#it gives me results I like much more (my overlap is 100% for one of the species and that shoooouldnt rlly happen even if it’s possible) but | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thedreadvampy · 9 months

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fwiw if you want to introduce more variety to how you draw faces I strongly suggest thinking really hard about noses

noses give you so much information about someone! they're usually one of the first things which define how we think of someone's face (after all - they're by far the feature that takes up most of it).

They change as we age - they take up more of our faces and move away from our mouths. babies almost all have round little tips of noses with no definable bridges, while depending on the type of nose an adult has they may get bonier and sharper or softer and flatter with age. nostrils widen, skin creases, eyes drop back from the bridge. I think often people try to age faces by putting wrinkles around an unchanged nose and it throws stuff off.

They're also a really racialised feature. like there is no one Black Nose or East Asian Nose or Desi Nose or White Nose, obviously, there's huge variation within and across ethnic groups, but there's a lot of overlapping trends in nose shape for different ethnicities and it's often a big contributing factor to people drawing characters of colour that kind of look like palette-swapped white people? like there are so many nose shapes that are super common but because they're relatively uncommon for white people, they're just not the noses people often learn to draw as standard.

but also a diversity of noses says so much about a character, the same way that their build or eye shape or face shape does. like. a long sharp narrow nose in a bony face? a round, slightly flat nose on a face full of smile lines? an upturned, softly rounded nose with freckles and no bridge? a long hooked nose with a curved tip? a crooked, broken nose? a bulbous, reddened nose? noses can imply strength, weakness, innocence, experience, childishness, wisdom, suffering, whatever you want to get out of a character design. don't neglect the nose!!!!

and like. obviously depending on how stylised the art is there's going to be information lost, but that's the thing - there's a real upper limit on how much variation you can put in eyes or mouths or face shape in simpler styles without making it overly realistic, but you can go really nuts on nose shapes! even with just one or two lines or one simple shape you can imply so many different noses by changing little things!

and yet really often I look at people who are trying to broaden variety on faces and they mix up everything except the noses, which stay like a circle or a triangle or a line or whatever their standard noise is, and as a result there's still this sameness to all the faces.

bc eyes and mouths and jawlines are all very well but noses are, in my opinion, the most varied part of the face. I can't think of any two people I know who have the same shape of nose except maybe me and my identical twin.

(and I'm not talking big Vs small, or hooked vs snub vs straight vs flat. really look at people's noses in real life cause there are so many variables)

(some leading questions under the cut)

how big is it? how long from the front? how far away from the face does it sit in profile?

does it have a rounded tip? how round? some people's noses have a profile that's basically a triangle point, some people's are basically a round tip with no visible cartilage above it, and everything in between.

What's going on at the bridge? in profile, is there a clear dip in between the brow and the bridge of the nose, or does the brow come straight down to meet it (or, if you have a kind of striking profile like Hangman Adam Page who looks like an early 2000s DreamWorks character, is your profile one line from brow to the top of your nose)? from the front, is there a clearly defined edge to the bridge of your nose or does it curve out? how much of the space between your eye sockets is nose, on a range from 100% to 0%?

What shape is the top of the nose in profile? Is it a straight line from bridge to tip? does it curve down? does it curve up like a ski slope? does it come to a sharp stop and angle out into a round tip?

does it have sharp edges? does it look bony, with a pronounced ridge? or is it all soft lines? Does it meet the cheek at an angle or at a curve?

does the tip come to a sharp point, or to a curve? does it angle up (so you can see the nostrils from the front), or down (so you can only see the line of the nose)?

how big is the base of the nose compared to the bridge? from the front, does it flare wide across the face at the bottom, or is it almost a straight line down? is it broader higher up the nose?

what are the nostrils doing? how big are they? are they round, or slit-shaped? do they sit behind the tip, with the noise all contained in a single pyramid shape, or do they sit to the sides? do they sit along the face, point forward towards the tip, or point up higher than the tip?

how does the nose interact with the other features? does it dominate the face? is it a tiny wee thing? does it sit over a very long upper lip with a pronounced philtrum, or is it almost touching the mouth? How much of the space between the eyes is taken up by the bridge of the nose? do the eyebrows curve towards the nose, or meet them at a hard angle? if they wear glasses, where on the nose do they sit?

colouration - is it all the same colour, or pinker at the tip or over the bridge? are the insides of the nostrils visible, and are they pale or dark pink? does the top of the nose get more sun - is it darker?

surface details - are there creases at the bridge or around the nostrils and cheeks? are they from scowling (vertical) or laughing (horizontal)? does their nose scrunch up when they smile, or flare when they're angry? is there hair? freckles? piercings? scars or breaks?

like the nose, jaw and brow are the structure around which the rest of the face is built. if you get to a place in your art style where you're comfortable playing around with that then you immediately add so much more diversity and life and verisimilitude to your characters!

also noses are just great. like they're so fun to draw and there are so many different gorgeous noses! I'm so into noses that usually the way I find how I want a character to look is to draw the eyes, draw the nose, then redraw the eyes and build the whole face around the nose.

(this advice is coming from the fact that the most common compliment I get on my art is the diversity and believability of characters and I would say that's like 50-60% in the nose/brow)

#art tips #red said #i could offer some like. proper drawings. but i am at work just now.

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eddiediaaz · 2 years

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Can you please do a blending/overlay tutorial!?!?!

ohhh i can definitely give you some tips on how i do it!

so, assuming you know how to make gifs and use the timeline/smart object gifs, this is how i usually go about it. I use photoshop cs5, for reference.

i'll use this recent gif from my don’t blame me gifset as an example:

1. Choosing what to blend

It's much easier to blend 2 gifs together when at least one of them has dark areas. Two bright gifs don't usually work as well, but it's still doable with some work. For example these 2 moments are both mostly dark, so it makes things easier:

2. Bringing 2 gifs together

To put 2 gifs on the same canvas, what I usually do is:

In one of the gifs, I select the size I want with the crop tool (540px by 400px in this case). You then drag the resize box how you want it on your gif. This will resize and crop your gif.

Then I go to the other gif and do the same thing. With that resized and cropped layer, I right lick on it, go Duplicate layer... and then choose to send it on my other gif's document. When both gifs are on top of each other you can start moving them around and blending them.

3. Blending options

Photoshop has multiple blending options that will give you many different results. What works best for blending gifs is usually the option Screen. This is what I get when I put these 2 gifs on top of each other, with the top group with the left gif set to Screen. Make sure the Screen layer is always on top.

I like to put the gifs in groups, it makes things easier (and tidier) further down the road, but it will work anyway with the smart object gif layers. For this particular gif, groups were not 100% necessary, but for more complicated gifs with different colorings, it's definitely a must in my book.

4. Layer masks

As you can see, this works, but there are definitely parts I would like if they didn't overlap, especially on the right ride. You can easily remove unwanted parts by painting them out with a Layer mask. In this particular case I want to remove the right side of the left gif, so I selected that group and made a layer mask by clicking on the icon at the bottom of the layers window. You'll get a white window next to your layer name. Select it. You then want to use a very soft brush and paint in black what you want to remove.

These layer masks act as "alphas" to drive the opacity of the layer. What is white will be at 100% opacity, and what is black will be at 0% opacity. You can definitely brush in some gray if you want an in-between look. Here I went full black.

This is the result I get after masking out the unwanted right part. Now I only have that one gif showing on the right side, instead of a blend of the two:

5. Painted layer

So you can see other characters still showing through on the left side of the gif. You can definitely go and paint the parts you want to remove on the right group as well, but if your layer masks overlap, it can create some transparency in your gif and we don't want that. Instead, I create a new empty layer by clicking on the icon, and put it in between the two groups. This layer doesn't need a different blending mode. With a soft brush and the black color, I go paint where I want to mask the right gif, so it doesn't show on the left side.

I played with that layer opacity because I liked to still see some of the right gif's details peeking through. Here's the result:

6. Final touches

At this point I will usually sharpen both gif layers and make the coloring, and then I will adjust the layer masks if I feel like I need to. In this case I thought it was fine as it was so I didn't change anything.

For this one I simply put the coloring on top of both gifs because it worked fine for this example, but you can also have a different coloring for each gif if you want. Just make sure you put the two different colorings in their respective gif groups. Remember that the top folder should always be set to Screen for the blending to work, even with coloring layers/groups inside that "main" gif group.

And that's pretty much it! This one was quite simple, but it's incredible what a screen layer and some layer masks can do :) I hope it helps!

Also, @usergif has an amazing tutorials directory for more resources if you need! I always find great tutorials there.

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windvexer · 4 months

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Would you say that cataclysms or crises, like market crashes, wars, elections, pandemics, have their own spirits? Or put it another way, these things are not just chains of events, but separate energetic entities that initiate or guide the proceedings on the ground? If yes, would, erm, plinking spells at them with intention to get rid of them just make these constructs pay more of their... let's say transformative attention to a particularly daring spellcaster?

This is really interesting!

I hesitate to say that casting a spell at a market crash would make the spirit of the market crash rise up to harm you.

And I am 100% just basing this off of the fact that it sounds silly to me. Very much overlapping on conspiratorial, even.

Also I've never heard of it happening. And it doesn't line up with the way I think the world works.

For this to work, I think we have to believe 3 separate things:

All major national or global crises either are spirits in and of themselves, or are all guided and guarded by spirits (hereafter called Crisis Spirit).

A Crises Spirit (whether that be singular or a cohort has little relevance I think) would (A) notice energy directed against it, and (B) be capable of retaliation.

If it takes enough notice against any single person or working group, the Crises Spirit would choose to carry out targeted retaliation.

I do not believe that all catastrophes are, or are guided by, spirits. Not even the very big catastrophes. It's tempting to think that there is an organized malevolent force behind everything bad happening, but at this point we're basically talking about the New World Order except we're switching out key words for woowoo talk. So it's a big ask for me to buy into this line of thinking.

As a practitioner, I believe that if you look for a spirit, you'll find it. It's very easy to interpret a big lump of energy as a spirit, and depending on what your definition of "spirit" is, you're never going to not find a spirit.

Crises having their own energy: Yes

That energy automatically being a sentient being capable of awareness and retaliation: No

Even if we say that perhaps these events themselves are not spirits, but are guided by external Crises Spirits, I'm again stymied by the fact that we do not live in a good-vs-evil universe that specifically targets and harms people who try to stop bad things from happening.

Because the problem with this line of thinking is that anyone who wants to help the world then puts themselves in a position of a targeted martyr with access to hidden knowledge that gives them the ability to fight against organized, secret evil at the highest levels of control, and at that point just hang a Q on it.

So my main problem with this is the worldview. As in, damn, imagine the kinds of people you'd be aligning your worldview to in order to have to believe that this happens.

When a person begins their magical practice, I think they probably do rely a lot on what they're told by others. This is baggage. As in, a starting suitcase you need to begin your travels.

After a while, a practitioner begins to get a feel for how things really are beyond what they've been told. They have encounters. They get into situations. They go places. This is experience.

And beyond black pepper and Spells Georg, when a person really starts to make their path their own, I think that a big aspect to this is sorting through what baggage you no longer need, cleaning out the suitcase, and packing new luggage. This shift, I believe, should be inspired by and conform to personal experience.

