#Obviously as an artist it feels the most in control - even to my own empathetic detriment! (It's not that serious lol)

[thefandomenchantress]

I think I get what that person is saying about people shrugging Ace off and being hypocritical because there is the part where Ace opens up to Teruko about him being basically afraid of everything and being in a constant state of panic and she kinda just laughs/shrugs it off which is so not cool, it was even before her whole going emo thing /j (sorry that was a bad joke, you get what I mean).

People are constantly shrugging off Ace whenever he opens up or attempts to open up to Ace and I don’t know about most people but me personally in a situation like this, if someone opened up to me and talked about their fears, how they can’t control their anger, or anything like that, the last thing I would do is shrug it off.

This cast just has a lot of teamwork and empathy issues as far as I can see. I do get your point of the characters not seeing as much as the audience has seen but at the same time it does feel like whenever a character does see one of Ace's breakdowns or explanations they just shrug it off altogether.

It is a very complex issue and I just hope at some point someone besides Teruko can hear what Ace is feeling because I think this situation with Ace could be solved/helped with just one empathetic person in the cast hearing him out.

I hope that all makes sense and isn't just a bunch of repeated information and points.

Sorry this has been in my inbox for…a few days, I think? I’ll be honest, the reason I put off responding to it was because I couldn’t really think of anything to say. I’m pretty sure I agree with all your points, for the most part.

I mean, if I thought that Ace was just a jerk who deserved all the treatment he got, I obviously wouldn’t be as obsessed with him and his writing as I am, haha.

Honestly, I do think Teruko shrugging off Ace’s sorta-trauma-dump when he tries to open up to her in the first chapter does say a lot about her and her past, (honestly I can’t believe I wasn’t enthralled with her as a protagonist at first I love her so much). Like, now that you pointed it out I can’t unsee how he’s actually trying to open up and Teruko’s literally like:

I mean I can’t stay mad at her for it because her ‘are you fucking serious’ sprite makes me laugh every time I see it, but still. She is just dismissing him, which isn’t very nice. She’s obviously judging him and not taking him seriously, which Ace probably noticed as his next sprite is one of his angry ones.

Honestly I think almost everyone in the class gets too caught up in their own issues (which is a very human flaw for them to have). I mean, every time one of the characters has a breakdown, I think someone in the cast is finally going to realize what that person is going through and help them through it…And then they just…don’t?

I mean. J is being harassed by Arturo for four days straight and we only see someone try to stop it once, Eden, and she doesn’t do a good job. Can someone please help this this poor effects artist?! I get that maybe someone tried to help off-screen, but since we don’t see it I can’t be sure that happened and honestly I don’t think it did. J has to force Teruko to help her because no one else is trying to, and she almost gets stabbed in the process. And I already rambled about no one helping Nico last time.

All this is to say that the more I think about it, the more I think you’re right. Almost everyone has had a mental breakdown at some point in DRDT (or in Whit’s case complete emotional detachment) and almost none of them get any comfort from others afterwards. Arei did, but David’s motives are…Questionable. Nico did too, but only after things got so bad they threatened Ace’s life.

I should clarify that none of what I said is meant to criticize the dev’s writing. If anything, this shows just how much I love it because can’t think of many other pieces of media where I would have this much to say. DRDT is just so INTERESTING! Every character, every character dynamic, every location and visual and piece of dialogue! Every time I rewatch a scene I find something new to overthink about. I love it so much. :)

Damn. Apparently I did have a lot to say after all. But yeah, I agree with you and you made great points, thanks for your input!

#i think my stance of ‘the Nico-Ace situation was literally everyone’s fault to an extent’ is either a great take or a horrible one #someone help nico why did no one help them until things got so bad they threatened ace’s life (not that they are blameless) #ace shouldn’t need someone to stop him from bullying nico but he does and no one is doing it #…maybe i should make an actual post about that sometime but i’m feeling passionate right now #danganronpa despair time #drdt #ace markey #drdt spoilers #j rosales #j moreno #answering inbox message thingys

[throughscreendoors]

i may destroy you 2.4

I’ve just been reminded of how great things can be. Was watching some Fran Lebowitz interviews on YouTube and she was commenting about how little great art there is, and how expecting masterpieces from artists is insane. If an artist creates one masterpiece, that’s an exceptional achievement—and many artists get worse over time, not better. Also many artists and writers never make a single masterpiece, let alone a single good or great thing. By extending her thinking there’s very little great anything, which is harsh but true—but I May Destroy You was great.

America teaches us to measure ourselves by what we consume. The high schooler who likes the obscure band tells everyone about it until it isn’t obscure anymore, and he has to find another one to brandish. Digital media disrupted that, because there’s no consensus or mainstream taste to snipe at from the fringes.

Algorithms have deconstructed the taste pyramid into a horizontally organized structure of some kind. We’re all ensconced in our own permeable bubbles, sure, but we don’t really make those bubbles anymore. Spotify or Netflix suggests things to us based on limited data points, we select those things and think we’ve chosen them. I thought for a while that irony died in the early 2000s, but it actually just got sharper; now you can ironically and unironically like obscure and popular art at once from a kind of superposition. Carly Rae Jepsen comes to mind here—she’s simultaneously recognizable pop icon and marginalized indie darling, authentic new voice and post-ironic pastiche.

There is no irony or sincerity anymore. They’ve welded together in an atom-wide scalpel that slices everything all the time in our words and preferences and values, so subtle we don’t even feel it. We recombine before we slide apart into a pile of flesh cubes.

That flattening of tastes has meant every created thing—whether widely recognizable or obscure—must fit into some algorithmically imagined category (or be made to fit one). Perhaps subconsciously fighting that trend, endless new meme formats have risen in response (a kind of organic algorithm, perhaps). A VSCO girl wears these shoes and takes photos from these angles; this is the lonely divorced dad starter pack; here is stock market boyfriend explaining GME and AMC to his astrology girlfriend using images created on 4chan for incels.

As algorithms slice us more and more precisely into bits and we reassemble those bits more and more astutely into formats we can understand, something strange is happening. New categories and dominant values are springing up that seem unassailable, protected by these two alternating currents—particularly around the messiest subjects. People who overcome trauma are heroes; the world can be divided into abusers and victims, oppressors and the oppressed. Implicit is that nobody really disagrees with these statements anymore, they just wield them as truths for different ends. The positions can be inverted, in other words, but those are the positions.

Part of what makes I May Destroy You so great is that it tears those unassailable categories down. On trauma and sexual assault, those in-the-know understand that trauma constitutes a reorganization of the brain. Memories can disappear and suddenly reappear. Our emotions can fluctuate wildly. People can pursue dangerous situations they wouldn’t otherwise; they can reverse on things they knew to be true for years instantaneously.

On the other side are people who don’t understand or refuse to learn these facts, people who trot out the same debunked arguments (why wouldn’t you report right away..., how is it you now conveniently remember..., why did you go along with it for so long..., etc). The beauty of the show is it uses that idea of the unassailable category against the viewer, in case they are skeptical. We follow Arabella’s consciousness; it behaves like it behaves. It’s our job to follow its oscillations and make sense of it.

By taking that simple stance, the show paints every character as both hero and villain, victim and abuser. It is nearly overwhelming how interconnected and interdependent everything in the show is—swallowing it all threatens to destroy the characters, as it does our own minds. It’s not a coincidence that the bar where much of the worst that happens in the show is called Ego Death.

There’s a new-age positivity that has seeped into the culture lately that we can heal from anything, we can infinitely grow and expand beautifully into ourselves and into the future. The show skewers that point astutely. In truth, you don’t heal from trauma—it’s a rupture in our consciousness, in the very structure we use to interface with reality. We don’t “heal” from these things, we die to the old version of ourselves. We reach forward and backward at the same time, experiencing joy and agony at once as we’re sliced into millions of pieces and recombined into a new structure. As we scan over that inner structure in our minds, we’re liable to come across pieces that don’t belong next to one another. That’s what we mean by “processing” something, be it a memory or ourselves. We may cry and laugh in the same breath.

It’s a real challenge to use art to deconstruct the entire cultural moment, while also offering a deep and rich representation of inner and outer worlds that aren’t seen very often on TV. It reminds me of the horror in the futuristic surrealism of Random Acts of Flyness, but more optimistic. It’s more generous in spirit than that, and it reaches into dangerous areas. The conclusion of the show threatens to infuriate the primary fan base the show is made for (in one of the truest artistic risks I’ve seen on television in some time). It has nuanced takes on feminism, veganism, consumerism, social media, consent, race and modern alienation, and it does it all in consistently experimental way with an amazing soundtrack and a huge heart.

It’s interesting to watch a British show as an American with all this in mind, as I think the majority of Americans don’t leave that phase of consumption. It’s tempting to hail a show like I May Destroy You as a way to call attention to yourself; it’s challenging, nuanced, empathetic and so on (and because I like it, I must also be those things, etc). I think watching the show is more of a wake-up call than that, and it feels false to use it that way.

Artists have such a privileged place in society. They are the most interesting and the most inspiring, and now everyone wants to be one. But there’s a difference between being creative and being a good artist. I don’t think being a good artist is an intrinsic thing in the way racists allege that race is intrinsic. Still, I do think good art has to come from some kind of novel experience of the world—and even that isn’t enough. It must be matched with virtuosity of some kind. Possessing both of those qualities is exceptionally rare.

Michaela Coel made something that feels entirely for her with this, and it’s incredible that she managed to. The pressure to give in to outside influence, to make things more digestible, to accept money for a lack of control is nearly overwhelming in my own experience; I assume it must be for others as well. I think maybe this is another mark of real artistry—when your desire to say something so outweighs the social pressure to stop you from saying it (obviously, this isn’t the only mark, just one of them).

What inspired me most about this is it’s a show that makes good on its promise. It makes you think about the darkest, most shameful parts of yourself that you would least like to share with the world and challenges you to start sharing them. It encourages the kind of self-examination that truly might destroy you—even if you’re not a victim of sexual assault. It’s a terrifying feeling, but the grace note of it all is that "you” are always being destroyed by outside forces, and you are also always recombining. What “you” means always contains its opposite, it seems to argue, and for that reason, we ought to be dangerously kind.

