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Matilda (1996) dir. Danny Devito

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i’m a gold star bisexual. i’ve fucked everybody

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@lotrweek day 4: gifts, burdens and choices

"Mr. Frodo, he knows he’s got to find the Cracks of Doom, if he can. But he’s afraid. Now it’s come to the point, he’s just plain terrified. That’s what his trouble is. Of course he’s had a bit of schooling, so to speak – we all have – since we left home, or he’d be so terrified he’d just fling the Ring in the River and bolt. But he’s still too frightened to start. And he isn’t worrying about us either: whether we’ll go along with him or no. He knows we mean to. That’s another thing that’s bothering him. If he screws himself up to go, he’ll want to go alone. Mark my words! We’re going to have trouble when he comes back. For he’ll screw himself up all right, as sure as his name’s Baggins."

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paladin pulls me over for drunk driving my horse & as soon as he starts illuminating my ticket i lunge for his service crossbow

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unicorn art by roger and linda garland

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bitches want me, and I'm here to remind them that desire is the root of all suffering

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"I need to see them suffer" I say about a character who already does nothing but suffer

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🍒 for Zrise

Dujour! Thank you for both of these! They are taking me so long but I'm having such fun rotating all this in my mind. This one is long in the first half. Sorry for the tags people! Your oc is in the third question if I tagged you! 💕

Off the top of your head: notes for characterization? What are the most essential traits of this character to you (personality traits, important connections/dynamics, voice)?

Revenge

A huge part that shapes Zrise and his worldview, and I can’t say it enough, is that he retaliates. He does not often strike first. That’s not to say he is reasonable or fair about what he deems a slight. Nor does it mean the magnitude of what he inflicts is warranted. But he has to feel hurt and then he will lash out. 

One of the problems with a revenge based worship for him is that he does have to feel 'justified'. Though the justification doesn't need to make logical sense, it's emotional. (*When the target is those he cares for or he protects he will strike preemptively.)

With the above point mentioned, intentionally and unintentionally, Zrise tries to push people into hurting him. It's so he can feel ‘safe’ and as a relief of tension. He wants to find a reason to write someone off and stop assessing them. No waiting for the impact, he’d rather just get hit. 

Being attached to people makes his moral compass difficult to navigate so he'd rather not. So if he can convince himself someone will betray, use, or hurt him, he can justify treating them in-kind. 

Inquisitor

This seems very straight forward when I put it this way. But he's a sanctified slayer, which means he hunts the enemies of his Goddess in and out of the church. He roots out corruption among his own peers. So he often feels like a dog among sheep. Waiting to see if anyone is a wolf in disguise. No one is a true ally, no friends, everyone is suspect, so no one has his loyalty. (in theory)

Outsider

A half-elf raised among elves. A noble but a bastard. He gets some but not all the benefits and the strings. He and his sister live in a limbo spot. Their place is precarious. Never been given a place to belong.

Sin-eater

Zrise does not think good can only be done by the morally righteous. He believes there are people, like himself, who have to do the morally awful to get anything meaningful done. 

He sees himself as a sacrificial lamb. But he also resents this, especially when others criticize his actions. If he feels someone benefits from his sacrifice, but they take him for granted or look down on him, he will lash out at them. This isn't to say he has noble and good aims. He sees himself as evil, but the 'lesser' evil.

Quid Pro Quo

He's most comfortable when he knows the 'give' and 'take' of something. Trading something of his for something of yours.

Calistria is about taking what you want, but Zrise believes nothing comes without strings.

His masquerade

Zrise likes to project an image of himself to the world. Dangerous. Cold hearted. Desired. Does this land? Sometimes. Depends on the person, the situation, etc. 

This act drives away some, and draws in others. It makes being hurt and hurting easier. He tries to play the part of emotionally aloof devotee of the Goddess of lust, revenge, and trickery. How someone responds to this, sets the tone of how he treats them moving forward.

Wounded raw core

Some characters are good at hiding the fact they are wounded. Zrise is not. He can only try to obfuscate where the wound is, but not that it’s there. Zrise wants people to like him, but is also deeply afraid of showing vulnerability. Seeing it at weakness that will be exploited.

He craves intimacy, understanding, and love but he has trouble trusting others. A push and pull. Hot and cold. Seeking closeness and comfort, but then withdrawing and losing his temper. It’s also why he has many many casual and short lived hook ups. 

He dislikes being reminded of his own powerlessness. And refuses to see himself as a victim. (This does not help him.) His conflicting desires can drive him to act extremely irrationally and contradictory. And he takes responsibility for things that aren’t his fault so he can feel in control. 

