#rich fantasy worlds (specifically with dragons) have ALWAYS been the most important thing in the world to me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

luxaofhesperides · 3 years

Text

there in the tower.

A Sleeping Beauty inspired dark fantasy fic.

for ORV RARE PAIR WEEK 2021 @orv-week; day one, prompt: fairy tale

also on ao3.

. . .

They say that the dragon is guarding a princess. After all, dragons will always kidnap princesses and no one else. Who else is so valuable? So important in the kingdom? So weak? So when the dragon flew through the sky and curled around the base of a large tower, it seemed obvious that there was a princess inside, awaiting rescue.

Here’s the thing, though: Na Bori is not a princess.

She’s a seamstresses daughter, a common girl who doesn’t attract much attention from others. So why had the dragon taken her?

Of course, Lee Jihye had no way to know for sure that Na Bori was taken until she actually goes to the tower, but Na Bori had disappeared and a dragon appeared the next day. There were investigations, of course; nobility keeps track of their daughters and what bloodlines they marry into. Every princess and noble girl in the continent is accounted for. People have speculated that there may be a missing princess, perhaps born out of wedlock, or a sickly, weak girl who had never been introduced to society. And then they wondered if they should even bother rescuing the kidnapped girl if they weren’t respectably nobility.

Lee Jihye had to run out of town because of that one. Apparently starting a bar fight and smashing a chair over a marquis’ son is a bad move.

The barely suppressed panic thrums in her chest, filling the empty spaces between her ribs as she continues her journey to the tower.

No one has seen Na Bori since the dragon appeared. No one had looked, either. Who would care for a seamstresses daughter? But Lee Jihye has been besides Na Bori for years, has grown up with her, has never known anyone so bright and clever and kind.

The thought of Na Bori gone forever, trapped in a tower because no one cared to look makes her furiously blink tears out of her eyes. No one else is looking, but Lee Jihye. She would never stop until Na Bori was safe by her side again.

Here’s another thing: Lee Jihye is not a knight. She is training to be one, under the instruction of an old warrior who has settled down to live the last years of his life in peace. There are other knights and princes traveling to the tower, fighting beasts and bandits in order to rescue the poor maiden trapped besides a dragon, hoping to gain glory and honor for their deeds. Lee Jihye just wants her best friend back.

It’s easy enough to avoid them; Lee Jihye’s been dodging them for weeks, knowing she’s too tense to handle anyone’s company. These nobles are planning to gain fame or riches or a wife out of this. The last knight who had said something about pitiful women always clinging to their saviors got his teeth knocked out and a concussion from how hard Lee Jihye punched him. She left him lying on the side of the road, fists shaking as she desperately tried to erase thoughts of Na Bori married to a pig like him.

The less time spent with others, the better.

She cuts down another branch in her way and dives deeper into the forests that surround the castle.

“But what if you get sent far away?” she asks, stabbing her needle especially viciously through the fabric.

Lee Jihye is rather happy that Na Bori doesn’t want her to go. The rare occasion where Na Bori clings to Lee Jihye instead of the other way around are moments memorized and held onto fondly. She knows that there is no one in this world closer to her than Na Bori, knows that she’s the person who knows Na Bori best, but it’s nice to hear that she’s wanted.

Smiling, Lee Jihye reaches out and takes one of Na Bori’s hands, stopping her from tearing through the fabric. “I’ll still come back,” she promises, “Where else would I come home to?”

“And if you get hurt?”

“I’ll just get strong enough that nothing can hurt me.”

Na Bori is mollified, and it shows in how she relaxes and finally sets down her sewing. “You still have a long way to go then. Strong knights don’t cry over a little tumble down the hill.”

Lee Jihye flushes and scowls. “Hey! It was my first assignment and it was a steep hill. I hit a lot of things on the way down! It hurt! If anything, it would be weird if I wasn’t

crying when she wakes up. Lee Jihye faintly hears Na Bori’s voice whisper, “Crybaby,” but it’s only wistful thinking. Forcing her aching body up, Lee Jihye wipes away her tears and prepared herself for another agonizing day cutting through the thorny and impossibly large brambles that block entry to the tower.

“Okay,” she tells herself, “You’re almost there. Na Bori is waiting for you, so you can’t give up yet.”

Many of the others have turned back. She no longer sees other groups making their way to the tower. It’s been eerily silent for the past two days.

If she had been anyone else, if she had been sane, Lee Jihye would have turned around too. The entire area felt unwelcoming, downright hostile sometimes, and made every nerve in her body scream at her to turn around. A heavy pit of despair grows in her stomach and the hopelessness it causes makes her physically sick a few times.

Still, Lee Jihye presses onwards.

The longer it takes, the more she worries, her brain providing morbid images of Na Bori’s body rotting in the tower, or being eaten by the dragon, or any other terrible thing that could happen to kidnapped people. It has Lee Jihye on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and she’s been teetering on that cliff for a few days now.

There’s no doubt that the area around the tower is full of dark magic. It gets into her head, twists around her bones, squeezes the air out of her lungs and slowly suffocates her each day. It gives her nightmares, makes her relive memories that feel like they’re happening again, like Na Bori is there with her only for wakefulness to destroy the illusions. Lee Jihye has only been in this dark magic infected forest for two days. Na Bori has been missing for a week and a half.

The fear she feels for Na Bori and what she’s had to endure only makes things worse.

Lee Jihye hacks through another large thorny bramble and continues in deeper, ignoring the weariness that makes her want to collapse and never get up. Thorns have caught on her with each step she takes; most of the cuts clot up quickly, but the rest leave a trail of blood to guide her back out.

The tower doesn’t look any closer.

She lifts her heavy arms to cut through another branch.

Na Bori shrieks and jumps onto Lee Jihye, clinging with all her might. Startled, Lee Jihye stumbles back a few steps, trying to regain her balance without dropping Na Bori. She wraps her arms around Na Bori, holding her up, and looks around for the source of her distress.

Crawling across the road is a centipede.

Lee Jihye can’t help but laugh, easily carrying Na Bori away from it, continuing down the road to her house.

Na Bori, still holding onto Lee Jihye and making no moves to get down, smacks her shoulder. “Don’t laugh!”

“I can’t believe you call me a crybaby when you jump into my arms as soon as you see a bug.”

“It’s a perfectly reasonably fear! Nothing should have that many legs, or those weird eyes, or pincers, or--ugh!” She shudders, scaring herself by imagining the very things she hates about bugs.

It’s cute, how insistent she is that bugs are weird, gross, and wholly unnatural. Lee Jihye has listened to these complaints for many years, and she wouldn’t mind listening for many years more.

“Don’t worry,” she says, adjusting her grip around Na Bori’s waist. “I’ll always be here to rescue you from the evil, scary bugs.”

Na Bori tucks her face into the crook of Lee Jihye’s neck. Her warm breath sends shivers down her spine; it takes everything in her not to stumble or drop Na Bori.

“My valiant knight,” she says, and Lee Jihye can hear the smile in her voice.

Who needs kings and queens? The only person she ever wants to dedicate her sword to is already in her arms. And if asked, Lee Jihye would gladly dedicate the rest of her life.

It’s just. There are little moments between them, where Lee Jihye thinks Na Bori also wants more, wants to push the limits of their friendship into new territory, but what if it’s just wistful thinking? They’ve shared what feels like their whole lives together, and there’s no guarantee that Na Bori wouldn’t leave one day. But if she stayed… If she stayed, Lee Jihye would give

up and let the brambles consume her body. She doesn’t know how long it’s been, how far she’s gone. Dreams and reality feel the same and she can’t quite tell which is which anymore. The tower is still the same distance away it was when she first saw it rising above the brambles.

Everything hurts. Her ears are ringing. She’s been bleeding sluggishly for days now, always torn apart by new thorns. There’s no point in trying to patch herself up when the next set of brambles is ready to rip her flesh apart.

The tip of her sword drags through the dirt. She’s given up trying to cut a path through to the towers. Instead, Lee Jihye settles for twisting between the branches, uncaring for the thorns that reach out for her greedily.

Whatever dark magic saturates this place is slowly killing her. Lee Jihye doesn’t know much about magic as she’s never had a talent for it, but she knows enough to understand that this is incredibly powerful and dangerous magic.