#I may destroy you #michaela coel #artists #tv review #artistry #fran lebowitz

[sorneth]

LFRP! Sorneth Caduceus

Art by @elizastarkart​​ , Paid Commission

Sorneth Caduceus

“Given my relatively small social circle, I’m seeking to meet some new faces and perhaps find some new adventures and stories to tell in the process. Perhaps you would be someone interested? Perhaps a bard like myself catches your eye, sparks your curiosity?”

The Basics ––– –

Age: 35

Birthday: December 21st

Race: Duskwight Elezen

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bi-sexual

Marital Status: Happily married, closed relationship.

Server: Balmung, Crystal Datacenter

Physical Appearance ––– –

Hair: Natural silver in hue and dusted with white highlights, it falls to mid neck in the front, and his shoulder blades in the back.

Eyes: A dark grey ‘white’ of his eye makes the moon white hues of each iris all the more vibrant. Strangely, they seem almost wolf-like in nature, though that could just be coincidence.

Height:  6'10 (208.28 cm)

Build: A militant style background, and strict upkeep have resulted in the sculpted muscle that makes up most of the Bowman's frame. Resulting in a tone that is well suited for agility, speed, and endurance.

Distinguishing Marks: 

Facial scar; Only about a year old, this wound was obviously left by a sword given it’s depth and path. It cuts down from his right brow, over the bridge of his nose, and down his left cheek almost to the jawline. 

Facial ink; intricate filigree like vines in dark grey ink adorn the right side of his face both above and below his right eye. 

Crest of the Wolf; Above his heart rests the bust of a wolf in black ink.

Common Accessories: 

Feather adorned hat; Rarely if ever seen without it, one might wonder if it’s removal or destruction would bring about the end of him with how attached he is to it. Weathered, but well cared for, it’s obvious that it’s been on every adventure the bard has had over the years.

Well made dragon scale collar; Stamped with a wolf’s head with an arrow in it’s jaws, the artisan made collar is of the bard’s own creation. An inch and a half wide black leather band circles his neck, with the outer surface wreathed in lavender hued scales from a dragoon’s signature armor. With a locking dog collar buckle at the back of the neck, and the crest of a dragon wrapped around an orchid at it’s front. The piece is both practical, and artistic in it’s design. The ‘d’ ring at it’s front also sports worry stone like pendant of a dark, night sky blue hue.

Silver orchid pendant; Strung from a sturdy chain and hangs low enough to kiss his collarbones, the pendant is as well worn as the holy symbol of a priest or paladin. 

Personal ––– –

Profession: Bard & Storyteller first and foremost.

Hobbies: Carpentry, Leatherwork, Hunting, writing

Languages: Eorzean Common, Thavnarian, Hingan, Doman, Garlean, The old tongue (amarotine/pre-sundering), Gelmorian, traditional Ishgardian, steppe-tongue, shroud-speak.

Residence: Forest cottage deep in the Dravanian Wilds

Birthplace: Whenever asked, the bard simply says ‘The Shroud’

Religion: Similar to the Nights Blessed of the First, he worships and reveres the Sunless sea, and it’s celestial keepers. The Guardian of time, the weaver of fate, and the twelve zodiacs.

Patron Deity: He holds a special fondness for the fateweaver 

Fears: The rage of Dragoons, the loss of his senses, being forgotten/erased by time.

Relationships ––– -

Spouse: Maxia Caduceus, Husband.

Children: None

Parents: Though they are alive, he’s never known them, nor has any memory of them.

Siblings: None that he’s aware of

Other Relatives: He may, he may not, he simply doesn’t know

Pets: A celestial wolf, not unlike a carbuncle, named Fenrir

Traits ––– -

* Bold your character’s answer.

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Additional information ––– –

Smoking Habit: Frequent, usually an herbal mixture of medications and male birth control - though he will on occasion dip into fogweed to quell his nightmares and dull the pain of flashbacks/painful memories. Drugs: Aside from what he smokes, he usually avoids such substances unless properly prescribed to him by a medical professional. Alcohol: On occasion. He drinks to taste, and no longer indulges in wine as much as he used to - on account that it makes him into one -very- flirtatious and amorous drunk. Though he has been known to enjoy absinthe with select company.

RP Hooks ––– –

The Wandering Bard; The man is not hard to find, and even harder to miss. From the music flowing from his harp within the taverns of Eorzea, to his enthralling stories told in the streets to groups of interested people or curious individuals. From the smallest settlements, to the big cities, his name his known as is his talent. All one needs is a genuine interest, and the bard is ever humbly at your service.

The Night Hunter; Only in circles of voidsent hunters, is his skills as a professional seasoned hunter known to his peers. With a reputation for clearing up to A-rank marks solo, he has never over his career failed a contract. For the right price, his bow is yours should you wish to hire him. Should you be tainted, marked, or a creature of the void or light yourself however? Be weary, for the wolf is always watching, and eager for a hunt.

Bad Dravanian Artisan; A bit of a guilty pleasure for the bard, his skills in leatherwork has been turned from a hobby into a marketed craft to the public. From collars, to leashes, floggers, whips, crops, bindings, and harnesses, he produces quality lifestyle and kink gear to interested customers. Custom works are also available to order, and the man takes pride in his every creation - even wearing and putting his own work to use himself. Stamped with his signature of a wolf’s head with an arrow in it’s jaws - it’s easy to trace his creations back to him.

The Secret Author; Under the pen name ‘Heliake Norrst’ the bard has written and produced a great number of books available in most book stores across the world, and in multiple languages for his international fan base. While his work varies in genre from adventure, to horror, mystery, and tragedy. It’s his Romance novels and Steamy erotica that’s made him world famous. Perhaps your character is a fan? Perhaps your character has been on a mission to find out who this mysterious and enigmatic author really is?

Lost in the woods; As one who hunts for his own food, leathers, pelts, and other materials for his craft. The bard is as much at home within the forests of the Shroud and the Coerthean wilds as he is within his cabin. It would not be far-fetched for him to cross someone lost, or having fallen victim to the erratic weather patterns or wildlife within those regions. Be it him happening upon someone while on a hunt, or having someone banging on his cottage door in want for help or shelter. Both are equally possible.

The Kind Traveler; The bard is not one to leave another at the mercy of fate, and even in his more ‘off the beaten path’ traveling it’s not an uncommon occurrence to come across another in need of aid. Nor is he hesitant to offer it. 

Contact Information  ––– –

Discord: Sorneth#6998 (Your free to add me if your interested in RP! I -do- do discord RP, but I’m not the best at it in terms of keeping up.) Tumblr: Your looking at it! (Completely IC blog, unless it’s a direct message. You will get IC responses) In game: Sorneth Caduceus (I’m -very- whisper friendly! So poke me anytime!) Carrd: Here

Seeking: Connections, RP Opportunities, New RP partners to write with in addition to the two lovely people who I RP with already.

Additional Questions? Please feel free to contact me to your hearts content, I’m about as threatening as a newborn kitten and I promise I’m likely way more anxious and afraid of you, then you are of me. <3 So pour upon me questions, concerns, or plot ideas!

@mooglemeet​

#LFRP #ooc? #ooc #Sorneth #profile #now to work on asks! #and things I was tagged in #So sorry for delays #I've been a bit ill

[margotverger]

The Planets of Hannibal Lecter

As some of you might be aware, I’m very much into astrology. I’m also very much into Hannibal (obviously) as a show, so as you can imagine, it’s one of my favourite things to do to headcanon astrological stuff about these guys. However! In Hannibal’s case, a headcanon may not be necessary. Since his canon birthday is available, let’s look to see what (logically) his placements are. I actually possess an astrological book with a guide to planetary placements throughout the years, so I’ll be referencing that (the book is Joanna Martine Woolfolk’s The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need, for those who are interested). The birthday is listed here:

As we can see, his birthday is August 7th, 1966 (I believe that’s 1966, anyway). Ironically, I was just headcanoning Will’s age and birthday and I remember the common theory/fact? that went around some time ago that showed that Will and Hannibal were 6 years apart both in showcanon and bookcanon, and I had decided on Will being born on 1972 and so I already interpreted Hannibal as being a ‘66 kid. Glad to see I was sort of on the money, haha. A lot of this information that I’ve put down for you to understand the placements is a culmination of my own knowledge, with a little help from the same book. 

Anyway! So, let’s begin. Warning: this is a long one. 

His sun sign is in Leo, meaning that his basic identity is ego-orientated, dramatic, confident (yet a fragile ego) and bold. Leo is a fixed sign, which indicates that his basic nature is that of a stubborn, perfecting nature; he finds it hard to move from things, he is not the most initiative of people (he can be more reactive) nor is he necessarily adaptable when it comes to his identity. Leos are fire signs, which are known for their emotional intensity, their passion and their ferocity. Leos are also associated with the Lion, which indicates a feline nature as well as an association with pride. Similar to Libras, they have a vain nature, but Leos I would argue are more passionate and emotionally involved, their egos are more easily wounded and they’re much more vocal about their wounded egos (Mizumono, anyone?)

His moon sign is in Taurus, meaning that his emotional instinct is indulgent, stubborn, pleasure seeking, materialistic, and romantic. Taurus is ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty, harmony and love; however, as opposed to its other Venusian sign (Libra), Taurus is a fixed Earth sign. They seek pleasures in the material world, they are possessive and physical, they don’t just want to think and appreciate beauty from a distance; they need it. The moon actually exalts in Taurus, so this is actually a really good placement for him, the lucky bastard. 

His mercury sign is Leo. Like his sun, he is dramatic and bold in his thought process; he is prideful and prone to arrogance, while having a fragile ego that conceals his repressed insecurities. Mercury is the planet of thought and communication, of processing and ideas, of messaging and travel. With Mercury in Leo, Hannibal is naturally gifted in eloquence; he possesses a magnetic charm that allows him to control things with ease, including others. There is a tendency to prefer to play than work hard, but there is a determination to succeed and to succeed well (especially if we look to his other placements). Mercury in Leo turns a person to someone who admires theatre and performance, and often their whole life feels like a stage; they are happy when on display (think of his performance as a serial killer, his irritability when others take credit). Mercury in Leos resent tediousness.

