" "instilled an amount of solemnity in me" "The Philosopher King IS perfection; No ship can carry them." "Standing on ceremony" Comparisons to animals when belittling people "Narthex" SYNTAX I do utilize additional Simply's and Of Course's but ultimately, I speak humbly and plainly -- as a good Senator is wont to do. GIMMICKS Specific but never niche No second person, BUT impliedly explaining things to you Is smart, doesn't show off

Now you might be like, "That sounds all fine and good in THEORY, but does it actually to your characters sounding different? And being easier to differentiate?

Well, here's them saying "I had eggs this morning and they were gross" but in their own voices:

Arls: It was eggs. Again. The smell was unbearable. I glared at Diacaius. He smiled.

Sara: The dawn rose again. I cooked eggs for breakfast. But I must have burned them or maybe they were already rotten, because they smelled injurious even when peppered -- like the curdled water of bogs. But you swallowed them anyway. No point in wasting the food. If you couldn't cook, you deserved to suffer the consequences.

Zal: The biggest downside to Saravanya is that, despite her best efforts, she is incapable of comprehending one critical skill: She cannot cook. She most certainly scavenged food as a child and developed an insoluble inability to distinguish injurious food from viable meals -- she simply healed herself if she became sick. While I am certain this is a viable strategy for a Demon, I could never stomach her eggs -- much to her horror.

Dia: While I cooked eggs for breakfast, the smell and green slime infecting the yolk indicated they had long rotted. It was unfortunate. Ultimately, I needed to throw them out as they were unfit for consumption.

Not only do these people sound distinct now, but they were also waaaay easier for me to write! And I just feel more confident that they are meaningfully different.

That isn't to say Diacaius would never say "The biggest downside to so-and-so is there" or Arlasaire would never say "The dawn rose again" (actually... I think Arlasaire would say "Morning came again."), but rather that they are MORE LIKELY to adhere to those constructions unless something is pushing them. Diacaius is only mean when he is mad. Zalathiel is mean all the time.

I'm also not going to claim this is a perfect system but I am already confident that I am going to be doing better, moving forward.

So, yeah! If you're struggling with your character voices, I hope this demonstration helps you clear things up more!

[scumscuttlers]

Random Trivia

Just some stuff that's been on my brain about what Inezra likes / has picked up since she started interacting with aliens.

Human Topics

Inezra has been exposed these things to one way or the other, either through conversations with humans, aliens somewhat familiar with them, or as a result of consuming and asking questions about human media. If she remembers anything at all, if only comes out if she can connect it to something relevant in the moment and/or can use that knowledge to make fun of someone.

Christianity, which spiraled into a search that ended up in a deep dive into Christian Fundamentalism and assorted topics. She doesn't care about that part, but she does like the murder and violence in the old testament. Jesus getting nailed to the cross is pretty cool. No clue why humans act so weird about it.

Santa Claus. Why does an old bearded guy go around giving wrigglers presents? Funny that bad kids get coal though.

Pigments. You mean they don't use blood? Like at all? They're out here using artificial sources entirely? Okay, kind of lame but whatever.

Human family structures and relationships. She doesn't really care about the complexities involved in human family trees, and has trouble differentiating between them. It doesn't matter much to her, considering most if not all of the humans she interacts with have dead lusii, families, or both. It does make watching human media suck sometimes. Who is who? Why are they acting like that? Are they related?

The confederate flag. This was briefly explained to her as something humans carry when they're stupid. Why would you fly a flag when you lost that badly?

Crime. For the most part it seems like humans are awfully worried about shit that doesn't matter, like murder, or dismemberment, or maiming to the point where they have insurance for this very thing. Seems weird.

Countries. The fact that there's so many different countries on Earth makes her mad. You guys couldn't figure your shit out and put one person in charge?

American States. Again with the multiple municipalities and boundaries. Why is America not just one big country, or a handful of territories ruled over by the same entity properly. Why do the states have such stupid names? What the fuck is an Arkansas?

