#i think it's about the lack of clear connections between the two designs

[emma-d-klutz]

I think the reason we were all collectively disappointed about Beast’s transformation at the end of Beauty and the Beast is because he just looks like a guy. Human Mrs Pots looks like if Mrs Pots were a human. So do Cogsworth and Lumiere. But Prince Adam just looks like a guy with pecs and hair that’s a bit longer than the other Disney princes’ I guess. 

#beauty and the beast #prince adam #anyway that's my theory #disney #tiktok has been theorizing it's because his features arent european and showing that he looks more handsome recolored as a dif race #and maybe that would make him more handsome but i don't think that's where the disappointment comes in #i think it's about the lack of clear connections between the two designs #you know how korra smiles just like aang? that's the energy we needed here #we needed one of the fan artists who draws all the pokemon as humans #you get me?

[telekitnetic-art]

Have you seen the formline art in splatoon? It's present in a variety of salmon run decals and on some of the locker graffiti. Idk if the Devs just googled "salmon art" and got indigenous art and decided to copy it or what. Not sure how I feel about it personally.

Long post incoming, gonna put a break here. Also sorry for the late response, I wanted to take a couple days to formalize my thoughts together before responding fully.

I have, I remember noticing in 2018-2019 (when i first started playing splatoon 2) how much one of the decals/graffiti located on the ruins of ark polaris back in 2 sort of resembled a formline bear and salmon. (near the logo in this screenshot, I couldn't find a clear picture online)

Back in 2019, it was pretty easy to think of it as coincidence or a stretch for a comparison. But with splatoon 3's salmon run decals, the resemblance is far easier to see, specifically with the TS-ORBRS graffiti and the TS-SCHL graffiti.

(also this was the best image size I could find for the graffiti images, sorry)

A couple of the banners have the designs on them as well:

The website Sealaska Heritage has info such as textbooks and an online doc about formline art (specifically geared towards Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian nations' style) with lots of info about formline art, and the Seattle Art Museum website has an info sheet (with credits listed as being from the Sealaska Heritage site as well) breaking down some of the basic shapes of formline art.

with this chart, you can definitely begin to notice the similarities between the Salmon Run graffiti and formline art. the ovoids, crescents, and u-shapes appear noticeably in some of the graffiti such as ORBRS and SCHL.

For perspective, here are some formline pieces featuring salmon or fish from various Indigenous artists from various nations.

"sk’ug sdang" (Two Dog Salmon) by Robert Davidson (Haida)

"metal medallion", by Crystal Kaakeeyáa Rose Demientieff Worl (Tlingit Athabascan)

"Salmon People" by Alano Edzerza (Tahltan)

"Jumping Chum" by Stephanie Anderson (Wet'suwet'en)

"Salmon" by Art Thompson (Nuu-chah-nulth)

And that's literally just the surface of dozens of Indigenous artists from the PNW.

With these pieces, you can begin to see the resemblance that the graffiti designs have. A lot of the heads follow the pattern of utilizing ovoids for both the head and eyes, and u-shapes for the bodies and crescents to fill in specific areas are also common. For example, TS-SCHL has a small school of fish where the bodies are entire ovoids.

However, there are a couple flaws in the graffiti designs too. With a few of the designs, you can see they utilize the u-shape (see the formline shape breakdown from Sealaska again) in designs like TS-WHP and TS-SMFR. I can't speak for every Indigenous formline artist ever, but from how I've been taught to design formline art from my family, the u-shape should connect to the rest of the form instead of free-floating. I drew a quick example here:

you can see similar mistakes with a different kind of u-shape with TS-RLPL and TS-C0HK.

Another very specific mistake that takes a bit of squinting to make out is that ovoids are sort of top-heavy, for lack of a term I can't think of right now. The line or the area should be thicker on the top then the bottom. This mistake is frequent in the graffiti designs utilizing ovoid or ovoid adjacent face or body shapes, like TS-ORBRS, TS-C0HK or TS-SCHL.

Full disclaimer, I am not an expert at formline art. I've been practicing it under the tutelage of my aunt and father for about 3 or so years now, and there are definitely cultural variations that come into play as well. My culture's formline art style can look completely different from someone who is Haida or otherwise. This critique of the graffiti designs is based off my knowledge and skill at formline art, as well as critique and feedback that I've gotten from family. Formline art isn't just something you look at and replicate, there is a specific process of utilizing the shapes and negative space that you need to account for too. Some shapes have their own rules for how they're used as well.

Despite the beginner mistakes, the clear resemblances are pretty definitive proof that a good section of the sticker/graffiti designs for the salmonids are meant to be, or at the very least based off of or inspired by, formline art.

Splatoon's lore has a lot of elements of taking inspiration from real life culture (which is sort of one of the main elements of the story, the squids and octos are basing their society off long dead humans). Hell, Shiver and Frye are two prime examples of Splatoon working in real world culture into their setting and characters.

With that in mind, using an art style that's exclusive to an ethnicity of people as inspiration or baseline reference for the game mode that's all about taking natural resources from a species that in-game dialogue tends to treat as dangerous and lesser-minded is... not a good choice. Especially an ethnicity that has historically been ravaged and attacked by settlers for natural resources.

Now, technically if you do digging into lore for salmon run, you can find out that the salmonid are not as simple-minded as the dialogue in-game (I am staring directly at the deep cut big run announcement dialogue we've gotten so far -_-) makes them out to be. The salmonids do trades and commerce with the octarians for equipment and gear. That's why they have such technically high tech gear, like the scrappers with their shields that actually resemble octarian shields and the flyfish with their missiles and flying aircraft. That's also why power eggs show up in the story mode; they're from the salmonids' trades with the octarians.

So the salmonid could technically be as just as smart as the inklings, which is why the dialogue and some of the portrayals of the salmonid are confusing and contradictory (shiver's dialogue from the first big run, that one promo picture of an inkling walking a smallfry on a leash????). I think a good bit of the fanbase sort of thinks of the little buddy we get during the game as a pet, and I'm sure that much more of the fanbase/playerbase doesn't really care about the lore whatsoever. Salmonids sort of have a similar vibe to me as hilichurls from Genshin Impact, where the lore tells you that they're smarter than people assume while NPCs talk of them as less intelligent monsters. And you're also caught in this paradox where killing/fighting them feels morally wrong but the gameplay loop has you continuously doing that while also telling you on the downlow that you should sort of feel bad about it.

Rassicas did a really good video on translating salmonid lore from various interviews, which is where I learned a lot about the salmonid lore that doesn't really get explained/brought up in the game.

The usage of formline art in Splatoon has me sort of mixed on my opinion, because besides using an Indigenous art style for an enemy species that are considered lesser in intelligence by the NPCs, Indigenous art and culture as a whole has suffered a lot under colonialism. I don't know how much awareness whoever is reading this has about Indigenous history and colonialism, but Indigenous culture as a whole was banned in North America by the respective governments from being practiced by the respective cultural groups. Things such as ceremonies, regalia, and even practicing formline art were banned from being used by Indigenous people. Non-Indigenous people however were free to use it, which is why a lot of bastardized versions of Indigenous regalia and culture exists. You can see it in non-indigenous spiritual practices utilizing Indigenous practices and terminology like spirit animals and dreamcatchers, and sports teams utilizing Indigenous culture in its labelling and mascots. That is where cultural appropriation comes into play. And before I get anybody commenting about this, the salmonid formlines don't count as "cultural appreciation" because as far as the info available is concerned, there wasn't any Indigenous people that were consulted for the designs. And even if there were, I again have mixed feelings about Splatoon utilizing an Indigenous art style as a design piece for an enemy character in the franchise.

On another note, this isn't the first time Indigenous cultural appropriation has popped up in the Splatoon franchise. There was actually a headgear that was unreleased in the first Splatoon game called "Warrior Headdress", and you can guess what it looked like.

Yeah. That was all levels of yikes and I'm thankful as hell that it didn't make it into the game (technically it's not in the game as a wearable item, but you can spot it at the very back of the headgear shop ingame)

So Splatoon has utilized Indigenous culture as inspiration beforehand with the games, so it's not much of a stretch anymore to think that the salmon run graffiti designs were based off formline art or was an attempt at formline art.

I'm not really sold on the idea that the salmonid are meant to be representative of Indigenous people though, nor do I believe that utilizing formline art for the salmonid was a malicious decision. But it was a slightly ignorant decision at best, because again using Indigenous specific art for a species of enemies that gets fought for their natural resources and is referred to by some of the NPCs as basically being lesser-minded animals is really not a good decision.

This whole thread is not meant as a guilt trip for anyone who likes the salmonid lore, has bought any of the salmonid graffiti stickers, or enjoys salmon run, nor is it an accusation of the devs for maliciously misusing Indigenous culture. I actually really enjoy salmon run for it's PSP and concept, but this design aspect gives me mixed feelings as an Indigenous person. And to be honest it's hard to label intentions or the thought process because there isn't any info available on the development of salmon run and those graffiti designs specifically. So it's hard to know if the devs employed an Indigenous artist for feedback or if they indeed just looked at some formline art of salmon and tried to replicate it or used it as inspiration. I'm inclined to believe the latter judging by the beginner formline mistakes seen in some of the designs. There is an art book coming out soon for Splatoon 3, so maybe that will give more info.

To wrap this all up, I don't think there is really anything to be done about the designs. The game has been out for a while and I don't know if the game would change the designs at this point. I also don't think this should stop people from buying the sticker designs in game or playing salmon run. However, it is important to learn about the context of these designs so that you know why they exist and why they can be harmful, and so devs and creators can avoid making the same mistake in the future, and so Indigenous issues with cultural appropriation can be made more aware in the public space and not be ridiculed by non-Indigenous people. And again, I am just one Indigenous person so there may be other opinions from other Indigenous people on the graffiti designs and how they should be handled or viewed.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and have a good day!! Be sure to check out some actual Formline art made by Indigenous people, like the ones I listed near the top of the post!

#long post #salmon run #indigenous discussion #cw cultural appropriation #whoof that took a while to write #I really don't think this whole situation is one of maliciousness #but one of ignorance. #the devs had the foresight to (almost completely) remove the headdress item from the first game #so good on them for that #I just sort of wish they'd thought through using Indigenous art for the salmonids a lot better. #I wish the salmonids had a different sticker design entirely tbh #graffiti is such an open-ended style concept so they could've found lots of inspiration there #instead of using an Indigenous specific art style #(and making beginner mistakes while doing it) #also if you're here to cry cultural appreciation or about how “oh this is preserving Indigenous culture actually” I'm gonna need you #to walk back out that door. #I did not spend four hours writing this whole post to deal with “but cultural appreciation actually!!!” chuds. #Look up the definition of cultural appreciation vs cultural appropriation and get back to me.

[simplytibbs]

After the latest episode neurons connected and I think they actually could have had something

The thought crossed my mind before but now I'm pretty sure there could have been parallels between the two and a dynamic [another Tibbs overthinking shounen slop moment below]

Speaking of which, Bucchigiri is so reliant on tropes and lacks writing that it makes most character dynamics void or nonexistent entirely Aside from characters forming pairs of groups, I think there is little to no chemistry between them. There isn't much you can really tell about them, which is rather disappointing when you see their designs and how they seemed to have a somewhat solid start in the first two episodes. Like I genuinely have trouble imagining how Mahito and Hagure would interact solely based on what's in the source material without making up things as headcanon. I understand that the screentime is limited but the characters (with little exceptions) feel more like tropes than actual people.

Mahoro is a clear case of that. The potential was there and no I won't shut up about it BECAUSE WE COULD HAVE HAD A POWER SCALING, MANIPULATIVE GIRL FREAK BUT NO. In the beginning, she seemingly was just a love interest for Arajin, then she turned out to be manipulative and it was clearly stated it's what she usually does but the motive behind it is vile. And yet we have no indication of how her environment reacts to her, what are the consequences and how she affects others. WHY.