On the one hand, I keep an active eye out for this type of thinking and do my best to not let it sneak into my suitcase. This is because worldview is a choice; you can choose how you align and orient yourself in this world, the results of which dictate your view. Yes?

On the other hand, I've never seen or experienced what you're describing in the real world and I simply don't believe it exists. My experience of the metaphysical, the spirit world, and magic, precludes there being universally present Crises Spirits that govern all world cataclysms.

This isn't to say that I don't believe spirits can make bad things happen or be involved in bad things. This isn't to say I don't believe there are gods of strife or chaos.

I just don't think there's a cabal of spirits who cause global catastrophe and that might retaliate against you if you try to stop bad things from happening.

#answered

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jariktig · 1 year

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What happens on AO3 (stays on AO3)...

So, I have finally hit the end condition for my TF pairings sample - I’d estimated I’d have to go through about 100 pages of AO3 search (or around 4% of the total) to get to the point of finding 10 pages with no new pairings. It actually took 357, or around 15% of the total, or around a year’s worth of fics to search and some days of my free time, so I am going to get some use out of it if it kills me! Accordingly, while I’m waiting for Tumblr to give me polls so that I can run the Rare Pairs Battle Royale that was the original intent of the thing, I present some silly analysis, below the cut because it’s a bit long.

First, some caveats:

1. This is based entirely on fanfics as presented on AO3; no FFN, no Wattpad, no LJ etc and no canonicity except insofar as the patterns on AO3 match those in canon (which is very firmly left as an exercise for the reader);

2. It’s a sample survey, taken at a single point in time (around early Feb 2023; could look more exactly if anyone’s desperate to know). That means there will be some pairings that have appeared since (@quetzapapalotl’s Optimus Prime/Primus frex) and some that I’ve not yet picked up (a couple that I remember because I liked the relevant fics are Megatron/The Nemesis and Laserbeak/Swoop). That said, the big conclusions should be pretty robust at this stage and the list of rare pairs also won’t be greatly off. As an extra check I can put up a link to the latter and ask people to suggest additions;

3. I’ve excluded relationships including OCs (because I’d included foreign language fics and so reading through all the individual ones to try to disambiguate OCs was beyond me; also I didn’t want to read through a large number of Prowl/OC fics and the like), and relationships including generic types of TFs such as Vehicon or Seeker (on the premise that those are effectively OCs with backstory). I’ve also excluded TF/human relationships including reader self-insert for similar reasons. Non-OC TFs are defined as those findable on TFWiki.

Right, on with the actual findings:

1. There are at least 639 individual pairings in TF fandom as represented on AO3; of those, around 12% (at least 146) are one-fic wonders whose supporters I can only salute. The median number of fics per pairing is 7, which is surprisingly low. (I’d been thinking of my favourite Megatron/Jazz as “rare”, but it’s only just outside the top quartile in reality). At the other end of the scale, there are 55 pairings with over 100 fics and 4 with over 1000. All of this is not nearly so impressive as the combinatorics someone did in the great TF/Homestuck discussion, but I expect that is my own fault for excluding OCs, vehicons and the like. Also, if someone wants to repeat this trick for Homestuck I’ll gladly compare results, but I know my limits.

2. The most popular pairing (somewhat to my surprise) is Jazz/Prowl, with 2632 fics. Megatron/Optimus Prime (including Megatron/Orion Pax etc and correcting for overlaps) comes to 2407, Megatron/Starscream 1783, and Drift (Deadlock)/Ratchet 1386.

3. At a faction level, Autobots have more fun, even if corrected for the fact that the population of named Autobots is higher than the same for Decepticons: using lists of named G1 characters as a rough proxy for population likely to appear on AO3, Autobots get 2.4 relationships per capita and Decepticons 2.3. Which is not that different, but Autobots also get 126 fics per capita, as opposed to the Decepticons’ 104. Decepticon advocates (including me) point out here that how much sex you have is not necessarily related to how much fun you have in the process, but still. Neutrals are harder to do pop stats for, but on the face of it underrepresented, and the Variable category for people who canonically shift factions during the war or whose name is shared with other TFs from the opposite faction is definitely overrepresented. That last one is entirely a function of Drift (Deadlock).

4. Still at a faction level (and again correcting for population), inter-faction relationships are definitely more popular than intra-faction ones, with 0.35% of the theoretically possible inter-faction pairings actually appearing on AO3 and only 0.26% of the intra-faction ones. Must be the lure of the forbidden, or something. Also clearly a lot of untapped potential out there.

5. More on this to come when I’ve done the arithmetic properly, but at a glance the most obviously underrepresented group is beastformers.

6. At an individual level, I have a few awards to give out:

The Little Black Dress Award for the TF who goes with absolutely anything (credit to @cleverthylacine for the name) goes to Megatron, by some distance and on either of the obvious metrics; he has 53 pairings and 6484 fics (correcting for overlaps again). He can presumably store the trophy with the Best Wife one... Vying for second place, Optimus Prime and Starscream with 35 pairings each; Starscream has 4843 fics and Optimus 4736 so it’s Starscream by an Insecticon’s whisker. And also close for fourth and fifth, Prowl (29 pairings, 3583 fics) and Ratchet (25 pairings, 3439 fics). Slightly stunned that Rodimus isn’t in the top 5, but there it is.

The Serial Monogamy Award for the TF with the highest ratio of fics to pairings goes to Chromedome (676 fics across 2 pairings, with Rewind and Prowl). I’m pretty sure this surprises exactly nobody. Second is Breakdown, with 969 fics across 4 pairings - Knockout and Starscream are the big ones, but Motormaster and Drag Strip also feature. And third is Tailgate, with 735 fics across 4 pairings (Cyclonus, Whirl, Arcee, Glyph). Nobody else anywhere near, once you correct for the fact that Orion Pax is also Optimus Prime. Soundwave: a sufficiently superior husband to be paired up with 23 other TFs, which reduces the ratio somewhat.

The Lifetime Monogamy Award for the TF with the most fics given that they have only a single pairing goes jointly to Anode and Lug, who have 76 fics together and no pairings with anyone else on either side. Second is Chase, with 56 fics in Chase/Heatwave (not shared with Heatwave, who has quite a few other pairings; I hope that’s a properly negotiated deal). Third a three-way tie between Airazor/Tigatron (28 fics, no other pairings for either) and Devcon (28 fics with Smokescreen, who has quite a few other pairings).

The Jack Harkness Fragging with Added Space-Time Award goes to Megatron, Optimus Prime, Brainstorm and Tarn, all of whom feature as their own partners in more than one fic.

And that’s all I’ve got for the moment. Next steps: do ntuples for N>2, add mech/femme and frametype/group/combiner to the set so that I can cut by those, try to work out a quicker way of repeating the exercise for pairs including humans, and wait for tumblr to give me polls. Drop me a line if you’ve questions or suggestions for future analysis.

#maccadam #dubious statistics

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boyfridged · 10 months

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I've been seeing quite a lot of people say Jason's characterization/personality/motives/background to just be a copy of characters like Helena Bertillini & Mia Dearden and I wonder how true it is or if people are just looking at him at surface value (cause idk much about these two to come up with a conclusion of my own)? This is a take I occasionally see surrounding Jason and I can't help but feel like this is a result of character never being given a proper place in the universe (like even with the Red Hood identity half the time DC doesn't even know what to do with him). Idk if it's just me being sensitive or defensive cause I like him but the narrative and some fans' sentiment sometimes gives off the vibe that he doesn't belong here and that he has no place/relationships that he can really call his own, like he's only being given hand-me-downs or borrowing from other characters. I guess it also has something to do with the mess that came with his robin run before. Due to external interference Jason did not find a solid footing, what with the inconsistent writing that was influenced more by bias rather than a natural narrative progression. But I'd like to think there are certain elements to his character that he can call his own and it's sad to think that even that could just be another borrowed idea. Although considering the amount of characters DC has released, an overlap is inevitable, so I'm really curious as to what extent this could be when it comes to Jason in comparison to Helena and Mia.

no, you are 100% right when it comes to it being only a surface-level comparison. and i think it's not even just a surface-level comparison, it's a terrible stretch that has its origins in fanon and modern retcons. 80s jay is not similar to mia at all, for example, and it's rewriting willis to be abusive that creates that parallel. it's also the fact that a lot of fanfic writers insist on jason being a victim of sa despite nothing in canon suggesting it outright. then with helena, the similarities start only when you consider his career as the red hood, but even then it's a completely different story.

of course, there are some alike themes and streaks in their storylines that make it plausible to claim that if you like one of these characters, you will enjoy the others. still, it's the differences that truly make them interesting.

jason's post-crisis intro and even the conflict that arises later on post-res are unique in many ways (despite the editorial doing their best to erase it.) i have talked about it plenty on here, so just to list a few; the way he was introduced and the place in the narrative it put him in (the crime alley meeting with bruce); his background (loving but neglectful due to circumstances working-class parents, homelessness etc), his grief, how he was first introduced into vigilantism, his relationship with the legacy of robin, how he sees (or doesn't see) civilian/vigilante identity, his internal conflicts... they are all so particular to his experiences. and they are often written badly, yeah, but the creative value of all these elements remains so clear in the context of wider comics.

there is def something to the fact that jay's character has always been a mess in terms of writing. + when combined with the amount of exposure that he gets nowadays, people get frustrated with him easily. but i think these comparisons do the same thing fanon does; they press all characters mentioned into stereotypes. it's probably just something that someone said once and people started repeating, that's it.

#(not even mentioning that mia was introduced in 2001.)#and in terms of helena.#i love helena but i also got anons telling me helena's character does what jason's character is supposed to but better.#and it's just not true #i'm not that into helena because i'm not into a storyline about a kid from a mafia family.#and her development is so completely different #it's like. the same thing with how people say pre-crisis jay is a carbon copy of dick #or how people compare steph and jay completely missing on the differences that make them so interesting #outbox

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savefrog · 9 months

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Dude the human body is crazy

That post about T giving you too much blood, and how thats a genetic condition passed down mainly through cis men (hemachromatosis). And how its a risk for going on T because someone can have inherited the gene but not know until going on T triggers the issues. I need to do more research, because I cant find a lot of information on how it reacts to T (besides it often resulting in lower T), but it almost looks like the body gets T and is like "Oh cool we're going dude mode now, heres that condition you were missing!"

Makes me think of how people who have had a hysterectomy can still experience the menstruation cycle even without a Uterus. Like PMS and the soreness and bloating associated with cramps. And its hard to find research on because its a newly recorded phenomenon with a lot of bias against it, but trans women on E may also experience a monthly cycle (PMS and the soreness and bloating associated with cramps) even without a Uterus as well. The body gets estrogen and is like "oh sick i know what to do with this! Pain!!!!!"

Like it really drives in how the human body is made of analogous structures. The reproductive system is all the same parts, just given different instructions. The clitoris can get erections! Hormones can change BONES even though its limited! (Horomonal changes also affect the bones during menopause for example, something archaeologists or forensic scientists can notice)

And speaking of, that whole thing about "when archaeologists see your skeleton THEN they will know" is bullshit! (ON SO MANY LEVELS)! Sex determination with bones is typically based on the measurement of literally ONE bone. And the field of archaeology has, for quite some time, acknowledged how innaccurate this can be. (And honestly, this assumption shows a lack of science knowledge in general, where in my experience researchers like to lean more towards "probably" rather than "definitely" when making ANY kind of assertion about something because there are ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS!)