His Venus sign is Cancer. Venus is the planet of beauty, love, aesthetics, vanity and indulgence. To a Venus in Cancer native, being loved takes precedence over many things. In fact, in some natives’ charts, it can be the most important thing of all. In Hannibal, we see that manifest; indeed, he destroys his life, he may even abandon every one of his whims, desires, higher purposes, if only to be closer to the man he loves. He is a terrible romantic, sensitive and desperate. He hides this though, as all Cancerian Venuses do; he suppresses this need to be loved and to love in return beneath a mask, because until needs (whatever needs they may be depends on the person) are satisfied, romance is not worth pursuing, because if they want love it must be perfect - similar to its polar opposite Capricorn in love. There is an insecurity in Venus in Cancer - they want to be pursued, because they want their partners to prove that they want them. Of course, Cancer is cardinal, so it is more initiative than it seems, but they may be the sort to trick their partner into thinking they’re doing the first move, when in actuality Venus in Cancer put the stepping stones in place. Consider Hannibal’s seduction of Alana, Alana’s feeling of control and equality in that relationship; consider Hannibal’s relationship with Will, how he subtly tries to establish a dependency which then hides his own future dependency on Will. Even Bedelia, he approaches, and he allows Bedelia to think she has the power, but in actuality he is always the one in control. But he is intensely at love’s mercy, and when he finds someone worthy of all of his divine love, it is sensual, demonstrative, intense, sentimental and highly loyal - in Hannibal’s case, to its darkest extreme. Should be noted that Cancer is associated with mothers and nurturing, as well as family and children, and consider Hannibal’s maternal connection to others.

His Mars sign is Cancer. Mars is the planet of aggression, passion, drive and sex. Cancer subdues Mars somewhat; I believe it may be in detriment (since Capricorn exalts in Mars). Cancer Mars people such as Hannibal have a great strength of will, but not many people are aware of it. Hannibal appears soft, easy and well-mannered to people, and not everyone is aware of his method of attack (consistency, dedication, an unending will to get what he wants). He is naturally prone to an artistic, emotive nature. In sex, he is emotional and intuitive, and views sex as an extension of an artistic pursuit. He has to have involved partners, or he will just abandon them. There is a tendency to cling to relationships that may not be emotionally satisfying, or make him unhappy. He is prone to suppressing his anger until it comes out only in volatile outbursts or nervous irritability. Very well regarded for emotional work and breadth of vision.

His Jupiter is Cancer. Jupiter is the planet of benevolence, optimisim, luck, good will and other good things. It can also be too idealistic, too blind to bad things, etc. When in Cancer, it is very happy! Hannibal then is blessed with a good disposition and a natural sense of humour when approaching everything else. We can see this manifest especially in his sense of humour in dire situations, such as when Mason kidnapped him and Will. Generally, he approaches everything with a good nature (not good actions), and is optimistic towards himself and his own luck; he is aware of it. He has a natural popularity (which we can evidently see) which is helped by his Libra rising (more on that in another post). Jupiter in Cancer often indicates luck with money and especially inheritance, which we see manifest in the case of Hannibal very well, considering his nobility and his successful practise. He has an appreciation for antiques and food. Jupiter in Cancer folk often are incredible chefs.  (Disclaimer: however, not all JiC people are cannibal serial killers). 

His Saturn is Pisces. Saturn is the planet of patience, criticism, time and difficulty; where Saturn falls in a chart can indicate struggle before achieving perfection. Pisces is a deeply mystical, spiritual sign, associated with the higher realm. So, combining these, Saturn therefore doesn’t favour material success but rather perfection in a spiritual sense. Although Hannibal does love his material goods (see his Taurus Moon for example, and his braggadocious Leo sun/Mercury), he doesn’t value them on a soul level - they merely satisfy his sense of pride and serve as a medal of his achievements. Deep down, he is rather more interested and satisfied by something deeper. Hannibal is not religious but as I’ll mention later, God does factor into his character a lot, which does give him this spiritual energy. 

Pisces is deeply imaginative, associated with dreams; Saturn in Pisces natives such as Hannibal possess vivid imaginations and capabilities to think of the strange and wonderful, which then are translated into creative work. Hannibal is no doubt a very artistic person, although his art is gruesome and vicious, his killings are considered an art form even within the canon text. Hannibal has a natural air of sympathy and understanding that stems from a good intuition, which draws people to him instinctively; Saturn is also the planet of the father, so the paternal energy combined with the empathetic nature of Pisces makes him a figure of comfort and (oftentimes) projection that others seek. We know Hannibal to be capable of incredible empathy, he merely weaponizes (and monetises) it. 

Saturn in Pisces, more than any other Saturnian position, are sensitive to the harshness and viciousness of the world. Hannibal was introduced to violence at a young age, and has always understood and seen violence. He is aware that there is an evil in everyone, and believes that evil is inherent. In his case, he wants to pull it out - it’s probably to satisfy his suspicious Virgo Pluto, and to comfort his inner traumatised child, who was taken aback by it and so, when one is aware of others’ evil because it is right in front of you, you can’t be hurt by it. There is a child-like nature to Saturn in Pisces. Try as Hannibal might, he can’t run from the traumatised child inside him. 

His Uranus is Virgo. Uranus is the planet of the eccentric, the strange and innovation. It is quite similar to Pluto in the idea that they are both transformative in nature, but Uranus tends to be a much more extravagant, lofty kind, as opposed to the karmic darkness associated with Pluto. Virgo is the sign of servitude, healing, perfectionism and criticism. With Uranus in Virgo, the power of Uranus manifests as a capability to analyse and use facts well; Uranus in Virgo natives have a natural intuition combined with potent common sense, giving them a heightened awareness of the world and a way to navigate the world intelligently. They have a need to improve the world, while seeking complete autonomy in the process of fulfilling their ideals. They reject authority. Their independence can be heavily noticed by others and registered as strange or unusual. 

Hannibal is on a mission to transform the world in his idea of perfection; he rebels against God, manifesting himself as Lucifer among the living. He is the image of rebellion, against morality, against logic, against anything and everything. Yet he does it not for the sake of chaos necessarily but for the sake of chaos as a tool of higher ability. He wants to shape the world so that others embrace their most carnal, spiritual, raw selves as creatures of cruelty and passion, similar to the image of the Christian God (who loves and in His love causes immense suffering even through His worshippers). 

TW warning for mention of (real life) cults, but very vaguely.

His Neptune is Scorpio. Neptune is an outer planet, a generational planet, and Neptune is the planet of the vague, dreams, mysticism, confusion; it is associated with the sea and so we can imagine that Neptune is a planet of depths, some completely baffling to us. Where Neptune falls in our chart shows our greatest source of creative inspiration (it is the higher octave of Venus) and aestheticism, and also our most confusing issues, where people misinterpret us or where we have a less than solid understanding/way of handling something. 

Scorpio is the sign of intensity, sex and death. With Neptune in Scorpio, Hannibal is drawn to what is hidden from public view (the darkest parts of people’s psyches), to the areas of death, sex, possibly the depraved, the taboo (his reasons from being a psychiatrist, his time as a surgeon, his serial killer-y-ness in general). Neptunian Scorpios are capable of immense innovation, invention, and are generally drawn to sciences, medicines and genetics because of what they represent. Interestingly, unrelated to Hannibal, during the Neptune in Scorpio generation (1955-1970), there was a breakdown of sexual taboos in society (the swingin’ 60s, the beginning of the free love 70s), as well as a revival in belief of the supernatural, and one of the most notorious cults committed their grandest actions of cruelty during the Neptune in Scorpio era. 

His Pluto is Virgo. Pluto is the planet of transformation, re-invention, it’s a huge karmic planet and it is a very intense one. It’s also a generational planet. In Virgo, Virgo is the sign of servitude, perfection, criticism, communication and analytical thought. So, when a person has a Virgo Pluto, they are naturally gifted with a profound capability for analysis, for being able to see deep within the layers of people. They are intensely devoted to perfection, but are suspicious and fault-seeking in the world around them. May have a paranoid nature that is concealed. With Hannibal, we can see this nature, but he hides his nature very well; the only time his Virgo attributes really come out is when he’s trying to take advantage of them so others warm up to him (i.e fussing over his imperfect past in order to get pity). However, he clearly does have a very paranoid, pessimistic view of the world - he distrusts even God. He is constantly seeking perfection and can even be prone to idealism in search of it. 

Interestingly, during this era, the civil rights movement really saw success, and the feminist movement was growing in the mid 1960s (around the time Hannibal was born). Although this was very American-centric, Hannibal was born into a time of radical change, of growth and medical advancement. Unfortunately for Hannibal, he likely didn’t see the boons of this until later, but no doubt the Virgo-Pluto energy reached his home life in some other, probably much darker manner. 

So, in summation: we can see a theme of luxury, perfectionism, intense emotion, spirituality, sensitivity, pride and creativity. Actually, Hannibal’s chart fits him very well, in my opinion, and only furthers my opinion that the fanon belief that he is some cold heartless manipulator who only feels genuine emotion for Will is completely wrong. After all, what he feels for Will is powerful (and I will write more astrological compatible stuff for them soon) but he feels love deeply, and for a multitude of things. He is just also the worst manifestation of these traits.

Also, a disclaimer: just because you have these placements, doesn’t mean you’re as bad as Hannibal or are like, evil. Hannibal is a fictional character and his fictional chart represents only the neutral state of the stars and how he manifests as a character is a representation of underdevelopment and the general evil of his nature etc etc. If you do have these placements though, tell me if you resonate with it or relate to Hannibal! 

I’ll write a post on Hannibal’s House placements as well, as well as Will’s planets and houses too. Once there’s easily accessible information about the basic nature of their charts, I’ll start writing synastry posts as well, analysing the relationship through an astrological lens.

Thank you for reading this kind of pointless character study-type thing. Mwah.

#hannibal lecter #nbc hannibal #hannibal meta #character study #hannibal astrology #m #the planets of hannibal lecter

[lovemesomesurveys]

[[ Random Survey Questions // By @x-hallie-x ]] 1. When was the last time you just wanted to be alone? What about the last time you really wanted to be around people? I’m someone who needs alone time. It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m upset or anything, I just like time alone. I like to put my headphones in and listen to ASMR and do some surveys, read, color, or whatever. However, I get in these moody moods most days and I like to be alone and not talk to anyone. I just keep to myself. It’s for the best cause I don’t make good company when I’m like that cause I’m not talkative and if I do talk it’ll be short and clipped. I feel like my negative energy will drain and consume you. I get like that when other people are in moody moods, so I feel bad for those who are around me when I’m in mine, which like I said, is quite often. As for the last time I wanted to be around people, I like to spend a lot of time with my mom. I can be a bit clingy. I don’t like being around people much these days apart from my immediate family.