Science Fiction. Humans' idea of the future in their past media reads as very silly to Inezra. Though she thinks franchises like Alien are interesting enough, when viewed from the standpoint that systems humans knew that were somewhat simple would be easier to repair (re: CRT monitors and whatnot). At least they had robots.

Human Expansionism. Humans dreamed big, didn't know shit, and then also didn't manage to go any further than their moon before they blew their whole planet up. They couldn't even conquer all the land on their own planet and use it effectively. Kind of funny, not gonna lie!

Human Phrases

Y'all, die badly (Dave's fault), you do you, other assorted pieces of slang and references that are actually difficult to keep track of. Maybe I'll update this section later.

Human Media

She isn't a fan of most human media! She doesn't think they effectively use their screen time at all. This is mostly a complaint about shows like Why Women Kill. They already spent 3 hours showing you reasons why. Go ahead and get to the part where the husbands get murdered, thank you.

She dislikes unrealistic violence in movies because it takes the fun out of it. Realistic fear and fighting are better. She especially likes when humans use tools in their environment to beat monsters. Go human. Sorry you're weak, but at least you can put your neurons to use.

She does like:

Pearl (2022)

Alien (1979)

Gone Girl (2014)

Jennifer's Body (2009)

Xena: Warrior Princess

Miscellaneous

Owns a cat. She hasn't given it a name.

She has spent a couple days in jail, but she hasn't been to prison.

Likes

Alternian Wrestling. She has an account on the official forums and regularly uses it to start flame wars and wish death on troll's favorite wrestlers.

Meat buns. She's a regular patron of a combination food truck / restaurant hub called GastroGrub where they're readily available.

Chocolate Ice Cream.

[thosearentcrimes]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a lot better than Dracula. The flow of the text is better, it's more fun to read, the themes are more subtle and interesting. Perhaps a better work to compare to would be The Vampyre, a work which arose from the same impromptu writing circle as Frankenstein, and which apparently introduced the vampire into anglophone literature in a form recognizably similar to that which appears many decades later in Dracula. However, I have read Dracula, and so have many others, and I have not read The Vampyre.

By way of example of the superiority of Frankenstein, consider the use of the epistolary device. Dracula retains it throughout the narrative, in which it interferes constantly, to no appreciable benefit. The rapid shift from narrator to narrator is not accompanied by significant insight into their character and internal world, as the characters are in fact precisely who everyone else takes them to be. By contrast, Frankenstein also begins with an epistolary introduction, but then transitions reasonably cleanly into narrative. The epistolary device is not used to much greater effect, but less of a bad thing is still an improvement.

The writing of these letters is remarkably bad. I understand that tastes change, but the letters (including those cited in the non-epistolary section) consist largely of people telling each other things they clearly already know, for the benefit of the reader. Surely there is no point in writing letters into the story if they're not going to make sense within the narrative? Additionally, both letters and dialogue are all rendered in the same voice.

On this note, while Shelley has gone to great lengths to justify the eloquence of the monster, and this eloquence does in fact serve a worthwhile thematic purpose, the effect of it is reduced somewhat by every other character being bizarrely eloquent as well. Additionally the mechanism by which the monster is rendered eloquent is quite frankly a long series of plot holes. As appropriate as it is for the monster to reference Paradise Lost, it is quite inexplicable for a French-speaking monster in 18th century Germany to have found a copy of it (and some other books) in the first place, let alone been able to read it, for starters.

Some of the character introductions, especially but not exclusively those done by way of letters, are a bit too obviously utilitarian. I rather prefer it when the author either sets up all the characters and plot points in such a way that the reader cannot tell that they serve a specific narrative purpose later, or that they simply introduce them when they come up. A character brought up with no immediate motivation a chapter or two before they become narratively relevant is like a recognizable big-name actor in a police procedural, it gives the game away. I wonder what happens in a couple chapters with this tragic innocent in this gothic horror novel!

