#muddi thoughts

[muddi-gutz]

fellas is it normal to be in a constant state of mild agitation

#muddi thoughts #who am i kidding of course not i need anxiety meds #joke post fr just trying to complain you feeel

[adelrambles]

Tips on Writing Bishop

I've been asked a couple times for advice on how to write a good (03-style) Bishop, and I'm well-aware he can be a bit tough to get a grasp on. As someone who's studied him specifically to learn how to write him as accurately as possible, I figured I'd compile some thoughts in case it'd be helpful to anyone else. I know a lot of Rise takes on him are basing off the 03 version, so maybe this could help generate ideas, too. SO!

Big Overall Points!

At the core of EVERYTHING Bishop does are two primary motivations. The first: the protection of the earth. What this means to him can get tricky, because it doesn't necessarily mean protecting the people, at least not all of them. But it will be better understood alongside the other:

The second: The protection of his sense of safety. Bishop has been deeply traumatized, and everything he does is born of a want to avoid that pain ever again. In his mind, earth is a safe area, a controllable factor, and anything outside it is a danger that must be eliminated. This is why he will still be willing to put himself and other people on the line in service of this; any sacrifice is worth the greater goal. (It's worth noting, Bishop will claim the first as his motivation freely, but is likely not consciously aware of the second.)

Bishop deals in Big Picture ONLY. Another reason Bishop will willingly throw away anything, including the lives of the people he claims to protect, is that he seems incapable of understanding things on a small, individual basis.

Bishop is a cold personality. He does not have strong displays of emotion. He does emote, but for the most part it's muted, so I recommend using emotional bursts very sparingly. (In my own writing, as an example, I try to limit my use of exclamation marks in his dialogue as much as possible.)

At his core, Bishop is afraid, and his response to fear is aggression. This also makes it particularly difficult to talk him down, if he's put in an emotional state. His response to not being in control is often violent retaliation.

With those basic tenants understood, let's move next to some major personality traits:

Bishop is a controlling personality. This is a direct result of his trauma response. Things that can be controlled are safe, therefore he must control everything. If something cannot be controlled, it's a threat that must be eliminated. If he doesn't know why something happened, he becomes angry (including even when it benefits him.)

Bishop is very low-empathy. When writing him, I try to keep in mind that he cannot put himself in the perspective of others. (Or if he can, he doesn't care to.)

Bishop is a sadist. He gets personal enjoyment from hurting others.

Bishop likes fighting, but only when he's winning. He will quickly leave if he can't see a guaranteed victory.

Bishop is paranoid. This is probably self-evident, but it's the reason he's often so well-prepared even when things don't go to plan.

Bishop genuinely seems to enjoy science. He's shown to be far more lenient with scientist characters than anyone else, and he seems to involve himself in his scientists' projects to a degree. Enough to, at the very least, understand their work. (Given he was the one set to dissect the turtles, it might also be argued he has some medical or biology background, himself.)

Bishop is an opportunist and scavenger. He can roll with failures as long as he can find something to get out of it. If he's presented with an opportunity to stab someone in the back, and he has something to gain? He'll take it without a second thought.

Bishop is deeply self-blind. For all his perceptiveness and strategic prowess, Bishop is not very self-aware in the slightest. He is completely blind to his own hypocrisies, and thoroughly confident in his own righteousness.

Bishop adapts fast. He accepts situations for what they are and acts (Though he may still be angry about them, or what have you.) This is likely a skill developed via longevity; the world around him has changed rapidly, but he doesn't feel out of place at all.

Bishop will take extreme risks and thinks wildly outside the box. Also self-evident, if you're familiar with the plans he enacts throughout the show. He'll put a lot on the line if he thinks the reward is worth enough, and he's willing to go to extreme lengths to get what he wants, even if his plans would be considered crazy by normal standards.

Bishop is persistent. If he wants something, he won't stop until he gets it. If he fails, he'll retreat, make a new plan, and try again. It is very difficult to convince him to back down (and certainly not on moral grounds.)

Habits and triggers I've noted:

Being restrained of any sort puts Bishop in a panic. He is more likely to have an emotional response in these scenarios, and seems to have (an albeit muted) desperation to escape. (See: Leatherhead restraining him in the first encounter; His reaction to being trapped on the surgical table in Head of State.)

When being duplicitous or suppressing a reaction, Bishop will go to adjust his tie. This could possibly be considered his tell.

Bishop seems to have a particular fear of aliens blending in as humans. His slayer project was built around the assumption that this is a common threat. (Worth noting: This makes The Shredder the model of the exact threat Bishop is afraid of. Technically, Bishop himself may also fit the description of a threat shaped like a human.)