2. Have you ever gone somewhere in your pajamas? What makes this acceptable or unacceptable to you? Yeah, quite often nowadays. It’s funny to me how I let myself go out the house these days when once upon a time I’d never go out in my pajamas or without makeup. The only time I did that was if I was really sick and going to the doctor. I just don’t have the energy or care enough to put the effort most of the time anymore. Not to mention, I don’t go out much except to the doctor. And to Wal-Mart a couple times a month.

3. Other than the usual things like IDs, etc, what do you always carry with you when you go out? I mean, just my purse with the typical things like my wallet and phone. The only different thing is I always bring my medicine with me.

4. If you were to go on a picnic, what type of setting would you prefer, what types of food would you bring, and would you bring anyone along with you? Picnics sound cute and all, but I’m so not an outdoorsy type of person and whenever I’ve ate outside like for a BBQ or something, there’s always the nuisance of flies and other bugs. It’s not enjoyable to me. How about an indoor picnic? lol.

5. What is one song you feel as though you sing particularly well, if any? Haha I can’t sing, but I do admit that I find it’s easier to sing along to alternative songs by male artists. *shrug*

6. Have you ever kept a mood chart or anything like that? Did it help you pick up any useful patterns in your moods? Nah.

7. What was the last lengthy task you completed? Hmm. I like to color a lot and the coloring book I have has pages that are quite detailed and take some time to finish. I finished one last night.

8. Do you look toward the future or focus more on the here and now? Are you good at being in the moment, or do you always feel drawn to worrying about other things? The future scares me and I just can’t think so far ahead when I have so much going on in the here and now to think and dwell upon. I have to just take it day by day. My mind always feels very scattered and jumbled and like it’s just racing all the time with all the million different thoughts. It’s hard to focus on things.

9. What does it mean to you to have empathy? Do you think you’re an empathetic person? An empathetic person is someone who feels and shares emotions of others. I do think that I’m a empathetic person. I can feel the mood of someone else and I’ll feel that way, too. It’s like I take on what they’re feeling. If someone is in a bad mood and/or there’s tension, I’ll definitely feel it. I hate seeing people hurting and upset.

10. What was the last thing you did that was particularly selfish? What about selfLESS? I feel like I’ve been really selfish these past couple years. I was going to just take a little time to focus on myself and my health, but things took unexpected turns for the worse at times and I’ve spent more time than I planned on. I’ve been so in my own head. I have completely distanced myself and have withdrawn from everyone. I haven’t been able to be a good friend or be there for others like I would like to be, and like I used to be. 11. What is something about your life that is currently beyond your control? Certain health things and such.

12. What is one small thing you could do to change about your life for the better? I could start taking better care of myself and doing things that I need to be doing that would help quite a bit. Simple things like drinking protein shakes and taking my vitamins, for instance.

13. What type of photography do you enjoy looking at? Do you take any photos yourself, and if so, what types of things do you prefer to photograph? I’m not a professional photographer by any means, but I like taking photos of certain things with my phone and I think it takes pretty good photos. I like to take scenic, nature-y type photos. I have a lot of photos of my pup cause she’s so darn cute. (: I enjoy looking at nature and scenic type stuff, as well as aesthetically pleasing photos.

14. Have you ever gone out for the black friday shopping rush? Did you enjoy it, or not so much? Or, what’s the busiest shopping day you’ve ever experienced? Nah, I don’t want to deal with the crazy crowds. There’s way too many people who take it way too seriously and it can really get out of hand. You hear so many stories about people getting hurt. It’s really not worth all that. I do my shopping from the comfort of my own home and it’s great. Many stores online have already started their Black Fridays deals.

15. Do you enjoy reading diaries or stories you wrote from when you were younger, or does it embarrass you? If you’ve kept them, was there a particular reason for hanging on to them so long? Yeah, I look back at my old diaries once in a great while. Most of it is pretty cringe-y. haha. It’s funny to look back on some of the stuff and see what has changed. Some of it is sad. I just find it interesting to read things from middle school and freshman/sophomore me.  I like looking back at surveys I’ve done, too, for the same reason.

16. What would you say was your first true hobby? What about your most recently developed one? Does playing Barbies count cause I was obsessed. As for most recently developed one, I’ve been really into coloring the past couple years in a few adult coloring books that I have. I got the fancy colored pencils and everything.

17. Is there one thing that throws off your mood more than others, whether it be lack of sleep, lack of food, heat // cold, etc? & when was the last time you felt especially cranky? Oh hangry is a real thing. Same if I don’t have my coffee. Being too hot makes me moody, too.

18. What are some ways you deal with stress? Are these healthy or helpful to you? I don’t deal with stress well, if at all sometimes. I try to just distract myself and avoid when possible.

19. What advice, if any, would you give someone else in your situation? I really don’t know, man. I can’t even seem to help myself.

20. In general, are you the type to feel comfortable giving advice? Has anyone ever come to you for advice and you had no idea what to tell them? I used to be the one my friends would come to for advice, and I always wanted to be there and help others whenever I could. Of course there were times when I didn’t know what to say, but I did what I could, even if that was just lending an ear. I used to be a good friend. 21. What is one common area of life in which you feel you have little to no experience (college, children, marriage, etc)? Relationships and having a job. I’ve never had a job, and I really have never had a relationship, either. I’ve had someone who we called each other boyfriend and girlfriend, but it really wasn’t a relationship. I had what I had with Joseph, but that wasn’t a relationship either even though it felt like it in some ways. I think looking back it’s just because that’s all I knew and I wanted it to be real and be something more than it really was. Obviously then I’ve never been married, so I have no experience with that and I don’t plan on that changing. As for children, I don’t have any of my own nor I do ever plan to, but I’ve been around children in my life so I have some experience with that in some way.

22. What kinds of things are you likely to complain about? Being hungry, feeling sick, being hot, my health.

23. Besides money, what is something you would like to have more of in your life? I would like to be passionate about something and just feel fulfilled in life.

24. What types of blogs do you like to follow? If you have a tumblr, how has your blogging style changed over the years, if at all? Well, apart from survey blogs of course, I follow various fandom blogs for like Alexander Skarsgard and other movies/TV stuff I enjoy. I also follow some food/dessert blogs, seasonal (fall and winter) and Halloween and Christmas blogs, and then just ones that post quotes and aesthetically pleasing photos and such.

25. Do you like to put any extra effort into your food in terms of presentation, or do you prefer to just put it on a plate and eat it as it is, no frills? Haha nah. I only make Top Ramen and things I can zap up in the microwave.

26. When was the last time you were mean or rude to someone else? How about the last time someone acted that way toward you? I get snippy in my moody moods. I can get salty as the kids say. I don’t even want to be around me. Whenever someone is like that towards me I’m just like wow, this is how other people feel when they’re around me when I’m in the moods, which I get in a lot. Not a fun thing to be around.

27. What kinds of things are most likely to make you lose your temper? Have you ever done something regrettable or embarrassing while angry? I’m not one to get angry easily, but there are a few times that come to mind where I was shaking mad. If I’m that mad, it was something big. I do get irritable, annoyed, and frustrated easily, but angry really takes a lot.

28. What has stood out about this day in particular? Has this day been an average day in terms of what you usually experience? Nothing really, but it’s only 1:10AM. So far it’s been pretty average, though.

29. How would you describe your current mood? Do you experience a lot of highs and lows or are your moods relatively stable? What is the most your mood has changed in a day? I don’t feel well, I’m tired, and I’m hungry. I’m going to eat when I’m finished with this, though. I talked about my mood a lot already in this survey and how I get in these awful moods just about everyday. Sometimes it’s particularly extra than other days. Sometimes it doesn’t last long, sometimes it lasts all day. I don’t get the highs, just the low-lows and the blahs.

30. Do you remember what it was that got you into taking surveys in the first place, or why you initially decided to stick with them? Where did you originally start out taking surveys? Are there any blogs you recommend (lol, I’m always looking for more surveys!)? I think I saw someone else post them on Myspace and it interested me. I was hooked ever since and I see no sign of stopping yet. @thedarkeststarsurveys @ssurveys @toomanysurveys9 @littlesurvs @suckitsurveys @surveysonfleek @joobean2107 are all great to name a few.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

[lsmithart]

Interview transcript with Philip Tatton (Level 6 BA (Hons) Student at Plymouth College of Art) 04.02.21

Interview transcript with Philip Tatton (Level 6 BA (Hons) Student at Plymouth College of Art) about his experience of Cathy Wilkes’ Exhibition ‘Untitled’ (2019) for the Great Britain Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale.

Interview conducted Thursday 4th February 2021 at 14:38.

Key questions by the interviewer are highlighted in bold.

Interviewer: How would you describe your overall experience of the show at the Great British Pavilion?

Philip: Okay, so, what I remember is that we had to go back to the Great British Pavilion because the first time we were going to go in there there was actually quite a big queue. It was almost like a bit of a frantic time around there because I had already seen quite a lot of art and there were other places that I knew I wanted to go and because of the kind of political state of things at the time, I was almost anti-British Pavilion before I even went in there because I thought well, you know, it was just after Brexit and stuff wasn’t it so it was like, well, I had quite a bad opinion of our own country. So I went off and I think I went and saw France, and France (the French Pavilion) I was really into it, I really enjoyed it. It was very environmentally conscious and then I kind of had to do this double backing and it was definitely the second half of the day so I was also feeling quite tired by the time I got there. When I got in there, I think we were together when we saw it - I think you were there. I remember you being really into it and I was just kind of, compared to some of the other things that I had seen where there was a sense of grandiosity or a sense of an event or an occasion, when I went in there the light was quite… it was quite a white (sort of) it wasn’t bright, it was quite low key - quite a low key feel to the room. I went in and there were a few people, it was very quiet in there… it was very subdued. There was nothing in the first room that drew my eye, that made me want to engage with it. Compared to some things I’d seen that were quite ‘showy’ or had strong cultural forms, which I suppose I am drawn to. It was like, there was almost like a table (was it a table?), or was it a viewing box - what are they called those viewing boxes with the glass? 