I know I'm digging too deep into it and it's fine for a show like this to exist because there are many examples of it in the general industry already, I just happened to latch onto it. At this point I'm using it as a mediocre/bad writing example and thinking of "what if's for it. I especially love character dynamics so if a show has the potential for them BUT DOESN'T PULL THROUGH I go insane.

#digital art #art #digitalart #fanart #bucchigiri?! #mahoro jin #akutaro shindo

[lu-is-not-ok]

Do you have any thoughts on Pursuance Meursault? His rejection of faith was pretty important in the book so him having this EGO sticks out a whole lot

So, I'm just gonna preface this by saying I Have Not Read the Stranger. That being said, I'll give it my best shot anyway.

Under the cut now! Shoo!

As always, let's start with the Abnormality. Heavenly Executor's Scribe, while sparse in information, is Extremely Clear about its themes. It's very explicitly described as only noting down and following the judgements of someone else, while not assessing what it writes down on its own.

It refuses to cast down its own judgement, and refuses to doubt the judgement of others. We can see that in how it accepts the Sinners' opinion of its tablet regardless of whether they read it or destroy it.

The parallel with our Mr. Refuses To Cast Moral Judgement here is very, very clear. Just like the Scribe, Meursault simply follows orders of those in authority without question, and accepts whatever opinion others have of him.

Another thing to note is the religious angle of the Abnormality. Heavenly Executor's Scribe, and the Pursuance E.G.O by proxy, have very clear design references to angels and heaven, and seem to be referencing the Biblical idea that angels have no free will, simply being vehicles through which God acts.

The connection between religion and oppression through judgement is absolutely not lost on me here, especially with the Abnormality's name calling the higher power it follows the Heavenly Executor. It is merely the secretary of the True Judge, Jury, and Executioner that is this interpretation of God. Which, while I'm calling attention to the concept of Judgement and Execution... that should sound Extremely Familiar to those of you who have read the Stranger, now shouldn't it?

Now onto the Sin Analysis, because that's the part I feel most comfortable with.

Pursuance's Sin damage is Sloth, which is a Sin associated with apathy and inaction, as we can see from the base E.G.Os of Gregor and Yi Sang. Likewise, Sloth as Pursuance's main Sin means exactly what one might think it means for Meursault - apathy towards the judgement and orders made by those of authority. He doesn't assess them on his own, he simply follows them to the letter.

For the Sin requirements, we have Sloth, Pride, and Gloom. Sloth I already covered in how it reflects Meursault's apathy and lack of own opinion towards the judgement and orders he is told to follow, so let's focus on the other two.

In my interpretation of the Sins, Pride represents actions taken for their benefits with their consequences being ignored. This, I think, is reflected in what Pursuance represents. Meursault is following orders because that's what he believes benefits him, regardless of whatever harm he may be inflicting by doing so. After all, following what the judging party says is better than standing out and being judged himself.

The last Sin requirement here is Gloom, and that's the one I'm most intrigued by. I interpret Gloom as actions taken under the pressure of negative emotions. As such, I think Meursault requiring Gloom to use Pursuance actually repaints the context of his actions in a somewhat sympathetic light. It implies that severe emotional stress is part of what pushes him to do this. And really, can you blame him? Knowing that the authority whose orders you're following could at any point turn its judgement against you can't be conductive to good mental health.

As for the dialogue lines, there's some interesting implications to them, I think.

His Awakening line has him promise to "pray for someone", which is generally considered to be a way of giving someone blessing, to be hoping that something good happens to them. However, that's not what Meursault is talking about here. His line here implies that by praying for someone, by turning his God's attention towards someone, he is actually doing the opposite. That by praying for someone, he is ensuring that that someone will break.

By praying for someone when his God is Judge, Jury, and Executioner, he is effectively ensuring Holy Judgement upon this person. And well, Meursault very much feels like the type of person to understand how horrible it feels to be judged for everything, doesn't he.

On the other hand, his Corroded line ties back to something else I already mentioned in this analysis. You know the whole thing of Meursault blindly following orders because he knows the authority could very easily judge him instead? Yeah, this line basically confirms it. It confirms that, while everyone around him is on thin ice, the ice he's on is even thinner. If he ever messes up, it doesn't matter who else messed up, he's the one getting punished. He's the one who won't be forgiven. He's the one who Shan't Be Pardoned.

...Fun fact, analyzing Meursault's E.G.Os is how I truly started to appreciate him as a character.

#limbus company #limbus company project moon #meursault #meursault lcb #pursuance ego #lcb analysis #ask #anon #lu speaketh #wrote this instead of drawing because my index finger refused to stop hurting

[p3ta]

gotta send Ryoji Mochizuki

Thanks for the ask! Hope your day's going well, fellow Ryoji enjoyer.

Spoilers below for P2, P3, P4, and P5R.

Send me one of these here!

First, I want to give some thoughts on his character as a whole. For the certain type of character he is (doomed, remorseful harbinger), Ryoji Mochizuki is perfect. I don't think there's a better Persona twist than his reveal as the the Appriser/Death, the thirteenth Arcana Shadow. Just because a twist is easy to see coming doesn't make it less impactful, and I particularly enjoy the way Persona 3 distills information to the player in allotments. Even knowing that, Ryoji managed to surprise me with how much more he was. And fittingly, a lot of Ryoji's characterization bounces back to the P3 Hero, and vice versa.

On top of that, Nyx Avatar is my favorite final boss in the entire Persona series and unsettled me out the first time. I'd still say that Nyx Avatar causes me more fear than the Reaper, who I'd comparatively describe as inciting panic rather than fear.

Ryoji is frequently compared to Kaworu from Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE), and, well. Yeah. I believe I read that in a developer interview that the P3 dev team deliberately took inspiration from NGE but I'm unable to find a source at hand, so don't quote me on that. Between the two, I prefer Ryoji. He is the strongest out of the character type for me.

favorite thing about them

His layers! Ryoji is one of those late game characters who comes in and recontextualizes all the information you've learned thus far. It's why I love watching the Dictionary update throughout a playthrough. I understand why people are put off by the way he's introduced as a serial flirt, but Reload made it much more textually clear that this isn't his true personality, nor his intentions. Ryoji is proto-Teddie (Japanese Teddie, anyway); a fully formed individual who sprang into existence seeking connection. However, where Teddie's isolation and lack of identity are his defining characteristics, Ryoji's are moored in how connected he is with P3 Hero.

Ryoji ultimately only exists because of that connection, that little bit of humanity he's been given, but that's also what prevents him from being fully human. He's had a role to play since his inception, and he can't avoid that even with his newfound connections.

Ryoji's present throughout the entire story. You've got Pharos at the very beginning with the contract running errands for the Velvet Room (I like it more and more that I think about it. Picture Elizabeth or Igor having to explain to this terrifying child what he has to say. Or maybe he knew what to say all along! He has been waiting ten years), Thanatos tearing himself out of Orpheus (by far the best Persona awakening in the series and a textual highlight for what an alien force he is), and a crucial lynchpin event for Yukari's backstory, Mitsuru's backstory, as well as the crucial event for Aigis and P3 Hero.

There is no version of Persona 3 without Ryoji and I'm all the happier for it. Genuinely, if something's confusing with P3's story, there's 90% chance the answer is Ryoji or one of his many numerous forms. The remaining 10% is the Kirijo Group. That said, we don't get a lot of time with Ryoji. Ultimately, he's a part of P3 Hero and you're left to extrapolate exactly how much of each other you believe they've influenced.

Sogabe, the P3 & P4 mangaka, chose to highlight how similar Ryoji and P3 Hero look. I consider it an essential element of their relationship together.

least favorite thing about them

It'd be cheating to say nothing, wouldn't it? I'd say that his design is easy to mock and hard to get right in fanart. Between Ryoji's forehead and very Axel Kingdom Hearts approach towards long limbs – and legs in specific – the movies did not help with this. I've read reviews saying how the higher budget allowed for the characters to be more consistently on model, and thus look better, but I fervently disagree. That boy is mostly leg. Late 00s and early 10s anime art Looked Like That, though. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a soft spot for some of it.

But I love how Ryoji looks and wouldn't change it for the world. Silly slick-backed hair boy. It is funny how whenever Persona wants a villain with sympathetic qualities, they slick back the protagonist's hair (Philemon and Maruki come to mind).

Reload fixed ("fixed") this anyway but making him much fluffier in his portraits and giving his skin some color! He's achingly soft in that game.

favorite line

There's many iconic ones I could pick but I'm going to go with a new one from Reload:

It's so small, it's so playful! I like that if you choose to start an exchange he finishes the bit. It says a lot about him in such a succinct way.

Even more so when you consider the reason he came here was for Junpei's sake. Being able to balance joking around while keeping a touch of concern endears me beyond belief. Thank you, Reload.

brOTP

Junpei & Ryoji. It's not even close. This was the one element I was hoping Reload would show more and I was not disappointed! The dynamic is good for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is that despite Junpei's Persona being Magician Arcana, he is not the P3 Hero's Magician Social Link. Junpei is not the male protagonist's best friend. He clearly wants to be, but his frustration is palpable. The P3 Hero is cool, charming, and everything that Junpei plays second fiddle to, but he won't even acknowledge him. But what if there were a more likeable version of the Hero?

Instant friendship. Those two are besties from day one, where Ryoji has all the qualities but none of the knowledge, and so their dynamic is a much more even one. To me, it indicates how well Junpei and the P3 Hero might have gotten along had he not carried Death inside him for ten years. It's a brief window into another world.

There's also the fact that Ryoji, Death, befriends Junpei so close to when Takaya shoots him and he perishes. His character arc is defined by change, this act being what radically transforms his soul, and what's one of the meanings of the Death Tarot? It's like universal foreshadowing. It's funny to me too that the Magician Arcana Shadow is the one Thanatos tore to pieces. Growth for Ryoji too.

As an aside, I miss the dynamic movements from the PS2 cutscenes. Junpei being so quick to drown Ryoji is nowhere comparable to him covering Ryoji's mouth.

OTP

Hmm. This might take a second. I wonder what pairing I might like with Ryoji. Here's an unrelated picture of Messiah:

You know, Messiah is one of those Personas that has only grown on me more as time passes. My favorite of the final protagonist ones, due in part to how you have to fuse him yourself. Orpheus, the starting Persona, combined with the power of Thanatos, the penultimate manifestation of the Death Arcana. They compliment each other beautifully, and regardless of if you the player create him, he is always the true final Persona, the final result of the Judgement Arcana.

They are inevitable.

Of course it's Ryoji and P3 Hero. How could it be anything else? These two make me sick with joy. Death has a clear favorite and in the end, gets to keep him forever.

nOTP

It's funny, because I can't think of any serious pairing with Ryoji that I wouldn't view as a crack ship? I can't see any version of Ryoji with anyone but the P3 Hero nor can I take that relationship seriously. The only other being Ryoji has an established relationship with is Aigis, and that ship comes across as black comedy. I mean, there's also Ryoji and the P3 Heroine, who he is undoubtedly head over heels for, but I see her as heavily preferring Aigis. Oops.

Wait, I did remember one! Ryoji and Junpei! I'll admit, maybe it's the sheer "dudebro" vibe of their relationship, but people pairing these two was not an outcome I expected from Reload. I've seen it enough to know those who like it aren't joking, either.

It's funny, because they're both soul-taken at the tail end of their friendship (Ryoji with P3 Hero and Junpei with Chidori) so I guess I wasn't looking for it? Then again I can't see Junpei Iori kissing a man in general. If there's a Ryoji pairing that isn't my thing, these two are the Most not my thing.

random headcanon

Ryoji memory backfill!