Thanks to X-rays, we have classifications for different types of pelvis shapes. Do you know what may cause someone to have a C-section???? Having an Android (or "male-shaped") pelvis. Yes. A cis woman LITERALLY GIVING BIRTH, may have a pelvic shape that is labeled as having a masculine shape. AND IT IS NOT THAT RARE!!!! (A brief search says 20% of cis women)

But consider that people usually only get X-rays or other scans when absolutely needed. There could be so much more overlap that we arent even aware of. Things that are "rare instances" may not be that rare. We arent analyzing the dna of every person in existence, we only see what we are looking for and research has only just opened up past our cultural biases towards gender!

We know from studies of the brain that a lot of gendered assumptions (women are good at sorting colors because they were gatherers, etc) are not well-defined AT ALL. A lot of it may be learned during development. There are some stereotyped trends, but they're just small percentage trends such that its impossible to look at a brain and 100% say "yup thats male!", only at the most "well, statistically, its Slightly More Likely male" and still be very wrong. Exceptions are the NORM.

(And that whole evolutionary psychology thing of "women are better at colors because gatherers?"...based on what ancestors?!?!?!?!? Different groups of ancient people had different gender norms!!! There wasn't just one big caveman family for the entire paleolithic!!!! There are SO MANY recorded remains of what are most likely female hunters!!!!! Why would they not take advantage of having MORE HUNTERS during a hunting season?!?!!)

"Its simple biology" is quite possibly the most ignorant statement one can make, its a paradox. Biology is INHERENTLY complex, varied, and difficult to categorize. If you say it's simple even just for the sake of categorization, you are literally admitting to not knowing SHIT. Ask anyone into taxonomy. Categorizing animals seems easy if youve never actually done it, and meanwhile there are appparently heated debates on river dolphin teeth and whether or not river dolphins with no visible differences except slightly different teeth are different species or not. Birds are reptiles!!! Everything is a fucking fish!!!! Rigid thought based on societal bias is antithetical to science (though it has SURE affected science!)

Its that bias where the less you know about something, the easier you think it is. Someone may think they already know everything about a topic if they never actually researched it because they dont know whats out there. Whereas someone actually knowledgeable in that field KNOWS that its complicated and feels LESS like they know everything about it. Cis people who have never thought deeply about gender THINK it is simple because they lack any experience. They THINK its the same as they believed in preschool because they never challenged it - when everything else you learn in grade school is obviously simplified!!!

Its so blatantly apparent how little transphobes want to actually consider facts. Its all "just ask a biologist" until real biologists tell them its complex, then its "science is woke". They'll talk about gender all day and yet mock anyone actually studying it. It's all about rigid definitions, until someone tells them the literal definition of gender makes it seperate from sex. They pretend to care so much about the literal definitions of words and what you can and can't call something due to biology...but still call a seastar a "starFISH".

The WORLD is amorphous! Words are merely tools! Biology hates rigid categorization! EXCEPTIONS ARE THE NORM! live your damn life!

#dullblogging #disclaimer #i can add sources if asked but ill never get around to posting this if i try gathering them now #on mobile lol #my drafts are FILLED bc of that lol #so dont take my rambling as a source do research keep in mind bias exists #these are all rambling based on research i have done #for example that first thing ive only just heard of today and so i feel my understanding of it is shaky #but everything in the latter half of the post about biology being weird and amorphous #thats just true like. that is what biology is lol #if you insist on rigidity you are not doing biology

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comicaurora · 2 years

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You mentioned that young justice did a lot you didn’t like after s1- how would your ideal season 2 and beyond be?

Oh man, that's a dangerous question to contemplate.

Caveat that this is how I personally would've liked to see it play out, and I haven't rewatched it in a while so I may be fuzzy on the details or timeline of events. And word of warning, this got long.

First move would be to bin the timeskip. We'd be letting the characters age up gradually - maybe one year a season. Since it's perfectly structured for episodic adventures, we can imply downtime between episodes to fill out a year - plus this gives us opportunities for regular birthday or holiday episodes without an obligation to do them every time. We have enough characters without real regular birthdays that I just think it would be cute if Wally was like "congrats Conner and M'gann, I don't know squat about the martian year or how clone time works so I've decided it's your birthday, I made Shazam get us a cake"

Nixing the timeskip gives us the opportunity to put focus on Robin becoming Nightwing as an actual arc of its own, which could be an interesting opportunity to adjust the way it happened in the comic - which couldn't quite be adapted wholesale, because in the comic Robin was running around leading the Teen Titans as Robin for years and years with the Titans before he decided it was time to forge an identity of his own, accepting that he was fully out from under Batman's shadow now that Jason Todd was officially the new Robin. There was some comic angst from Dick about Bruce never officially adopting him which we could loop into that arc, since this Batman is pretty perfectly designed for being a well-meaning but emotionally distant and uncommunicative dad. What I'd personally want to avoid is leaning two hard on the Angsty Robin angle, because (a) that was already covered by Teen Titans (which we'd also want to avoid too much overlap with) and (b) Nightwing is at his best when he's optimistic, cheerful and emotionally well-adjusted. It'd be more fun, I think, to explore a version of Robin that is burying his angst under optimism and cheer in an arc that culminates in his cathartic dad-issues convo with Batman and subsequently his transition to being Nightwing. This gives us opportunities for fun intercharacter dynamics! Robin spent most of season 1 being the reliable party member who had the most experience superheroing and helped keep everyone grounded. Giving him an emotionally destabilizing personal arc and letting the rest of the party take a turn helping him through it could be fun! Plus, we've got one telepath with no boundaries (M'gann), two characters with a lot of experience with Dad Problems (Artemis and Superboy) and two characters who will be 100% supportive even if they don't fully know what's going on (Kid Flash and Aqualad), so he wouldn't be lacking in people realizing what's going on and helping him through it. This is fully a result of my "nightwing is my fave" bias but I think it'd also really work to let the gang have more fun group dynamics with personal emotional stakes, and I think Robin deserves to be helped once in a while, ya know?

Most of the other s2 timeskip stuff I'd either want to nix or foreshadow better. I don't particularly like the Superboy/M'gann "breach of psychic trust" breakup but I think it'd bother me less if it was actually built up rather than skipped over. If we have to do it, let's start with the premise that M'gann doesn't really get that humans are much less comfortable with telepathy than martians are. It's planted in season 1 and mostly centered on Superboy, the only party member with explicit trauma about telepathic intrusion and mind control due to his clone conditioning. He's the one who reacts most harshly and angrily when M'gann does her psychic link thing, but his reaction mellows out as he learns to trust and rely on her to protect him against other telepathic intrusions.

But while this helps improve their relationship, it doesn't fix the underlying miscommunication on M'gann's end - she seems to feel like her peers freaking out about her telepathically popping into their heads is a temporary imbalance, especially since she does the psychic link thing basically every mission instead of having to invest in earbuds or communicators. She's so comfortable with telepathy, especially after season 1 where she reveals her one big secret (being a white martian with a monstrous base form) and no longer has anything to mentally hide from the gang, that I think this could be an interesting miscommunication to explore. Ultimately her teammates will still value their privacy and mental autonomy even after they've spilled their big secrets and learned to trust each other, but M'gann is unlikely to realize this because from her perspective they've just finally stopped being weird about this stuff. M'gann is essentially experiencing slow culture shock at realizing just how private humans and other non-telepathic people are about their thoughts, and how much they at best mistrust and at worst hate and fear the thought of anyone else popping into their heads and rummaging around. So really, I think the psychic breach of trust thing should happen earlier and in a more minor way than it did in the season we got. M'gann using her powers to make Superboy forget a fight they had is a breach of trust and very uncool, but it also seems a little too extreme for the dynamic and understanding we've seen these characters share - even if she'd be willing to do that to anyone else, I think she'd know that doing it to Superboy would be the number one way to break his already fragile trust in her powers.

I'd go with a more slow buildup - start with M'gann commenting unprompted on the casual intrusive thoughts of her peers, totally nonjudmentally (she knows better than anyone that thoughts don't make you a bad person, obviously) but in a way that still makes them uncomfortable or angry. Maybe give her a plot reason to invade someone's mindscape with the best of intentions - could go classic on that one, give us a supervillain with dream-invading powers or something. Encourage her to push the boundaries with her teammates that she doesn't seem to realize are there. Maybe let Martian Manhunter sit her down and give her the "no really, you can't keep your mind this open in casual interactions, it's not about being bad for you, it's about being bad for them" talk. M'gann needs to learn to understand what privacy means, and she needs to become willing to impose polite and moral limitations on how she uses her powers. Since we're negating the timeskip where Beast Boy is introduced into the team, maybe we could work that in here - as he's introduced and develops his powers and he and M'gann's sibling relationship becomes more pronounced, especially if we keep the thing about his mom dying, we have a good character in-road to getting M'gann to better understand how to bridge the gap between herself and humanity.

Personally I'd nix both "aqualad pretends to be a bad guy" and "artemis and kid flash retire from superheroing". I think the show started kind of over-relying on the "you thought I betrayed my friends but actually we planned the whole thing in advance" gambit after it worked so well in the first season, and not telling the team telepath about the secret plan was pretty textbook idiot plot stuff. If we really want Artemis and Aqualad undercover there are still ways to make that work, but I'd say push that way down the line. Give us more time with the team first. If we want Artemis and Wally to retire from superheroing to focus on college and their relationship, that's workable, but that'd be a season 3 or 4 thing at the earliest.

If we want to expand the cast, let's do it gradually - I favor episodic adventures, and "there's some new weirdness in *location* that turns out to be either a supervillain plot, a new kid superhero to give our phone number, or both" is pretty much ideal adventure-of-the-week stuff. If we absolutely must bring in Impulse and Blue Beetle, let's not make the stuff with the Reach the only thing happening that season.

The biggest difficulty with plotting this show is avoiding just making Teen Titans, But Again. That unfortunately means a lot of the best classic comic arcs are off limits without severe modification - Judas Contract, Terror of Trigon, even Brother Blood's whole thing are kind of nixed. This is probably why the show never brought in Raven or Starfire, even though they absolutely could and should. So I understand the appeal of bringing in other threats like supervillain conspiracies and alien invasions and alien invasions but different this time, but this party lineup is demonstrably at its best when it's dealing with less apocalyptic supervillains-of-the-week. That said, in the comics, Raven arranges for the New Teen Titans to form because she goes to the Justice League for help with the Trigon prophecy and they turn her away - an arc that would fit bizarrely well with this version of the Justice League, which are a bit more dickish than their standard portrayal. Letting her go to the already-formed Young Justice crew for help would let us introduce a modified and potentially shortened Trigon arc without having to centralize Raven in the cast like they did in Teen Titans and Titans - could just add her to the expanded roster of Miscellaneous Heroes They're Buds With after they beat up her evil dad. She's also a little older than the rest of the Titans in the comics (and looks MUCH older than them), which could be used in this adaptation and help set this version apart from the other Trigon adaptations that have a tendency to make her increasingly younger - could get a lot of mileage out of making her a slightly awkward and aloof young woman rather than an emotionally troubled child. (Plus, if we want a cheeky nod at the comic-run romantic subplot between her and Kid Flash without actually breaking up the Artemis/Wally OTP we could just have Wally be his usual level of casually flirtatious with this Cool Spooky Goth lady and be gently dismissed because he's "a bit immature" for her.) Also, give me classic '80s hair Starfire or give me death, Nightwing deserves a love interest who can and will bridal carry him

Also, if we absolutely must "kill" Wally, we're bringing him back in one season max. Getting disintegrated into the speedforce is basically just a day at the spa for speedsters.