What does it have to do with Na Bori?

The answer is: nothing good. Who cares about the specifics? All Lee Jihye has to know is that the magic is going to (if it hasn’t already) hurt Na Bori. The need to save her from this, to bring her back somewhere safe, is what keeps her going despite how painful it is.

As much as her body screams at her to give up and just lie down until she withers away, Lee Jihye pushes forwards, ignoring every ache and cut and bruise.

She will get to the tower.

Na Bori will come home.

Their hands bump together and they both reflexively jerk away. The air between them is awkward for a moment, then Na Bori laughs and picks up the last apple slice and brings it up to Lee Jihye’s lips.

"Here,” she says sweetly, and Lee Jihye takes a bite, watches the juice trail down her fingers and wants more than anything to lick it away, to press kisses against Na Bori’s nimble hands, wants

to cry, to scream, to just be done with it. The tower looms above her, no closer and no farther, mocking her and she twists herself through another bramble, wincing as a thorn drags along her arm, beads of blood beginning to

fall into the river. The colorful leaves line the banks of the river and Lee Jihye watches as Na Bori carefully shifts through piles of leaves, searching for the mushrooms that she needed for dinner.

“Jihye, come here!” she calls, waving her over.

And Lee Jihye goes, as she always does. “What is it? Did you find

a way in, but it’s all just stone. No doors, no windows, just stone. She finally got past those horrible brambles, and now that she’s at the tower she can’t find a way in. It’s too tall for her to climb with her how exhausted she is. There’s no way up.

Lee Jihye can’t help but cry, screaming in frustration as she presses the heels of her palms against her eyes, trying to breathe through the sobs that force themselves out of her chest.

The magic has only gotten stronger. Dreams, memories, reality, it’s all mixing together. One moment she’s walking through town with Na Bori, the next she’s trying not to gut herself on a large thorn. One moment she’s cutting down a branch and the next she’s waking up then walking past the brambles then waking up and seeing Na Bori smile then waking up and waking up and waking up but she can’t remember falling asleep.

Is this a dream? Is she awake? Is the tower before her real or is this just another illusion?

She’s come all this way. She can’t go back, not without finding a way in that fucking

tower over her and Lee Jihye is sobbing as she watches they push Na Bori into the river. The one holding her back is laughing meanly, saying something about how no one would care about what happens to them, just two poor common girls who only have each other, bet their parents wouldn’t even notice them gone.

N a Bori is coughing up water in-between insults, and Lee Jihye whimpers as her arm is twisted more and more and any more will hurt her, will break her bones, their hands are too big and strong and no one is coming to save them and

"Get up Jihye!”

There is a dragon curled around the tower. It’s smaller than what she expected. Smaller than what she remembers. It stares at her, but it doesn’t attack.

It looks just as tired as she is.

“Hey,” Lee Jihye rasps out. “I just want her back. Please.”

The dragon huffs and drops its head to the ground. There is a collar around its neck, digging into its flesh. Dried blood colors the edges of the collar, and Lee Jihye feels sick to her stomach. Whatever magic is taking place here is vile enough to hurt a dragon, a creature of pure magic from the core of the planet.

Killing the dragon would be an act of mercy.

Lee Jihye approaches. It watches and doesn’t move. Its golden eyes are so tired; the dragon has already given up.

She raises her sword.

They are seven years old when they first meet. The new seamstress in town is delighted to see that her daughter will have a friend her age. She waves the two of them off to play and goes back into her store, ready to get started on mending clothes.

Na Bori grins, bright and lively; it’s the biggest smile Lee Jihye has ever seen, and she’s instantly enamoured.

"Hi! I’m Na Bori. Wanna play?”

"Sure! I’m Lee Jihye, I live down there,” she points behind them to the cluster of houses near the fields, “and you’re the first person I’ve met who’s my age!”

Na Bori doesn’t waste any more time talking. She grabs Lee Jihye’s wrist and drags her along. It’s the first touch she’s felt from someone outside her family that didn’t hurt. She’s gotten used to hiding from the local bullies and crying when they were done with her, but Na Bori’s hand around her wrist is what makes her feel like she’s splintering apart.

It’s a good feeling.

She follows along behind Na Bori, and remembers that kind touch whenever she thinks about why she loves Na Bori so much.

The collar falls to the ground. It was hard work cutting through it, but just because Lee Jihye doesn’t have a talent for magic doesn’t mean she can’t use it. It’s all about mana direction and intent. This forest is full of mana that feels rotten and wounded, but it is mana nonetheless, and Lee Jihye has spent days in it. It’s easy enough to focus on the memory of the first kindness another child showed her and use that to fuel the intent of help rather than harm .

The dragon blinks and some life returns to its eyes. It watches her carefully as she sheathes her sword and wipes the sweat off her brow.

“I helped you get out of the collar. Please help me too.”

And it does.

The dragon nudges its nose against her stomach and lets her climb on. She holds onto it’s large horns as it ascends and circles the tower. There is a single window in this entire tower, up at the top, and it is there that the dragon stops, using its claws to dig into the stone walls and cling to the tower so that Lee Jihye can climb in through the window.

It rumbles at her softly, and Lee Jihye pats its nose. “I’ll be back soon.”

The inside of the tower is dark save for the light that comes in through the window. It’s full of books and bones, strange symbols drawn on the wall and the floor. There is a man collapsed against a table, gaunt and covered in dried blood. His chest moves, the only sign that he’s not dead, and symbols are cut into his skin, turned black from channeling dark magic.

Lee Jihye doesn’t hesitate to run him through with her sword. He dies silently, not knowing the danger he was in the moment he stole Na Bori away.

That is, if Na Bori is even here. If she isn’t, Lee Jihye is going to have a breakdown, then go out and continue her search. But she’s sure that Na Bori is here.

She has to be.

In the back is another set of stairs that winds up, and Lee Jihye climbs them, leaving her sword out just in case.

It’s much darker up here, but still Lee Jihye can make out the bed and a person lying in it. There’s a table besides the bed, full of sharp objects she doesn’t know the use for, and small vials of blood. Dread fills Lee Jihye and she approaches the bed to get a closer look at who is on it.

Na Bori sleeps peacefully.

Her arms are bare and full of healing cuts. Lee Jihye collapses, half-laughing half-sobbing in relief. She reaches out and shakes Na Bori, trying to rouse her from her slumber, but Na Bori doesn’t stir.

She’s as still as a corpse.

Lee Jihye shakes her harder, then pats her cheek. “Bori-ya? Hey, Bori-ya, I’m here. I’m here to take you home. Wake up, will you? Please, wake up.”

Na Bori remains motionless. She’s never been a deep sleeper, or a still one. Seeing her so still and silent terrifies Lee Jihye.

“Please,” she whispers, grasping one of Na Bori’s hands and pressing her forehead against it. “Please, wake up.”

Lee Jihye sobs. She went through all this and now that she’s here, it doesn’t matter. Because Na Bori is stuck in a magical sleep that Lee Jihye can’t wake her from.

Desperate, Lee Jihye pulls on the rotting mana around them. Blood drips from her nose as she pushes herself through exhaustion and pain, letting the decay take root in her body as she tries to use magic to break Na Bori out of her enchanted sleep. It hurts so much, behind her eyes, in her throat, around her heart. It hurts but there’s nothing else she can do, so Lee Jihye keeps pulling the mana in, then pushing it into Na Bori through their joined hands, wishing wake up wake up wake up come back to me please I missed you so much please come back I want to go home please don’t make me leave you .

She’s not made for magic. Doesn’t really know how to use it and it takes a toll on her body. She barely notices that she’s stopped crying. She just doesn’t have the energy to make tears.

Lee Jihye resigns herself to death. Better than leaving without Na Bori. She slumps over, slowly losing her strength. Na Bori sleeps on.

They were supposed to have a future together. She wanted to find the courage to confess to Na Bori, to make a life with her, to become a knight for her. She wanted so much but she’ll never get it because their story ends here.

These are her final moments. She’s allowed to be greedy. Lee Jihye leans down and kisses Na Bori; their first and last kiss. She presses her lips against Na Bori’s mouth and just stays there, tired and weak.