His relationships

The people that matter to him, he tries to keep that knowledge close to the chest. Because he doesn't want it to be used against him, by themselves, or others. (His sister, his mother, his ex.)

He can seem 'submissive' and 'passive' to the people he feels he can't bare to lose. He puts up with whatever they do to him, and then takes his anger out on others. Even though it causes him to resent them.

Hinges his self esteem and value on how 'good' at his 'purpose' he is. Sex, murder, organizing levies, taking a beating, etc. Whatever it is, he wants to be 'useful' to those he cares for. To the point of destroying himself. (See Sin-Eater)

If not careful, he will grow so resentful that he when he can't take the betrayal, hurt, or rejection he anticipates, feels, or suspects he'll pivot to destroying them. (See Revenge)

Voice

Can sound overly 'tough' and 'gruff' when trying to act that way.

His noble upbringing and education pops up unexpectedly.

First language is elvish.

Likes to say 'fuck'.

He is more wise and intuitive than you'd expect. He just usually keeps to himself.

Smiles, laughs, and winks more than people think, but it's usually part of the act.

Either all eye contact (it's a challenge) or is avoiding it (worrying someone can read him.)

Fidgets and moves. Guy with an oral fixation. Also often closed off or defensive body language

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adjacently—do you think fandom does the above traits justice? why or why not?

Not really relevant to ocs. But I think it's easy to misunderstand and see Zrise as an 'instigator' but often he's a much more 'reactive' character. When he instigates it's with purpose. Or he can't stay quiet about something he sees as 'unjust'. Not the kind to say something mean without a 'reason'. He's opportunistic and doesn't always push his agenda in a straightforward manner. Does not ask for help (unless it's a ploy, or he's feels he has no other choice). Wants no one in his business. He's always assessing. This does not mean there aren't things that don't drive him to make stupid and bad choices. Because he does often. But it comes from a place of 'aggressive defensiveness' even if he's wrong in his assessment.

throw this character at any other character of your choice to bounce off each other as outsider pov to each other— regardless of timeline or logistics (crossovers allowed if you're interesting about it). why this combination? what insights would they have on each other?

I hope you don’t mind that I took this and ran with it. I can only speak from my side (Zrise) of the pov but this was too fun not too. All these characters below are well loved even if (and especially because) not all of them would even get along with Zrise. (If you wish me to remove your oc feel free to tell me.) I'm going to try and keep these sections short.

Siavash

Ah yes. Hope is Agony. It's everything to me that these two, do not start off liking each other. This relationship really brings out the sides of Zrise he tries to deny in himself. I also think it's fascinating what they have in common. Which is more than either of them expected. The understanding and acceptance they offer each other is MWAH.

Aria @bearvanhelsing

These two… have so much in common, and yet are so not on the same page that it's funny. They speak the same extremely dysfunctional language. I love them and they are also a natural disaster. There will be causalities. Aria is his type in every way. And the more messy loser (as is he) he realizes she is… the more he falls for her. She really brings out some of his more toxic possessive behavior.

Layla @amatres

Honestly. Hilarious to me. Layla's willingness to just be direct and chase Zrise down for answers. Her kind of insistence for him to be truthful… he needs it in his life. Also that she doesn't want anything from him. A friendship that doesn't ask him to 'be' anything. Layla is also more sure of herself, so he won't run her over with his bad attitude. And he's in fact, a little scared of her. She's a dhampir who doesn't hate her own nature. He could learn a few things. Also she killed Hulrun. Immediate respect points from Zrise.

Ariadne @bewitchingbloom

Zrise desperately needs someone to fuck with him in a non-cruel way. Tap back into his more silly roots. Make him take himself a little less seriously. Also I can not lie, there is something so entertaining about the idea that Ariadne would have Zrise try to make peace with Daeran and Woljif. Also juicy complications between the Pathfinder society and elves. So the twin's family would probably have it out for them.

Minovae @silversiren1101

Mino… I feel like honestly these two would start off on such bad footing and might not ever recover. Zrise has some beliefs (his own bias and propaganda filled ideas) about Hellknights and Cheliax. He would see her very much as a threat and insult to his existence. But I do honestly think… he would begrudgingly come around if he could understand and see her past his own assumptions.

Agria @thesolemnhour

Divorce core. Despite the fact they might not ever get together. Her relentless cheerfulness meets his moody brooding. She'd really bring out his competitive show boating streak. And honestly I can see her using that to their benefit and detriment equally. The arguments WOOF. I don't see Agria taking any of his shit. Zrise is his mother's son and Agria is her father's daughter tm.

Sparrow @cassynite

Another funny one. I treasure. Zrise would really struggle to find an angle on Sparrow. And Sparrow isn't interested in humoring him in the slightest. I can see her making him feel so ineffectual and frustrated. Which ironically drives him to act more reckless and annoying. The cycle.