Writing considerations:

In 03's narrative, Bishop is EPF and EPF is Bishop. Narratively speaking, any organization Bishop is head of acts as if it is an extension of his will and character.

Bishop is shown to strike fear and/or discomfort into most characters he interacts with. Anything beyond this is an outlier, and will draw a reader's attention.

Dialogue-wise, Bishop is generally succinct and blunt. He does dabble in gloating, though, and especially likes to upset others. If he's given a chance to be mean, he'll usually take it. It can help to consider he has a Mission Mode and a Normal Mode. When it comes to Mission Mode, he gets straight to the point and hates unnecessary talking. Otherwise, he's still not very talkative, but will take the time to make pointed jabs or talk through a plan. A lot of his sense of humor seems to be rooted in how He's Better Than You (And You're Going To Die Painfully.)

It's a common pitfall that Bishop is depicted as seeking out the turtles. In 03, once he gets their DNA, he's done with them. Any encounters after that are incidental. Bishop does not care about anything that won't effect his greater goal. If he's targeting another character, it should have to do with a greater plan.

Bishop is an extremely competent combatant, shown to be able to handle up to 7 opponents at once. For a breakdown on his fighting style check out my other post on that!

Bishop is hard to kill, and oftentimes he accidentally contributes to his own defeat. (The hook from Bishop's Gambit is an example I get a LOT of mileage out of, as a perfect symbol of his self-defeating prophecies.)

We almost only ever see Bishop in the context of his work. While it could be construed that he depersonalizes himself, it's much more clear that the narrative depersonalizes him. As far as we, the audience know, Bishop's work is all that he is.

It's unclear if Bishop was released from his abduction or escaped. Depending on which you ascribe to, this can have ramifications for his mindset on how to deal with the alien threat. (Personally, because so much of his inability to cope hinges on a feeling of helplessness, I believe he was released. If he escaped on his own power, that undercuts it, somewhat.)

Thematically-speaking, Bishop parallels both his own torturers and his own victims at the same time. He has perpetuated the cycle that traumatized him in the first place by trying to fight fire with fire. (In that vein, I don't think he's capable of understanding that, not seeing aliens as people in the first place, just dangers. Considering how deeply ingrained his trauma is in his worldview and actions, it would probably ruin him, if he were ever able to actually grasp it.)

Bishop and EPF are likely a commentary on the military of the time 03 was coming out. This can be something worth keeping in mind, when figuring out his greater themes in your story, though it can just as well be discarded if it doesn't fit.

Adding to that, Bishop has an extensive american military background. His skills and knowledge will reflect that.

Bishop also plays on and references a number of real-life alien conspiracies. It can be worth digging through conspiracy history to drum up ideas and themes, too.

The ethical and philosophical quandaries of Bishop's body-hopping and humanity tend to not hold too much weight, because Bishop, himself, doesn't seem to care.

If I think of more I'll certainly be adding on to the reblogs of this post! Or, if you have more thoughts, please feel free to add! If you're in the mood for more Bishop ramblings, that's practically most of this blog atm, but this post is a particular favorite. If you're interested in Fast Forward!Bishop, specifically, consider this post! (also read Taking Pawns. slipped in that self-promo, nice.)

#agent bishop #tmnt 2003 #tmnt 2k3 #teenage mutant ninja turtles #And man I still gotta make an analysis on 2012 Bishop #my man is so underrated #There are only a handful of fics out there that include him at ALL and for the most part I find he's blended with 03's characterization #Which takes away what makes him fun in his own right and muddies 03 Bishop's character basis imo #anyway I had this post on the backburner for a while and finally got the motivation to finish her up #And of course if ever there are more questions on characterizing him I'd be happy to help! I love rambling about this guy ad nauseum #oooh stray thought I should do one for Rat King too. Went through that guy's episodes recently theyre GREAT #I've also been very tempted to compile most of these posts into a big ol video essay. idk if I could pull it off but it sure is an idea

[rabiezbunny]

I think Handsome Jack cried so hard he threw up once he really stood and acknowledged Angel's passing

#i genuinely believe he thought he was doing what was best for her #and maybe he was also punishing her for killing her mother on accident #hes a human there's only so much he can do #and focusing his rage over losing his wife on getting rid of all bandits #bandits that caused the death of his wife by attempting to kidnap his daughter to use her siren abilities to discover vaults #and that being the very same thing that kills her #the game doesnt show you his grief because they dont want you to empathize with someone who is pathologically trying to destroy the other #and i get that. its a simple video game #nuance could muddy things #but i think he loved his daughter #and wept as soon as he was alone #he sought power to protect her #and now he has nothing left #and sometimes i think he may have wanted to die #at the end of BL2 #because he failed in completing his one true goal of saving his daughter from herself #anyways sorry #borderlands #handsome jack #redacted