I've seen multiple interpretations for how Ryoji's sudden transfer, housing, and parental situations were never questioned. I like exploring this for myself, especially from Ryoji's perspective. Ryoji fully believes himself to be human until 12/2's Dark Hour. So, how does he reconcile his own situation?

This headcanon states that whenever Ryoji is prompted to answer on where he lives, what he likes, or where he went to school before, he'll often "backfill" what memories he think should be there. If it's something he should reasonably know, it'll be there.

In-game you can see a couple instances of Ryoji being stumped at simple questions, like where his class trip was going to be, but excelling at others, such as when he asks Mitsuru out to a restaurant date. According to the headcanon, he failed the class trip question because it wasn't something he anticipated, but he knew a date location because it was essential to his personality. Ryoji Mochizuki is a hearthrob, it wouldn't make sense if he didn't. So he does.

I like to think Reload Ryoji's phone is another example of this backfill, though this one spills over into material items. Ryoji thinks he should have a phone and knows he should ask for others' numbers, but when he reaches for it on his first day it isn't there.

His inconsistencies are fun.

Rapid fire small ones: his favorite color is blue, he likes sunrises but not sunsets, and he's good with children.

unpopular opinion

This may be the most unpopular opinion I have in general, but I don't believe Ryoji is bisexual. Or rather, I don't necessarily believe he must be bisexual. It's not like I'm trying to shirk representation, but I think there are so many fascinating ways that you can analyze orientation for a character. Same with gender.

Ryoji, through my interpretation, is someone who could only love the protagonist. And it doesn't have to be a sexual kind of love. There's an entire spectrum of identities in our culture that we've labeled for what Ryoji's experiences could be. It brings me joy to be able to think about how – even if Ryoji knew about these identities – he'd define himself. On top of that, would how he define himself be accurate? Would he have misunderstandings about his own identity?

There tends to be a large backlash when someone even suggests a different label for a character with one widely agreed upon, which means my gender and sexuality thoughts stay hidden away. I'm more than aware of those that insist any hint of same-sex attraction is obviously platonic and fans are reading too much into things. I'd never want to take away from an individual identifying with a character for what a fandom settles on calling them.

Though one note: it's interesting to me that from the collective opinion I've seen, people have latched onto bisexual as a label rather than pansexual despite them ostensibly meaning the same thing. Something something changing social climate. Anyway. Play around with character gender and sexuality. It's good for you.

song i associate with them

Auld Lang Syne.

For old acquaintance be forgot

And ne'er brought to mind

Should old acquaintance be forgot

In the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll drink a cup of kindness yet

For the sake of auld lang syne

-

It's a traditional New Year's celebration song. Auld Lang Syne essentially means "for old time's sake". It originates from a precursor to Scottish, and exists as a fossil word inside this otherwise Standard English prose. I find it sweet how this little, historic piece gets to survive through something that redefines it.

favorite picture of them

Well, that was a lot. If you have a keen eye, you might've already noticed I've been dropping in pictures so I'll keep this part concise.

My favorite pictures of Ryoji are his portraits:

Sweet. Fluffy. Endlessly endeared by the way his hair flairs out. A much clearer heart shape for his face. Perfection. Special mention to his startled expression. His eyes get small and I get happy, simple as that.

Although, I'll never forgive Reload for dropping his Messiah pose:

There's an element to this portrait that's a little more unearthly, but earnest. Visually, his eyes are also a clearer parallel to Aigis's in this version.

Thank you for reading all the way through! And thank you again for the ask. I'm not sure if you were expecting an essay, but I think that about sums it up.

Have a picture of Ryoji nui + charm!

#asks #ryoji mochizuki #🔫 #🌕 #it took me eleven days to answer this that does not bode well for the others #elle-p's nomenclature is spreading #thanks Ver! #happy mochizuki monday #very-lucky

[rawliverandgoronspice]

You kno, I always (since I started playing LoZ 20+ years ago+additional ideas that came later) assumed Ganondorf is green bc of Koume and Kotake's influence. They're two powerful witches, and the occasional depiction of witches being green has probably also spread to Japan, so from that to show Ganon's ties to them, they were all three turned shades of green bc magic. It also sounded in-game like those two were a big reason for why Ganondorf went power mad and pushed war, even tho the other Gerudo didn't want him to go that extreme. Doesn't explain totk Ganondorf since there's literally no reason or backstory for him, but maybe it's like "tradition" by now. I also know there's a Chinese saying "putting on a green hat" which means the same as being green with envy, so I could imagine smth similar exists in Japanese, smth that could have worked with Oot's Ganondorf's envy of Hyrule's life giving lands. Since TP and WW, and HW Ganondorf are all the same guy, that kinda still works? I know it's really being viewed critical why he looks like he looks w the green skin, so thought I'd share a thing I basically came up with as a kid. (Except the green hat, only found out later, but the green with envy thought I did have back then.) Green hat works more for Link in the literal sense, so maybe Ganondorf has a figurative green hat. 😩

Hey! Yeah, I assumed the same for a very long time, and I'm pretty sure it's still the intent today.

I still think it's worth mentioning the trend has been really exacerbated with time; even back in OoT, his skin tone is not... that off the charts. Like yes, it does lean green, but after doing some color picking, it still stands reasonnably in the brown. It is a little sickly/olive, and there is a big gap between the concept arts and the model in-game already then (and in Smash, he's pretty much in the browns in his default model too), but it *could* be somebody's skin color. It's the same thing for WW Ganon btw, where his skin is definitively brown in the concept art and got much greener once modeled in the game. TP Ganon is the one where the difference between concept art and in-game skin is the least noticeable, but he also has the darkest shade by far so it doesn't read super green, even if it is quite there if you color pick. TotK Ganon is the color of a spinach smoothie in comparaison; even in the concept art itself, which might be even greener than the model in-game (a first!)

To be generous and fair to the whole thing, I think it used to be a case of what looked the most dramatic in-game, and a green hue does look less natural, colder, deader and scarier than a red-base one, especially in extremely intense lighting situations where Ganon often finds himself in, where it is easy to use that base color for contrast, especially with the red of his hair or the gold of his eyes and his little forehead jewel. This coupled with the influence of Twinrova and the association with envy probably pushed this direction even further every time.

But again, it is also hard to extract these choices from the history, in fantasy and sci-fi, of how to still dehumanize archetypes of PoCs without actually having them "being PoCs", or using excuses of inherent evilness to make their treatment by the narrative more acceptable. I am not mad at this choice inherently, but I am critical of it in the light of every other choice made in the year of our lady Hylia 2023 and the fact that I *so often* see this being used as protection against criticisms of both orientalism and a lack of care for what it implies about the worldbuilding of Hyrule. In OoT there was the connection to dark magic and the Twinrova; but in TotK, the Twinrova are easter eggs at best, not an active part of what shaped our antagonist and made him who he is. His evilness is made profusely clear the second he grabs the stone and becomes basically Satan with very cool hair, in a design that does lean super red and black anyway; one would think he'd rather try to hide his true nature before this?

(there is also history of PoC being turned green to avoid direct critique in fantasy/sci-fi worldbuilding, I think Star Trek is one of the big culprits but don't quote me on that)

Again, it's the package that is weird; and even more than the package, gradually changing PoC features over time in a way that, while not maybe being the only reason for the change, does allow the heroes to clearly identify the source of evil as Unlike Them while also distancing themselves from the more direct racist implications instead of... kind of allowing this to complicate the conflict, and accept that the conflict *is already complicated* no matter what is retconned or emphasized or changed. But the priority is simplicity and cleanness, and so Ganon and the gerudos do bear the blunt of these choices more often than not; the green skin being one of the more visible examples.

#asks #totk critical #ganondorf #gerudo #gerudos #twinrova #when will my brain return from the imprisoning war... #thanks for the ask!

[potat0bag]

hey hello! hope you’re having a good one. cccccooould I request some info about your shiver’s sister(s?) maybe? if you feel like it

hi! i'm not doing great so this'll be fun to do (/gen about both things! i'm thankful for this ask) sooo shiver has two sisters! they are each 4 years older than shiver, because they are twins!

i'm not gonna include images cause their designs are constantly changing and i'd rather focus this post around their characters for my own sanity.

Sela Hohojiro is a gossip on the surface and probably comes off as mean. She's very playful and requires a lot of attention due to having this kind of middle-child syndrome going on (even if she is tied for oldest child) due to Shiver being the one raised (and enthusiastically agreeing) to take on clan head duties when the time comes. Same (Shiver's mother) loves all her kids so much, yet Shiver is her youngest and has the most set future of all of them and needs her attention the most in her eyes since her position as clan head was kinda rushed upon her due to unfortunate circumstances. Sela can sort of understand on an objective level why she isn't as intensely nurtured by comparison. However, she is also emotionally aligned to a severe degree, so her own feelings of loneliness regularly cause her to be sassy and act out. She tends to spend a lot of time at their aunt's bar because of this, seeking out her childless older relative's attention instead.

On a cooler level, Sela is drawn to praisable arts much like Shiver. Specifically, she enjoys painting (and is the reason Shiver also picked up the interest) because it's something she can be praised and acknowledged for. The Hohojiro residence is full of paintings she's made. She mainly does landscape art since in her mind it's hard to mess up something that's concrete and dictatable on its objective quality of detail and logic. TL;DR "i can do this thing well and get noticed for it!!" As quiet of a passion it is, she also enjoys alternative music as it tends to have a fueling power behind it for her. She enjoys the electric energy of parties for this reason also. Always happy to meet new people and possibly earn more attention and a tighter support system. Somebody tell her she's doing fine, please.

Chi Hohojiro in comparison to her twin is far more like still waters. Because of how logic-based her reasoning is, she can often appear blunt and seem to lack empathy. When really, she's just tackling it from her own sense of logic and justice. If that person hurts you, why don't you just cut them out? That's- difficult to do? Because of the connection you've built? That's... huh. She didn't think of it like that. She's very clear cut. Which can hurt, but she'll also hold you blatantly accountable. She doesn't really like letting things go until a suitable compromise/payback has been reached. Shiver snuck her snacks? Okay. That's fine. They're buying her more. And that incident'll be tallied against them until they act on her terms. Because of her objective outlook, Chi doesn't face the same feeling of loneliness Sela does. The way Chi sees it, Shiver requires more attention due to their life path being set out for them and requiring guidance. It makes sense for them to need more. And she can see how Same treats them. They aren't being given less. She treats them with a million percent more than the bare minimum. Her love isn't being divided between them, rather being magnified in an educational aspect to Shiver, who she is required to be hands on with.

Chi has the capacity to play the straight man between her and Sela when it comes to teasing Shiver, being a flat one liner kinda gal. She also presses for Shiver to take care of themselves in a very "you quite literally need this objectively" way. If they can't afford to do something crucial one day? They have to do it the next. It's Chi's Law. (One they like to try and fight, but can never truly escape.). Same enjoys Chi's Law. Where do you think Chi got it, after all?

Hope this was articulated well, anon. This genuinely improved my mood. I'd be happy to answer more text-based asks like this (and asks about Sela and Chi <3), they're a lot easier for me to handle than drawing requests I think due to motivation coming and going. Thanks for reading!!

#splatoon #hohojiro clan #shiver hohojiro #shiver splatoon

[star-wanderer]

The end of the Universe.

Not a book review, more an essay on what the books brought to me. Warning for longposting.

So recently I finished a book by one of my favourite authors, Becky Chambers. "The galaxy, and the ground within" was the final book in her Wayfarers series, more a set of loosely connected stories told in one collective universe than the typical linked series of books detailing one main story. Compared to some of the other stories in the series that I read years earlier, I cannot say that this felt as impactful or momentous when I finished it, but that isn’t to say it lacked meaning to me either.