Interviewer: A display box?

Philip: Yes, like a display box…. Like a giant display box. So then the thing with something like that is that the emphasis is on the person to have to engage with the work rather than the thing being there and you just either get it or you’re not going to get it. So I think because of my state of mind I was thinking I only have a certain amount of energy left, I’ve seen a load of stuff already, my brain’s already quite full. It just didn’t really, I mean, looking at it now and knowing you and the very sensitive, delicate nature of how you, not only your work but also what would speak to you, if for example I was going to see Cathy Wilkes, or a Cathy Wilkes exhibition on her own then I could have maybe prepared for it and I would of been more aware of what I was getting myself into, but as I’d not come across her before it was… I remember us talking about how we were going to get through the Arsenale as when we went into the Giardini we sort of went in cold and so half way through I was quite full. I remember you said that you were just going to go and see everything and then come back to the things that I want. I thought that was a really good idea, but then there were so many good things at the start of it that I thought I just can’t rush through this. That did actually work as a lot of what I thought were the better artists were at the first half of the day…

Interviewer: You’re digressing a bit Phil from the original question.

Philip: Sorry, what was the original question again? 

Interviewer: How would you describe your overall experience of the show at the Great British Pavilion?

Philip: Yes, so this feeds into it. My overall experience was that I wasn’t disappointed, but I didn’t feel like I wanted to engage with the work. I felt that it was almost on such a different vibration to what I was on. I was feeling quite energetic but also tired, and I think it was asking me to do quite a lot of work which, also on an emotional level as well, you know, I was not prepared to have to open up my sensitivity in that way at that time. I didn’t know who she was going to be, I didn’t know what work she would be showing. You probably went in thinking “oh great, it’s Cathy Wilkes I love her work”.

Interviewer: I’d actually never heard of her before. I didn’t know who she was either.

Phil: Oh wow, okay. So, I suppose, I do remember the ladder structure and I remember thinking that the ladder was kind of interesting as the way in which we have been taught, especially in the second year, about how an object (especially an abstract form) can be used as a language to talk and express something that is very difficult to put into words. So I did look at that for a bit and it did catch my eye a little bit, but the table… you remember, I was quite frustrated. I think I was actually like well “what is this?” You know, on a vibrational level, it just didn’t click with me and I needed it to click with me.

Interviewer: So do you think it was your response to the work and you not wanting to open that empathetic response in order to engage with the work that stopped you from being able to engage with it?

Philip: I think that there could be many reasons why I didn’t engage with it. 

Interviewer: Because for me, the difference between me and you is that I think I often don’t regulate my emotions very well so things will reach into me and I don’t have much choice in it because I don’t have a very good boundary in that respect, whereas I think you do.

Philip: I don’t know whether you want to record this but I will talk to you about it… Over the past week I’ve been talking about how I have been dealing with being upset through my break up. I wouldn’t say I have turned a corner but what I have been thinking about recently is about how I access my emotions. I was trying to explain it to Andy and I was saying to him that it almost seems like I am either completely miserable and unhappy, and feeling horribly, horribly, horribly miserable or not. I don’t know if it’s men as a generalisation but, for me, the thing that I realised is that what I am afraid of is having to do something and while I am doing that thing, also feeling. So, I was supposed to be doing something with Stu, we were supposed to be going for a bike ride and he planned it, it was going to be a bit of an event. I woke up on that day and felt really sad - I didn’t really want to do anything but I thought, you know what, Stu is my best friend, certainly my best male friend and he’s the most susceptible to emotion. His emotional intelligence is the greatest of my male friends, and so he is going to be the most accepting if I say “look, I don’t really want to do that but I do want to do something and allow myself to possibly feel sad while I am doing it - or allow myself the opportunity that if I do feel sad, I want to feel it”. I think that’s the thing that you might be able to generalise with men because men are told that feeling our emotions is not okay; apart from anger. We don’t feel that it’s okay and so that’s the journey. So, I think that if I were to go and see it now, because I am almost practicing this part of allowing myself to feel sad while I’m doing something, then I might well be a lot more… The boundary, or the wall if you like, is not as strong. 

Interviewer: Yeah.

Philip: But when I got there, I was buzzing, but I also knew that I only had a certain amount of energy left and so I was being quite choosy about where I put that energy. And also… this is also about the boundary between the artist and the audience. You know, what she is offering that is coming from the art had a certain resonance, there was a certain way in which you could interact with that art in order to get the fullness of an experience from it. I was just not in the right place to gain that benefit.

Interviewer: Okay. Right next question then, what stood out to you the most about the show?

Philip: Well, it’s interesting because talking to you afterwards, I think you said on several occasions that it was one of your favourite pieces or your favourite piece and because I put a value on your perspective, I felt a bit gutted and like I missed out on something. I remember talking to you about the sort of table thing, and that was in a sense, there was a sense of grandness from that. I thought that was kind of interesting, it reminded me of like… it could almost be like a map, like when I was a kid we used to get remote control cars and you would make a small map for you to drive the cars around the map. It had that sense of scale, that sense of (inaudible) Jason and the Argonauts films, you’d have a God standing up and there would be like a map of the world underneath them and there would be moving figures. There’s almost a sense of like a viewing point, and to possibly give a perspective. So that’s kind of interesting but I think, at the time, the thing I was most interested in was the ladder because it had some kind of bodily form. I don’t know what it did but it kind of spoke to me maybe of how a child might see an adult - I don’t know.

Interviewer: Yeah. I mean it’s interesting that you think of it as a ladder because it doesn’t really look like a ladder but it also does. It’s got like a remnant of a ladder form because it’s structured and has multiple storeys. But it is actually a strange form which is open to interpretation and you’ve interpreted it as a ladder.

Philip: Okay, yeah. Or like one of those (inaudible) chairs.

Interviewer: Yeah, and obviously from researching her work I’ve learned a lot about how her work is about kind of coming towards something that you don’t quite know and so you are perceiving aspects of it but you’re also not able to, and so it’s like that limbo experience which makes it interesting that you say you’ve been so frustrated by it because I think, to a certain extent, that was her intention. Um, because it’s like she is wanting to give stuff away but she also isn’t, and so it’s playing on your feelings and even though you weren’t able to resonate with it in a positive way, it still made you have a reaction to it… which is interesting. But that’s kind of what I’m talking about in the essay… Even though empathy is a shared experience and it’s understanding, there is also another layer to it, which is where you’re still able to empathise because you’re still able to understand aspects of it, but there also aspects of it that you can’t - or some people can’t. It’s quite hard to write about though because it’s obviously quite subjective, as every person experiences it differently.

Philip: Yeah, but that’s the thing you want to be writing about because that’s the stuff they want in your dissertation. So, do that. 

Interviewer: Wait, what do you mean?

Philip: The stuff you were just saying to me, you know your ideas about it, your thoughts about it.

Interviewer: Yeah, well I have written about that, I just need another voice of research to park in there. So, anyway… next question then. What were your thoughts on the curation of the objects / inclusion of everyday/familiar objects? So, this could be your current thoughts from looking at the photographs you’ve seen today, or anything that comes to mind.

Philip: Well I think that’s fine because it was second year, and the second year was a really good time for us to see that exhibition because a lot of the stuff, for me, in the second year was about developing the language of art. So, we had already covered everyday objects in our GCOP lectures and so there wasn’t… I didn’t have a reaction against everyday objects, I pretty much accepted them and I suppose as far as that’s concerned, she seems to use those everyday objects really well as far as they seem to fit in with her curation of how she shows objects with other objects. There’s not a disparity between the things she may have made or the things she’s found and included.

Interviewer: Okay.

Philip: I suppose in that sense, it’s a great skill to have.

Interviewer: Yeah. So, specifically in relation to the objects themselves as you’re talking quite generally, the objects that she used… 

Philip: Okay, I’m having a quick look. I like the sort of torn, bedraggled table cloth on the round table. I think that speaks a lot about how… the consumerist, 2.1 children, keeping up with the Jones’, kind of feeling you’ve got to have a nice table cloth, you know, that’s about what you present to the world… but actually this table cloth is ruined. It’s pretty and all the right things are there but the way in which it’s presented is it’s awful, it’s bedraggled, it’s too long, it’s not put together properly, it’s on the floor, it’s dirty. So that’s really well done. I actually also quite like the washing bowl. The dirty, offwhite washing bowl. I think that’s about how we will automatically relate to everyday objects, and what’s more everyday than a washing bowl? You know, and what are the connotations of a washing bowl? Well it’s dirt but it’s also cleanliness, labour, it’s attentiveness… you know, they say good people wash, you’ve got to be clean, all that stuff. I suppose the further thoughts on that are about what is clean, and why do we have to be clean? The whole boring repetitiveness of cleaning clothes, drying clothes, wearing clothes, cleaning clothes… and therefore the whole repetitiveness and mundane qualities of living.

Interviewer: Okay. That’s very helpful because you’re talking exactly about what I am discussing in my essay. Did you feel that you understood the work and therefore empathised with the artist/context as a result? If so, what do you feel helped you to feel like that? If not, why do you think that is?

Philip: No not at all. 

Interviewer: As you didn’t, why do you think that is?

Philip: I just wasn’t, emotionally, in the right place when I saw the work. I can look at it now, and I can read it like a book. Well certainly I don’t think I’m reading it in the same way that you read it because I think you’re a lot more sensitive than perhaps I might be. So, no I didn’t - I just wasn’t in the right place at the time.

Interviewer: Okay so obviously from what you’re saying now, that indicates that you are able to empathise with the context from what you’ve just said about all of those things to do with the objects. So, at the time you didn’t, but as you’re reading it now, in the same way as at the moment we’re having to view exhibitions online, now that you’re viewing it as an almost online exhibition, you are now able to empathise with it as you are able to read it. What do you feel has helped you to feel like that now that you are able to read it?

Philip: The education in my Fine Art degree.

Interview: Yes - but you talked a lot about familiarity and so, if you’re reflecting on it, what is it that helps you to make up your mind about how you’re reading the work? For example, is it knowing and understanding about the artist more, or is it the familiarity within certain aspects of it.