[tweetsongs]

sometimes u gotta put ur two chronically ill kings together

image id behind readmore

[Image ID: The "I Think We're Gonna Have To Kill This Guy, Steven" meme with Qiyan Agula from Clear and Muddy Loss of Love and Cale Henituse from Lout of the Count's Family. Qiyan has a hand on Cale's shoulder and is saying: "I think we're gonna have to kill this guy, Cale-nim" and Cale is saying "Damn." Behind them is a out of focus Raon, a baby dragon. /end image ID]

#i have fifteen pages of assignment due tomorrow and i haven't started but this is more important #i have so many blorbos but i thought these two would b thematically tied #unhinged disabled webnovel protagonists my beloveds <333 #tcf #lcf #jwqs #clear and muddy loss of love #lout of the count’s family #trash of the count's family #my art

[thebramblewood]

The Vatores Present... A Decennial Vampire Bash: Part X

Featuring everyone in some poorly lit and questionably edited shots, I'm so sorry! Endless thanks one last time to you all! @sprout-sims @melancholicsimmer @moonfromearth @sueniia @sims4thehoes @loveryss @igotsnothing @sammyshuno @madebycoffee @simming-in-the-rain @deathtulips @eggysimblr @jaigny @sylvan-glade @forssims

Previous / Next

Helena: [slurred] I'm suddenly not feeling so hot, Lilith. Lilith? LILITH!!!

[VAMPIRE CHAOS ENSUES]

Lilith: Helena?

Helena: STAY BACK!

Lilith: What's wrong? Give me your hand. You're shaking.

HELENA: DON'T TOUCH ME! NO, GET AWAY! YOU'RE MONSTERS, ALL OF YOU!

Lilith: Helena, what are you talking about? It's only me, and I'm no monster.

Helena: [edgily scans the room, now silent and empty] Do you promise?

Lilith: You can trust me.

#ts4 #sims 4 #sims 4 story #ts4 story #simblr #story: hzid #bramblewoodvamps #blood tw #horror tw #violence tw #gif warning #gif tw #i am disappointed with these pictures because i spent so long setting them up in game and thought they looked good #but they ended up looking so muddy and dark and i could not figure out a better way to convey the nightmarish/trippy vibe 😭😭 #my photoshop skills are just not at that level #i recommend viewing them on a computer because they look especially awful on my phone #anyway... i am at least proud of the gif #(and notice lilith didn't say “i promise”...) #since there were only meant to be 10 parts the 11th and ACTUAL FINAL part will be coming in a few hours #i won't make you wait too long for it #helena zhao #lilith vatore #desi the demon #dj batty #genie hart #mo livingston #drea sandoval

[willowser]

omg willow!!!! have you ever thought about what would happen with ex Bakugou if you guys had a preplanned trip 🥺🥺🥺 are you still going together, does he give you his ticket, does he demand you talk before so things won’t be awkward 🥺🥺🥺ps your ex bkg stuff is making me sob but I can’t get enough of it 🥺

OOOOOHHH i have not thought about this 👀 omg......i want to say you still go.........oh man this is scratching a lot of itches for me i think.....i might write something for this actually akgbriejakqk

#oh the gears in my brain are turning #he isnt entirely sure how he feels about the breakup #he doesnt think he should go bc you're not together and it would only further muddy things #but he also keeps thinking about the two of you going and being alone together and he REALLY 🥺 wants that 🥺 #he thinks he shouldnt but he does 🥺 #oh my god your brain......oh many thoughts akfneiejakqk #✿ ask willow

[allykatsart]

Gravedigger Radiance, she will live an uneventful life in service of others, never once reclaiming the might she once carried. And one day she will die an ordinary death, just as anyone else.