Chambers writes stories that, in my opinion, grasp beautifully the intricacy of living in a society and being alive. To a greater extent, I would argue that her writing is about what it means to be human. The first book of hers that I read was actually not the first in the series. I will come back to "the galaxy and the ground within" later, but I want to talk about one of her earlier books first, the one that really hit home for me and changed the way I saw the world. I first picked up “A closed and common orbit”, a story about an AI designed to assist with living on a ship being transplanted into a human-shaped body. She isn’t recognised by most as a real person with rights or her own autonomy, and she doesn’t identify with, or feel comfortable with the body she now inhabits. She has no legal papers that can easily apply to her or her body, limited capacity to travel because of a lack of documents, and generally no systemic support from the government. And underlying all that, she feels adrift in life now that she is no longer able to fulfil the task she was originally programmed for and is trying to seek meaning in her existence.

To me, the trans metaphor was very clear from both the language used in the book, and the shape of the concept it was presented in. I thought it was both a beautiful way of shedding light on the issue, while also changing the perspective just enough to possibly circumvent the cognitive dissonance that comes with our pre-established notions with modern language involving the trans community and transgender people. Something that most people aren’t consciously aware of is how much phrasing, word choice, and packaging can affect or sway judgement based on established ideals. By simply changing how an idea is presented or phrased, two completely different reactions can be obtained from the same people. I felt that this was cleverly used in the series to present the issue and the struggle of just trying to fit into life like everyone else in a relatable and understandable fashion. I don't think that it should be a struggle that needs to be explained, but there it is.

We follow Lovelace, the AI, in choosing a new name for herself, through her struggles in trying to figure out her place in the world without simply taking orders from others, and her struggles with feeling comfortable with her body. Lovelace, or Sidra, as she renames herself, repeatedly expresses a disconnect from the body she inhabits and her mind. The language used would be very familiar to people with similar struggles, but still coherent and easily parseable to a reader without that knowledge. The wording highlighted the clear disconnect between Sidra, the identity we were following, and the body she lived in to mimic a human. She didn’t feel comfortable or at home in the body she used, and made adjustments where she could to her environment instead to help her feel more comfortable. She couldn’t change the circumstances of her creation, but she could learn to unwire her old programming and form new habits of her choice, accepting as well the consequences of those choices. At one point in the story, it takes giving up control of the body to return to controlling a ship, Sidra’s original purpose and a goal she strives towards for most of the book before Sidra comes to appreciate what having a physical human body allows her to do. It is the first moment in the book that Sidra identifies the body she had been using as her own, and not just a form made for her, signifying an shift in thinking. Additionally, as a mass produced AI on the market, Lovelace, now Sidra, was being exposed to things and experiences beyond the imagining of a shipboard computer. Through the text, I sensed a certain connection as well to people who at some point in their lives are made to step out of their small corner of the world and are shown a whole new life that they never imagined possible and now have to readjust their way of thinking about the world. Our world has certain trends, cultures, and expectations of us for whatever roles we were born into. Almost everything is set up for us to slide into these roles and not change, but not everyone can fit in neatly into the boxes society has laid out for us. Sometimes by choice, sometimes by circumstance.

The book doesn’t just tell Sidra’s story of learning about herself beyond her core programming, but there are other quieter stories in the background. But they all weave together to become one tapestry of lives and experiences that constitutes living on a society with other people and making the space around them more comfortable and better for people. Pepper goes to great lengths to help Sidra adjust to being human, and Sidra makes a friend named Tak who introduces her to tattooing, to parties, and helps her discover herself. Pepper’s fix-it job doesn’t work strictly by money, she also trades in simple favours such as food discounts and medical checkups in return for helping them out. There’s a general air in the stories of how although there are always people with less pleasant intentions or with less common sense than is good for them, most people are kind and making their way through life by making the space around them better, and helping others in the process.

Which brings me back to "the galaxy, and the ground within". In this book, Chambers writes us a simple story on the surface about a group of weary travelers who get stuck at what was meant to be a pitstop on their travels when a tech failure shuts down all planetary travel. Three travelers and their two hosts are stuck together in what is basically a small hotel with nothing to do other than twiddle their thumbs and wait for the authorities to do their thing.

That brings me to the diversity in the series. Chambers uses the canvas of a galaxy-wide community to introduce diversity of cultures and race/species to us, but even within species there is diversity based on their origins, their parents, and their personal life choices. There is a great deal of emphasis throughout the series placed on the importance and impact of the choices one person makes about how they want to live their life. I wouldn't say it is more emphasised in this story than others, but I think you cannot talk about a Chambers book in her Wayfarers universe without praising the racial and cultural diversity.

When we talk about diversity and representation in our current media, it is still a frustrating conversation with people at times about why they should see different faces and identities there. But something that I've heard across a range of ages and generations from people about science fiction is "Where are all the aliens?" or "Why aren't there more aliens?" The cognitive dissonance I mentioned earlier really comes to bear here, and Chambers makes full use of it with her cast. Even for culturally savvy and well-travelled people as our main cast in this story, we still see that the world they live in is so big that they still don't fully and completely understand everything. These are people who are well travelled, well informed, and people who even make a point to go out of their way to know more about other places, cultures, and people, and they still acknowledge the massive gap in their knowledge of each other's races when they meet.

Some characters lean heavier into their culture of birth, some mix fluidly wherever they go without a particular distinct culture that they call their own, some pick up things from all the places they travel, some change their minds as they grow and see new things and decide to leave some things of their past behind them. But ultimately people decide how they want to live and who they want to be, and others make the choice to respect that. People understand, in this universe, that you cannot live without encountering people very different from yourself and that accommodations must be made for them. Some amount of thoughtfulness is expressed by everyone to at least take into consideration that different people need different things, and that even within a race, no two people are the same. Not everyone is going to agree or like some differences, but ultimately a conflict also isn’t going to resolve anything and non-confrontational methods are just preferable, so people make spaces for different things or make spaces as accommodating as possible. It’s a philosophy I firmly believe we could do well to adopt and remember today.

One last thing that I came to realise after some thought is perhaps a final click of why I like reading Chamber’s books so much. In her works, her characters communicate with each other in a way I feel we should all do. Sometimes there are gaps intentionally written in the conversation where the wrong things are said, or not said, sometimes things still don’t work out even after all the words have been said with careful thought, or sometimes people still don’t agree at the end, but her characters still talk to each other when they have a problem and do their best to clearly communicate things and clear up differences and clarify to reduce misunderstandings. Even if they are of different opinions, the characters understand that at least effort was put in to consider the thoughts of the others. In a universe as diverse and far ranging as theirs, they need to do their best to be clear and precise in what they mean, while accounting for differences in language and culture and levels of understanding; not to simply expect or demand everyone else rise up to their level of comprehension, but to raise others up together with them. They vocalise their problems, because acknowledging an issue openly is the first step to getting the problem resolved between them. They ask for clarification and ask for forgiveness when there is a mistake, because mistakes happen and that is understandable and easily forgivable. But to commit a misdeed intentionally when it could have been cleared up or done with more thoughtfulness is a much harsher mark against you. As someone who spends so much time listening to others, this is something I wish we did more often. Kindness and thoughtfulness aren’t a high expectation, and they shouldn’t be in a society so diverse. We shouldn't need to touch the stars and populate the galaxy to realise that we need to be kind to ourselves and our fellow neighbours, whoever they may be and wherever they may come from.

If I've omitted mentioning stuff from the books or avoided specifics, please understand that this has been largely just a rambling loose connection of thoughts from me that I spent a few minutes making graphics for because I love the colour purple and the graphics make me happy. I had a lot of thoughts rattling around after finishing the final book in a universe I loved existing in so much. I feel happier for having written this all our and put it out there, so yeah.

#the galaxy and the ground within #becky chambers #book review #reading #book blog #review on humanity #my writing #essay #spilled thoughts #humans are space orcs #humanity #human connection #earth is space australia #writeblr #writers on tumblr #thoughts #wanderer's thoughts #spilled words #writing #spilled ink #review #books and reading #book recommendations #book thoughts #human behaviour #being human #human nature #humans #sci fi #science fiction

[quietlydiabolic]

“Fork Bomb!” - BassRock short oneshot fanfic

By: Jixie Fandom: Mega Man Classic BassRockWeek​ : September 5 - Stars Rating: G Word Count: 865

- A/N: Includes Blues/Tempo (QuakeBlues?) and implied Rollass. A 'fork bomb' is a type of computer virus.

"'Let's go stargazing', they said. 'It'll be fun', they said." Bass turned his head to look over at Blues and Tempo, too lazy to sit up. He was sprawled out on his back a few feet away from the couple.

It was beautiful out, a perfect starry sky on a perfect summer night. A good location for stargazing… if only that was what they were actually out there for.

"You know I didn't come along to watch you two suck face," he grumbled.

Tempo broke away from making out with Blues, and shot Bass a toothy grin. "It's not like we forced you at gunpoint or anything."

"Hmph."

"He's just jealous," Blues said, although he was teasing.

"Never."

He really should've known when no one else agreed to go along, even though this was exactly the sort of dorky activity that the Light family— the rest of the Lalinde's, for that matter— loved to do. It seemed that everyone had caught on to the fact that 'stargazing' was a flimsy excuse to do 'gross mushy romantic crap like smooch under the moonlight'. Everyone, that was… but Bass.

Which was a little annoying. Maybe more than a little annoying. He had so much trouble understanding these things that seemed to come naturally to others. It wasn't like he could blame it on being built for combat— because in Wily's desperation to replicate Dr. Light's success with Rock-slash-Mega Man, he'd been designed as a surrogate child first and a combat robot second. Bass should've had all the same non-combat abilities that his rival did.

Besides, many of the other Wily Numbers, inferior as they were, had demonstrated a capacity for attraction and romance. Even those that didn't understood it in a way that seemed just out of Bass' reach.

He couldn't entirely blame it on Wily, either. It might have made sense if Wily himself was uninterested in these matters. But the crotchety old man had ranted and raved about the topic just enough to make it clear— it wasn't that Wily lacked the desire for human partnership or physical intimacy, so much as he was too self-absorbed and indifferent to the needs of others to maintain any meaningful connection with someone else.

So, Bass found himself alone in this regard, having never felt so much as a tickle of attraction or romantic interest. The only thing he could possibly compare it to was his complicated feelings about his rivalry with Rock. Rock, who was a gullible, stupid, annoying, obnoxious optimistic do-gooder who somehow always got the best of him no matter how much stronger Bass was than him and it wasn't fair—

—Rock, who never stopped thinking of Bass as a friend even after he'd dropped the charade, who didn't want to fight anyone but especially not him, who was always thrilled when they had to work together and never failed to have his back, who always saw the best in him no matter how rotten Bass was towards him. Rock, who he'd been modeled after and was his reason for existing, which by default made him the most important person in Bass' life.

And as much as Blues had been a good friend and confidant… even guys like Duo, or Tempo, or Fan, or some of the more tolerable Wily Numbers (and DWN-adjacent)… none of them were as kind to him as Rock was. Aside from Roll, now that he thought about it. Roll, the sister Light 'bot, every bit as naïve and saccharine as her brother. In a lot of ways she seemed to represent what might have been if Rock hadn't had to become Mega Man. If anything, the lack of rivalry between her and Bass meant she could act on that kindness in ways that Rock couldn't. Secretly helping him with mods and repairs when Wily wasn't around, cheering him on when she maybe shouldn't have, offering support when even Blues'd officially Had Enough Of His Crap. She was also the only person to have the outright nerve to hug him, and he never quite had the heart to push her away, which meant she kept on doing it…

…Rock had come close, though. How many times Mega Man had approached with arms open, only to stop himself at the last second, knowing how much it would've pissed Bass off.