Overall my angle would be leaning into the massive ensemble cast potential after a proper season or two of just getting to know the main crew and letting them develop and explore the status quo. Trickle in a few more kid heroes during the early episodic adventures. Sprinkle in some more episodes where they deal with one or more members of the Justice League without anyone being mind controlled at the time. Dial back the Grand Conspiracy angle and let our heroes have a few unconditional wins once in a while. More scaled-down character-focused episodes like Homefront and Coldhearted where we fix the camera on one member of the team and get really deep inside their head as they go through something emotionally taxing but are ultimately rewarded in the end. We can still dive to dark and traumatic levels, but we need to counterbalance it with unconditional levity and victories for the heroes so the grimdark stings more when it hits. More character focus, less sweeping conspiracies, no more skipping over major arcs of character development, un-kill Wally West 2k22

#asks #not aurora

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fainthedcherry · 3 months

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PARAMORE RELEASED THEIR A24 TRIBUTE COVER TODAY. AND I GOT INSPIRED BY THE LYRICS AND THE VISUALIZER.

youtube

IMAGE CREDITS BC VERY OBVIOUSLY THIS IS AN EXPERIMENTAL PIC COLLAGE PIECE PRIMARILY BELOW DESC (I DID NOT TAKE THE COOL PICS OBV.)

OK GIANT CREDIT BLOCK GO (Freepik and pexels my beloved saved my entire college year lmao):

1 OCEAN WAVES

2 OCEAN WAVES AGAIN

3 YES A THIRD OCEAN WAVE

4 VERY COOL DROPLETS

5 FLAME. OO FIRE PRETTYYY /POS

6 BG I CHEATED YOU INTO BELIEVING IS RAIN

The drawing though is made by my acoustic arse /lh

THE LYRICS ARE TAKEN FROM THE VID I LINKED. HAYLEY'S VOICE MY BELOVED AND FOREVER DEAREST ENTIRE BAND /POSPOSPOS. I wanna sing like Hayley so badly, she is such an idol to me, when it comes to vocals and I wish to sing as expressive as her some day 🤧✨💖

WHAT MORE CAN I SAY, OTHER THAN I'VE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH SHORT DRAWINGS, THAT TAKE UNDER A DAY TO COMPLETE TO FIGURE OUT SOME THINGS I WANNA DO AS AN ARTIST AND POSSIBLY COMMISSIONS. + These drawings genuinely kinda de-stress so it's been free therapy too, oops. I wanna do more of these vector-style drawings, that are just me taking lyrics and creating these fun collages, of things that inspire me or I like. It's a chill practice and lets my creativity actually do the work for once, instead of my usual need to outdo myself in every drawing and improve lmao. Improvement is cool and all, but dear god did I not realise how hard my need for perfection last year stress and strangle me tf out. I seriously need to re-evaluate the way I approach art as this massive, intimidating medium, when most artists literally draw for fun, and for me it's been like...A Sisyphean task.

If you enjoyed seeing this, I might make a sequel with C'est Comme Ca and w/ Marco in it instead and a red BG,, if I want to, I might turn these into a series, just like those aesthetic icon drawings I made of my 2 boys, started Lotta, and IMMEDIATELY lost that sketch due to my USB's death back in 2022 and lost all motivation for art due to that massive loss /neg

Not sure what else to add here other than my thoughts that I already did!! Other than ofc, the usual, MASSIVE thank you to my friend Hollowed-Hartlocke for introducing me to Paramore back in 2019 <3

Think I'm done rambling now tho!! OH WAIT. I can add, that I had to actually pull out Adobe Illustrator just to add stretched text for aesthetic purposes. Then I got so impatient with the effects panel not showing me the usual layer-effects and me being too lazy to look up, whether InDesign was the one, that had the usual layer effects I use in an Adobe program or not. Btw still mooching off my college acc that shoulda been dead long ago but just isn't??? LMAO I'M STILL GONNA USE IT IF I CAN ALRIGHT.

OH YEAH BTW. This drawing took 3 hours. NO I'M NOT KIDDING. PEOPLE WOULD PROBABLY BE SHOCKED THAT SUCH A LAZY LOOKING PIECE TOOK SO LONG. BUT I GENUINELY AM RATHER SHOOK THAT I TOOK SUCH LITTLE TIME TO CREATE THIS. TBF I threw MOST proportion checks and canvas flips I do out the window, so there's a BIG chance I will hate this, if I flip the canvas xD ANYWAY I RAMBLED LONG ENOUGH I THINK NOW. JUST ENJOY EXPERIMENTAL ART

^Before-bed edit; Yeah his torso's a TAD too much leaning to the left, it's off-center to the rotation of his pelvis to be in fact, but maybe? I'll roll with this mistake. It kinda gives the piece its abstract nature..I kinda like the mistake?? This is the first time in my life I ever tolerated a mistake I did and now declare it on purpose and will probably build one into the next piece as well. Hell, maybe it'll yield an interesting result. Anyway, it's 12PM as I write this, and I have to get up at 4AM for my train soOooo, yeah, gotta sleep ASAP for school.

I have NO clue again what to 100% accurately tag this, so forgive me if the tags are wrong LMAO, I just will believe what I believe it has overlaps w/ within art-genre.

This piece kiiinda gives pop art??? So I'm gonna tag it as such as well, but but might be incorrect. If a pop-art enjoyer wants to correct me, PLEASE DO. I'm going off the definitions of pop-art I learned in high-school. So I could most def be wrong about me adding this tag in particular. How tf do people confidently tag their posts when I doubt almost every tag I add man. Tagging is the worst part of uploading art to me due to how hard it is to label art really, not meant to be in a genre. xD

Def adding Paramore tags tho bc I NEED to know more Paramore fans out there bc we feel like such a tiny community, when they're literally one of the most influential rock bands of the 2000s and 2010s imho AUGH

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mengyao · 1 year

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(not me ranting about mdzs /cql characterization takes in 2023 --)

my cross to bear is that i can't read like 90% of aus that feature NHS prominently even if they're canonverse because they make it clear the author's interpretations just do not gel with mine…

like i just don't believe that NHS would do Alla That in basically any other circumstance. the list of things he gaf enough about outside of what directly affects him/his family/loved ones is vanishingly small. he does not care about wider political contexts beyond that, especially in cql where he doesn't even end up chief cultivator at the end! i don't even mean this in a complimentary way, it can go in either direction -- people who think he was assigned supervillain at birth are super wrong but i do think he's really quite unconcerned with issues of systemic justice. please do not give your modern au huaisangs good politics it's just not right

imo huaisang is primarily motivated by devotion and affection/loyalty to very specific people, not causes or broader groups, let alone society as a whole, and once that devotion has been undermined it's gone forever. it's an interesting mix of selfishness/selflessness in the sense that his methods involve engaging in a lot of like… self-inflicted unpleasantness, like no one is making you do all that, girl…. but his criteria for what he cares about enough to engage in those methods is basically "does this affect me and mine [which is a very limited circle], y/n" and if it doesn't then he's going to continue prioritizing the pursuit of his interests/comforts/etc. if no outside threats--and not just looming intangible threats like nmj's inevitable decline but threats posed by human actors--threaten that circle then i don't see his priorities shifting so dramatically

--which isn't to say i think he would necessarily be a static character in this AU thought experiment but i see the "OTT public buffoonery by day, 4D chess by night*" turn as a response to a very specific situation not, like, his predetermined character path, and the assumptions about his internal life that lead to the latter reading are usually not ones i find as interesting

(*speaking of which, i think a lot of where this disconnect comes from is that i don't think 4D chess is actually what's going on, really. nie huaisang does not have a bbc sherlock mind palace, in my opinion. i saw a Poste a while back describe him as playing xanatos speed chess (in tvtropes parlance) and that aligns much more closely with my own feeling… like what are his actual skills, that we observe in the story? being observant, being patient, capitalizing on the fact that people let their guard down around him, being able to make accurate character judgments (most of the time) when presented with necessary information (especially wrt understanding the impulses and motivations of other people) and then gambling situationally based on assumptions about how people are likely to react, being a good liar, etc… basically a lot of stuff that doesn't involve engineering complex plans so much as it does biding time, collecting data points, and then being a chaos agent in a controlled manner with the understanding that the principal actors are probably going to react in certain ways that can be funneled towards certain ends. kind of a "steps 1-15: [a bunch of insane shit], steps 16-99: TBD, step 100: profit??" type beat

and i guess where i see this overlapping with what i was talking about before is that i don't think this strategy actually works if you care overly much about who is going to get hurt in the backlash. note, though, that that's a result of specific loss and interpersonal betrayal, not an inherent personality trait, at least not at the same level of intensity...)

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desafinado · 1 year

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hiya could i get a set of headcanons please!

pronouns are she/her and id like a male matchup thanks, im an ESTP and aries

personality wise im witty, always have an answer and im competitive. like rlllyyyy competitive like i get violent, im also super indecisive and leave things last minute. i say what needs to be said and i dont hold back no matter who you are, i love artistic subjects like art and music and hate any subjects involving logic like maths and sciences. for how loud and obnoxious i am i do like to pamper myself, i have a skincare and makeup routine i stick to and i can spend ages picking out an outfit. my friends tease me calling me a princess and high maintenance but honestly i am thriving so 🙄☝️☝️

looks wise im 5’7 and dress in y2k/90s and acubi fashion, i can never stick to one though and sometimes they overlap. im wasian, have a black wolfcut with curtain bangs and my usual style of makeup is kbeauty inspired <3

thanks so much and congrats on ur milestone!!

zhongli ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎ ﾟ ♡ ﾟ｡

just always watches you very fondly, only really caring that you’re happy

amused by your wittiness and only giggles happily. esp if its a playful jab, he’ll concede and chuckle softly.

loves talking to you about how the culture of liyue (mostly arts and music) has evolved throughout history; very curious to hear your insights, especially when you share various arts or music you tend to lean towards.

i also believe he would 100% give the best fashion advice that would result in you looking classically elegant.

admires your way of self-care, thinks it's something many humans nowadays have neglected. expect self-care date nights, like booking a spa date, bubble baths, etc.

he is also very interested in the new makeup/skincare trends you do, so please teach him (though, it's a bit dangerous bc how much more beautiful can someone like him become…)

in return, he’ll teach you some more traditional ways of self-care… this includes him introducing you to all his favorite tea flavors (expect this to turn into tea dates)

you respect each other’s boundaries, and set specific times for you two to be all “lovey-dovey”

this goes out the window when he knows you need some relaxation and/or comfort though

leaving little compliments and love notes on your lunch, combing and making small braids in your hair after a long day.

despite any stubbornness you might harbor, he will be able to convince you to rest and lay in his arms. will most certainly calm you down, if he notices you getting a bit too frustrated/angry.

he knows you want him to live out his own life and such, but he’d most certainly give up his gnosis all over again if it meant having these small moments with you

50 followers celebration rules here !!

note: for transparency purposes, requester did also send relationship ideals in a separate ask i just answered privately sdjfksdfj hope you like this ^^ i feel like zhongli is the personification of aromatherapy so yes very patient and calming dude love him

#zhongli #also zhongli in today's makeup trends??#esp kbeauty???#i would d word #airi.celebrates50!