#the radiance #Radiance #mortal radi #my art #hollow knight #hk radiance #hk #she once was royal and never shall be again #work the fields with trembling arms and heavy thoughts that slow her down #until her lungs give out and she cannot breath #then she may pause #long enough to catch her breath #before starting once again. #her fur matted and muddied #her wings torn and tattered

[lennons-lemonade]

Diane Fisher treasured her son above all else <3

#diane fisher #sal fisher #i have so many thoughts but don’t want to muddy up the post #sally face #sally face fanart #sf #sal fisher fanart #my art

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Sometimes I feel that Barnaby and Wally have this friendship like big bro/Lil bro, and Howdy being Barnabys bf has to put up with a lot of Wallys shenanigans for Barnaby (doesn't mind cause he also adores Wally I'm a big bro way)

i view them (as a trio) Similarly! though a little to the Left cause i don't view Barnaby & Wally's relationship as big/lil bro. rn to me they're very close friends - borderline queerplatonic! like... Wally is Barnaby's special little guy, yk?

so in my mind, in this trio, Wally's not exactly a. uh. third wheel to Barnaby/Howdy i suppose? oh this is difficult to translate into words - he's part of the relationship without being Part of it if that makes any sense? like of course he's gonna be With them a lot. Barnaby's not gonna be like "ok go do something else so i can make doe eyes at Howdy". that's his Little Buddy. they're gonna Include him as much as possible, i'd imagine. and i doubt Wally would mind being around while they flirt chat. he'd probably love being Barnaby's "wingman"

#and since its canon that all of the neighbors like wally - howdy would probably be delighted to have him around! #who wouldn't want to hang with him?? #honestly barnaby could probably show up to one of their dates w/ wally in tow #and howdy'd be like 'oh hi wally! joining us this evening? lets go then!' #honestly i view barnaby/howdy + wally similar to like #a married couple whose best friend lives with them #thats the best analogy i can think of atm #hes very involved in my mind. barnaby is extremely important to him yk? #i like to... muddy traditional relationships and Expected Dynamics #i find it interesting and a bit more real in a way? #like not every relationship - platonic or romantic - is gonna be clear cut or 'typical' #love & relationships are much more varied and nuanced than what is more often than not portrayed #plus idk it sorta rankles when i see platonic relationships sorta sidelined or viewed as something to be 'put up with' by the romantic side #theyre important! and platonic love is not Less than romantic love. its just... different. to the Left. #am i aromantic? i might be aromantic. maybe? idk. am i? hm. something for me to Not think about <3 #rambles from the bog #laughingstock #insert meme here of the three of them holding hands #picturing sally introducing them like: this is howdy & this is howdy's boyfriend barnaby & this is barnaby's best friend wally #to be very clear here i do not ship wally with anyone in the Least. like At All. i have thought and pondered on this a lot #hes so aroacepilled in my mind.... #and that only frees up space for him to get Funky with his relationships hell yeah you go little buddy #hes living my dream smh. in my head at least #the imaginings i have are Different from canon obviously #which is half the fun! #in canon i hope things get messy as hell. i hope it hurts me as well as the characters #i hope the dynamics i have in my head get dashed against the rocks and then decimated by ocean waves #i hope i can look back upon these posts and cackle evilly at my past self's naivety #future me i just Know you're having a delightfully painful time. enjoy <3 ill catch up eventually <3

[muddi-gutz]

ughhh i hate it when my love for anything goes away it’s been happening more often 😭😭

#muddi thoughts #like i’m just trying to have fun why am i hating everything rn #i start doing something and five minutes/seconds later i’m bored/don’t want to do it

[kenobion]

Andrew Garfield - Q&A after a screening of tick, tick...BOOM! at the Hammer Museum

#sorry for the quality the footage was so muddy and dark #andrew garfield #my gifs #his expressions are so expressive and cute here though #and there is so much happening here with the hands #I am looking indeed #how is he that gorgeous then he's so well worded and thoughtful too #ugh wow #he bothers me in some kind of way unlike anybody else #sir hmu please anytime #my life could use some shaking up and excitement

[marley-manson]

Well I succumbed and watched the Pilot and first ep of Due South last night.

Really struck me how central the theme of Fraser's estrangement from his father is in the Pilot. Fraser mentioning that the last time they spoke was Christmas, essentially saying that the only times they speak are presumably brief calls at holidays. Gerard responding with a platitude - "I guess the more you know someone, the less needs to be said" - but it becomes quite clear that Fraser feels he doesn't know Bob at all, and has to learn about him through his journals.

And yet they're cut from the same cloth: "I always thought your father was the last of a kind. I was wrong - you are." And this is tied to the mountie stereotype lol.

Bob and Fraser both repeat the lines, "You're going to shoot a mountie? They'll hunt you to the ends of the earth," and they're both wrong. No one wants to pursue Bob Fraser's death except Fraser, and no one's happy with Fraser for solving the case because it uncovered corruption. He gets exiled for it. Bob and Fraser are the only mounties who "always get their man," lol, and it's because of Bob's neglect in the course of duty that Fraser follows in his footsteps and becomes so similar to Bob. He idealizes his father and wanted to grow up to be just like him - we can see that admiration in the drawing of him he finds in Bob's things that he made when he was a child eg, or in the song Superman that plays while Fraser reads his journal in the diner. But he doesn't know him. And he pursues duty above all else because he has nothing else of his father.