Na Bori takes a breath.

And she kisses back.

"Why do you want to be a knight? Isn’t it scary?”

Was it? Lee Jihye had always thought the stories of adventures and fighting monsters was really cool. She says as much to Na Bori, who scrunches up her nose.

“But what if you get hurt or run into a really scary monster?” she asks, clutching the skirt of her dress in her fists, knuckles white.

“Then I’d fight back and come to you so you could help me! Being a knight might be a little scary, but I’d also be strong enough to defeat any scary thing that I find.”

“Would you save me if I was in danger?”

Lee Jihye grins and grabs Na Bori’s hand to link their pinkies together. “I promise that I will always save you.”

Na Bori has to support Lee Jihye as they both stumble down the stairs and make their way to the window, where the dragon is waiting. It coos at them, concerned, and Lee Jihye manages a weak smile that seems to reassure it.

They somehow manage to get onto the dragon, holding onto ridges of its back as it takes off and flies them away from the oppressive force of black magic.

“Jihye?” Na Bori murmurs from behind her, arms wrapped around Jihye’s waist as she leans against her back. “Thank you for coming to save me. I kept dreaming of you and our promise.”

“I told you didn’t I? I’ll always save you.” Lee Jihye wishes she could be cooler when she says it, but she’s exhausted and the relief of having Na Bori with her makes her voice small and weak.

Na Bori presses a kiss to the back of her neck. “Sleep. I’ll take care of you until we get home.”

Feeling like a child again, experiencing her first kind touch from another, Lee Jihye relaxes against Na Bori, and lets herself drift off as her heart splinters and fractures, then comes together whole.

#orv #orv week #omniscient reader's viewpoint #orv fic #lee jihye #na bori #lee jihye/na bori #my writing

13 notes · View notes

thefloatingstone · 4 years

Text

If you’re doing Self Quarintine (and you should be if you can help it) here’s some Youtube recommendations! Some of these I have posted about or recommended before but with almost all of us stuck indoors now’s a good time to remind you of some cool things you can watch for free!

I’m not gonna imbed the videos, I’ll just post the link because otherwise I would only able to post 5 and I want to collect a few so you can make a playlist or something. (I could make a playlist too but then I couldn’t tell you what each video is and you can’t pick and choose which one sounds interesting to you)

In no particular order:

Polybius: The video Game that doesn’t exist

An hour long documentary in which the youtuber did extensive research to find the origin of the “Polybius” Urban Legend, which speaks of an early arcade game reportedly seen around the early 1980s which reportedly gave people migraines, insomnia, nausea, subliminal messages, and in some cases heart attacks.

The Universal S

A shorter video in which LEMMiNO does his very best to try and track down where exactly this S that we all drew in middle school comes from? Why does literally every country on earth seem to HAVE their children draw this S?

I also recommend LEMMiNO’s video on the Dayltov Pass Incident and the perplexing UFO cases

Down the Rabbit Hole: Henry Darger

Fredrick Knudsen has an incredible fascinating series called “Down the Rabbit Hole” which simply focuses on... anything you can discover and go digging into. From weird internet personalities, to bizarre happenings in history. This video is about the artist Henry Darger, a man who lived in the early 1900s and for all intents and purposes had a perfectly average, lonely life, until it was discovered just before his death he had spent literally decades writing and drawing a fantasy world in what is possibly the longest piece of literature ever written.

I also recommend his video on the Hurdy Gurdy

Bedtime Stories Channel

I’m actually just gonna link the whole channel for “Bedtime Stories”. If you like weird and creepy stories, all of which at least claim to be “true” then Bedtime Stories is great. Coupled by illustrations and subtle sound effects, Bedtime Stories is literally listening to someone tell you a story about such things like hikers who mysteriously went missing, Sightings of Bog Men in Florida and giant Birds over Chernobyl, as well as weird and unsettling murders that remain unsolved. Sometimes the facts are a little dubious or have been disproved, but that’s not the point of the channel. It’s here to tell a creepy story, not give you a documentary.

A Journey Through Rule of Rose

Rule of Rose is a Survival Horror gave for the PS2 which has rather bad gameplay... but a FASCINATING story with just as many layers and symbolism as Silent Hill 2 could boast. It tells the story of one young woman traveling back into her own childhood in an orphanage in the 1930s, and all the horrors that contains. From repressed grief, abusive relationships, child neglect, abuse, and bullying... but it ALSO contains symbolism of societal class structure, politics, eating the rich, and how power structures work. Not for the faint of heart, but HIGHLY recommended.

I also super highly recommend his video on the similarities between Silent Hill 2 and Solaris

Clemps Reviews Crisis Core

Mr. Clemps is a great internet gamer who reviews JRPGs and other games he simply enjoys. Sprinkling in a heavy dose of comedy and very fast jokes and observations, Clemps’ videos are always upbeat, fun, and incredibly enjoyable to watch. I’m linking part 1 of his Crisis Core video in which he explains why the PSP game remains a personal favourite of his despite its flaws.

I also recommend his video on Eternal Sonata

Defunct TV: The History of Dragon Tales

Defunctland is a channel that deals with theme parks and theme park rides that are no longer standing, or which are no longer around in their current form. Defunctland also has a sub series though, called “Defunct TV” where they look at the origin of children’s TV which are no longer airing. I recommend the video on Dragon Tales which is incredibly wholesome, and a genuinely uplifting and soft story of good people trying to make good things for children. (I also recommend the videos on Bear in the Big Blue House, Zoboomafoo, and Legends of the Hidden Temple)

Hagan’s Histories of Polar Exploration

A Playlist for Diamanda Hagan’s videos about the doomed Franklin Expedition from the late 1800s, where England tried to find a passage through the Northern Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. This went horribly horribly wrong, with every member of the Expedition dead. Over a 100 years later we are still fuzzy on what EXACTLY happened, but apart from the arctic chill, there is also evidence of faulty canned food, a series of bad decisions, and cannibalism. Caution advised for this series.

I also recommend the rest of Diamanda Hagan’s channel. She is NOT for everyone, but if you enjoy somebody reviewing Z grade indie movies as well as just BIZARRE films, really bad Christian media bordering on Science Fiction (without making fun of religion itself) hot takes of classic (and modern) Dr. Who, an introduction to Red Dwarf, She’s an EXCELLENT channel to check out.

Good Bad or Bad Bad: Pass Thru

A half podcast half review show where two guys watch a terrible film, decide if it’s “Good” Bad or just Bad Bad and tell you if you should watch it too.

That’s it. That’s the whole show.

I recommend diving into the untold madness that is one of the best(?) bad film makers currently still producing batshit insane movies, the immortal Niel Breen.

There is literally nothing I can say that’ll prepare you for Niel Breen.

(I also recommend their more recent video for “Dancin’ It’s on!”)

History Buffs: Apollo 13

Do you like History? Do you like movies ABOUT History? Do you want to know if the movies about history you watch actually resemble what really happened in any way at all? History Buffs is an EXCELLENT channel, which does talk about the merit of a film itself, but is mainly focused on letting you know just how true to life that historical film you watch is. I highly recommend his longest video which covers the space race between the USA and the USSR, leading to what is known as “The most Successful Failure in NASA’s History”. The Infamous Apollo 13 and where the words “Houston, we have a problem” came from.

If you’re not interested in Apollo 13 however, I also recommend his video on the movie Casino, as well as his video on the female philosopher, Agora.

The Internet Historian: The Goodening of No Man’s Sky

With videos with literally MILLIONS of views, you probably already know the Internet Historian. But I still want to recommend him very highly because his videos are just THAT good and entertaining. I recommend his newest video, documenting that time we were all pissed off about No Man’s Sky, the difficulties the game studio was in when the game released, and how they have been working hard to finally create what is now a truly brilliant game which is winning major awards. A really good underdog story of how a video game company actually saw what was wrong with their game, and FIXED it.

I also recommend his video on Fallour 76 as well as the Failure of Dashcon

8 Creepy Video game mysteries

Hey. Did you know that sometimes there’s some REALLY weird shit in video games, hidden easter eggs which took literal decades to find as well as just a lot of “what the actual fuck?”. Oddheader is a channel with a dedicated discord and Reddit form solely focusing on trying to find or replicate bizarre video game finds, mysteries, and hidden glitches. Even if it means getting in his car and driving to a specific arcade just to check a rumour about Street Fighter II’s arcade version. So if you like getting spooked by weird game shit that’s not just some dumb creepypasta, this is a great place to start.