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talesgolden · 2 years

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Character Outline

tagged: stole it from myself (again) ! tagging: i support theft, this time largely because I don’t know who has/hasn’t done this one

ORIGINS & FAMILY

Full Name: Simon Antonia Romero-Martín

Date of Birth: 15 June

Age: mid-late twenties

Social Class: oh. uh, like.. lower? I’ve just realized I’ve removed them from a support system they were developing and this has resulted in that they may technically be homeless, help. Picks up odd jobs and brief stints in minimum wage places to sustain themself.

Parents: Íngrid Romero-Herrera & Berto Martín-Cortez (deceased)

Siblings: Calista Romero-Martín, older sister; Joaquín Romero-Martín, younger brother

PHYSICAL & APPEARANCE

Height: 5′2″

Weight: no; their build is full & curvy, on the plumper side of average

Distinguishing Features: Tiny, squishy, but can still kick ass. There’s a dimple on their left cheek that will absolutely ruin your life (because it’s just very cute.)

Hair Color: Auburn

Eye Color: Medium brown

What do they consider their best feature?: Smile? I don’t know that they give it that much thought really.

Style of dress/typical outfit(s): Casual and outdoorsy, bohemian, with lots of knit and blue jeans and a mixture of pants and skirts. Got a thing for customizing their clothes by painting on or embroidering them. I could keep trying to describe it or you could just go look [here]

Jewelry? Tattoos? Piercings?: Jewelry! Tattoos! Piercings! Simon really likes and collects vintage(/vintage inspired) rings and bracelets. They do also have an interesting assortment of necklaces and anklets. There is a tattoo thingy (here.) Their ears are only pierced the one time, but beyond this they also have a double navel piercing (top and bottom). Just ‘cause.

Do they work out/exercise?: Some yoga gets worked into their not-a-routine fairly regularly, but other than that no

BELIEF & INTELLECT

Level of Self Esteem: Pretty good, pretty high. Broadly comfortable and secure in their identity, appearance, etc.

Known Languages: Spanish, English

Gifts/Talents: I have just been informed they can wiggle their ears. This is news to me but there you go.

How do they deal with stress?: Stress-baking, 100%. The problem will be more conquerable once the (cookies/bread/pie/muffins/etc.) are done and have been eaten/shared.

What do they do when upset?: Run.

Do they believe in happy endings?: They would......................... like to.

How do they feel about asking for help?: No particularly strong feelings, really? Some things they wouldn’t ask for help with, but that’s more to do with the fact those things are secrets than any objection to being helped.

Optimist or Pessimist: Uh. Good question.

Extrovert or Introvert: I think ultimately an introvert, but with a high level of sociability before burnout.

Leader or Follower: Loner

Makes decisions based mostly on emotions, or on logic?: Bit of both?

Spontaneous or Planner: Spontaneous!

Thinker or Doer: I think a bit more of a thinker? They’re not afraid to try things, good god will they just try things, but there are times when they get caught in that thought-feedback loop and also my goodness do they spent a lot of time theorizing and testing things in a very mad-scientist-esque way (but like. with recipes and potions, not mass destruction. But they very much mix things no person should mix.)

Organized or Messy: Organized. There’s a flow to it, a sort of rustic and organic nature to the layout and feel, so it never seems sterile or perfectly curated, but there are places for things and things go in their places. It wouldn’t do to start letting potions or potion materials overlap or get mixed up or cross contaminate each other, now would it? Then we’d all be sorry.

Worrier or Carefree: Well they don’t have anxiety, anyway. A lot of guilt and some concerns about where they’re going and who/what they’re becoming, but honestly if not for the whole werewolf thing they’d be much more relaxed.

Artistic?: Somewhat! Most of their artistic expression is focused on the joy of the process, though, so while there’s definitely an arty ~vibe~ they’re not like, studying figures or planning to do deep dives on the complexities of contemporary art or anything. Simon paints (and etc.) for fun, and because the process of the art is engaging and rewarding. The final product isn’t really the major concern. If it looks cool, awesome! If not, well, they had fun anyway.

Mathematical?: Absolutely not

SEX & INTIMACY

Current marital/relationship/sexual status: Single. but they’re protesting because their most developed version was in a ship they were very happy about so there’s also that.

Sexual orientation (is it something they question or a secret): Pansexual, with just a little bit of a lean for feminine people admittedly. Simon was very lucky to have grown up in a very encouraging climate: they were very free to explore their sexuality and never really faced it being potentially “othering” until after they left home. They still don’t really question it, but it has become more of a open secret sort of situation. They don’t go out of their way to deny or conceal their sexuality (or gender identity) but don’t wave it around either.

Views on sex (one night stands, promiscuity, etc): Have fun, be safe, hit anyone who tries to pressure you ♥

Ever been in love?: A couple of times. It’s a tender subject.

Do they fall in love easily?: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnno? There is. I mean this one thing happened sort of fast but it definitely was not love at first it was Fun at first but it escalated and that still happened? A little fast I think??? But not. instantly. I dunno man.

Do they desire marriage and/or children in their future?: Proverbially they made eye contact with me and went ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . Marriage is neither here nor there. They do...like children. And raising them isn’t like...... off the table? But there is. A lot of grey area and many questions in the situation of conceiving that I’m not sure they’d be totally comfortable with. Regardless, they’d what to be in a more stable financial situation before considering it. Simon doesn’t mind sleeping in public places on occasion or skipping a meal here and there but would not put a child in that situation.

Thoughts on public displays of affection?: A menace. Not likely to be explicitly inappropriate in public spaces but very much going to tease about it.

How do they show affection/love to their partner?: A menace; Simon is very biased toward love bites and leaving marks, often in very intentionally visible locations. (They’re a little bit.............. I was going to say “jealous” but I think “territorial” is funnier.) They’re also very physical in general, and want to both give and soak up as much attention and touch as possible. They also like to banter and flirt, even in established relationships, as a way of expressing continued interest and attraction.

RELATIONSHIPS

Social Habits (popular, loner, some close friends, makes friends and then quickly drops them): A loner, really, but in such a warm and oddly charming way that a lot of people tend to miss the way that wow Simon knows so much about everyone and treats them all with such friendliness and is so fondly regarded and yet...no one could really tell you much about them, where they come from, what their family is like, etc. Every now and then they make a strong bond, but mostly they keep to themself in this fashion.

How do they treat others (politely, rudely, keep at distance, etc)?: As said, warm and friendly and honestly a little bit flirty. They also tend to come across as odd if not on first impression than soon after. All of this, though, while still keeping people at a distance. Bigots and hateful people are going to catch some serious sass and, if they’re being particularly unpleasant, maybe some hands.

Argue or avoid conflict?: Situational. In the past Simon has been known to question things and stir up trouble, and generally won’t idly accept or tolerate hate speech or cruel behavior. They also, however, have run from several large conflicts in their life rather than stick them out and see them resolved.

SECRETS

Dreams: oof. Don’t worry about it.

Greatest Fears: The full moon really just hits different, now; the thought of being caught off guard, of causing harm to people, scares Simon to bits.

Biggest Regret: [Redacted]

What they most want to change about their current life?: Everything to do with getting bitten, probably.

LIKES & DISLIKES

Hobbies: Embroidery(+possibly crochet?), cooking and baking, gardening & herbology, painting, exploring, hiking, some mild zoology/animal care, and some astrology interest

Indoors or Outdoors?: Outdoors

Favorite Color: Yellow! but specifically like...... goldenrod yellow. Fall leave yellow. Warm toned and deep and rich. Lemonade yellow just isn’t it ok.

Favorite Smell: maybe just. Soil? Like, potting soil. Middle of the forest dirt. Earthy smells.

Favorite and least favorite food: Too many favorites do not ask. (Though....maybe partial to mushrooms?) Not a big fan of bacon, believe it or not.

Coffee or Tea?: Coffee but in the most cursed way imaginable.

Favorite type of weather: Immediately post-rain, when everything is alive and nourished and, yes, wet and splashable.

Favorite form of entertainment: Movies, I think. Movies are silly and fun and good for spending quality time with people.

How do they feel about traveling?: Home is behind, the world ahead!

What sort of gifts do they like?: Bring them the weird shiny thing that may or may not be a rock that you found on your walk. A flower that is considered a weed. A tin ring you got out of a quarter machine. A pack of stickers that seemed very them.

DRUGS & ALCOHOL

Thoughts on drugs and alcohol: Considerably something of a Hippie-type. Interpret that how you will.

Do they smoke? If so, do they want to quit?: Cigarettes, no. It’s like.... verse dependent and version-of-Simon-in-question dependent but definitely they dabble in weed. They bake with it more than smoke it, but do both.

Have they ever tried other drug? (which, what happened, consequences): There may have been a notable shroom escapade. Don’t worry about it. (No really, don’t worry, nothing bad happened, they had a lovely and absolutely bananas time. 7/10 might do again.)

Do they have any addictions?: Nah.

OTHER DETAILS

Most important/defining event in life to date: It just keeps coming back to the Bite doesn’t it?

Daily routine: Absolutely Not

Typical Saturday night: Doing something alone, usually! Simon likes to cook and to explore, etc., by themself. Sometimes they go out on their own to something like dinner or a movie. In a way I would describe as regular but not frequent they will seek out hookups. (This. this is not exclusive to Saturdays but. Y’know. Weekend vibes.)

What is home like (messy, neat, sparse): They may in fact be homeless at this juncture. When they do have somewhere to land, though, Simon tends toward the neater side of things, and given time will accumulate a lot of knick knacks and textiles to decorate with. The natural vibes apply, though in a deliberate way.

Pets? if not, do they want any?: Cielo and Fontaine are both snails of a small variety native to North America I never actually thought to look up but the general notion is that Simon found Cielo by chance and thinks the snail is/has good luck and grew quite attached to the little guy. Research showed snails prefer company, thus: Fontaine. And this resulted in Simon carrying snails with them on their travels. All of this is completely normal behavior I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Can they hold their breath for a long time?: I mean. Probably just average?

Do they know how to swim?: Yep

Can they cook (if so, how well and do they enjoy it)?: They CAN they are SO GOOD at it and they REALLY LIKE TO please let them cook for you but also please cook with them!!!!!!