And then you have Ray, who seems to exist as the opposite of Bob. If there's one thing Ray is, it's there. He is there for Fraser to hunt down suspects, to invite him to a loud family dinner, to save him from an explosion, he tracks him down to apologize for being dismissive, to invite him to dinner, and he flies to the Yukon when he can't reach him by phone. In the diner scene in particular he's directly positioned as a contrast to Bob's absence both in life and death. Fraser is alone trying to understand his father through his journals (looking for something "he missed" ie his dad), and Ray joins him, ending the thematically significant song montage, and eases his solitude. Fraser says he doesn't have family, and Ray shares his own with him.

And after the pilot case, there's nothing drawing them together except friendship. They're not a mismatched pair of cops assigned together who have to learn to get along, they work together unofficially because they can't help but spend every waking moment together.

Bob represents absence and Ray represents presence, distant admiration vs actually knowing someone.

And I'll probably have more to say on that as like, poles Fraser is caught between, if/as I rewatch more of the show. Ray's position is a little muddy especially because pre VS he buys into Fraser's image to an extent, as pointedly examined in Heaven and Earth. But again, more on that another time.

#due south #boy do i have thoughts on heaven and earth that have been percolating for twenty years #i won't know for sure unless i rewatch it all but i feel like the first season is very thematically coherent and then it kinda #falls apart and gets muddy and contradictory. i last watched season 1 in 2014 and that was how i felt then at least #actually i'd say pilot -> vault is a cohesive thematic narrative and everything after that is extra. maaaaybe bird in the hand #marley on due south #text post #i don't think this will subsume my mash thing - it's an old nostalgia run and those never really become main fandoms - but i do think #it'll make a great side thing for a little bit #i never got the chance to talk much about this show back when i was first into it because i was a lurker then

[aurantia-ignis]

"Can I have this dance~"

Doodled this for animation practice. Also I miss them.

#portwell #they deserve it #and also because this is one of my favourite songs from the whole hsm series #I stared at the flower print dress and thought about animating that and said uh no put her in pink #drawing her braids without animating is already a pain but her braids are so cute.... #tbh I've never drawn Real People there was a part of me that went YOU NEED TO PAINT THEM TO MAKE THEM LOOK MORE LIKE THE ACTORS #but then I wouldn't be able to animate them without spending a whole month painting #and the point of this was animation LOL #anyway this turned out slightly better than I expected #I had a couple of extra hair movement frames but ultimately realised they muddied the flow and added nothing #that's today's takeaway from animation practice! #if anyone told me 5 years ago that my first human gif animation in years would be of a disney teen show with melodrama and a broken ship #I wouldn't believe them lol #but here we are #hsmtmts #my scribbles

[basofy]

friendshippp

#i realized while drawing this that ive been drawing bo's gloves wrong for years #thought they were entirely red #fake fan #my stuff #lisa the painful #bo wyatt #lisa jack #lisa bo #lisa rpg #also i should draw bo looking all muddy n ugly more

[corrodedcoughin]

Eddie would have a pair of crocs that eventually Steve starts wearing but won’t admit that then turns into crocs used by anyone that comes over to the house. Every fights over which charms are used and if sport mode is better ‘on’ or ‘off’.

#they are fucking MASSIVE so everyone is slapping g around in them like clown shoes #Eddie bought them that big so that nobody could run off and try to steal them #he was very sad when he had to leave the family crocs at Wayne’s place when he moved out #I maybe have very many thoughts about this that I’ll spare you all of #but Eddie defintely threatens to wear them out of the house and Steve refuses to be seen with him #if they get muddy he just wears them into the shower #I could go on… #stranger things #eddie munson #steddie #steve harrington #is this going to become a series? maybe. who knows. #I’d like to bring back my moth man and claw clip series too #Clawnon I miss you terribly

[serenity-the-firefly]

i dont think we give wolf 359 enough credit for having probably the best sound design of any fiction podcast. its so evocative and atmospheric while also being very restrained, and, crucially, easy to understand!!!

#i love fiction podcasts but unfortunately dont have the greatest audio processing skills #so its so nice to listen to w359 and a) be able to immediately tell who’s speaking and b) not have to worry about the foley #being muddy and difficult to parse #thoughts #wolf 359