Lying there, thinking about the lack of romance in his world, a sudden and terrible realization struck him. Bass sat up like a shot and gave Blues and Tempo a frantic look.

"Guys. Um… does Roll… does she have a crush on me?"

"Oh, heck yeah."

"Duh."

"It's super obvious."

"You can see it from space."

Bass grimaced. Unable to help it, he thought about how Mega Man would've been just like his sister Roll if he'd never been upgraded.

"Does… does… Rock… have a crush on me?"

"Oh, heck yeah."

"Duh."

"It's super obvious."

"You can see it from—"

He hid his face in his hands. "Mother hacker— fricken' FORK BOMB! Why me!? Sonnuva glitch— ugh, why do I have a swear filter!? Nnnuuhhhh… What I am gonna do?"

The quiet clear night was pierced by Blues' evil laugh.

#bassrockweek2022 #mega man fanfic #bassrock #quakeblues #mega man #bass megaman #proto man #quake woman #blueberry #cobra chicken #dope rides alone #tempo #my fanfic

[ali-annals]

1: green was the colour of the grass

Invisible String Masterlist NEXT AO3

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was six years old and fast asleep in her bed in Paris. With a loud thump, she fell out of bed and was rudely awoken. She was puzzled once she realized what had happened; she hadn’t fallen out of bed in ages! She climbed back in and went to sleep. She could figure out what happened later.

Marinette was nine when she went to visit her uncle in Shanghai. She was cooking with him when she jerked towards the door. Sabine caught her before she fell.

 “Sweetheart, what happened?”

“I…guess I tripped on something, Maman. You know how clumsy I am.”

“Well, be more careful in the kitchen, sweetie. You can get hurt easily in here.”

“I will.”

~~~

Green was the color of the grass where I used to read at Centennial Park/I used to think I would meet somebody there

Marinette liked to sketch in the park close to her home. She’d discovered a perfect nook between some bushes to get comfy and draw for hours a couple years ago when she was ten. The natural atmosphere often inspired her designs, and the fresh air helped clear her mind from the day’s issues, such as Lila’s taunting about her lack of soulbond mark. An exclamation brought her out of her design trance, and she looked up to see two girls with a silver string pulling them together. 

“Is that you, Monique?” the older one asked incredulously.

“Yes, it’s me, Simone,” cried the younger girl as they hugged.

Marinette gathered that they were sisters, separated by foster homes when their mother died eight years ago. Their sibling bonds activated when they were close enough to each other.

She ran home to the bakery, where Tom and Sabine were closing up.

“Papa! Maman! I think I have a soulmate!”

“What? That’s wonderful, sweetie! How do you know?” Tom said happily.

“I’m not 100% sure yet. Can I go to the library to do some research?”

Sabine nodded. “Of course. Just be back by 7:30; dinner will be ready then.”

“Okay! Bye!” She grabbed her backpack to put books in and headed off.

Once at the library, she headed to the Soulbond section to see what information she could find.

There were three main bonds: sibling/familial, platonic, and romantic. Sometimes they changed from one level to another but often remained where they were.

The most common type of soulbonds was identifying marks– the first words they said to each other, a symbol, their name or initials. Other types were compasses pointing in the direction of their soulmate, a timer counting down until they met them, etc. Still others were telepathic– songs, soul music, emotive bonds, and so forth. Less obvious soulbonds had to do with eyes– some would switch bodies temporarily, some couldn’t see a colour until they met, or their eyes would change colour. Some, even rarer, were pain and/or wound bonds. When the pair met and connected, a thread the colour of their bond type would join them together.

Marinette still hadn’t figured out which bond she thought she had. The closest was the heart, which would fly to their soulmate when they were close enough. There wasn’t too much information as only 20% of the population had soulmates.

Marinette sighed in disappointment. Maybe she was just clumsy, and those tugs hadn’t meant anything. Maybe Lila was right, she didn’t deserve a soulmate like she did.

No! She was a perfectly loveable girl, the heroine of Paris. Just because she didn’t have a soulmate (probably) didn’t mean anything against her–after all, 6.4 billion other people didn’t. But just in case, she wouldn’t tell anyone her suspicions.

Her parents looked a little sad for her when she shook her head but smiled and encouraged her anyways.

That night, she started a new journal, different from her lists of bullying and akumatization and Lila’s lies. It was every type of soul bond she could find.

Then, she listed every instance she could remember that could be a connection to one of these types of soulbonds.

This journal had a combination lock and went in the false side of her box in the secret panel behind her false-backed desk drawer. No one was finding it if she could help it.

~~~~

Time/Mystical time/Cutting me open, then healing me fine

Ladybug called “Miraculous ladybug!” and Paris’s streets were buzzed by the swarm of red-and-black beetles.

Chat Noir and Ryuuko were pulled together by a golden line.

Marinette’s heart sank a little. She had hoped if she didn’t have a soulmate, Adrien would return her affections, but apparently, he wasn’t her perfect complement.

She bravely walked over and quickly hugged Kagami and Adrien. 

“Good luck in your relationship,” she sincerely wished them. “Congratulations.”

Then she swung away to her balcony, where she detransformed and cried for several minutes; seeing as Hawkmoth had just had an akuma defeated, she should be able to express her emotions freely for a short time.

She winced as she hiccuped.

Apparently, even with her ribs healing miraculously, they should stay still for a couple hours just to be safe. Oh, well, c’est la vie.

Even if she didn’t have a soulmate, she had hoped to fall in love. She hadn’t counted on her crush having a soulmate, though. Maybe she was destined to be single. That would be fine–she could adopt a dozen hamsters and the kwami could fly free all day while she worked on commissions in her own shop…not a bad life…but this would have to be somewhere other than Paris.

After she defeated Hawkmoth, she was leaving Paris and moving somewhere that needed her help, but not daily and to the extremes like the City of Lights.

Oh, yes. A city of darkness–the opposite of Paris. Perfect.

Marinette began a new notebook, full of plans for post-Hawkmoth.

~~~

Two weeks before Marinette planned for the final battle, she realized she needed a backup player. She reached into the Miracle Box and trusted Tikki’s luck to give her the Miraculous she needed.

She blinked in consternation at the box in her hand. “Are you kidding me? This is my good luck?”

Finally, she got up with a sigh. She transformed and swung across the city, finally landing on a plant-filled balcony.

Ladybug knocked on the glass door and was invited in. 

“Ladybug, what are you doing here?”

“I need your help. Will you give it?”

“Whatever I can do to help, whenever! What do you need?”

“I, Ladybug, Grand Guardian of the Zodiac Miraculous, give the bee comb of subjection to its true holder, Chloe Bourgeois, for her to use as she and I see fit, for the greater good. Do you accept this responsibility?”

“Yes, ma’am! I solemnly promise to only use it as you need me to.”

Ladybug smiled and handed the box to her former bully, who had really improved and matured in the past few years.

“Why me?” Chloe blurted as Ladybug prepared to leave.

Ladybug turned to face her. “I’ve been watching you grow and become a better person over the past few years. You had the potential to be a great Bee wielder, and you are growing into it. Also, you’re Pollen’s true holder, so you’re the best fit, and I need someone to Venom our enemies soon.”

“You know who Hawkmoth is?” Chloe asked, blinking furiously at Ladybug’s words.

“I suspect. I have a plan to track him down. I’ll call a meeting of Team Miraculous in a couple hours to explain. But first, your new look. I came up with a few ideas. If you'd like, can I show you? It just needs to be drastically different from your previous suit, so no one immediately pieces your identity together.”

“Yes, please; that would be great.”

Ladybug pulled her sketchbook out of her yoyo and handed her Bee sketches to Chloe, who flipped through them, smiling slightly.

“I like this third one the best. I just visualize it and transform?”

“Yep.”

Chloe shut her eyes. “Pollen, buzz on!”

Guepe, the first name they thought of, which was French for wasp, stood there in her fitted uniform. The suit was yellow, with black sides forming a wasp waist outline. Her hair was braided, one strand back, one white-blonde, and one gold. The mask was black with yellow-gold trim. Her boots were knee-high and black, with the yellow legs tucked smoothly into them. Her top hung from her waist like Ladybug's yoyo.

“This is perfect! Thank you so much, Marinette!” Guepe hugged Ladybug, who froze, though she hadn’t been venomed.

“What did you call me?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you're ‘good friends’ with Ladybug, who loves to visit you on your balcony. You look exactly the same and are always missing during akuma attacks. Your designs look just like your MDC designs; it’s the same style. I’ve known you were Ladybug for ages.”

“Oh. Spots off.”

“Buzz off.”

The two girls hugged as civilians, then drew apart in surprise as silver and red threads wound around their arms.

 A small red-with-silver-spots ladybug mark appeared on Chloe’s shoulder. On Marinette’s opposite shoulder, a red bee with silver stripes materialized as well. 

They gazed at their marks in astonishment. 

“We’re platonic sister/friend soulmates?”

“It appears so.” 

They smiled at each other gleefully, spending all afternoon talking and catching up.

At six, Mari called a Team Miraculous meeting to discuss the plan to defeat Hawkmoth and Mayura.

Adrien, Kagami, and Luka showed up at Chloe’s hotel room, unsure why Ladybug called them there. Their questions were soon answered.

Two weeks later, Marinette transformed into Ladybug and let loose her repressed feelings, five years’ worth.

Soon she heard the flapping of an akuma. The purple butterfly mask appeared over her face as Hawkmoth said 'smoothly’, “Hello, Lady Charm. I will give you the power to have everyone believe you and justice to be served as you desire if you give me the Ladybug earrings and Black Cat’s ring.”

“I will bring them to you, Hawkmoth.”

Lady Charm smiled evilly as the butterfly mask left. Hawkmoth had shown her where he was.

Bet he didn’t know the connection goes two ways.

She called her team and they headed to Agreste Mansion. 

Adrien had been unsurprised when she told him she suspected his father.

He was actually a little glad– he could explain why his father did not pay attention to him because he was too busy playing supervillain, and wow, wasn’t that sad.

Lady Charm burst through the butterfly window in the secret lair. "I’ve got them.”

“Well done, Lady Charm! Where are they?”

“Right here! Tikki, Spots on!”

Lady Charm turned back into Ladybug, expelling the akuma, which she trapped in her yoyo.

Chat Noir ran into the room from the door, waving Mayura’s brooch and trapping Hawkmoth between himself and Ladybug.

Ladybug put the brooch in her yoyo as well.

“I, Ladybug, Grand Guardian of the Zodiac Miraculous, revoke the butterfly miraculous of emotion from Gabriel Agreste, formerly known as Hawkmoth, for the crimes he has committed against the order of the Guardians and the people of Paris.”

As she spoke, the Miraculous began glowing, and Gabriel cried out as a mark burned into his skin where the Miraculous was.

Ladybug snatched it off him and put it in her yoyo, releasing and purifying the akuma.

She followed Chat and Gabriel out of the lair and back to his office, where a frozen Nathalie Sancoeur was guarded by Guepe and Ryuuko. Viperion was on standby in case Second Chance was needed. Luckily, it wasn’t.

The police were called just before their raid, thanks to Kagami, so they arrived in a minute and took custody of the two ex-villains. 

Ladybug cursed them to never wield another Miraculous and reveal any of her teammates’ identities.

“Bye, Hawkmoth! I’m so glad the police believe me and that you’re facing justice, just like I wanted!” she called sweetly after him.

Chat Noir found Emilie in the basement lair. Ladybug was able to wake her from her coma, though she stayed in the hospital until Gabriel and Nathalie were tried, found guilty of several crimes, and imprisoned.

To prove Adrien’s innocence of his father's doing, Ladybug gave him the okay to reveal his identity. He chose to give up Plagg, and Kagami gave up Longg to live normal, quiet, civilian lives.

Only Luka and Chloe kept their kwamis.