Philip: I think it’s being more open to it emotionally. 

Interviewer: Okay. So being more open to empathy?

Philip: Being more open to it emotionally. It goes along with the idea of something that came up when I was doing my dissertation. Art is unusual in that artists are almost expected to sell their artwork, we’ve got to make some kind of an effort to sell our artwork to the audience. It doesn’t work like that with the other creatives, with the other creatives the emphasis is on the audience going to the artist. You know, you might get a guy that will go to a book signing and the real thing is about the audience going to try the book. They buy the book or they borrow it off a friend. So, yeah. Musicians, you know, the music is there and you either listen to it or you don’t. 

Interviewer: Yeah.

Philip: You know, you haven’t got musicians trying to talk you into their music. The emphasis in our society is because there has been so little value placed on art, people don’t really have the understanding of how art works and therefore a large majority of them are not really going to be able to engage in artworks; and that’s what happened with me. I wasn’t prepared to have the skills that were necessary at the time.

Interviewer: Okay, so in that respect then - obviously some of the objects in the work are very familiar and they are therefore easier to decipher a symbol from. Do you think that helps you to understand and empathise with the work?

Philip: Okay… if you are open to it. That is going to be my strong point here. Let’s say you are walking down the street and there’s a homeless person there, right. Nine times out of ten you’re going to decide, well I am, going to decide whether - emotionally - I’m going to give that person some money or not. I believe that all of those people deserve a quid… they all deserve a quid… but the fact is that that is the only decision I’m going to make. Then, if I wanted to, if I was feeling very emotional, I might get quite sad now because it is sad that we’ve got homeless people on the streets, it’s always sad; that’s always there. But we have a boundary, don’t we, we have these blocks and we allow ourselves or we don’t allow ourselves. It’s a similar thing with that piece of work.

Interviewer: Okay.

Philip: So, yes, you could say that. That’s a valid point. I suppose objects do make some kind of association, it’s quite possibly easier, but you’ve still got to be open to that. 

Interviewer: Yeah, okay. So, I don’t know whether this question has already been answered but… What are your thoughts on the inclusion of familiar objects within Conceptual art?

Philip: Yeah, so that’s going over what we just said. I think you’ve got a good point, I don’t know if I would have come to that point on my own. I don’t think I would have said it on my own but now that we’ve talked about it then, yes, definitely. It’s weird though isn’t it because it’s like a hidden way in, you might make those connections without possibly being conscious of them. And that’s a big old subject as well, you know that goes onto ‘Ways of Seeing’ (John Berger), with the picture of the horse that’s called the door. It’s like how we associate different things with different things. You know, I’ve had dreams before where it doesn’t make sense but at the time it completely does make sense. How we define and create symbolisms between things which do not work how our actual language works, for example. You know, and that goes into the symbolisms as well and dreams and stuff.

Interviewer: I know, it’s a big topic. But I guess the basis of it, and what I am exploring, is…

Philip: There’s a very childish feature to her work. Really, really childish. Like the big heads and the little pot-bellied figures. They’re almost like simplified versions of reality which then makes me think of quite possibly psychological aspects that are quite deeply heavy. Have you looked into, for example, developmental psychology? Because a big thing in psychology for the last twenty or thirty years has been brain development; and that’s gone into teaching. So, they now know that there are certain times in our development from age 0-6 months where there are certain things that are going on and there are certain stimuli that we need at certain times in our development. There are certain times, especially with children, their brain is like a sponge. As soon as you give them some kind of stimulation, they are just going to learn really well. But you have to give those stimulations at the right time for them to improve and grow well, you know?

Interviewer: Yeah. So you’re saying that you feel that those figures kind of remind you of someone that hasn’t developed properly? 

Philip: Well maybe. That’s actually what you’re saying, that’s your interpretation of what I’m saying. 

Interviewer: Yeah.

Philip: But I think that would be a fair interpretation.

Interviewer: Okay, that’s interesting. But yes, my actual essay question is - how does the use of found and familiar objects within contemporary art practice create an empathic dialogue with the viewer?

Philip: How indeed. How indeed. It’s everything I just said, it’s that almost unconscious level of communication. You’ve got to think that a lot of the communication between adults and children, you know, children start talking around about 2. That’s two years of early communication that is symbolic. 

Interviewer: Okay, thank you - that’s been helpful.

#304

[piesforjack]

there's a lot of back and forth with this where Kent was both Jack's first and closest best friend and also Bitty was the first person he was romantically in love with and yet even with Bitty jack wasn't really aware of how he felt till last minute. Considering it is already hard enough to differ romantic/platonic love when one is highly emotionally intelligent and Jack isn't by a long shot and Jack has been an unreliable narrator before its still hard to know just what the relationship was.

"You know when it’s the last summer of your childhood and you’re just hanging with your bro and you’re smoothing out his cowlick and you fondly call him Kenny while trying not to think about how mercilessly cruel fate is lol you know bros being bros" the same as "I didn't even know we were dating" Camilia

––reflect how the artist views Parse, which is sympathetically. Not to mention in her notes, she frames their summer fling as being emotionally significant to not just Parse, but also Jack. The scene that you point out of Jack telling Bitty about his exes shows a skewed narrative bias in that either Bitty, because he dislikes K, minimizes his importance to Jack (thru the meta narrative of the comic) OR (sorry these are long, i don't mean to be contrary) (2)

(srsly sorry for spamming ur inbox) OR Jack has compartmentalized and reduced the emotional remembrance of his relationship with K to cope with both his NDE and his abusive relationship with K. I say all that to say I completely agree that a relationship between Jack and K*nt is VERY unhealthy, but that Jack's own feelings towards K have been downplayed because K will still have a significant narrative impact. (3)

Again sorry for spamming ur inbox with these. I do agree with most of your post!! And this #confirmed isn't the last we've seen of K*nt. (4)

idk when you sent all the messages (not even sure if the first on IS your original message anyway????) but i’m JUST seeing these now. ANYWAY.

so like. i see what you’re trying to say here, but i still gotta like. push back against this a bit. 

“in her notes, she frames their summer fling as being emotionally significant to not just Parse, but also Jack” 

The scene that you point out of Jack telling Bitty about his exes shows a skewed narrative bias in that either Bitty, because he dislikes K, minimizes his importance to Jack (thru the meta narrative of the comic)

obviously we know bitty is an unreliable narrator, and ngozi has made it clear that what jack and p*rse had was significant in some ways (first sexual partner, i can assume, first boy he ever kissed we assume, lots of firsts and lots of fumbling weird teenager-y beginnings etc), but it’s definitely not as significant as the scale people pretend it to be. the thing that i think is the biggest difference is that, for jack? what he had with k*nt and camilla was equal (but different.) hear me out:

we know jack and p*rse were best friends and that jack cared for him deeply at the time, but this direct parallel of “didn’t even know we were dating” camilla and “it really wasn’t more than anything physical” k*nt narratively illustrates that jack views these situations as separate but equal. jack was never in love with p*rse. we can assume (i mean we know but for arguments sake lets say it’s meta) he didn’t love camilla either. both relationships were purely physical and/or loosely resembled dating from the other persons perspective (ie. not from jack’s POV). from that we can gather that jack never considered these to be romantic relationships, even if he felt fondly of k*nt or enjoyed spending time with camilla. jack’s disconnect between romance and friendship vs how he views things with bitty is everything you need to know. 

(this isn’t me comparing the relationships, bc one was obviously unhealthy and not even a defined romantic relationship, whereas the other is a committed exclusive partnership--rather this is an exemplar of jack’s interpretation of both relationships as separate and unequal in terms of quality and definition) 

Considering it is already hard enough to differ romantic/platonic love when one is highly emotionally intelligent and Jack isn't by a long shot and Jack has been an unreliable narrator before its still hard to know just what the relationship was.

ok i would argue heavily with the sentiment that jack isn’t highly emotionally intelligent because he’s proven time and time again that while he isn’t perfect he’s more aware than people like to believe he is. the ability to control emotions is a huge component of this particular intelligence, even more so than the expression of emotions. for example, we all know people who are emotionally sporadic, they go from happy to sad to angry to guilty all in the span of a 10 minute window. these people, though emotionally expressive and (usually) empathetic to a fault, they don’t exhibit high emotional intelligence. jack has shown over and over again that, while he can be unthinkingly insensitive and a bit cold, he’s very in tune with other peoples emotions, which is why his rudeness to bitty was so shocking and hurtful--he knows how to cut to the quick, he knows what buttons to press, how to hurt people in specific and painful ways (“it was a lucky shot”) but on the other side of that coin he also knows how to be supportive and attentive to peoples needs (pep talks and hanging around with the haus boys, all of whom are emotional and expressive, and shitty, my lord, his best friend shitty, if that doesn’t prove how not robotic and emotionally devoid jack is then idk what could.) that combined with the fact that jack is so firmly in control of his emotional expressiveness (especially including the fact that he has a history of mental illness) shows incredible resilience and deep understanding of his mental and emotional processes (ie. jack knows jack best) 

((also i can already hear the “um but he didn’t realize he liked bitty until like tHe LaSt SeCoNd!!!” argument and i know i know!!!!! but i believe his ~realization~ moment was more him understanding that letting go of bitty was something he didn’t want to/have to do. i think he already knew he was sweet on bitty and that he liked him more than he allowed himself to believe. but i think his dad/gretzsky pep talk gave him the nudge, the final push to see it clearly, more of a realization of “you don’t have to leave and wonder what could’ve been, you can have all this and heaven too. you’ll never know if you never try.))

so to say that jack is essentially too blind to emotional intelligence to know the difference between his relationship with k*nt and a romantic relationship...a touch absurd and wholly inaccurate.