I also recommend his video on weird discoveries in DVDs and movies.

Red Letter Media: Best of the Worst

Look you already know who Red Letter Media is.

You know... these guys:

Here’s a video of them and Macaulay Culkin watching 3 terrible movies together.

I recommend literally any and all of their videos. Their discussion on Carpenter’s The Thing is amazing.

The Impact of Akira: The film that changed Everything

Ok trying to pick just ONE Super Eyepatch Wolf video is literal torture. Originally I was going to suggest his recent video on Final Fantasy 7 for the PSone but I realised I recommended something FF7 related with Clemps, so instead I will recommend The Impact of Akira, a video talking in depth about Akira both as a film as well as a manga, how it completely and utterly changed the anime industry both in Japan as well as the west, and why it is still a meaningful and one of the most important anime/manga even to this day, still being unsurpassed despite so much competition.

However, ALL of Wolf’s videos are incredible, so I also recommend his videos on wrestling (despite me not caring about wrestling at all), His video on how media scares us, The bizarre reality of modern Simpsons, Why the Dragon Ball Z manga is great, and literally any other video he’s made. He hasn’t made one bad video yet.

Was Oblivion as Good as I remember?

Exactly what it says on the tin. The Salt Factory goes back to playing The Elder Scrolls Oblivion and now with hindsight and modern sensibilities, gives feedback on his experience and whether Oblivion still holds up. This isn’t a super in depth review of the game’s mechanics or how its put together or how it was made. This is simply one guy talking about his experience replaying it with somejokes thrown in and how he felt revisiting it. It’s pretty good.

I also recommend the video he did on Morrowind (because I’m biased).

Weird Japan Only PS1 games

Thor High Heels is SO GOOD and deserves SO MUCH MORE subs than he currently has. THH focuses a lot of obscure and lesser known games as well as big popular titles like the Yakuza series, talking about what he likes about them, what he thinks is cool, and just what kind of atmosphere and mood a certain game has, even if the game itself is kind of ass. He’s done several videos on games that were only released in Japan, as well as videos talking about the fashion in Squaresoft games and how it inspired as well as was inspired by real world street fashion, the aesthetic of PC-98 games and other topics. He also styles his videos and thumbnails after promotional art for video games from the 90s and generally just has an excellent style to his channel over all. Very chill.

Blue Reflection Review

ValkyrieAurora is a channel run by Sophie where she talks about games she personally likes and enjoys. Her videos are really laid back and her voice is really calm and pleasant to listen to. She’s made a bit of a reputation for herself as “The channel that talks about the Atelier Games” and general is just a really enjoyable channel worth checking out if you just want something soothing to listen to.

Ancient Chinese Historians Describe Japan

Voices from the Past is a channel were historical text is read out loud in english. These can be anything like the above video where Chinese historians describe the people of Japan around 297 AD, Accounts of “Dog-Men”, or the worlds oldest letter of complaint from 1750 BC. If you’d like something interesting historically to listen to but don’t want a full blown history lesson, this is a really good way to hear contemporary people talk about their experiences and what they thought about each other in their own words, without opinions or input given by the narrator.

The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet

Whang! is a channel that covers weird internet stories, some horrifying, some curious and interesting, and some just plain weird. His video on The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet and its update, are about a song which was recorded off the radio in Germany around the 1980s, and after one person online asked if anyone knew who the artist was as they couldn’t find any information, led to the realization that NOBODY online knows where this song came from or who sang it. It’s a fun mystery to look into that, unlike some others on this list, is not creepy or unsettling, although perhaps a little frustrating.

I also recommend his video on The Most Mysterious Anime theme song, and the haunted Ebay Painting.

5 Lost, Destroyed, and Locked away Broadcasts

Yesterworld is similar to the Defunctland channel in that it talks about obsolete rides, theme parks and other forgotten pieces of entertainment. Although the majority of the channel focuses on movie rides, rollercoasters and Disneyland, I recommend the video on lost and locked away broadcasts which you can no longer see. I also recommend the video about Lost and Rediscovered movie props.

The Nightmare Artist

I talked about this one recently as I just discovered this channel. This video is about the renowned Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski who painted surreal and horrifying paintings during his lifetime. There is no mystery here or anything like that, it merely talks about the impact WWII left on Beksinski and how the trauma his country and people suffered influenced his painting, and how certain images and motifs can be seen to directly reference this terrible part of Poland’s history.

Disabilities in Prehistory

Modern media likes to portray how “savage” the ancient past is, and tell us stories of how any person born with a deformity or disability would be thrown over a cliff or dumped in a well because they would be too big a drain on a community to look after. But here’s the thing... according to archaeological evidence, it turns out our ancient ancestors actually did their best to look after its disabled members to the best of their abilities. This video talks about archaeological finds of people who had genetic disabilities and what we can learn from their remains. TREY the Explainer is a great channel for archaeology and also talking about what answers we could have for sightings of cryptids. (not ALL of which we have answers for)

I also recommend his video on Pre-Contact dogs as well as Homosexuality in Nature and the Genetic History of the Ainu.

Decoding “The Secret: A treasure Hunt”

“The Secret” was an art book released in the 80s full of beautiful paintings, but it is also more than that. The book has a fantasy story talking about 12 fantastical races who left wonderful treasures for humans to find,and the book’s paintings and riddles will tell you where you can find each of these treasures which are yours to keep if you can solve the puzzle... and the treasures are 100% true and can actualy be found and claimed, if you can solve the riddles in the book. The video tells the story of the artbook, who was behind it, what the treasures are, how many have been found and various other facts and details.

I also recommend the videos on this channel “The Game: A scavenger Hunt” and “The investigation of Erratas”.

5 Ancient Inventions That Were WAY Ahead Of Their Time

I would recommend you be careful with this channel as its main focus is existentialism and rather alarming topics such as “how close are we to the apocalypse” and other things whose titles alone are enough to upset me. However this video is nothing like that. This video is exactly what the title suggests it is. 5 ancient inventions that were so incredibly ahead of their time you’d think they were made up. From the computer used by ancient Greeks to steel swords we don’t know how to replicate, this video is a great mix of mystery and history.

Although I caution you with this channel, I recommend Joe’s other videos about mysterious books, as well as his video on the most inbred people in history.

However, I know I keep repeating this, I highly recommend caution with this channel. Perhaps its just me and the topics of life and existent are just triggering for me, but I’d recommend maybe just doing a search for the titles I mentioned and not to go searching through the video library unless you’re not bothered by this kind of thing.

Anyway I could keep going, but I think that’s a LARGE amount of videos to keep you occupied for the time being as well as some suggestions for further viewing.

Please enjoy, let me know if you found something interesting, and look after yourself!

If you enjoyed this list at all, please consider tipping me for a coffee

☕️ Ko-fi ☕️

#self isolation #Youtube #Links #Recommended #recommendations #documentary #long post #ask to tag #tumblr ate the 'read more' I put on this so screw it #Just scroll past or hit J to skip this if you want #No editing we die like men

294 notes · View notes

moved-to-void-kissed · 3 years

Text

= my selfship AUs =

Although I don’t talk about them too much, I do have a number of different AUs for each of my selfships! This post gives a little overview of each of them in turn, sorted by the selfship that they concern, as well as some of the “overarching AUs” which are the ones where all of my romantic selfship are canon at once. ..Not all of them have very much to them, but hopefully that’s okay.

The actual list is under the readmore because otherwise this post would be about five miles long, but hopefully all this works well! If anyone has any questions or wants to ask me anything about any of these AUs, you’re always more than welcome to do that! ^-^

==========

overarching AUs:

mythical AU - a generic fantasy universe where all of my F/Os and their corresponding self-inserts exist as different mythical creatures, and all of my romantic selfships exist in tandem (apart from my one with Anti-Aqua - she only exists if Aqua doesn’t). The specific information regarding what sort of creature everyone is is written in the section for ecah individual selfship.