Raphaël @jean-dieu

Two Inquisitors who in some ways... could not be more different. Their Goddesses and how they view that relationship very opposite. Raph is gruff and grump meeting Zrise who plays it like he's very causal and aloof. I can see tempers and blades. Zrise liking to push and Raph responding in kind.

Aurien @mountainashfae

I have nothing to add but your comment haunts me in the best way. It's so funny. 'Zrise tries to fuck the old man (gender neutral) and hits the asexual wall.'

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how do you think you would react to this character in real life and vice versa? would you prefer be a million miles out of range, be amicable classmates, or fall desperately in love? (bonus: arrange a hypothetical date between yourself and this character. getting silly with it is encouraged (fakedate them! escape a dinner date through a bathroom window!))

Talking to him would make me violent. I would want him to get hit with a bus. He wouldn't give one single fuck about me and would forget my name. HAHAH 

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ideal flavor of rotating for this character? crack them open and dissect them— do you want them tormented, pining, or being loved + comforted? do you have any specific scenarios you like to think about?

Part of what is compelling about Hope is Agony is we really have all of the above in there. I think Zrise needs to be challenged, cracked open, dissected, seen, understood, and loved if he's to change and grow. But sometimes it is also fun to savor how he sucks in the beginning LMAO

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weave a web of dynamics through the cast for this character: which dynamics are you most interested in? both canonically and through extrapolation/speculation— which dynamics are the richest to you, and why?

For this I'll go with non ocs.

Wenduag is a character I never expected to hit Zrise so hard. She was a major factor that shaped his run. The trust issues, the betrayal, the using sex as a way to make someone keep you around, choosing evil to survive, seeing yourself as a monster. Zrise was starting to have genuine feelings for her. But Act 4 put him on a unrecoverable trajectory.

Woljif and Daeran have almost opposite character impressions.

Daeran is a character Zrise really understands and spends time with in the beginning but really sours on. Reminding him of a bunch of trauma. More here.

He fucking hates Woljif in the beginning. Sees him as a coward and a user. In the end he appreciate he knows what to expect from him. Guy who takes care of himself. He's relatable in his own way.

Galfrey. He ends up killing her as KC. But he also has a deep and weirdly conflicting empathy for her. (Depending on the KC) As a companion he'd feel really angry about removing the KC's title. But also he kind of sees why in a practical and political sense.

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do you have particular niche takes on this character? defend those takes. (openly controversial takes are permitted, but also: hyper-specific headcanons which you believe in and no one else has considered enough to disagree with yet. pick a hill to die on.)

Nope cause I made him up lmao

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Sorry if you get a random follow from me I swear I do not unfollow people on purpose. It’s happened too many times to count so I just have given up and refollow when I notice lmao

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🍒 character questionnaire 🍒

(send an ask with a character name + a fruit emoji and i'll go through these questions with the character in question! alternatively: send specific numbers + a character name)

off the top of your head: notes for characterization? what are the most essential traits of this character to you (personality traits, important connections/dynamics, voice)?

adjacently—do you think fandom does the above traits justice? why or why not?

throw this character at any other character of your choice to bounce off each other as outsider pov to each other— regardless of timeline or logistics (crossovers allowed if you're interesting about it). why this combination? what insights would they have on each other?

how do you think you would react to this character in real life and vice versa? would you prefer be a million miles out of range, be amicable classmates, or fall desperately in love? (bonus: arrange a hypothetical date between yourself and this character. getting silly with it is encouraged (fakedate them! escape a dinner date through a bathroom window!))

ideal flavor of rotating for this character? crack them open and dissect them— do you want them tormented, pining, or being loved + comforted? do you have any specific scenarios you like to think about?

weave a web of dynamics through the cast for this character: which dynamics are you most interested in? both canonically and through extrapolation/speculation— which dynamics are the richest to you, and why?

do you have particular niche takes on this character? defend those takes. (openly controversial takes are permitted, but also: hyper-specific headcanons which you believe in and no one else has considered enough to disagree with yet. pick a hill to die on.)

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actually, frankenstein is the name of the scientist. the horrible emo monster nobody wants to fucking talk to is named lord byron

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in this fantasy world, theres no homophobia or sexism! but the governments are still patriarchal monarchies and everyone still adheres to the standard nuclear family, two things that have absolutely no relation to homophobia and sexism whatsoever

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*unable to ask if you want to get food with me* do you have any plans for what happens if you get hungry?

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shout out to victims who'd tear your throat out if you referred to them as such fr gotta be one of my favourite genders

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by bjmstudioflowers