#🕯║dash game.#☽║headcanon / simon.#beloved bizarre werewolf child

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kirisaki-daichi-scenarios · 3 years

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a discussion of jabberwock with team interaction hcs + deeper nash analysis

for anon who asked "Can we get some headcanons for jabberwock members or like headcanons when they're together? (its okay if it was jason or nash only)" and made me realise it's about time i get these guys' personalities down

note before we start: cause i didn't know their names until i wrote this

zack is the bald one, allen is the one with a headband, nick is the other white guy apart from nash.

team hcs

nick gets bullied for being under 6ft, but not by jason

nah good old jason teases all of them for being short fucks, emphasising that they’re all 5ft tall in comparison to him

he 100% lifts things out of the others' reach and then laughs for ages after when they try get them

unfortunately though, they’re all used to this and now just ignore him. either that or nash stares at him so intensely jason actually repents and hands it back

zack’s another one with a very good glare, but he’s used it too often on jason and it’s since stopped working.

also jason gives me ‘straightens his back as much as possible when getting measured so he’ll measure in as 7ft’ vibes

oh and he thinks he could wrestle a gator and win. i’ve got no explanation for that except for the fact you can't tell me it's ooc.

allen’s very protective over his white headband - it’s his lucky item - but he’d never let anyone know that

he’s confident in his abilities like the rest of them, but there’s nothing wrong with wearing a headband just in case

(nash knows anyway)

they watch nba matches together and do not shut up once throughout the entire match - lots of jeering, booing each other if someone criticises a player they like, lots of “i could do that”, lots of “get your fucking hand out of my popcorn do you want me to punch you in the face” etc

they used to all live together, but nash has since moved out. he was sick and tired of trying to make people do chores, as the only one who kept their room clean.

yeah the others’ house looks like a heap of trash but also very much “where’s my toothbrush?” “it’s in the third coke can by the orange peel behind the sink” *silence* “yeah thanks” *a minute later* “who the fuck has been using my toothbrush”

they’re all “bro your dribbling sucks why are you on this team loser” to one another, but also very protective (aka arrogant for one another) if anyone else Dared to criticise one of their teammates

then again, what kind of person would criticise jabberwock

half of the time he spends with jabberwock, nash is a Single Mother TM trying to get a bunch of man children to behave; the other half of the time, he's just as bad as the rest of them

i talk about this a lot but i get the feeling nash is an exceptionally hard worker, but at least he gets to let his hair down around his teammates sometimes

nash is also the only person jason thought was truly ‘strong’ at first sight

and nash is also the only person who can beat jason in a fight, and also the only person who can get nash to train, and also the only person who can.. [etc. you see my point].

(n.b jason calls himself the ‘almighty me’, nash says that ‘even god can’t beat me’. point made.)

you know how jason silver’s motto is “I have never thought”

imagine him proudly stating that, before zack adds with a straight face, “yeah cause nash does it for you.”

in short, the team would fall apart without nash.

although the team’s communication and coordination is very fine tuned, nash is the guy who keeps everything in order off the court to prevent what is essentially a team of aces ('main characters', if you will) from falling apart

they hang out together a lot, but do all have other friend groups that do not overlap

team bbqs

unofficial rule not to criticise anchovies on pizza because the one time nick did, nash snapped

however pineapple on pizza is fair game, even though zack quite likes it

more than once, jason has brought a girl home and nick has stolen her attention away with effortless trick shots, funky ball manoeuvring etc

more than once nick has had to trek to nash’s place (with a black eye) at midnight to have somewhere to sleep

do you see a correlation?

oh and everyone in the team has been walked in on by nash when they were naked with some girl

nash has absolutely no shame

he apologises to the girl with a charming albeit insincere tone, and then remains standing in front of the bed/couch until his teammate does what he expected of them

usually it involves not having come to practice

allen learnt a few (emphasis on ‘few’) words of japanese before they travelled to japan and was disappointed that he never got to use them

that said, one of those words was hentai

and now a quick analysis of some panels

a) so there's at least one player who wasn't underestimating vorpal swords. if i were to overanalyse, i'd add that nick's wearing a hoodie (possibly athletic wear) whilst nash has a 'fancy' shirt on; perhaps nick wasn't expecting them to be going to host clubs instead of chilling/training?

b) i know what you're thinking: "how can you say nash is a hard worker when he didn't want to practice for the match". i reckon he was still pretty high on the complete and utter success of their previous match, that plus being around girls, encouraged him to have a more 'jason-y' personality. (either that or fujimaki didn't want to add too much depth/realism into nash's character bc he's unequivocally the villain, right? and obviously this helps with the plot and the jabberwock bad geniuses gom good geniuses rhetoric.)

earlier, i mentioned how nash is the only one that could keep the team together, and is thus the undeniable head of the team; here's a clear example. you can see both jason and zack have no interest in continuing - if anything, there's disgust in their faces, kinda just saying "we spat on all of japan, now we can go home". whereas nash won't allow for the slightest of possibilities that there might exist a team stronger than them, and hence agrees to the match. the key thing here is that the others do as he says without too much fuss.

another thing to note is nash's reference to harakiri. now what can we make of that, alongside his proficiency in japanese, in relation to his character? the way i see it, he's either a weeb or possibly has some japanese lineage. (you could spin that even further and say his mother was japanese, taught him the language, then abandoned him, and hence his almost excessive hatred/mockery of the japanese people.) (is that why he wanted to do another match in japan..?)

just a quick point. "thanks to him" - jason isn't so superior as to think that he could win this match effortlessly without nash's support. links pretty nicely with my earlier idea about how nash is the only person jason has always considered 100% strong.

yet another point about how nash is the strongest of the team in pretty much every way you can think of. you know how scary/powerful you have to be to shut jason up (after he's getting real pissed from being prevented from scoring?)

i personally think this is a pretty important panel, though i've never seen anyone mention it before. did nash grow up training in a professional basketball training situation, as opposed to growing up playing streetball like i suspect the others did? well, to answer that question, imma bring in another panel.

here we see visible rage on nick, zack and jason's faces - they can't accept their loss, which is fair enough. but i'd argue that nash's face seems to depict sadness more than it does anger like to rest of them, look at how downturned his mouth is - and he's looking away from the 'camera', as if hiding his shame.

when you combine that with what he says here, i have no doubt that this is someone who has experienced some proper lows in basketball - as would be expected from someone who's played 'properly'. he's possibly not even a prodigy like the rest of them - compare jason's motto with his. "i have never thought" versus "do not suppose opportunity will knock twice at your door".

there's various lines of thinking you could design with this - he might have been trained by alex (hence, himuro having heard of jabberwock, though he should have known of a team as popular of jabberwock regardless), he might have grown up with professional basketballer parents etc. but here's my own little theory:

nash received serious basketball training from early on - maybe because his parents were living vicariously through him, or maybe he always loved the sport and wanted to be no1. so there he was training away, but, as he grew older, it started getting all a bit too much.

he didn't want to dedicate his entire life to basketball. after all, his hobby is water sports and his speciality is boxing; that's a lot of different things to be keeping up with, whereas the pipeline for promising athletes demands people focus solely on basketball. as a result, nash become bitter: stopped attending practice regularly, got in trouble for trash talk of increasing severity, etc.

result was he was kicked out of the program.

only when he was no longer playing basketball again, did he realise how much he missed it. and hence he got into streetball, where he was tremendously successful as someone with so much training, 'elite skills', and the overly confident attitude to boot.

then, one fateful day, he met jason and the rest is history.

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yggmugen · 2 years

Text

A Look Back in Nakaba POV - #3 Sun May Rest but Shall Rise Again

No more procrastination, I’m gonna finish the promised piece this time!

(I cannot come up with a better title this time so I “steal” the caption once I used for my fanart lol)

Really long time ago I posted this because this is a thing back in the day when people are trying to guess the true identity of Estarossa, and unlike Nakaba thought, there is some people notice this and use this as a critical clue to conclude that Mael=Estarossa theory (or I’d call it a theorem since this is the truth now lol), and I’m glad to see Nakaba give more details in his interview book about how he came up with THE CONSPIRACY:

Translation:

- Did you decide from the very beginning that Estarossa is actually Mael?

Nakaba: No, at first, I only thought Mael as the Ludociel’s younger brother who had been passed away, but it then start to be worth wondering that if Mael is the strongest among Four Archangle, why the strongest one died in the first place?

So after this when I started to come up the setting of The Grace, I thought Ludociel would be “Light”, Sariel would be “Sea”, and Tarmiel would be “Wind”*… Then when I came to the part that the strongest one should be “Sun”, I was like “Huh? Does that overlap with Escanor’s Sunshine?” If I took one more step further from here this would be totally make sense to me. So in this case, the reason behind Escanor’s unusual predominant power should be The Grace owned by Four Archangle, and it’s reasonable that it’s much stronger than a usual magic.

Then there also should be a scenario that Mael without The grace. In the end, I was pretty satisfied with the result to write Mael=Estarossa.

*p.s. Either Nakaba mixed up Sariel and Tarmiel here or there is a typo in the original text or the wielder of Ocean and Tornado changed afterwards

*p.p.s The name of The Grace is different from the actual name in the manga here, as Light -> Flash, Sea -> Ocean, Wind -> Tornado

It’s obvious here that there is a kinda “technique” thing Nakaba used to write a story in a fast-paced weekly manga magazine: to form a frame first and add details into it. In the interview book there is also other examples, such as Matrona’s story is decided when Nakaba wrote Diane’s spinoff, though Matrona was mentioned once back from tons of chapters ago, and the similar situation happened to Jivago (It’s Ban’s fox father but I don’t remember how to spell it correctly lol) that the detailed backstory was written when Ban meet him again, but the name itself was mentioned back in Ban’s spinoff.

Back to the topic, I assume that whole Elizabeth’s flashback stuff (when she was Blackouted by Gowther and stood on the meadow and saw Meliodas or Estarossa it really depends your opinion) also serves a similar role here, that Nakaba used as a frame at that point and try to fill in details afterwards. It’s hard to say, to be honest, that Nakaba was trying to imply Estarossa is a goddess at the beginning as some people state in their theory.

(One of the interesting point I’m so fascinating with is that back in the day when Escanor’s magic proved to be one of The Grace, some fanboys were super mad towards Nakaba because they believe to make Sunshine as Sun is a downgrade to the mighty Escanor since the power itself not mysterious anymore and has its limitation, lol.)

It’s interesting to see Nakaba also share some additional foreshadowing on the whole Mael=Estarossa stuff (besides the goddess statue), including the one most people already know:

(Gowther looks like “I know everything” when Sariel and Tarmiel says they are going to take revenge on Estarossa)

And of course here is a more interesting one that I never saw people mentioned!

Translation:

- In Chapter 266, Estarossa used the skill “Killing Saucer” that is also used by Mael after he turn back.

Nakaba: At this time I’m 100% sure Estarossa would be Mael, so here I depict a skill Mael would use. That’s why this skill looks like the sun.

It does look like the sun after Nakaba points out!

Some part, however, is not the foreshadowing as expected (oops). People sometimes think Ludociel is referring to Mael when he held Elizabeth’s chin and says there are better people for you than Meliodas, and this usually connects with the fact that Estarossa does love Elizabeth, but at that time since Nakaba still thought Mael as a dead dead archangel, so this is not the case:

Translation:

- In Chapter 203, Ludociel says to Elizabeth that “There are better person who is suitable for you…”, does he mean Mael here?