Despite all my criticism, I quite liked Frankenstein and I think it is not only worth reading but additionally a good book. The story has relevant themes, ably explored, without letting them get too far in the way of a gripping narrative. The philosophical points it sets out are still valid and relevant today, and not in a facile way. Merely substitute "life" for "intelligence", which in any case is really a substitution of synonyms as far as the general form of the argument goes, and make other minor adjustments as necessary, and you get a more intelligent analysis of AI than almost any I have read in the press or in blogs, though that speaks more to the miserable state of that discourse than anything else.

Easily the most affecting part of the book is the narration by the monster himself, and really the book improves as it approaches this point, and deteriorates as it departs. Some decontextualized quotes that particularly stuck with me: "I, too, can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him", "My vices are the children of a forced solitude that I abhor", and best of all "I intended to reason. This passion is detrimental to me; for you do not reflect that you are the cause of its excess."

[diplomamate]

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[lux-lightweaver]

Alright analysis time (beneath the cut because it is long)

So we tend to view Rayse as, well Rayse; he's crafty, he wants to be on top, he doesn't want more Shards because he doesn't want to be changed... but he has been shaped by Odium, hasn't he?

We haven't seen him pre-Ascension yet, but that's how it works; much the same as a Cognitive Shadow becomes more and more single-minded over time, so too does a Shard mold its Vessel to resemble it over time

So where can we see that? Well, Odium is all about hatred and disgust, so let's see what Rayse has to say about other people

First, we have his meeting with Dalinar in the vision:

"Tell me you've never found yourself in conflict with someone you respect. Tell me you've never killed a man because you had to, even if—in a better world—he shouldn't deserve it?"

"Honor cared only for bonds. Not the meaning of bonds and oaths, merely that they were kept. Cultivation only wants to see transformation. Growth. It can be good or bad, for all she cares. The pain of men is nothing to her. Only I understand it. Only I care, Dalinar."

"If you could see the result of Honor's influence, you would not be so quick to name me a god of anger. Separate the emotion from men, and you have creatures like Nale and his Skybreakers. That is what Honor would have given you."

"Ask that of Cultivation, next time you see her. Ask what she'd want for Roshar. I think you'll find me to be the better choice." [...] "Her touch is not how I would have helped you. It stole a part of you away, and left you like a blind man who can't remember that he once had sight."

There's also a line in his initial meeting with Taravangian that stuck out to me:

"Our word is the contract. I am not some spren of Honor, who seeks to obey only the strictest letter of a promise."

Moving on to Rhythm of War, the Sja-anat interlude gives us some interesting tidbits about Rayse/Odium:

You will not go the the tower, Odium said. He hated how she referred to the Sibling—the slumbering child of Honor and Cultivation—as her cousin.

The mind did not like being questioned, but the power... It liked questions. It liked arguments. It was passion. There was a weakness here. In the division between the Vessel and the Shard.

Then there's Interlude 6, which doesn't have too much of relevance to this analysis, aside from one line:

"Resplendent, isn't it? I've wondered why she would give you a taste of what we can do. In some ways, you're the only one I can talk to. The only one who understands, in a limited way, the burden I bear."

There's a clear pattern of Rayse expressing disdain for the other Shards, in a way that goes far beyond just wanting to be on top; he hates Honor, he hates Cultivation, he hates how they do everything, and he hates anything associated with them

When he talks to Taravangian in Interlude 6, he calls him "the only one who understands" him, as if he's the only other being in the cosmere with that level of future sight, as if the other Shards are nothing to him

Rayse always carries this attitude that seems to scream "I'm better than you," but it especially shows with the Shards; he doesn't just want to be above everything, he thinks he already is

He hates everything that he sees as beneath him, which to him is everything that isn't part of him; he trusted Dalinar to turn to him because he saw him as an extension of himself; a man who was, effectively, already his

He doesn't want to take another Shard and become something else because he's disgusted with the idea of anything that isn't himself as he is right now

And, ironically enough, this very attitude is the source of the conflict between the Vessel Rayse and the Shard Odium; Rayse hates, but the Shard is hatred itself; Rayse hates anyone who would defy him, but the Shard loves the act of defiance

Rayse claims to embody passion, yet he gets so caught up in his own passions at the same time, which ultimately kills him