==========

void-kissed (Luna/Adriana) AUs:

void spirit AU - Luna is lost to the Void at the end of Episode 18, instead of escaping with Adriana. She is able to carry on existing in the world as a spirit, but only Anna is left able to properly perceive her, with Adriana needing to wear one of Reborn’s four seals in order to be able to see her.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Luna is a ghost tied to the Emerald Brooch while Adriana is a witch who is able to communicate with and summon her. She goes on a journey to try and save Luna from being destroyed when Elias and the rest of Team Meteor try to acquire all four of the seals.

==========

survivors of the dark (Aqua/Aria) AUs:

vampire AU - Aria is a powerful vampire (one of those classic “rich and alone and lives in a mansion and has dark powers”-types), whereas Aqua is a vampire hunter sent to destroy her. However, a rival vampire faction (i.e. Xehanort and his allies) attacks Aria’s mansion while she is hosting a ball, and Aqua ends up having to fight alongside her to both stay alive and rescue her fellow vampire hunters Terra and Ven, who had been turned and captured respectively by the rival vampires.

PAFL AU - the selfship is set in the world of Parties Are For Losers, a series created by the Vocaloid producer Ferry. Aqua and Terra live as siblings with Eraqus, who adopted them both; Terra wants to become a stalker of the Zone and Aqua is trying to stop him because it’s such a dangerous career path. Aria is a mutant who escapes the Zone facility when KT and Dima do, bringing fellow mutant Ventus with her, and the two of them end up running into the Wayfinders.

dual wayfinder AU - instead of going into the realm of darkness, Aria is transported into the future alongside Ventus, losing her memories of her true nature in the process. They both become Master Xehanort’s apprentices, and he tries to use Ven’s light and Aria’s darkness to forge the X-Blade, but it doesn’t work so he sends them off to Eraqus. Vanitas and Ves are then split from Ventus and Aria at Terra and Aqua’s Mark of Mastery exams, prompting a world-spanning chase to find answers.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Aqua is an angel whereas Aria is a vampire. I don’t have any story for it yet, though.

==========

to our own Elysium (Pyra/Sapphire) AUs:

driver Sapphire AU - Sapphire takes Rex’s place as Pyra’s Driver - she is a wanderer from Gormott who was hired by Torna to open the door on the already-raised Ancient Ship (which in this AU needs a light-element Blade to open instead of a Leftherian, and Sapphire was already Avalon’s Driver which is why they needed someone like her). Rex appears as Vandham’s biological son from canon who didn’t die, but he doesn’t join the party.

DQIX AU - essentially the story of Dragon Quest IX but told using the XC2 characters. Mythra is a Celestrian and acts as the Guardian of the volcanic town of Upover, but falls down to the Protectorate in the form of a mortal armamentalist called Pyra when the Observatory is attacked. Pyra enlists the help of Sapphire and her father Vandham (who are residents of Upover) to travel across the world and regain her divine abilities. The Indoline Praetorium replace the Gittish Empire, except Torna are the Triumgorate who betray them, and Malos replaces Corvus.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Pyra is a dragon stuck in a mostly human form (unlike her siblings Mythra and Malos, who are also dragons except they can choose to take human form if they wish to), while Sapphire is a werecat who ends up stumbling across Pyra in the forest and tries to help her get her powers back.

==========

love, trust and diamond dust (Perun/Sapphire) AUs:

driver Sapphire AU - Perun resonates with Sapphire to become one of her Blades during the story, taking Pyra’s place as Sapphire’s main damage dealer during most of Chapter 7. She is also good friends with Avalon, who is alive in this AU.

DQIX AU - Perun is a paladin from Gleeba who ends up joining Sapphire, Vandham and Pyra on their quest across the Protectorate because she wants to help protect justice and figures that aiding a Celestrian is the best way to do that. Her weapon is a spear, and in battle she tends to intercept attacks meant for the others a lot.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Perun is a yet-to-be-determined creature who had initially set out to slay the Aegis dragons, whereas Sapphire is a werecat who tries to dissuade her from doing so because their presence is important for the world’s balance.

==========

dark hearts corrupted (Anti-Aqua/Aria) AUs:

fallen light AU - all normal content of my selfship with Anti-Aqua technically takes place within the context of this AU. It’s an alternate version of events in KH where Aqua ends up falling to darkness shortly after BBS as a result of her light fading and her anguish at being abandoned by the light. Anti-Aqua and Aria become rulers of the realm of darkness, wishing to get revenge on the light for abandoning them both (Aqua also wants revenge on Xehanort, whereas Aria seeks to reach the Final World).

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, Anti-Aqua is a fallen angel and Aria is the vampire that corrupted her. I don’t have any story for it yet, though.

==========

a dance of endeavours (Camellia/Telanthera) AUs:

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

==========

our own kind of heroes (N/Noire) AUs:

reversed heroes AU - the “reverse AU” for this selfship. N is a kind Unovan Pokémon Ranger with the inborn ability to communicate with Pokémon, whereas Noire is the cold sheltered princess of Team Plasma who hates humanity for mistreating Pokémon. She is chosen by Zekrom for her belief in her misguided ideals for separating people and Pokémon, whereas N is chosen by Reshiram for his ability to understand the truth of how Pokémon are and wish to be.

mythical AU - in the mythical AU, N is a forest spirit and guardian of twin dragons Reshiram and Zekrom, who are sealed away within his forest. Noire is a fire elemental who was originally summoned by malevolent humans to help destroy the forest that N protects in order to reach and wake up the dragons, only to promptly decide “no thanks” and go off to do her own thing. which incidentally led to her learning to appreciate nature and helping N.

==========

a farmer and a thief (Skye/Emily) AUs:

Elsewhere University AU - Emily is a biology student studying at Elsewhere University (created by charminglyantiquated on Tumblr) who uses Mimi as a safe name, and Skye is a mischevious changeling known on campus as the Phantom Prince who ends up becoming infatuated with her quite by accident.

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

==========

under a bloodcursed sun (Serana/Cansen) AUs:

Dawnguard AU - the “reverse AU” for this selfship. Serana is the daughter of Harkon, leader of the Dawnguard, a renowned group of vampire hunters. He seeks to use the Tyranny of the Sun prophecy to create a relentless eternal day and destroy all vampires, not realising how disruptive this would be to the natural order of the world. Camille is a scholar from the First Era who was sealed away with an Elder Scroll containing part of this prophecy, which stopped her aging, while Isran and the rest of the normal Dawnguard make up the Volkihar vampire clan. After Serana accidentally frees Camille from where she was sealed away, the two of them go on a quest to complete the prophecy, so that Harkon or Isran’s vampires don’t get to it first.

mythical AU - I haven’t put this selfship in the mythical AU yet, but I do intend to - I’m just having trouble thinking of mythical creatures that fit the characters.

==========

#a call from the void #selfship #selfshipping #everyone is here!#selfship AUs #something to keep track of #I can't help but feel like I had more than this. but these are all the ones that were on my carrd back when I kept them on there #this very much feels like an instance of ''spot the main romantic F/Os'' haha #albeit perhaps not in this case since I don't have that many for my selfship with luna. maybe that's something to do with reborn's obscurity #since I have friends I talk about KH to. I have friends I talk about XC2 to. I don't have anyone I can talk about reborn to.#because nobody else has played it =P #but anyway here this'll go out at midnight on the 1st probably #waiting in the wings #AU april 2021 #selfship events #sort of

6 notes · View notes

thegreatestofheck · 4 years

Text

Outer Banks Playlist

Here is a cohesive list of songs I listen to usually when I write my fics/blurbs/etc! These are all the songs that aren’t a part of the official playlist that make me think of the show in general, the pogues, a certain character, or a certain fic.

Enjoy!

Electric Love by BΦRNS - baby you’re like lightning in a bottle, i can’t let it go now that i’ve got it

I’m not sure what it is about this song, but it was the first one I put on this playlist. There’s just something about it that really screams “relationship with JJ Maybank” to me, but don’t ask me what.

If We Have Each Other by Alec Benjamin - i’ll be your brother and i’ll hold your hand, you should know i’ll be there for you

I get major pogue vibes from this song. It doesn’t matter that they’re not family by blood, they will always stick by each other no matter what. They’re there for each other through the thick and the thin.