Nakaba: Here it may or may not. At this time Ludociel thought Mael is dead, so he means as long as the person is not a demon, there are better people like Mael for Elizabeth.

It’s possible that Nakaba messed up again here as Ludociel tried to contact Nerobasta to call Mael over later in the story, but it’s more likely that as Nakaba stated, he once only thought Mael as a passed away archangel so here Ludociel is not referring to his sibling. Another Nakaba inconsistency wow.

One last thing, is there anyone who wants to see Mael using Rebellion?

Translation:

- In Chapter 177 Estarossa used Rebellion. Is that a skill that Mael know how to use, or is this specific for Estarossa?

Nakaba: I haven’t decided this yet, but it makes sense that he know how to use this from the very beginning if you think in this way that the seven swords are used to destroy the seven hearts a demon had.

But here rather than came up with some skill setting, what I want to focus on is the impact of the drawing. Instead of using one sword to stab and blood-splash seven times, I thought seven swords stabbing at a time would be more interesting. By the way, the name itself is a cultural reference to the movie Rebellion*.

*p.s. “Rebellion” is the Japanese title for the movie Equilibrium.

Hmm, maybe next time!

All pictures are from Nakaba’s interview book and if you are interested in you can get it here.

~ A Look Back in Nakaba POV series : 1 2

#The Seven Deadly Sins #nanatsu no taizai #Mael #Estarossa #Nakaba POV series #Rebellion #because I LOVE Rebellion!

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thecreaturecodex · 3 years

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Dragon, Yellow

[Commissioned by @mr-w-rambles. Folks, this is the longest single creature entry I’ve ever written. See ya, hordlings! It’s also my first true dragon. Which, taking the Pathfinder Bestiary format, means a table and three whole stat blocks. Tumblr handles tables poorly, so I’ve put those below the cut as image files--they’re a bit jarringly large, but they’re still legible.

There have been two different versions of the yellow dragon, one from the 1990 Draconomicon, which lives in deserts, and this one, from Dragon Magazine, which is semi-aquatic. The article it comes from uses color theory to predict the breath weapons of the “missing dragons”, so it gets a bit weird. The yellow dragon itself evolved through its three iterations. The 1e version is a pretty standard dragon, the 2e version is wingless and flies magically, and the 3e version (from Dragon Compendium Vol. 1) is incredibly dexterous for a dragon. I went with the 3e concept, but toned it down (as all dragons have been toned down in the shift from 3.x to Pathfinder). This is also a dragon that might play a little weirdly. Its AC is even better than the inflated AC for dragons, but its damage dealing capabilities are pretty pathetic. It also inflicts more status conditions than usual for a dragon. The CR on this is somewhat of a stab in the dark, comparing it to core Pathfinder dragons. Let me know if you think it needs further adjustment.]

Dragon, Yellow This dragon’s long, serpentine body is covered in yellow scales, flecked with green and white. It has no wings, but moves through the air with surprising grace. Its eyes are sea green and somewhat beady, and multiple ridges run along its skull and body, giving it a streamlined appearance.

Yellow dragons live at the convergence of air, earth and water. They are found on sandy beaches, coral reefs, salt marshes and mangrove forests. The scales of a yellow dragon remain small throughout the creature’s entire life, giving them a supple skin and a glittering appearance. They can breathe a cone of pressurized brine, which deals as much damage above as below water. They are carnivores, with a taste for desiccated and heavily salted meat. They are physically weak by the standards of dragons, but are remarkably nimble, and can maneuver in three dimensions in multiple kinds of terrain. Yellow dragons prefer to make hit and run attacks, stopping to make full attacks only when opponents are blinded and agonized by salt crystals.

Yellow dragons are cruel and temperamental creatures. They often make raids inland to attack settlements of intelligent creatures, and savor the meat of humanoids for special occasions. They may ally with sahaugin or other evil aquatic creatures, but yellow dragons feel clearly that they are the dominant party in the relationship. Yellow dragons fear bronze dragons above all others, as the bronze dragons are larger and better spellcasters besides. Almost all yellow dragons take spells that protect them from electricity once they are capable enough spellcasters. Yellow and black dragons sometimes have overlapping territories, but the two species keep a wary distance from each other.

Yellow Dragon LE dragon (air, water) Base Statistics CR 3; Size Tiny; Hit Dice 3d12 Speed 60 ft., burrow 30 ft., swim 60 ft. Natural Armor +3; Breath Weapon cone of salt, 2d4 bludgeoning and acid Str 7, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8 Ecology Environment warm and temperate coastal and aquatic Organization solitary Treasure triple standard Special Abilities Agonizing Breath (Su) A creature that takes damage from an adult or older yellow dragon’s breath weapon must succeed a Fortitude save (same DC as the breath weapon) or be sickened for a number of rounds equal to the dragon’s age category. This is a pain effect. Blinding Breath (Su) A creature that takes damage from a young or older yellow dragon’s breath weapon must succeed a Fortitude save (same DC as the breath weapon) or be blinded for a number of rounds equal to ½ the dragon’s age category. Brine Storm (Su) An ancient or older yellow dragon can use its breath weapon to create a cloud of acid as a standard action that deals damage to any creature inside it. The cloud moves with the dragon and has a radius of 20 feet. When it's created, anyone inside this area takes an amount of acid damage equal to half the dragon's breath weapon, with a Reflex save for half damage. The number of damage dice rolled is halved each round until the result would be less than 1d4. Any creature that starts its turn inside the cloud takes damage, but can make a Reflex save for half. A strong wind, such as that created by a gust of wind, disperses the cloud in 1 round. Flight (Su) A yellow dragon’s flight is a supernatural ability. It always has good maneuverability with its flight speed, no matter its size. Graceful Attacks (Ex) An old or older yellow dragon may add its Dexterity modifier to its damage with natural weapons instead of its Strength modifier. It does not add 1.5 times its Dexterity modifier to damage bonuses to its bite or tail slap attacks. Nimble (Ex) A yellow dragon uses the following table for its Strength, Dexterity and natural armor bonuses. All of its other ability scores and qualities use the normal dragon table. In addition, it uses its Dexterity modifier to modify Swim checks.

Spell-like Abilities A yellow dragon gains the following spell-like abilities, usable at will upon reaching the listed age category. Very young—obscuring mist; Young adult—control water; Mature adult—control winds; Very old—control weather; Great wyrm—horrid wilting. Terrible Claws (Ex) A yellow dragon of young or older age does not have wing slap attacks, but its claws deal damage as if it were one size larger. Water Breathing (Ex) A yellow dragon can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath weapon, spells and other abilities while submerged.

Young Yellow Dragon CR 7 XP 3,200 LE Medium dragon (air, water) Init +5; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., dragon senses, Perception +10 Defense AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 16 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural) hp 66 (7d12+21) Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +6 Immune acid, paralysis, sleep Offense Speed 60 feet, burrow 30 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 150 ft. (good) Melee bite +12 (1d8), 2 claws +12 (1d8) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite) Special Attacks blinding breath (Fort DC 16, 1 round), breath weapon (60 ft. cone, 1d4 rounds, Ref DC 16, 6d4 acid and bludgeoning) Spell-like Abilities CL 7th, concentration +7 At will—obscuring mist Statistics Str 11, Dex 20, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 10 Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 23 (27 vs. trip) Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Finesse Skills Appraise +9, Bluff +9, Fly +18, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +14, Survival +10, Swim +13; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to Swim Languages Draconic SQ flight. nimble, terrible claws, water breathing

Adult Yellow Dragon CR 11 XP 12,800 LE Large dragon (air, water) Init +8; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., dragon senses, Perception +14 Aura frightful presence (180 ft., Will DC 18) Defense AC 30, touch 18, flat-footed 21 (-1 size, +8 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural) hp 138 (12d10+60) Fort +13, Ref +16, Will +11 DR 5/magic; Immune acid, paralysis, sleep; SR 21 Offense Speed 60 feet, burrow 30 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 200 ft. (good) Melee bite +19 (2d6+1), 2 claws +19 (2d6+1), tail slap +14 (1d8+1) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with bite) Special Attacks agonizing breath (Fort DC 21, 6 rounds), blinding breath (Fort DC 21, 3 rounds), breath weapon (80 ft. cone, 1d4 rounds, Ref DC 21, 12d4 acid and bludgeoning) Spell-like Abilities CL 12th, concentration +14 At will—control water, obscuring mist Spells CL 3rd, concentration +5 1st (6/day)—alarm, protection from good (DC 13), ray of enfeeblement (DC 13) 0th—arcane mark, detect magic, detect poison, mage hand, message Statistics Str 13, Dex 26, Con 21, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 14 Base Atk +12; CMB +14; CMD 33 (37 vs. trip) Feats Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Mobility, Weapon Finesse Skills Appraise +13, Bluff +13, Fly +21, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana, nature) +13, Perception +14, Sense Motive +14, Spellcraft +13, Stealth +17, Survival +14, Swim +21; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to Swim Languages Aquan, Common, Draconic SQ flight. nimble, terrible claws, water breathing

Ancient Yellow Dragon CR 16 XP 76,800 LE Huge dragon (air, water) Init +11; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., dragon senses, Perception +25 Aura frightful presence (300 ft., Will DC 24) Defense AC 40, touch 20, flat-footed 28 (-2 size, +11 Dex, +1 dodge, +20 natural) hp 283 (21d12+147) Fort +17, Ref +23, Will +17 DR 15/magic; Immune acid, paralysis, sleep; SR 26 Offense Speed 60 feet, burrow 30 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 250 ft. (good) Melee bite +30 (2d8+11), 2 claws +30 (2d8+11/19-20), tail slap +25 (2d6+11) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. (20 ft. with bite) Special Abilities agonizing breath (Fort DC 27, 10 rounds), blinding breath (Fort DC 27, 5 rounds), breath weapon (100 ft. cone, 1d4 rounds, 20d4 acid and bludgeoning, Ref DC 27), brine storm (10d4 acid, Ref DC 27), crush (2d8+6, Ref DC 27), graceful attacks Spell-like Abilities CL 21st, concentration +25 (+29 casting defensively) At will—control water, control weather, control winds, obscuring mist Spells CL 11th, concentration +15 (+19 casting defensively) 5th (5/day)—cone of cold (DC 19), polymorph 4th (7/day)—dimensional anchor, enervation, fire shield, resilient sphere (DC 18) 3rd (7/day)—dispel magic, haste, heroism, protection from energy 2nd (7/day)—bear’s endurance, invisibility, mirror image, scorching ray, see invisibility 1st (7/day)—alarm, comprehend languages, mage armor, protection from good (DC 15), ray of enfeeblement (DC 15) 0th—arcane mark, detect magic, detect poison, light, mage hand, message, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic Statistics Str 19, Dex 32, Con 25, Int 18, Wis 21, Cha 18 Base Atk +21; CMB +33; CMD 48 (52 vs. trip) Feats Agile Manuevers, Blind-fight, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (claw), Iron Will, Mobility, Stand Still, Weapon Finesse Skills Appraise +25, Bluff +25, Fly +31, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (arcana, nature) +25, Perception +25, Sense Motive +25, Spellcraft +25, Stealth +23, Survival +26, Swim +31; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to Swim Languages Aquan, Auran, Common, Draconic, Giant SQ flight. nimble, terrible claws, water breathing

#yellow dragon #dragon #commissions #D&D #pathfinder 1e

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bts-weverse-trans · 3 years

Photo

201125 Weverse Magazine ‘BE’ Comeback Interview - V

V: “I wish we were back with ARMY, laughing together” BTS BE comeback interview 2020.11.25

During V’s photo shoot, he’s wearing a different expression in every photo on the monitor. They create a tension and an anticipation because we have no way of knowing what he might do even one second later. But the result is cool from start to finish. It’s V.