In a fit of his own passions, he confronts Taravangian; blinded by fury, he lets the Karbranthian king, in a state of pure passion, get the better of him, with the very blade delivered by Szeth's own fury

That's what I was able to gather, anyway, I'm curious if there's any other ways of viewing it that I may have failed to consider

I have Thoughts and Analysis about Odium and specifically Rayse hopefully I remember to elaborate after work

[nadiaportia]

Family “portraits” of the Rubalcabas of Cartagenth, from left to right [picrew link]:

Cibela María Teresa “Bela” de Rubalcaba y Saavedra; heiress for the title of Marchioness and General of the Grand Army of Calpacia

Heloisa María Dolores “Lola” de Rubalcaba y Saavedra; second in line of succession, politician and Information Minister

Ximena María Magdalena “Ximenita” de Rubalcaba y Saavedra; formerly elected head of the Magician's Guild until her abdication a commoner

Dafne Maria de la Soledad “Marisol” de Rubalcaba y Otxoa, Marchioness de Zuyapaleón and politician

Valentín Saavedra y Buendía, merchant prince, consort and honorary Margrave de Zuyapaleón

Agustín Octavio de Rubalcaba y Betancourt, diplomat active in the Republic of Galbrada

Eva Esmerelda “Esmé” de Rubalcaba y Otxoa, leader of the War Council and former Grand General of the Grand Army of Calpacia

[earthnashes]

Hello, I was wondering if you had any tips for coming up with references for commissions (including reference commissions) when one is not an artist. Specifically for a D&D character. Would finding reference picture help, going “I’m thinking That face structure but That body type”? How many pictures would be reasonable? And finding armor examples, how would you go about that? Would making a character in a figure maker like Hero Forge help? I know it probably depends on the individual commissioner but any advice would be welcome

Heyooo! :)

Aight, you're right! It does honestly depend on the commissioner and how much you as the client trust the artist's judgement in designing your character. I've personally done a wide range of design commissions, from people giving me complete artistic liberty over the design outside of a few key components required to the design, to folks sending me every nitty gritty detail of their character to make sure it's entirely in their vision.

But regardless of which I work with, I think these are the top things I require to help me visualize the character, and could possibly be helpful to other artists you decide to commission for a design!

-The character's name. It's okay if you don't actually have a name for the character yet, but a name can carry a whole lot of weight to it. It's just another hint at who your character is, and for me, knowing what they're called and their pronouns (if they have any) are a huge help when I design a character.

-The character's race and occupation/class: What is your character? Are they a dragonborn? Kobold? Human? What do they do, what is their job? Are they a paladin? Are they an archer, or a weaver, or a cook, a doctor? Knowing your character's race is a no brainer, but knowing what their profession/class is will be extremely helpful. Not only is it good to know for possible bodytyping, it's also great for when you go into the costume design aspect of your character. Their gear will largely reflect what they do, so let the artist know!

-Brief Description: Who is your character? What's their personality? Backstory isn't entirely necessary, but some snippets of the character's personality is, in my opinion. A character's personality will lend well into how that translates into their design, so be sure to give your artist an idea of who the character is!

-Moodboard/References: The fun part! Honestly, use as many references as you wanna send, but my biggest tip is to send only what is relevant to the design. If you had a specific hair-type in mind, send the artist an image that clearly (or closely) depicts that. If you have a set bodytype, send the artist an image that depicts it. Examples of armor that fits the closest to your vision, assuming you have one, is a good idea too. As far as a number, I don't think there's a limit, though I personally ask for a general moodboard of 3 to 6 images from the client so I can get a feel of what they're thinking when they envision their character. Even something somewhat vague is a little easier to work with, because I'm getting to see what goes through your mind when you think of your character.

----

TL;DR:

-Give the artist your character's name, class, race, and occupation

-There is no set number for how many references you send, but I personally recommend at least three just so the artist isn't working in the dark

-Hero-Forge is very helpful, yes, so please use it as a means of reference if you think it'll get your ideas across!

Hope that helps! :>