OR Jack has compartmentalized and reduced the emotional remembrance of his relationship with K to cope with both his NDE and his abusive relationship with K.

this, for me, is a bit of a reach. ofc this is valid and very real, it could happen, trauma does awful things to people. however, i feel like pulling this as the reason he brushes off his not-relationship with k*nt greatly undermines the fact that jack has gone through so much. he’s had years to think about and discuss these things through therapy and rehab. i think to say that p*rse is so inexplicably linked to jack’s NDE that jack compartmentalized or repressed the actuality of that relationship is...inaccurate, given the context we have.

yes, jack cut k*nt out of his life before or after the OD, and so we can assume there was some connection there between the two events (OD and cutting k*nt out) HOWEVER, i think it greatly over-simplifies this trauma. to think that jack would come away from a NDE and thusly cope by cutting k*nt out seems to imply that k*nt wasn’t actualized as abusive until post-NDE, which makes very little sense when we look at the canonical timeline and the emotional and mental vulnerability jack would be in after trauma like that. alternatively, if jack cut k*nt out of his life pre NDE, it’s even LESS likely to be associated as one unifying repression (i speak only from my own experiences with trauma, i feel like that’s important to say) simply because that implies jack’s OD was in relation or as a result of that action.

i’m guess what i’m saying for this point is: yes it’s possible but i don’t think that’s what happened, if only because both scenarios are too p*rse centric and would revolve around p*rse to the point that it minimizes jack’s illness and trauma, which are both huge focal points surrounding jack’s OD.

I say all that to say I completely agree that a relationship between Jack and K*nt is VERY unhealthy, but that Jack's own feelings towards K have been downplayed because K will still have a significant narrative impact.

i have to disagree again. do i think k*nt is an antagonist? absolutely! but so is southern homophobia, bitty’s procrastination, and the entire nhl organization. so. yes, i’m sure k*nt will play a role in the playing out of yr 4, but i have to stress this again: this is bitty’s story. p*rse, no matter how much we link him to jack and jack’s history and jack’s narrative, will ALWAYS BE a background or side plot storyline to whatever is prevalent in BITTY’S world. that’s as a result of an unreliable narrator and also the fact that, unless p*rse begins to overlap into bitty’s life more than he has in the past, we’ll only see the peripheral view of him (which can’t be told through unreliable narration as it’s told through that of the author (ngozi) rather than bitty bc obviously bits isn’t omnipotent lol)

i’m sorry this is soooo fuckin long, it’s also super late/early? so i’m sorry if it doesn’t make 100% coherent sense, i had no intentions of writing this much but alas! it got away from me.

thanks for your thoughts, i hope i’m making any sense in here xx

#mine #kent mention #Anonymous

[breezytealy]

Do you have a headcanon for the Super Seven ages in your comics? You're an amazing artist. Love your arts.

Hey nonnie! Oh my gosh thank you for the compliments I’m glad you’re enjoying them ^^Super7/nextGen headcanon was like the BestWorst question you could ask because I have a timeline and notes hahaHAHAHAHAHAaaaaa. Here, have 3,800 words, most is under the cut. Everything I draw/write is in this “Super7″ AU :) (I wish I could write well ;A;)

–

The Earth still isn’t officially part of the federation of planets under the Galactic King’s control. They’ve had a few public alien contacts (that some are convinced are still hoaxes, Buu is just a weird-ass looking guy maybe) but no official Galactic welcome and the Z-team are selfishly keen to leave it that way to prevent what would amount to exposure. The kids would like to balance real jobs and training too thank you very much, they have enough pressure on their shoulders without the entire planet looking to them.

But come 796 it’s all getting a little dicey; there’s civil unrest at the Galactic level with the King under threat and the powers wanting to steal the throne taking a more expansionist approach, fighting amongst themselves in the the power vacuum left by Frieza. This is all putting the Earth in danger as an untapped resource full of biodiversity. The Gods go quiet, leaving it up to the Earthlings to sort themselves out, they see the problem with intervening to save just one planet. The “Super7” take on the challenge to defend alone (the older gen have their own loose team too but are taking a back seat on purpose). As skirmishes had been becoming more frequent and difficult over the years and they start to see the patterns in who’s arriving, Pan and Bra get brought in a little earlier than planned (17 and 16 respectively rather than 18) to prepare for what might end up as a battle for survival. This all coincides with someone after Bulma’s tech (the blue #15 electrofluid used in the time machine she’d recently repurposed as a general high-yield fuel) that they suspect may be an off-worlder, and someone asking extremely pointed questions of acquaintances that makes the group think their relatively anonymous existence as fighters may be coming to an abrupt end at the worst possible time.  

–

In 796 their ages are roughly: Bra 16, Pan 17, Uub 22, Marron 25, Goten 29, Trunks 30, Mai ~30/31(+).

I’ve put a crap tonne of character outlines/headcanons under the cut explaining where this all comes from, but to summarise at 796 -

- Trunks is at CC as vice president to his mother’s president/COO and his grandfather is still CEO. He is looked at as team leader too- Mai is also at CC, although moonlights making ki-based weaponry and defences without the CC logo so she can participate in battle- Goten runs a dessert café in Satan City (food and hospitality! it’s a bit random but makes sense I promise) and uses Nyoibo - both G and T keep up fusion training so Gotenks is around a lot.- Uub is full time Papayaman, taking the traditional superhero role and sense of purpose that brings, he take over from Great Saiyaman and takes credit for saving the world as Mr Satan’s protege- Marron’s way of helping is to uncover corruption as a journalist to stop the incidents Uub deals with happening in the first place, and she’s frantically working to find out who’s trying to uncover their identities- Pan is a little of a crimefighter, though keeps the extent of her abilities on the down-low, a more normal face to Papayaman’s superhero and keeps up the Satan brand, whilst she pushed against it for a while she’s settled into it.- Bra is an social media darling, and is becoming the face of CC to the youth market in particular. She’s extremely calculated in this and does not give any hint at any point she can punch you to the moon. Both her and Pan have just started to learn the fusion dance from Trunks and Goten.

General character outlines and other h/cs under the cut because it’s longgg - 

I’ve shoved a ten hour time difference between West and Satan city (it’s probably closer to 12 but ten gives more overlap in daylight) which is really fun to think about!

Due to Shenanigans in Super, God ki gets banned under pain of erasure by Beerus. Realistically this means they can only use it for universal level threats when Beerus okays it. Only Goku and Vegeta have the ability and they aren’t allowed train with it either. Whis tells the others that hybrids can’t use the technique anyway so not to bother. They suspect it’s a lie as the potential of hybrids is higher so it’s a way to prevent them from overpowering Beerus in the future, but they daren’t risk trying the ritual.

Because there’s seven in the main group they each hide a Dragonball for security, making what they hope is the start of a tradition. Four others in the group know where it’s held, no one knows all seven locations. The idea being - the balls aren’t in the same place to be stolen, they can find them without the dragon radar with two/three of the group left, and they’re nearby so the group will know if anyone’s searching for them. Further any mind-reading techniques would need at least two sets of memories to find them all (Trunks’ idea, he’s extremely careful).

Actually having the power to revert disaster but not use it (saving the wishes for the big events) weighs heavy though so they’re more domestic in helping out in Act of God events like earthquakes than their parents were. Uub takes the lead in these sorties as Papayaman as he’s the traditional hero. Gohan will sometimes tag along as Great Saiyaman, and Goten also has a GS uniform and can pass as GS, though he absolutely hates it. For everyone else (and a pining Goten) Bulma and Mai design pure black “camo” gear, impossible to get a fix on body shape and untraceable on radar, which frees them to use the full extent of their powers should they need to. Their traditional gis/armours are usually underneath, and they’ll revert to them when they need the freedom of movement in a real fight :’).  

Goten’s attitude is like his dad’s - very zen and open, although he’s massively empathetic and knows how to behave himself. He’s responsible in a fiercely protective way. He’s easy-going to the point people think he’s not smart as he won’t question ideas, but that’s because he’s able to quickly follow people’s logic and doesn’t need to question suggestions, he just gets people. He won’t do something if he can’t see the sense in it though and will dig his heels to the point even Trunks can’t change his mind. He loves people, and his openness and “big-picture” mindset mean relationships are all a big blur to him. He sees his close friendships just as deeply as any romantic relationship would be. He’s always on hookup apps to meet interesting people, but he’d just as happily “hook-up” ::cough:: as going out for dinner. Fun is fun is fun to him :). Goten loved the idea of swords but really struggled focussing his ki to an edge. Goku fetches Nyoibo for him instead, which he finds far easier and he gets proficient in staff forms, using Nyoibo’s extension abilities in battle. Like the real monkey king, Goten shrinks Nyoibo down and keeps it in his ear so he has it ready to go at all times. To everyone else though it looks like an industrial piercing and Chichi flipped out when she first saw it “first the hair, now piercings???”. (and I freaking forgot to add it in when colouring that strip, I kicked myself when I saw it missing!!!)

Goten goes to college, more on his Mum’s insistence that he get furtherly educated with that prize money they put aside for him to use than anything else. Trunks took a gap year so they could “coincidentally” room together too (taking a CC internship in his gap year where he learnt to be Responsible) so he feels pressure to go. Goten picks most of the same courses as Trunks so they can use Gotenks to study quicker freeing up their time, but he does feel a little directionless and languishes. But then, but THEN! As they have to look after themselves (“NO we’ll be INDEPENDENT SAIYANS TYVM”) he gets sick of not having sweet treats (canon his fave food is pocky and strawberry daifuku) so he spends time learning to make pastries/sweet treats/baking to get his fix. Obviously the recipes aren’t great to his amazing smell/taste (that he inherited from his Dad) so he improves them. After seeing how people match wines with savoury dishes he starts flying to remote places to buy rare coffee/teas to test with his recipes. All the while Trunks is just watching like “you’re absolutely mad”, but he keeps it up and starts pairing things and testing them out on friends. He even gets good enough to make flavour profiles for people based on their likes/dislikes to pick /exactly/ the right flavourings, he’s a savant.

People are so pleased and excited it warms his heart that he can make people so directly happy, and making things with his hands feels so natural and grounded. Eventually Trunks just pulls him aside and says “I still think you’re insane but you should do this". So Goten works up a business plan for a desserts cafe in his final year - without getting Trunks’ help - and pitches it to his parents. Chichi’s obviously a little “this is left field”, expecting him to go with the flow as usual and end up at CC, but they agree seeing how excited he is, the last part of the prize money/education pot gets put towards a run-down place in Satan City after graduation instead of a masters degree. There’s not enough money to buy /and/ do up the place, but Mr Satan agrees to put up the rest of the money as long as Goten helps cater (bodyguard at and babysit Buu at in truth) events, so it’s not a handout. At first he hates the idea of more help but reluctantly agrees when Gohan chides him. He calls it Paozu Place, (PP vs CC) and when he starts making a profit (which happens towards the end of the first year as Goten flies around himself to get products saving money, plus the flavour-profile gimmick gets him an early cult following) he sends a portion of the money back home. Chichi is so proud :’) PP and Goten’s flat above is their base in Satan City.