We Are Young by fun. and Janelle Monae - tonight, we are young, so let’s set the world on fire, we can burn brighter than the sun

Another very pogue style song. They are young and they are free and they’re living it up. The Pogues and this song are very “you’re here for a good time, not a long time”.

Royals by Lorde - and we’ll never be royals, it don’t run in our blood, that kind of lux just ain’t for us, we crave a different kind of buzz

Probably guessing a theme here now, but this is the pogues through and through. I mean, the entire time they’re looking for the gold, most of their thinking is about “going full kook”, living that fantasy.

Let it Ride by AUTOMATIC LOVELETTER - take me away, let’s get out of this town, run baby run, we’re unstoppable now

This song has always hit home with me, especially when it comes to kids and a found family situation, which is the Pogues. Just listen to it and I think you’ll understand. It’s so amazing.

Already Gone by Sleeping at Last - you couldn’t have loved me better, i want you to move on, cause i’m already gone

If I tell you why exactly I put this one on here, it would be a spoiler for one of my longer fics, so I’ll just leave it to your imagination. Sleeping at Last > Kelly Clarkson, at least with this song.

Hello by Walk of the Earth - there’s such a difference between us and a million miles

This version is a lot more bitter than Adele’s version, so I think it really fits here with all the kids who were disappointed by their parents. JJ with Luke, John B with his mom and Dad, Sarah and Rafe with their mom, Ward, and Rose. Also just with like 90% of the adults in the entire series just constantly failing these kids, I feel like this version kinda flowed with that. Also kinda makes me think about Elma from “Ocean and Alcohol” and her relationship with her mom.

On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons - paying my dues to the dirt, i’ve been waiting to smile, been holding it in for a while.

Another Pogue song. They deserve so much better than what they got and this is for all those little victories; finding the gold, surviving the boat crash, getting the keys to the Phantom, etc.

IDGAF by Dua Lipa - go find a girl who wants to listen, cause if you think i was born yesterday you have got me wrong

This one is mostly for Sarah and Kie, who are constantly being put down by others. Not so much the Pogues, but in that Midsummer’s episode where Kie’s mom tells her not to worry about the socioeconomics of the world when her complaints were legit. Or how Rafe, Ward, and Topper were constantly berating Sarah for her feelings. This is for them.

Kiss Me Deadly by Lita Ford - late to my job and the traffic was bad, had to borrow ten bucks from my old man, it ain’t no big thing

You can’t convince me that the Pogues don’t blast this song in the van while their cruising down the streets. I love this song.

Renegade by Styx - oh mama i’m in fear for my life from the long arm of the law, hang man is coming down from the gallows and i don’t have very long

The entire last two episodes, this was the only song I could think of. John B just exudes the energy of this song.

Warriors by Imagine Dragons - as a child you would wait and watch from far away, but you always knew that you’d be the one to work while they all played

This one is for everyone on the cut; the Pogues, Heyward, Big John, Ms. Lana. They were the ones who kept Kildare running. The fishermen, the mechanic, the laypeople. They built that island from their blood, their sweat, and their tears.

Run Boy Run by Woodkid - run boy run, they’re trying to catch you, run boy run, running is a victory

Here’s another one for John B is those last two episodes. Was I stressed out a singing songs to myself when i watched them the first time. Maybe so.

Glitter and Gold by Barns Courtney - i am flesh and i am bone, i’ll rise, ting ting, like glitter and gold, i’ve got fire in my soul

Again, I’m not 100% sure why, but this gives me the vibes of outer banks. Maybe I just really like this song and associate it with everything. Maybe it’s because it has gold in the title. Who knows.

Why Did it Have to Be Me? by ABBA - you were looking for someone to hold, that’s only natural, by why did it have to be me?

If you thought you were making it out of here without a single ABBA song you were dead wrong. ABBA is one of my favorite bands and they just fit with everything. There aren’t specific characters for this song, but I think it still works for the show.

Lay All Your Love on Me by ABBA - i still don’t know what you’re done to me, a grown up woman should never fall in love so easily

Sarah and John B, Kie and Pope, Kie and JJ, the viewers and Rafe, i don’t care, take your pick. This song works for everyone all the time because, again, it’s ABBA. Love them. Love this song.

I’m Still Standing by Elton John - looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid, i’m still standing after all this time

This one just gives me so many feelings when I think about it with literally any of the kids. They’re put through so much crap, all of them, and yet there they are, standing and standing together. I mean, come on. Especially with John B’s speech to Ward in the finally episode. It’s just *chef’s kiss* Also Elton John is a legend.

Stand By You by Rachel Platten - hands, put your empty hands in mine, scars, show me all the scars you hide and hey, if your wings are broken, please take mine so yours can open too

Again, this one applies to so many places, but specifically the hot tub scene in episode 7. Even thought the Pogues have some issues sometimes, they are almost always 100% there for each other and that’s what this song is about.

Run the World (Girls) by Beyonce - smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bare the children, then get back to business.

I honestly cannot think of a woman in Outer Banks who was not iconic. Kie: a social justice queen who cared so deeply for her friends, the environment, and others. Sarah: a girl who understood her privilege and tried to use it to help others. Peterkin: a boss bitch who figured everything out before anyone else. Wheezie: an iconic little sister who was in a toxic household but was still the most chaotic queen ever. Kie’s Mom: misguided sometimes, but she just wanted what was best for her baby girl. Pope’s Mom: IRONED HER SON’S CLOTHES EVEN THOUGH SHE DIDN’T KNOW IF HE WAS COMING HOME, also wanted what was best for Pope (and also JJ). Ms. Lana: lost her husband, had her home broken into and still confessed about Scooter and Ward when it was most important. Rose: was she evil, heck yeah. Was she the smartest character on the show? Probably. That girl knew just when to use the right words and who to manipulate when. Congrats queen, you’re crazy but you have the most brain cells. Mrs. Craine: Killed her husband and got away with it! I’d like to see Ward try that. Anyway, point is, this show is full of boss women and I love them all.

Uprising by Muse - they will not force us, they will stop degrading us, they will not control us, we will be victorious

So, maybe season one didn’t end in the best way for the Pogues. Still, they were thisclose to beating the system that screwed them all constantly. And I have faith that things will go even better for them later. I just...this song makes me feel like toppling a government or a psychopath rich man so I added it.

There are more, but these are the ones that hit me the most! If you want to see more, just let me know. And, as always

stay safe

stay healthy

stay groovy

66 notes · View notes

planesofduality · 4 years

Text

The Story Behind Solas with Dragon Age Lead Writer Patrick Weekes - Dialogue Wheel (Part 3 of 3)

The final piece of the interview!

Here is Part 1, Part 2

Time: 25:35

One of the most beautiful scenes I think in Dragon Age Inquisition is the scene that you get with Solas if you play as a female elf Inquisitor. Talk a little bit about that choice to have this romance option very, very specific. It’s race- and gender- specific. Why that scene - what that scene meant and a lot of the subtext, because it is a very rich sequence of scenes, not just one. And, I think it’s really one of the most interesting romances in the game.

I love that scene because that scene for me shows how far we’ve gone past - not the make myself irrelevant anymore - but how far we’ve gone with the digital acting. Jonathan Epp the cine-designer for that scene put it together and when you take everything that Gareth David Lloyd - the voice actor - everything he did on his lines. And just putting so much tragedy, and making it clear in every line that he wants to say more than he can. And with Jon Epp the cine-designer, just in the wordless scenes: showing the tragedy, showing the heartbreak, showing how much he does genuinely care against his better judgement, and how he finally forces himself to step away.,

You know how I said when we were talking about the Iron Bull - everything, every major moment we do, is there for a specific type of player fantasy fulfillment. And you know, not all types of fantasies are the happy ones. There’s a reason why The Phantom of the Opera was on Broadway for so many years and it’s not because it has a happy ending.

The Phantom of the Opera isn’t exactly the theme for the romance - the razor was something closer to almost professor and student in some ways. He definitely comes across as a mentor in some ways. When he finally steps back it is him beating himself up, not you, saying “Wow what I have done here is actually really unfair to you, and you, player, at the time don’t know that I’m beating myself up because I’m actually 1000s of years old and not the person you think I am and it’s disrespectful to you for me to continue this relationship.” So it’s a very moral perspective for our ancient, quasi-evil, trickster god to come with.