~~~

Time/Curious time/Gave me no compasses/Gave me no signs/Were there clues I didn't see?

Since Marinette had been planning for Hawkmoth’s defeat, she began setting up a life for herself in Gotham. She’d thrown a dart at a map, and each time it landed on Gotham. It was the complete opposite of Paris, so she was happy. Tom and Sabine saw how unhappy she was in Paris, and encouraged her to go, even though they privately worried for her.

She’d graduated early from school and had been sewing and training for the past year, so she had plenty of capital to set up Lucky Charms, a fabric/sewing store and commission place.

When Jagged heard she was moving to Gotham he was thrilled that she’d be close to his home but worried that she insisted on living alone.

In January, five months before Hawkmoth's defeat, he started writing a new album and coaxed Marinette into collabing on two songs with him.

Penny asked to see Mari’s notebook when she produced a lovely heartbreaking song.

In amazement, Jagged’s manager and girlfriend flipped through the pages of material, both lyrics and melodies, some of which Luka had helped with. 

“Marinette, can I find you a manager and produce an album of these songs? These are amazing! I’m sure the public would love them.”

“You mean, become a singer like Uncle J? But…these are just some poems and songs I wrote when I was feeling a lot!”

“Yes, they’re from the heart, Mari! Your creative talent is incredible. Will you at least think about it?”

She agreed to try producing an album but created a new identity for her singer-self, wanting to keep her various creative ventures separate and as private as possible.

When it was announced that the mysterious singer Jagged Stone collabed with was dropping an album and a new single, the fans went wild, both French and English.

Fairy, based on her Nonna’s private nickname for her, became another unknown celebrity Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale worked with. MDC was her fashion designer/stylist. She always wore a mask accenting her costumes when she appeared.

Chloe Bourgeois, Juleka Couffaine, Adrien Agreste, and Kagami Tsurugi were some of her backup dancers in her new MV for her single, Fairy Dust.

It was inspired by her name and was about letting go and moving on.

From July to September, Fairy and MDC toured the States with Jagged and Penny.

Chloe portalled over to support her like-a-sister friend and help her set up her new home before the tour. With Chloe’s background and training, Penny had asked her about becoming Marinette’s manager under her mentorship, and Chloe eagerly agreed.

~~~

Mid-August they were in Los Angeles for three days on the tour. One afternoon Jagged took her, Chloe, and Penny to a small diner he claimed had the best food in town. After lunch, Marinette had to agree.

Penny paid the bill while Jagged and the girls left the booth. Chloe grabbed Mari’s arm as she walked sharply into the door.

“Mari! Are you okay? What happened? -oh!”

Mari violently shook her head as she climbed into the car, signalling her BFF to silence.

Penny eyed her curiously as they drove out of the parking lot, passing a sleek silver car turning in, but said nothing.

September 26th, Marinette and Chloe returned to Gotham, exhausted.

Screaming fans (which shocked Mari to tears), time changes, and continually being in either Fairy or MDC’s persona really tired her out. Performing almost every night to sold-out audiences wasn’t all fun and games, either.

The two slept for 15 hours straight, ate and showered, and slept for five more.

The next week they simply relaxed, shopping and playing with the kwami, occasionally taking up a small sewing project in between their lazy hours.

Several times Marinette and Chloe portalled to Paris and visited her parents and Team Miraculous.

They’d seen Luka in July when he joined them on tour for a couple weeks but left at the end of the month, and they missed their other friends.

Before Mari moved in mid-June to Gotham, she told her parents she was Ladybug, to help assuage their worries for her safety.

They’d cried even more then; they hadn’t known their little girl was the saviour of Paris.

But it had helped, knowing she had over a dozen pocket gods looking out for her.

~~~

A string that pulled me/Out of all the wrong arms right into that dive bar

It was a lovely crisp evening in early October when Mari received a call. “Is this Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

Chloe and Mari slowed their brisk stroll down Gotham’s streets–it was getting dark and they were in a hurry to get home. “Yes, this is she.”

“This is Lieutenant Feuillet of the Paris police. I’m sorry to inform you that at 8:23 this morning Tom et Sabine’s Boulangerie et Pâtisserie burned down. There were no survivors.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. We have identified your parent's bodies…can you give me time to discuss arrangements?”

Marinette was numb with shock. “I’ll fly there tomorrow. Thank you for letting me know. Bon nuit.”

She put her one in her inside pocket mechanically and turned to the worried friend beside her. 

“It’s my parents…a fire…” She collapsed into Chloe’s arms.

“Oh, Marinette. I’m so sorry…Do you want me to come with you?”

“Yes, please, Chlo.” Marinette hugged her tighter…no, she was walking into her.

In her grief-filled daze, she didn’t notice herself walking across the street to a brightly-lit dive bar.

“Mari!” Chloe followed her across, dodging cars.

Marinette entered the bar and looked around a little stupidly.

Chloe pushed through the door to see her friend walk into a tall, dark-haired man. 

Moving protectively in front of Mari, Chloe snapped, “Watch it, buster. She’s just lost–”

“Chlo.” Mari’s whisper and hand on her arm stopped her. “He’s my soulmate.”

Chlo blinked and sure enough, a dancing gold thread was wrapped around the two, hearts looped throughout the knots.

“Oh. Sorry.”

#daminette #fic #ali writes #DCxMLB #IbTS

[emmigarvey]

Blog post #1 - On Experiencing Art Museums

During this trip, I have had a positive experience overall visiting the art museums. Each one was clean, had beautiful architecture, felt safe, and had art pieces that I am interested in. Of course, one of my favorite parts about going to a museum is the gift shop. I know I am an art major so this should be embarrassing, but I love taking the lovely art that I have seen home. Whether it’s a postcard or a sticker, I enjoy decorating my life with the art that I experience in the museums. So I was very excited to see that all of the art museums, for the most part, had a gift shop to quench my shopping addiction thirst. My only complaint is the lack of seating in the museums. I think we all had some sort of body pain from the long days of walking or something else. Regardless of that or any problematic disability accessibility issues, I find seating to be especially helpful for absorbing the ambiance of the works in the room and to really sit in the beauty of the art around you.

If I had to choose a museum to be my preference, I would have to say that the Musée D’Orsay tickles my fancy the most. Call me basic, but I adore Impressionist art. The subject matter, the colors, the texture, the way the paint is applied to the canvas, it all just makes me feel so joyful and inspired. More specifically, I absolutely adored the pastels exhibition in the Musée D’Orsay. Pastels are a medium that I have always been very interested in learning more about and practicing with. My mother used to create art with them when she was younger. Therefore, I got a lot of hand me down supplies that I struggle to know what to do with. The lovely thing about a lot of the work that was created using pastels were much more clear about the way the artist created it. By that I mean, a lot of the paintings that we have seen have been seamless and hyper realistic. While those are wildly impressive, they are harder for me to connect with. I feel as though seeing the strokes of the pastels connects not only the viewer to the painting, but also with the artist because it is clearer how the artist created the artwork itself. That is also a likely reason why I love impressionism.

Furthermore, I was amazed by all of the work shown in the exhibit. Especially Henri Fantin-Latour’s pastel on lithograph piece titled, Les Filles du Rhin ou L'Or du Rhin. This was created in 1876 and depicts three feminine figures that seem to be floating upwards into the heavens. The eye of the viewer moves upward with the movement of the woman, but then as it moves back down, one notices a man laying at the bottom of the painting. The female figure at the top of the painting is so light that she appears to be glowing and the other two women have a clear sense of light and shadow, however the man at the bottom is rendered to look as though he is in the shadows with no bright highlights. The contrast between the two figures, the light woman at the top and the shadowed man at the bottom, not only adds to the movement of the piece, but it also suggests a deeper meaning.

As an art major, I have always enjoyed viewing art in museums, but it was always very casual. Since being in this class, I have started to analyze art and how the elements and principles of design add to the meaning. I am very grateful for the skills I have learned or strengthened by taking this class. It has helped me appreciate art on a deeper level than I did before.

word count: 646

[grad603-gracemacd]

Rationale and Reflection.

The intention behind my final design was to take a minimalistic approach in hopes it would convey the information appropriately. One of the motivations towards this idea was for my own learning in typography and applying design concepts covered in class. I felt that negative space and hierarchy were two concepts that would be important towards highlighting the main pieces of information for the event, ‘Typografika’. 

The application of the colour blue (#767cfe7) was to add to the cleanliness and calmness in the design. Additionally, I thought the light blue could develop a creative, vibrant approach so that viewers were interested in the event. Furthermore, I felt my previous iterations without colour lacked a sense of excitement which was my main motivation towards iterations with using colour. One idea that I did struggle with along this design journey was finding a balance between design intentions and the creativity of the outcome. I felt I needed to reduce my concepts in order to focus on the information that needed to be presented. 

Typography is an area within design that I struggle with and recognise that it is an area I need to research and learn more about in order to convey effective design concepts. However, I felt the ones I had chosen for the design worked well in terms of legibility and conveying a clear idea. The typefaces I included were Articulat CT (headers) and Source Sans Variable (body text). Initially I did test Articulat CT as the body text, however, the kerning did not work and made the smaller type harder to read. Additionally, I thought it worked better for headers because the curves in the letterforms developed a softer and light-hearted feel to the design as opposed to the structured feel Source Sans Variable bought to the poster. In terms of my decision wit using Source Sans Variable, I felt it did serve its purpose towards communicating information, the kerning worked much better and I felt it was legible for the audience. 

For future learnings, I wish to improve my work in photoshop, specifically when developing profiles. I think the ones I have included in the design were better than previous iterations, however I could have been more experimental to determine what would work better for the design, perhaps reducing the backgrounds completely or applying a colour filter. The intention towards the black and white images was an attempt to make a connection to the colour palette and seperate them from the information as well as the background. I did want them to stand out against other design elements. 

Overall, this project was very exciting for me, I really enjoyed learning new skills within InDesign as editorial work is an area I would like to improve on. Through finishing the design, I feel as though I have recognised areas I would like to improve from typography, portrait development and grid work. However, I think the colour palette worked well and didn’t take away from the information as my pervious iteration did. 

[rachelcapstone]

Week 5: October 4

For scholarly research this week, I found an article from NASA’s Color Usage Research Lab (that existed???) about successive and simultaneous contrast. 

Citation: “Simultaneous and Successive Contrast.” Using Color in Information Display Graphics. NASA. Accessed October 4, 2022. https://colorusage.arc.nasa.gov/Simult_and_succ_cont.php. 

Link: https://colorusage.arc.nasa.gov/Simult_and_succ_cont.php

“The terms "simultaneous contrast" and "successive contrast" refer to visual effects in which the appearance of a patch of light (the "test field") is affected by other light patches ("inducing fields") that are nearby in space and time, respectively. The names are somewhat misleading since both simultaneous and successive contrast involve inducing fields that are close in both time and space.” 

Basically, it means that we see colors differently depending on what it’s surrounding colors are. This is a color theory related topic, but I just think it’s interesting that NASA has done research on this, as it’s a bit unexpected. 

For creative research, I made a model of the mockup I created last week out of jewelry wire I had laying around, tissue paper, and other craft materials I had. The clear transparent material that is on the frame is two ziploc bags. 

It was a slight failure, and it came out a bit wonkier than I expected, but it was probably still good to go through the process of making it. I’m still not sure about the exact works/materials that I would put on the windows. I used various textures, and definitely tried to keep with materials that light could shine through. I feel like it looks a bit childish though because of the use of craft materials….