Trunks - is also responsible but like a Prince (“stick to the plan guys”, weight of the world etc), he meticulously plans sorties to the point Goten will actively ruin things if he thinks Trunks is over-thinking things. Public think he’s hot and suave and he has a fanbase but it’s because he freezes in front of the press and, with his severe facial structure, his deer-in-headlights look gets interpreted as “handsome brooding”. In truth he’s a giant, easily flustered dork, happier when in control and enjoys things being “just so”. All throughout college he wore a beanie hat to hide his hair and therefore his identity, but people quickly learnt to look for the kid wearing the wooly hat in summer, nothing saves him from recognition poor guy. Although, due to Trunks’ extremely guarded nature and contrasted with Goten’s social charisma, people quickly bored of him and focussed on “his friend”, which Trunks prefers. He’s not shy per-se, but is used to over-thinking everyone’s intentions and prefers to people-watch. Unlike Goten he has a serious romantic streak, (the one thing his sizeable fanbase /have/ got right) but sucks at expressing it, attaching like a limpet to close friends. He also has a dark sense of humour and is really inventive for stupid shit but he’s usually biting it back. When he’s comfortable a different side comes out and when in free flow puns are quick and his banter is razor sharp. The only time he’s ever actually “cool” or “smooth” is when he’s relaxed and trying not to be, which gets ruined when people point it out - “WOW that pose is so cool” “wait what :|?” “aaaand ya ruined it”.

Combine that in Gotenks you’ve got a guy who’s fiercely loyal with a plan to save everyone, leading from the front, but also has a sick sense of humour with no inhibition to reign it in. “Gotenks no - GOTENKS YES” kinda deal. He’s a massive flirt because he knows it’s inappropriate (also best wingman, texting people on the boys’ behalf) and King prank. He’s more focussed than when he was a kid but the dumbass techniques remain, mostly to embarrass Trunks. They communicate through journals as memories can be a little fuzzy, it all started with a little piece of paper Gotenks carries in the fight against Buu :’)

Gotenks has his own complicated angst regarding Personhood and being a fusion. The Worst Thing you can do is call him “Trunks'n'Goten” or use “they” pronouns. The guys (obvs) understand and respect what autonomy he has, even fusing so he gets some downtime so it’s not all fight-train-fight for him. At first they kept him back, but he was so desperately lonely during the college years, hating living vicariously through Trunks and Goten’s memories, that they let him start talking to Mai, Uub and Marron on texts. When that seemed to go okay they let him hang out with them every now and again. T/G/GT only let Pan and Bra in on Gotenks’ partial social life when they ask to learn fusion without any prompting, (not wanting to influence what is a huge change in life circumstance) and Gotenks is massively excited he gets to properly meet and teach his two favourite people he’d been fussing over from a distance.

Marron is not a fighter (ack sorry Swol!Marron I love you) though is trained in ki use as a form of self defense (of course!) and particularly practises flying; she was adamant to keep up with Goten and Trunks when trailing them on adventures. Good thing too as she was the sneaky little shit eavesdropping on everyone, puzzling out every mystery so the boys didn’t have to. She considers herself the common sense of the outfit, to the point she’ll reach for the alcohol when the Saiyans are being particularly off the wall (“oh my god you’re all so ridiculous and unrelatable let me get drunk and tell you more”). Despite not fighting she does want to help people just like her chief of police dad, eventually settling on investigative journalism as way to help. Her over-ambitious final-year college project led her to make enemies in a mob boss which ended up in kidnapping. She used the time to wrangle more info out of them before being “rescued” by an extremely disgruntled, recently debuted Papayaman (“well they can’t find out that /I/ have superpowers”) that led to the mob leaders’ eventual arrests, and it got her her first job. She keeps an eye out for anyone researching how deep the connections between everyone in the group go and subtly tries to scupper it, so far successfully. In the rare serious fights she work on recon and civ defence with Mai, or if she’s present as a reporter actively supports the “oh it’s totally Mr Satan’s protégée saving us” narrative.

Mai is a complicated one and I could really get into the neurodevelopment of her. Whilst some things remain as-is (skill sets like engineering and weaponry that she uses, some habits and vocabulary) her regrowth means her ability to understand her adult memories isn’t there, they slowly cloud and fall away, becoming this fussy mess of facts-of-things-that-happened rather than a complicated nuance of emotion they would be if she’d aged normally. She dreams less and less of being an adult. She’s also at the mercy of hormones and brain structure at that age, still making the same mistakes she made the first time around. As a result she’s a little maturer than you’d expect for someone her age but not massively, and gets along with Trunks, Goten and Marron fine. She works on a number of ki-based techs like integrating ki-sense onto glass for an improved ki-scouter that can cope with the numbers the gang pump out (yay for logarithms) and display the complicated flow of individual ki signatures through different colours. With enough ki behind them the shield from her barrier seeds can protect cities for a few huge hits, and she can pick off lackeys with the ki gun she developed. None of these have the CC logo however as CC “doesn’t develop weapons.”

RE: shipping - When she’s a teen she rebuffs a clingy Trunks at every turn, (poor dude) hoping to stay just friends. He’s lovely but he’s just a kid! Kiddo can’t understand why she’s being so cold though, surely they’d be great together, they were in the future! Before he goes to college she eventually tells him the truth but of course, Trunks insists he doesn’t care if she’s “old”, she’s not anymore, not really, and besides he’s the real problem. But he’s only nineteen, and she knows that’s not as mature as it feels. She has just enough wherewithal to say no, and whilst he mopes for a little they reframe their friendship around this new information. Of course, they eventually crack when he starts working full time at CC when he’s 24, they have a massive heart-to-heart about her experiences with memory and his own through fusion (because think about how ef’d up that is), they give it a tentative go, and Goten and Gotenks weep with joy they don’t have to put up with his pining anymore. Truten was a Thing at college but didn’t stick, although they are so freaking close you’d probably think they were still in a relationship of sorts anyway.

Uub is great! He is 100% the traditional hero type, taking his training so seriously when he joins the crew it winds up Trunks and Goten enough they pick up the slack again. It takes him a few years to catch up with Pan but soon becomes the complete tank for battles. He looks up to Trunks and Goten and even tried to learn weapons to be part of the cool gang but it just wasn’t his style in the end. He does his training mostly at home, though gets dragged around to Mount Paozu by Goku (Goku-totally-ITs-back-home-you-can’t-convince-me-otherwise) and Satan City, eventually working as Papayaman full-time as “Hercule’s student” to take over from Gohan’s Great Saiyaman. He supports his village, going back home as much as possible to see his little siblings, and his family is mega proud if fussing over his safety in big fights. Papayaman takes the credit for saving the Earth nowadays, and all the news articles cover the walls at home (equally with his other siblings achievements). Uub can 100% ham up the media appearances to be the dashing hero due to Mr Satan’s training, but it’s definitely something he’s only capable of with the mask on and otherwise he’s an eager, polite, caring, but ultimately shy guy.

Pan is fascinating, she’s at an intersection of being known as a publicly talented martial artist, and is well-known in Satan City for being a crimefighter (though not as into it as her Mum was as Papayaman is around now) but is privately a beast. People don’t know she has the same super-strength and flight abilities as Papayaman and she’s very keen to keep it that way. She uses the stage name “Pan Satan” for tournaments and to help maintain her Grandfather’s image. Whilst when young she got frustrated at the lack of recognition the Son side of her family got, the negative reactions a sizeable minority of the public have to the few public alien encounters the Earth’s had and to Papayaman’s “possibly real” superpowers scares her as she gets older. She has on occasion tagged along in disguise after Papayaman and used her powers freely in the background in things like hostage situations to provide barriers and prevent explosions “just to help :3”. The one time she was spotted Papayaman was asked about his friend and he despairingly referred to her as his “little shadow” and the name stuck for the gang when in camo. She has a massive number of teachers - Goku, Gohan, Picco"yo", Roshi, Chichi and Videl, Trunks and Goten (and of course Mr Satan), even advice from Vegeta. With all that her understanding of ki control, particular focuses and intents is terrifying, (maintaining barriers with very little concentration etc) and she’s eager to teach what she’s learnt to the group.

Bra took ballet as a kid, is graceful, a real effortless beauty, great with people, the model socialite … is a freaking scrapper in a fight. She spent so long working out how to guard her “perfect” nails as a kid during daily training (a frivolous challenge Vegeta set her) she can form solid and fast ki fists with an almost impossible momentum behind them given her size. She’s very physical in her attack forms, and takes a “point me in the right direction and I’ll smash them” approach. Like her Dad she can take a hit, acting as off-tank for the group (Trunks had to be convinced to let her participate, so close to danger is her attack style). She’s also calculating as hell, crafting a perfect social media profile to push the capsule corp brand amongst teens and young adults and is a media darling, every photo and hashtag considered and poured over to further her image. She is very, /very/ invested in keeping that intact. Trunks on the other hand just can’t work social media, so doesn’t do media other than official interviews if he has to as COO. Bra keeps pushing him to engage, so he has two posts - “This is my official account, all others are a fraud” and “Hey.” “Hey.” has the third highest number of engagements on the site, which both perplexes and amuses Trunks and really irritates Bra. She has a horrid temper in private and in honour of that, Trunks calls her Giggles. She and Pan are two peas in a pod though, getting into their own brand of trouble at all times and Pan is probably the only person she’ll listen to to get her out of a mood.

I could literally go on forever but I’m going to stop now aaaaaaaaa

#db super #dragon ball #dbz #super7 au #anon replies #hi anon! #I ended up writing this for you and also for me so I have it somewhere rather than just in my head #hope it's not OBNOXIOUSLY LONG SHRIEK #I also have enough ki rules to write Son Gohan's groundbreaking science book #and i've done fandom textbooks before so that might be easier #have a lovely day #:) #Anonymous