Time: 28:41

And it’s amazing because it’s another instance of content that so few players would actually get an opportunity to see. When it comes to making it that specific, I guess, why was that choice made? Because usually a lot of your content - most of the Dragon Age content - it’s very easy to get really rich, wonderful characters right in your face and have those wonderful “eat-em-up” experiences, why for this one was it such a steep price to get in?

You know, I won’t lie, a lot of it came from some of our designers. Some of the women in the design department really, really loving his voice and saying, “You are absolutely fools if you do not make him romance-able in some capacity.” And, really, his story overall is - and, you know, I think we’ve only hinted at that but I think we have hinted at it enough that I can at least say this part of it - his story isn’t a happy one. His story is one, where, if you look at him and Mythal, there is clearly some grief, there is clearly some tragedy. And, adding in the option - even for players who don’t take it - on my end as a writer, knowing that some players will have this as a star-crossed, forbidden romance, you know, it makes him more sympathetic. It’s important to me as a writer because when you’re writing about someone who, according to Flemeth, is at least somewhat responsible for the bad guy getting the magical item that he used to blow up half a mountain in the prologue, it’s important to have something in there that you can always have, as a writer, look at as your touchstone and go “This is a real person. This is someone who experiences sadness. This is someone who falls in love.” Even if he doesn’t do it with that Inquisitor on that playthrough, this is always someone who can be like that.

Time: 30:58

Where do you see a character like Solas ending up?

(Big sigh) Musical theater.

(laughs) Right when we reach those beautiful moments, Patrick!

I think that it is fantastic that people have emotionally engaged with Solas and I hope we get a chance to explore that in some future content.

Alright and that’s the most that we’re getting right now.

Time: 31:37

Oh, and here’s a little tie in: Here Lies the Abyss, the demon that spoke to Solas - what was all that about, what was that going on?

Oh yes - the demon who speaks perfect Elven!

Yes perfectly to him, and if you remember any of that - did you have anything to do with that?

Yes, Here Lies the Abyss was mine. It was a fun plot. It was a terrifyingly difficult plot, because - I’m not sure how clear this is to players that have one done one playthrough or with one import state - but your key characters throughout the events at Adamant Fortress and then the events of the Fade, it’s a customizable Hawke. Which means it could be a male Hawke or a female Hawke and within that, Hawke from Dragon Age 2 is characterized by one of three different attitudes: friendly, grim, or sarcastic. So, that’s three attitudes times two genders, that’s six different Hawkes and three different possible Grey Wardens: Alistair, Loghain, or Stroud. So, the process of going through Adamant Fortress and then going through the Fade was a crazy juggling act of trying to keep track of “Okay, now one of these five people, these five Schrodinger’s cat quantum people, will say this line, and then another of these five Schrodinger’s cat quantum people will respond with this line.”

It’s important to remember that as we went through everything in Adamant Fortress and the Fade was taking place in that contest. There was a long period time when we were looking at that really going, “Okay, I just have to hope this actually makes sense when it’s nothing but Alistair and my sarcastic female Hawke.”

But, to actually answer your question. As I recall, the Nightmare, who as a friendly, chipper guy was basically - I do basically two types of villains: I do the villain who thinks he or she is the hero, and is misguided and has opposed goals, and is kind of tragic and tortured in that way. And then I do the mean-girl villain who says snotty high school insults.

That’s it - that’s the gambit.

Well, just about, yes. I’m looking forward to see who writes the villain in the future Dragon Age games - so get ready for either tragic pathos or really, really good high school mean-girl zingers.

As I recall, he was speaking Elven to Solas and if I remember right, he said, “Your pride is responsible for everything that has gone wrong” and I think he said “You will die alone.” And then Solas said something that translates to either “Nothing is known for certain” or “Not necessarily.”

And what does all that mean?

Well I think it’s fascinating that people are emotionally engaged, and I hope we have the chance -

It was a very asked question - it was a question that was asked a lot. Specific to that.

Oh, I’m not surprised, and I hope one day that we can tell you. But, obviously, that demon knows that Solas is hurting and Solas feels guilty about some stuff and really wanted to dig in there, and Solas was shouting back.

Literally just describing what happened (laughs). All right, so something that will clearly be talked about in other games.

TIme: 36:22

Dealing with this particular quest I really think that this was one opportunity to involve the Grey Wardens in a story, and a world, that kind of progressingly, after the first game had less and less of a need to exist - let alone in the world - but in the main characters arc. Talking to David I remember initially there was some idea for this particular mission they would just fall into the hole and be hanging out in the Deep Roads, and having out with the dwarves, so tell us a little bit about this creation.

A lot of the process of writing these large plots, like I talked about the razor, you figure out what the core concept is, you always start with a lot of things, and in most cases what you then end up having to do is cut. And if you’re not someone in the studio, talking about having to cut things sounds like you’re losing awesome content, you’re ruining what would have been clearly the best part of the plot. Inside the studio though, most cases what you’re cutting is the stuff that didn’t actually help tell the story you wanted to tell.

So yes in the original version, in a very early draft, actually this was before I was actually on the plot - this predates me - there was, yes, going into the Deep Roads, and when you fell in instead of ending up in the Fade you ended up down in the dark. And finding out what the Grey Wardens in this version of the story had been involved with the Architect from Dragon Age: Awakening. It was an interesting direction, and it was, I think, a very cool direction, but it did not help tell the story of the Inquisition. It was more a story of “Hey, if we wanted to do more with the Hero of Fereldan, here is an interesting place we could go” and it did not help tell the story of “What is the Inquisition doing?” “What is Corypheus doing?”, “How do these two organizations bounce off each other and who’s caught in the middle?” So trying to come to terms with the Grey Wardens in this game not being the protagonists, not being the group that is in the center of the action but being the group that is caught in the middle of this power struggle was something that led to us having to eventually do the re-jiggering that got us to the plot you saw.

#solas #dragon age #patrick weekes #patrick weekes interview #da4 #dragon age: inquisition #dai #solas x lavellan #dread wolf #the dread wolf rises #dragon age 4 #dragon age lore #fen'harel #fenharel #part 3

174 notes · View notes

tormundjonthings · 5 years

Text

GOT Politics Thoughts! (I know, I’m not original)

So I’ve been thinking a lot about the last couple seasons again after reading the finale script last week, specifically about how Game of Thrones handled politics in it’s last few seasons. A lot has been written about how the characters or relationships or fantasy elements were bungled, but I’m interested in how they muddled the political end too. And not just the in universe politics, like conflicts between houses or the challenges of moving/feeding armies. Although...that also pretty much vanishes, outside of that stray line of Sansa’s from s8 about feeding Dany’s armies (which is mainly there so Dany can get in a sick line about how cool dragons are.)

No, I’m more interested in how the larger political questions / parallels to politics in the real world vanish or become so confused that any message is lost entirely.

Lets venture back a few seasons, say to like season 5, and look at some of the big political topics being addressed. (This got SUPER long, so more under the cut)

Political Question One: What are borders?

The storyline at the Wall was always one of the most interesting parts of the show to me, mostly because of the nature of the conflict between the Nights Watch and the Free Folk. The the Wall was always a foil to the pettier political games happening elsewhere in the series. That whole Mormont quote “when the dead rise, do you think it matters who sits on the Iron Throne?” Like they’ve got a big, giant existential disaster to deal with, makes all the squabbling between houses look pretty damn silly!

Yet they also participate in some of this political squabbling, which is very interesting to me! They spend several SEVERAL seasons dealing primarily not with the existential threat at hand, but trying to fight off people who largely just want to escape to safety.

The reason Jon Snow is one of my favorite characters in the series is that he’s one of the very few people who looks at an underlying bit of “common political wisdom” in Westeros, something that’s been unchanged for thousands of years regardless of who sits on the Iron Throne, and says, “Hey, this is both very wrong and very dumb.”

He meets the Wildlings, notes that they follow the same religion as the North, speak the same language, have a lot of the same customs, and most importantly notes that they’re just people trying to live their lives in safety.