If I actually made this, I’m realizing I would probably need to use several different arches and connect them on sight, so it could be easily transported and disassembled. Maybe I could use a shower curtain in place of a ziplock bag, and that was I could just drape that over the arches, and just make sure all of the squares are lined up.

I was a big fan of the successive and simultaneous contrast article from NASA, as I feel like it was a good bridge between the graphic design and psychology side of my topic. I am a bit disappointed by my creative research this week though, as it didn’t turn out as beautiful as it was in the mock-up. I am concerned by the lack of specificity of what I want to put in the windows and how I feel like it looks nice, but doesn’t completely convey the message of my topic. It would definitely need an explanation. Maybe I’ll get some feedback during crit next week on that.

[chloe-hayward]

For my final poster designs I tried to incorporate all my study and research into two outcomes. This first piece is a advertisement poster for the band and their album; when making this piece I was apprehensive about how it would turn out as I went into it only thinking about how I wanted to create a square format poster (To link to the square formatting the band has been using on their social media for posters and promotions; this is effective as it links to modern culture which revolves around digital forms of advertisement and binge scrolling) with a silhouetted image of the band members to appeal to an audience as using the members is both endorsement in a way as well as branding the band to the public- this links to my ideas about how bands are actually brands. 

Despite this apprehension I am pleased with the outcome as the piece incorporates aspects of all my work. To begin I used key typography that I studied in my brand guide, the Elsewhere text is Arial Rounded MT Bold a font I found was similar to the text used on the album cover, creating a clear connection between the existing brand and my work. I also used colours recorded in the brand guides colour scheme within this text as well as the title and background for the piece; these colours where taken from the album cover of Elsewhere furthering a connection between my work and the band. 

Whilst my song illustrations were not included within my work I tried to use techniques and ideas I had studied. For instance the idea of creating a silhouetted piece came from some of the illustrative pieces, I found that my illustrations didn’t fit in with the overall theme and style I has created so I felt it would be more effective to just use the techniques they presented within my work. I believed that using a silhouette would be more effective than a photo edit of the band members as it fits in my graphic style work where all my work was present as digital draws rather than photography; the piece sticks with my style and creates consistency by using this technique, however, I also felt that a photo may look out of place of the poster as I would have to cut sections out and this may make it look distorted in a way that lacks realism, the silhouette appears merged with the background creating one piece which I felt would have been lost if the piece was a photo. 

I was able to include my previous designs into this piece to make it better fit with my project and present how all my work has come together. using my pattern strips in this piece presents my own ideas of branding for the band and ties all my work together but also creates a connections to my research. When studying Takashi Murakami I found that he created pattern designs within his prints that he called ‘superflat’ images, by using my own designs that follow the same principle as Murakami I am showing how he influenced and inspired my work whilst still keeping my designs original. 

Overall I am pleased with the first outcome, to improve it I would want to look into using additional designs from my past work or how I could create alternative ideas of this piece, possibly creating a series of advertisement posters; this could link into fan culture and collectable items, which would increase the theoretical revenue that would be produced by branding the band if the posters where to be sold. This series could be three posters all with a background colour that is represent by the band members and the imagery designs could link to the make up and clothing styles the band has presented in photoshoots. Despite this possibly being a interesting idea for branding I am extremely happy with this outcome as I feel that it brings all my research and study work together in a effective way.  

[arodabi]

Whats an aromantic flag and why you should include it in your pride posts

disclaimer: i know theres fighting every year about who should and shouldn’t be included in pride posts, this isn’t to argue with people who just hate aspec ppl, this is an informational post. don’t send me bullshit about it

Why should you include aro flags?

many people believe that aromanticism is covered under the asexual flag, so if they include that they’re including aros, however that’s not the case. aro and ace people share the aspec community, but one identity does not fall under the other. It’s less like using the trans flag as an umbrella for all trans and nonbinary people even if there’s a separate nonbinary flag, and more like using the transmasc pride flag to represent all transmascs and transfems. Aros are just not covered under the ace flag because both groups are separate identities. people can be aro and ace but not all aros are ace.

aro is also an incredibly important identity for a lot of people, something we take a lot of pride in. we get relegated to “minor or add on identity” all the time because people keep thinking of us as the -romantic version of asexual. we have multiple terms, multiple flags, and a huge array of different aro experiences, we are not a subset of asexuality and many of us wish for that to be more respected.

last on the reasons of why you should include aros in pride posts is that we have no larger umbrella flag, unless we’re counting the rainbow flag. the aro flag is the umbrella flag for arospec identities. if you don’t include it then we aren’t being included. and this isn’t me telling you you have to include an aro option for everything you make (tho that would be nice) ppl have the right to choose what flags they want to include. but theres been many times when i see people add  flags representing all parts of the community except aro, and then add on smaller more niche flags. i don’t want this to come across as another post like “how dare you include X flag but not Y flag!!!” because i think everyone should have the joy of representation, i just think many people don’t realize they’re even leaving aros out. either through lack of awareness or lack of knowledge on what the aro flag actually is, and that’s what i wanna help with this post.

What even is the aro flag?

Let’s start with what it’s not:

[ID: a flag with four horizontal stripes. from the top down they are green, yellow, orange and black. End ID]

This was the first proposed aro flag. We do not use it anymore for a couple reasons, the main one is that it resembled another countries flag too closely and was getting confused. I’d think this one would have died out by now but i literally just saw a post include it today.

[ID: A flag with five horizontal stripes. from top to bottom the colors are dark green, light green, yellow, grey, and black. End ID]

This was the second popular aro flag. It is very close to the main aro flag now except the middle stripe is yellow. That stripe was changed due to causing some people sensory problems. This one is sometimes still accidentally used, probably because it looks very close to the main flag, but it’s not the main aro flag either.

[ID: A flag with five horizontal stripes. from top to bottom the colors are black, grey, white, light green, and dark green. End ID]

I’ve actually seen this flag used a lot by people not very knowledgeable about aros. This is a flipped version of the aro flag. I also for the life of me can’t find an example of this but i’ve seen more than once a version that is flipped and removes a stripe of green so it looks like a recolored ace flag. These are pretty common, enough for me to have seen multiple people selling merch with this incorrect flag. I think it comes from people thinking the aro flag is the same as the ace one which does start with black at the top and has only four stripes.

[ID: A flag with seven horizontal stripes. from top to bottom the colors are black, grey, white, green, white, grey, and black. End ID]

Yeah, this is the agender flag, not the aro flag. I see these get mixed up all the time. It’s not hard so see why with similar colors and a white grey black gradient, but as someone who is agender and aro, it kinda gets on my nerves when people mix these up. Also no this is not the same color palette as the aro flag. I’ve seen people make designs labeled as agender/aromantic that just use the agender color palette. The aro flag has two greens and they’re both different than the agender green.

[ID: Two flags next to each other. The first one has five horizontal stripes. from top to bottom the colors are orange, light orange, white, light blue, dark blue. The second flag has eight horizontal stripes. from top to bottom the colors are dark green, light green, white, grey, black, grey, white, and purple. End ID]

These are two common aroace flag designs. These flags are used by a lot of people and you might see them included in pride posts. These are good flags, however, they should not be used to represent all aros. Including an aroace flag does not mean you’re including all aros and all aces, it means you’re including just aroaces. There’s plenty of aros who aren’t ace and aces who aren’t aro. It’d be like putting a gay trans flag in a post and saying its there to represent all gay and all trans people, when the flag is usually used to represent only people who are both gay and trans. Again, these flags are not bad, and them being included in pride posts is good actually, but they should not be used to represent all aro and all ace people.

Now let’s go over what actually is the aro flag:

[ID: A flag with five horizontal stripes. From top to bottom the colors are dark green, light green, white, grey, and black. End ID]

This is the main aro flag. It’s the one most widely used and recognized. The color meanings are dark green and light green representing the spectrum of aro identities, white meaning friendship, and grey and black representing the spectrum of sexual identities in the aro community.

But wait there’s more!

The aro identity is a spectrum, meaning theres more identities under aromantic, and they have their own flags too. If you really wanna go wild and include some other aro flags heres some more. (this is not a full list of all arospec identities, just some i see around the most. feel free to look into more arospec identities and flags! also all of these definitions are coming from me and my personal knowledge of aro identities, i do not identify as any of these though, only as aromantic, so if i give the wrong definition please tell me so i can fix it!)

[ID: A flag with five horizontal stripes. From top to bottom the colors are dark green, light green, white, yellow, and dark yellow. End ID]

This is the alloaro flag. Alloaros are aros who aren’t ace. They deserve more support and attention because they’re really amazing members of the aro community.

[ID: A flag with five horizontal stripes. From top to bottom the colors are dark green, grey, white, grey, and dark green. End ID]

This is the greyromantic flag. Greyromantic means someone who feels romantic attraction rarely. The term greyromantic is also sometimes used to mean aro identities that still feel some form of romantic attraction.

[ID: A flag with four horizontal stripes. From top to bottom the colors are black, green, aqua, and grey. End ID]

the quoiromantic or WTFromantic flag. It means someone who can’t or doesn’t want to tell the difference between platonic and romantic attraction basically. It’s got a special place in my heart bc i used to id as quoi.

[ID: A flag with five horizontal stripes. From top to bottom the colors are red orange, orange, yellow, white, and black. End ID]

This is the Lithromantic flag. Lithromantic means someone who feels romantic attraction but doesn’t want it reciprocated, or may no longer feel romantic attraction when it is reciprocated.

[ID: A flag with a black, sideways triangle on the left side pointing right and three horizontal stripes. The first stripe from the top is a thick white stripe, the next stripe is thin and dark green, and the bottom stripe is thick and grey. End ID]

The demiromantic flag. Someone who is demiro doesn’t feel romantic attraction until they have formed a deep emotional connection with someone.

And there’s many more arospec identities!

I hope i’ve helped to clear up some misconceptions about aros and our flags! We’re not under the ace umbrella, we’re our own community. We all have different experiences, different relationships to our identity, and I hope to see more people represent aros this year!

Have a happy pride month!

#aro #aromantic #lgbt #lgbtq #LGBTQIA #lgbtpride #lgbt+ #pride #pride month #arospec #void screams #ace #asexual #hope this is an okay post #i just woke up and realized i needed to write this before june hits #long post

[iwadori]

hello! I love your works so much! Can I request an angst to comfort scenario for #21 on your prompt list?

“It’s my fault for trusting you”

Feel free to use whichever character(s) you like!!

When the haikyu boys neglect you for another girl PT 3

Part One Part Two Part Three Part four Part Five

Word Count: 2.7K

Genre: angst,fluff

masterlist

Akaashi

You and Akaashi were beautiful people

Probably the most attractive pair of young adults that anyone can find

You were both top tier models in the industry

You always had a little rivalry between you but you always promised each other to never let it affect your ‘relationship’

“Beautiful darling, your beautiful” praised your photographer as you finished your shoot giving you air kisses on your cheeks. You thanked him and the rest of the staff and entered your dressing room sighing.

“Rough day?” Asked a voice, startling you a bit. You looked up to see your boyfriend, Akaashi Keiji sitting in the corner of your dressing room on a love seat.  

“Gosh Keiji you scared me” clutching your chest dramatically “But yes, the day has been tiring Fabio has really been overworking me lately” you complained. Akaashi walks towards you and gave you a peck on the cheek “Aww poor baby” he cooed mockingly, “but don’t worry ‘bout it Y/N your sucess will be all be worth it eventually” he says making you smile.

“and besides, you’ve got a shoot with me soon anyways” he winks, making you chuckle. You finished removing your make-up as Akaashi tells you about his shoot today and Bokuto’s (your fellow model friend) antics.  