How are you doing these days? It’s been a long time since you were able to see your fans. V: I’m not over-stressing about how I can’t meet the fans face to face right now. I just want to see them when it’s safe to meet. I think now, I can wait until then.

As your song says, “Life Goes On.” You decided to keep going on with your life. V: We have to move on. We can’t feel defeated forever. I felt a lot better after making some songs.

Other than working on “Dynamite,” you’ve spent very little time away from home. How do you pass the time when you’re by yourself? V: I really like just spacing out, so I’ll sit in my room doing nothing for hours. I could try putting on a movie, but then I couldn’t concentrate and would just zone out. When that happens, it’s kind of like I’m living without a thought or care in the world. Maybe I should make a song about all of this someday. Probably call it “Spaced.” (laughs) Anyway, these days I’m looking for ways to keep myself happy.

Have you found anything? V: Well, I’m listening to LPs lately. It’s getting to be Christmas season and I love snow, so I bought two or three Christmas LPs to listen to. I’m also listening to old jazz songs by Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. Frank Sinatra is cool, like chilled wine; Sammy Davis Jr. is crazy talented. (laughs)

So that’s the type of performer you find cool. V: Those two were also a big inspiration to me while we were working on “Dynamite.” Sinatra has all this jazzy body language, but he also threw some disco in there. And I imagined how Sammy Davis Jr. might dance if there were a mic on stage and he had to dance around it. They were a lot of help when I was finding a way to be upbeat and cool at the same time in “Dynamite.”

I guess making “Dynamite” must have been some consolation even when you couldn’t meet fans due to COVID-19. V: We couldn’t put on a concert and couldn’t see ARMY, so we were feeling more and more drained. It seemed like an endless battle. We really wanted to see ARMY feeling better, so we had to get back up on stage and make another album so that together we could beat this thing. I want to be the friend who’s always cheering ARMY on, but there aren’t many ways to make them feel better.

How was the whole “Dynamite” experience? You made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and also had a chance to perform in a variety of different styles. V: Shooting the Tiny Desk Concert was a very natural process, which was nice. But actually, with the situation being what it is, we couldn’t really feel much. The day the news came out was of course thrilling. It was great, actually, all of us calling each other and some of us laughing and others crying: “We haven’t gone down the wrong path after all! Turns out we had a chance—it really was possible!”

While you were performing in “Dynamite,” you were also the visual director for BE. I’m sure you were unimaginably busy taking photos, but were you able to communicate well with the other members? V: We communicated smoothly, and I listened to all of their concept ideas and I organized everything around that. If we tried something too natural, it wouldn’t be conceptual enough, so we did our best to strike a balance.

You had everyone sitting in the middle, with the set arranged symmetrically around you. V: That was made possible thanks to everyone having their own ideas. There was no overlap between items, which actually allowed us to create a sense of unity by placing all these different props symmetrically. It wasn’t intended to be symmetrical; each member really did choose something unique.

In your room, you included a violin and a photograph. V: That’s a picture I took. I like photos and drawings, but if I had used any art then I would’ve been using that one particular artist’s work, so I thought I’d better use one of my own photos. I ended up choosing the violin because I learned how to play it but also because I enjoy classical and jazz.

So how do you feel it turned out? V: I made it, so naturally I like it. (laughs) Part of me thinks I should’ve tried something more conceptual. BE was supposed to give off sort of a magazine or poster feel since we didn’t shoot many of those, but it ended up having more of a natural feel to it. But I did think that the next time we try to make a photoshoot conceptual we should move away from that natural look a bit. The group explained their ideas clearly and they were simple enough to do, so I think it all went really smoothly.

It sounds like there were no problems choosing the songs for BE. How did you feel recording your parts on the other members’ songs? V: I like “Dis-ease,” which Hobi hyung wrote, but stylistically it was challenging. It’s really far from my own style so it took a long time to get used to. “Fly to My Room” used to be my favorite song, but it was also the hardest to sing. It was okay at first, until Jimin jumped in.

What about Jimin? V: Because I had to keep up with Jimin, the song went up maybe three keys. I thought I would die. (laughs) It started out as my favorite song, but it was just way too hard to sing.

But why did you have to sing that way? V: Jimin said he was sorry, that he couldn’t go any lower. (laughs) When I first heard the demo version, the key was perfect for me, so I thought it would sound great and I should definitely do it. But then Jimin said he wanted to do it too, so I said, “Great, let’s do it together.” Turns out we went up three keys. So I said, “Hey, what’s the deal? Should I just give up?” But, well, somehow it all worked out in the end. It was a happy ending. (laughs)

People might be able to hear that part better because it’s so much higher. (laughs) The tone of your combined voices and the way they contrast is really impressive. V: Yes, but all that aside, it was quite the struggle. (laughs) And the chorus is really long. I think it repeats, what, four times?

Yes, it feels like the chorus never ends. The production style is very unique. I like how the emotion is carried through the whole way. V: I agree, but it’s so long. The chorus turned out crazy, like I was kind of beating the melody into people’s ears. (laughs) The chorus is good, but the whole song’s melody is really catchy. Whenever I heard the beat, I was totally into it. The way the vocals pick up on the beat and the melody was so original and fun, I just had to do it.

What instructions did you give to the other members when they were singing on your song, “Blue & Grey”? V: I didn’t really have to give them instructions much. I told them it would be nice if they could think of all their problems and then try healing those wounds with their voices, since if they focus on those emotions, there’ll be more feeling in the song. They all did a good job expressing the emotions I wasn’t able to.

It seems like you intended “Blue & Grey” to be a melancholy song. I heard you had originally planned to put it on your mixtape. V: I wrote “Blue & Grey” when I was at my lowest point, when I was actually asking whether I could keep going with my work or not. Even the fun parts of work became a chore, and my whole life felt aimless. “Where do I go from here? I can’t even see the end of the tunnel.” Those kinds of thoughts hit me hard.

Was there a reason for that? V: It was when work was a major challenge. When I’m happy, I want to work, and when I’m happy I can put on a smile and see the fans, but there was just so much work to do. I’m an easygoing, you know, laid-back person, but I was stretched too thin and I was starting to sputter. What I mean is, I was having a really tough time, and thinking, “What’s waiting for me at the end? It’s important to be successful, but I’m also trying to be happy, so how come I’m not happy right now?” That’s when I started to write “Blue & Grey.”

So writing the song was sort of your way of bringing yourself some peace of mind. V: There was a time I was going through something like this. I was having the toughest time, but I couldn’t keep carrying that feeling around with me. Instead, I could use it as a kind of fertilizer. So I took care of that feeling by constantly writing it down in my notes. I just kept writing everything down, and when finally I felt like I wanted to try writing a song, I did. After the song was finished, I felt a sense of accomplishment, and that’s how I was able to let go of “Blue & Grey.” That was one way I wanted to try getting over my problem.

The songs you make or sing solo on all have similar images: night; loneliness; snow. V: I like nighttime and the late-night air, and when it snows, too. I liked those things since way back when, but lately I feel things like snow and the night air keep me alive. They may just be another part of normal life to other people, but to me, they represent very special moments.

That makes me think of the ending from “Blue & Grey”: “After secretly sending my words up into the air / Now I fall asleep at dawn.” V: I don’t really sleep well. I toss and turn and get caught up in a lot of thoughts. Even when I turn out all the lights, I can see everything clearly. I close my eyes, but all my thoughts spread wide open. Then I’m sleepy at work, and staring off into space when I’m alone, with bags under my eyes, but if I want to avoid that then I really have to sleep. Except, with the way I am, it doesn’t allow for it. I wrote about that in the first and second verses; a feeling like, “When I’m stuck thinking like this, everything is grey, and I’m all blue.” I wrote these feelings out as a song, and now that I’m thinking about it again, I’m actually over it. I feel a lot lighter. I sent my words out into the air, and now I fall asleep at dawn. You’re supposed to sleep at night, but I’m sleeping in the morning again. So I say “good night,” but it’s not actually a good night. “I pass out because I’m exhausted” kind of thing. It’s the emotions I felt in those moments that I wanted to express.

What do you hope hearing about that feeling will do for listeners? V: Rather than just some stranger telling them to cheer up, I think it’s better to say something like, “You seem depressed lately,” or, “Seems like these days it’s tough for you to perk up.” “Blue & Grey” is the same: “You’re depressed lately? Me too. We’re in the same boat. Wanna talk about how you’re feeling? You wanna feel better, right? I know, but sometimes it feels like you’re being washed away by a whirlpool of stress.” I want the listeners to hear me saying that to them.

It’s important to express your emotions right away when they’re so overwhelming. V: Yes. I usually write a lot of songs when I’m feeling emotional, but these days I have so many different things to do that I can’t really write anything. I tried to write something before when I had a little time, but nothing came out because the feelings I had were already gone. So I tell myself, “You gotta write a lot when you’ve got the feels!” (laughs) And then I open my notes app and come back to old notes, like, “Ah, so that’s how I was feeling back then? I see. Well, that’s how I used to be, I guess.” So I tried to write “Blue & Grey” quickly, as soon as a big feeling came on.

Then it’s important to revisit those feelings when you’re producing a song or choosing which songs to release? V: If you can’t bring the feeling back, you can’t make the song, either. I release a song if I feel it expresses who I was and how I felt at the time when I wrote it. Even if we record it perfectly, if the result sounds artificial, I would rather release another, more honest sounding song instead, even if it’s not perfect.

Are those the kinds of songs you selected for your mixtape? V: Um … I don’t know. This is my first mixtape, you know, so I feel a ton of pressure about it. I’m thinking all the time about what kind of album I should make so that I can feel satisfied with it. The title track is the title track, but everyone also says to just leave it as it is, but I keep getting the urge to keep putting in more and more.

You usually write and choose songs based on your emotions. Maybe the pressure to make your first mixtape comes from you having a hard time with that. V: I think it still has a long way to go. Maybe it’s because it’s my first mixtape, but it’s so hard. And I feel like it’s a little lazy. People tell me just to put it out and see how it does, but I’d rather know what needs to be fixed before I release it. I also don’t want the title track to be depressing. I want it to be positive and help people beat those depressed feelings. But it’s not easy.

That sounds a lot like what the members conveyed with “Life Goes On.” V: I think we showed the current situation in a very straightforward and honest way. We’re still going, going, going. And the going is tough. But it doesn’t end here. I wish we were back with ARMY, laughing together. I hope we’ll all be happy in the future and keep on doing our own best, cherishing our hope for our happy future.

#bangtan #taehyung #weverse magazine #comeback interview #201125 #2020 #be album

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