You and Akaashi first laid eyes on eachother when you were both up and coming models, you both are under the same company. At first, both of your agents decided to make you spend time with each other to push the narrative of you being a couple anyways. However, since you and Akaashi had great natural chemistry it made your relationship great and made for a great photo too.  

As much as the public loved your relationship and the saucy photos you tend to make together, they also thrived of the slight rivalry you guys had together or the times when you guys bother shot with other people (since it was easy for a fan to make a new ship off of two people literally standing next to each other.)

You spent the next day having what you and Akaashi called a ‘rest day,’ you both specifically clear your schedules for every 2nd and 4th saturday of each month to not do any work-related for the day and just bask in each other’s companies (as you were both busy and barely got enough time to see one another.)

You watched multiple movies, made your own homemade cookies and dinner, had pillow fights, built forts. You both were having so much fun, until you both got a call...Just then, the vibe changed you went from your free-spirited fun selfs back into work mode.

Your agent told you that two brands *Insert big fashion designer brand here* and *Insert another big fashion designer brand here* were having some form of standoff. To be honest, you didn’t really care about the context of the shoot(s) in this case, as your agents call ruined your day. They wanted you and Tsukishima Kei, to do some competing shoots and promotional videos for their brand against the other designer.

After getting all your information from your agent, you go back into the living and see Akaashi sitting down thinking deeply about something. “What was your call about?” you inquire sitting down next to him.

“Oh just some silly designer brand competition thing.” he mindlessly replies, still thinking deeply.

“Yeah same. So what’s got you thinking all deeply then?” you ask

“My fellow model is going to be Kiyoko Shimuzu” he sighed, making you blink repeatedly before immediately saying “You can’t do the shoot”

Kiyoko Shimuzu was japans beauty. Everybody loved her, she’s been a model since she was a child everyone wanting a grasp on her looks. The guys wanted her, the girls wanted to be here. Kiyoko Shimuzu was a force to be reckon with.

The real problem at hand wasn’t her stunning looks, popularity and fame. It was her connection with Akaashi. Before Akaashi went big and met you, he was Kiyoko’s boyfriend (well ex-boyfriend now) and they broke up because of long-distance or something like that.

However, to you, Kiyoko’s feelings for your boyfriend have never went away. Whenever you guys bumped into each other at red carpet events or runway shows, she always seemed to linger a bit too long around your boyfriend, which definitely wasn’t to your liking.

Akaashi lifted up his head from inside his palms and looked at you as if you had grown another head. “What do you mean, ‘I can’t do the shoot’” he asked in disbelief

“I mean, you can’t do the shoot” you reiterated not understanding why he didn’t understand.  

Akaashi sighs before putting his face back in his hands to think, “Well I know you got to the shoot aswell Y/N who’s yours with.”

“Tsukki” You said nonchalantly say as if it was nothing, making Akaashi look at you again as if you were fully crazy before he had a chance to speak you cut him off saying “Don’t even start Akaashi.”

You and Tsukishima Kei, have best friends since you were kids. You weren’t romantic in any way shape or form, well at least you weren’t. Akaashi always claimed that that Tsukishima was in love with you, that you and Tsukishima were the perfect example of every ‘childhood friends-lovers trope’ ever, which to you wasn’t true. Everything between you and Tsukishima was and still is completely platonic which you can’t say the same for Akaashi and Kiyoko.

“You’re not doing the shoot” he says firmly as if he was your father.  

“Oh so you can do your shoot with your literally EX GIRLFRIEND, but I can’t do mine with my best friend... yeah make sense” you say standing up, astounded.

“Y/N chill, If you’re so adamant about me not doing it with Shi- Kiyoko, then I wont” he says pulling your arm down making you land on him “and you better not do it with ‘Tsukki’” he mocked.

“Okay so none of us are doing the shoots?” you ask looking up at him  

“Yup” he says  

“Pinky promise,” you joked sticking out your pinky in his face.

“Pinky promise” he agreed hooking his finger around yours.

For the next month it seemed you were booked busy, you barely got to see your boyfriend as his agent had him running around all of Japan and even had him booked in some places in Europe for this month. Of course, you missed him, but you understand how busy it can be doing your line of work. You’ve been quite busy too, doing the usual shoots and runways.

Although he was busy, Akaashi basically went radio silent on you. You still expected him to reply to some of your messages or at least call once or twice when he had the chance, since he must have 10 minutes of break time and that's the bare minimum.

It’s been two weeks since you last saw Akaashi (and that was on your saturday rest day) and you were expecting him to come over today so you could have another. Since of course, Saturday ‘rest days’ were basically a tradition for you and Akaashi before you even started dating.

You had no text from Akaashi explaining his lateness/absense, so you just figured he wasn’t coming putting a damper on your day. You spent the day lounging around and shoving your face with your favourite snacks and food.

You get a text from Tsukishima which read:

Tsukishima: 1 Image Attached  

Tsukishima: Looks whose boyfriend stumbled on set...

You didn’t respond as you were shocked at the sight you saw, the image was a picture of Akaashi and Kiyoko on set doing shots for the *insert the other rich designer brand* the shoot that you both agreed you wouldn’t do, which was also a LINGERE brand.  

You felt betrayed, you both agreed to not do the shoot and it’s not like you did do yours. You made sure to turn it down the day you made your agreement. And he skipped on your traditional saturday ‘rest day’ without even giving you any word of him not planning on arriving.

You didn’t know what to do, do you confront him about it? Or do you wait for him to approach you? Since he would plan on telling you about this right? You eventually messaged Tsukishima a ‘thanks’ and you decided how you were going to handle the situation. Pop up on Akaashi and Kiyoko at the photoshoot.

You knew where it was at, since you had the address already from when your agent first offered you the idea. You drove to the place in a breakneck speed, strutting in there like a woman on a mission (which you technically were.) You decided to wait in Akaashi’s dressing room, not wanting to cause a scene at the shoot which would be bad for yours, Akaashi’s and Kiyoko’s image and would be a waste of the time of the staff and photographer there.

Akaashi finally finished the shoot and entered his room with a sigh not realising that you were sitting in the corner of his room. “Did you have a rough time?” you ask mockingly making him jump and his eyes widen as you were the last person he expected to be there. “Why so shocked, you weren’t expecting me?” you still keep the same mocking tone in your speech.

“Y/N I-” He started  

“Y/N what?” You interrupted “Y/N I’m sorry for basically ghosting you for a month? I'm sorry for doing a shoot with someone who I know is still in love with me? I’m sorry for lying to you? I’m sorry for skipping out on our rest day with no explanation on where I am?” you stare at him as he stares back speechless.

“Oh, am I missing something?” you continue “Oh yes ‘Y/n I’m sorry for doing the shoot that we both agreed that we weren’t doing’” you sit down and wait for him to reply.

Akaashi puts his head down in shame, not really knowing what to say. Because of his silence, you roll your eyes and get up fed up with his lack of explanation. Before you fully leave Akaashi blocks your way with slight tears in his eyes “I had no other choice Y/N, I had to do all those shoots and travel other places with Kiyoko because sh-”

“Wait, that’s where you were?” you shout “Gallivanting around the country with HER!” you extend your arm pointing outside the door before you turn trying to leave again.

“N-No No Y/N you’ve got to listen to me” he said putting your hands on my shoulder “She has something, on me and I-I couldn’t I can’t get out of it. It’s deeper than just a simple shoot.” You were confused but you were so upset you just didn’t want to hear it so instead of listening to your boyfriend you decided to say “you’re so full of shit Akaashi” making him gasp at your coldness and the use of his last name. “ but hey I guess thats my fault for trusting you”

You finally left the room and went to go get a breather for a second with tears sparking in your eyes. You leaned against the wall and whispered “fuck” frustrated with the whole situation. Making you jump, Tsukishima said “you should go talk to him you know.”  

“What do you know Tsukki” he cringed at the nickname

“I know more than you Y/N, just go talk to him.” he said making you squint your eyes at him wondering what information he held.

When you walked back to Akaashi’s dressing room practicing an apology in your head. But you paused your arrival hearing Akaashi talking to the one and only, Kiyoko Shimuzu in his room.

“Let’s face it Akaashi, now that I’ve got this sex tape of us, I basically own you.” she said to him making your eyes widen.  

You decided the smartest thing to do was to pull out your phone and record as much as the conversation as you possibly could. Because you could already tell Akaashi was in a bind.

“The next thing I want you to do is...” she continued acting as if she was thinking “break it with Y/N!”

“No certainly not Kiyoko, you’re going too far.” he said making you smile internally that he still defended your relationship. “Me and Y/N are definitely NOT breaking up.”

“Akaashi are you forgetting that I have something over you.” she pulls out her phone and she plays a video, which you can only assume is the sex tape. You can hear a bunch of moans and groans which made your stomache ache.

Tired of hearing this, you burst into the room and say “What the fuck are you doing Kiyoko”  

“Oh Y/N how lovely for you to join us...” she said with a smile, “I was just discussing with your ‘boyfriend’ plans for our next shoots.”

“I always knew you were a bitch.” you say shocking your head at her.

“What do you mean Y/N?” she says with a fake smile, not knowing that you were listening in on your conversation “Actually Akaashi was telling me something he had to tell you... isn’t that right Akaashi.” you both looked over at him and he was scared and speechless.

“Oh you mean how you’ve been blackmailing him for the past two weeks...” you accuse  

“You have no proof of that.” She taunted  

“Oh do I..” you rebuttal then pressing play on the recording you just took watching as both Kiyoko and Akaashi look shocked. Kiyoko scurries out the room knowing she’s been caught leaving you with a triumphant smile.

You sit down, gesturing Akaashi to sit next to you. “Akaashi, I’m so sorry for not listening to you earlier I felt so betrayed thinking that you went agaisnt out agreement, but I guess I was just being a self-obsessed bitch” you say with you now looking down in shame.

“Y/N” he says with you still not meeting his eye “Y/N look at me” he lifted your chin up so you met his eye “It’s fine, It’s completely fine you didn’t know of course you didn’t know, how would you know of sex tape I unknowingly did back when I was 16!” he exclaims “Its fine, we’re good” he pulls you into a hug and kisses you on the forehead.

After you both calm down, Akaashi explains how Kiyoko started to blackmail him and how the agency loved the idea of them two being together (not the blackmailing) as it created a jealousy storyline between you and her and how every time they met she kept proposing ridiculous demands.

“Also, how did you know I ended doing the shoot?” he asks

“Oh a little bird told me” you tease  

“You mean a 6ft2 bird with blonde hair and a shit personality.” he retorts making you laugh  

“Heyy don’t be so mean, if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t of came to save the day.”

“True, I’d give him that.”

Eventually, you and Akaashi go to your agency and present all your evidence and claims that Kiyoko was blackmailing Akaashi. Although they were upset, that Akaashi did partake in a sex tape they knew that they’d be an even bigger scandal if you presented your news that Japans sweetheart Kiyoko Shimuzu was blackmailing Akaashi Keiji. So the agency thought it was in everyones best interest if they got Kiyoko to sign an NDA saying that she will never bring forth or share the Sex Tape to anyone and she’ll agree to be dropped from the agency.

Your life was great now, with Kiyoko off your back and Akaashi being back to his usual self you couldn’t wish for anything more. You ended up doing the shoot persuading the design brand person (whatever the name for it is) to agree to let you do the shoot together instead of with other people. Both brands let you, because who wouldn’t want Akaashi Keiji and L/N Y/N to do a shoot together?

AUTHORS NOTE: this is the longest work ive written for a single character and i am TIRED lol..I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my other works so I hope you enjoy this one.. to be honest I think with my works I start off strong and end shitly :// However I wanted to do something different today by making them models instead of students so I hope you like it. Now im off to read some fanfic so you guys have a good day!! <3 

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