Some of them raid and kill, yes. But lets be honest...plenty plenty plenty of people born and bred in the Seven Kingdoms do that too.

The division between people of the Seven Kingdoms is entirely arbitrary. Other people in the series have noted this (Benjen, Tyrion) but Jon actually tries to do something about it. He says they’re all the same, that the Free Folk are part of the realms of men, and manages to get many of them south of the Wall.

This is incredibly controversial; he’s broken a huge political taboo here. The northern Lords hate “Wildling invaders.” Many members of the Nights Watch don’t care much about the White Walkers and see the Free Folk as their primary enemy. This is so controversial that Jon is murdered for it.

Now, if you live in almost any part of the world right now, you’ll note that this has many, many parallels to real life events. Especially if you see White Walkers as Climate Change. People trying to escape to safety from disasters and the complete immorality of holding up largely arbitrary borders in the face of existential threats to humanity is already an enormous political issue, and likely to be more so in the years to come. This is a good thing, maybe an essential thing, to explore and talk about through fiction right now.

So how is it handled after Jon is resurrected? Well...it kind of isn’t really. Some of the northern Lords are pissed about it when Jon asks for support during the Battle of the Bastards, but Robb’s old mess-ups are generally more the issue there. Apparently all the Nights Watch members who were uncool with it get hung for treason and...no one else in the manned castles says anything. There are some pissed off northern Lords again who mention Wildling invaders once they’re back in Winterfell but its pretty much skated over and they still all crown Jon king like immediately. The focus on borders and arbitrary divisions, how harmful and damaging they can be, which was a big part of the Wall plotline for several seasons, is pretty much just dropped.

Political Question Two: What is a Revolutionary?

So this is pretty much the whole question surrounding Dany’s plotline. I do think, especially in her earlier seasons, that Dany genuinely felt sympathy for enslaved people in Slavers Bay and wanted to free them. Like, if Jon is one person who looks at the underlying nature of this world and sees injustice, the other person who does so is Dany (at least initially.) I do truly think she saw parallels to her own terrifying situation when Viserys sold her to Drogo, and she wanted to help.

The problem is, despite her dragons and her military power, she is absolutely the wrong type of person to lead a revolution.

This is actually a quote from my sister, we were talking and she said “Dany is the kind of person who believes in a better world, but can’t see that she’s not the one who can bring that world into being.”

Dany was raised by an insanely scary brother who constantly went off about his rightful claim to the throne and their noble family history. The only adults in her life were the kind of Targaryen loyalists who wanted to see the precious heirs safe, or else the kind of people who thought they could get something out of Viserys and repeated his own bullshit back to him.

This has all clearly sunk into Dany; despite the fact that she started the incredibly huge political project of ending slavery, something that will require years YEARS of work, she still constantly wants to go off to Westeros and rule because she believes it’s her right. She’s also got a huge self myth about herself as a queen, and what that means, versus an interest in being a leader.

I’m not a politician, I’m a queen.

She likes to command, demand, pull the whole fire and blood thing. This all comes from her upbringing, from her understanding of who the Targaryens were and what they conquered/deserved.

Her status as someone from an old Westerosi house also means that she has a tendency to trust the rich and well named, especially rich people from Westeros, waaaaay more than she should. Trusting Tyrion, for example, is a huge huge error. Especially, again, given that she’s attempting the truly revolutionary project of ending fucking slavery. Tyrion is part of an old rich house, part of an old rich system. He is from a culture that does not have slavery, but he is still from a culture with a HIGHLY stratified class system. Fundamentally, he’s got more in common with the slavers than the slaves. Which is why he listens to the slavers, why he comes up with the oh so reasonable compromise of phasing slavery out over several years, and why he gives the slavers HUMAN BEINGS as presents to seal the deal.

One of the most interesting scenes in the entire series for me is the bit directly after Tyrion makes this deal, when we see Missandei and Grey Worm’s reaction to it. They are horrified.

Because the ones with a real read on this situation, the ones Dany should let have more input, are absolutely Missandei and Grey Worm. They are the two people the former slaves look to most when they have questions. They are seen as leaders by Dany’s base in the city, the formerly enslaved peoples. They are the ones who have suffered under the hands of this system, who know that it is not wise to make “reasonable compromises” with the kind of people willing to own human beings. The kind of person willing to buy and sell people will always try to take advantage, there is nothing to which they won’t sink. You don’t use them, they use you.

Yet Missandei and Grey Worm’s power is largely often ceremonial. Dany makes a lot of her real big choices listening to people like Jorah, like Tyrion. People from old Westerosi houses. Because she’s been raised to value that kind of power.

Dany’s whole plotline; her freeing slaves quickly without a plan, then letting the slavers into her ear, letting them take back some control, and ultimately leaving the situation in a whole mess to gain more personal power, is a great example of why top-down revolutions, revolutions where a wealthy savior wants to free/help the less fortunate, do not generally work out.

For a revolution to stick, for it’s ideas to stick, it needs to be led by those from below, people who are fully invested, people who understand the monstrosities of the system. People like Missandei and Grey Worm.

That whole scene where Dany talks to Tyrion about breaking the wheel is also super interesting to me. Because...they are both part of the wheel. And as long as Dany’s goal is still to rule, and Tyrion’s goal is to help her, they aren’t going to break that thing. That wheel won’t break until monastic power, until rule by a few families, ends, and that’s not really Dany’s goal. Because she wants to rule. And her family is part of the wheel.

Again...all of these poltical questions are important. We live under a system where the few, the very rich, rule us. This power is often inherited (because money is often inherited.) Some of them say they want to help...but ultimately nothing really changes.

And there’s a pretty recent example in world history of slavery ending, but politicians failing to root the perpetrators of that system out of power. Letting those people stay in power, letting them use influence and take advantage, led to slavery essentially returning in a different form (hello 13th amendment of the US Constitution!) So it’s an important thing to explore through fiction.

I kind of thought all this was going to come to a head, especially with Missandei and Grey Worm. Dany clearly trusts them with some power, but she lets Westerosi advisors like Tyrion make more and more of her decisions. The whole plotline with Missendei and Grey Worm is them moving past their trauma and becoming more self-actualized people. I thought they’d start to challenge Dany. I thought maybe they’d take issue with Dany’s desire for power at any cost, especially use of the Dothraki, who famously take and sell slaves. I thought they’d take issue with Dany wanting to leave for Westeros at all, with leaving the slaves of Mereen in such a desperate, hopeless situation. I thought maybe the show would highlight how becoming more folded into the powers that be in Westeros and ignoring the downtrodden people she met in Essos led to her downfall. It certainly seemed to be heading that way.

But then...Missandei and Grey Worm were relegated fully to the background. They don’t differ with Dany on anything at all in the last half of the series. Issues were raised with how Dany was approaching power, but most of these were centered around her individually being a bad person, having the “Targaryen madness,” not with her being part of a system that sees rule by a few powerful families as just and right. It’s just all a problem of one person being insane and power hungry! Not a problem of systems!

And then a member of another house on the wheel takes control at the end, but he’s from the Good House...so it’s framed as a win!

Political Question Three: What happens when the rich ignore the poor / What happens when religious movements redirect class consciousness?

This is one I really really wanted the series to get more into. The smallfolk are often talked about and seen in the background as the true victims in the wars that tear through Westeros. They suffer and starve and die because of things they had absolutely no say in, so a few people they’ll never meet can have a little power. And this tension between the poor and the rich was building throughout the series; the smallfolk were getting pissed the fuck off. That riot in King’s Landing where the poor literally tear the septon to pieces still gives me chills.

And we finally, finally started to see this start to come to a head with the Sparrows. I think it’s really interesting that they chose to use a religious movement. Religious grifters often do swoop in during moments of desperation and steal the energy / direct people away from class consciousness to build their own power. And the poor are so desperate for something anything different that it becomes easy for these grifters to thrive.

And the High Sparrow is this kind of religious grifter to his bones. It’s very interesting to me that when we finally learn his backstory, he wasn’t truly poor. He was a merchant, and one doing pretty okay. If Westeros had an emerging middle class, he was part of it. He wasn’t the lowest of the low in Flea Bottom; Gendry for example was likely worse off. But the Sparrow presents himself as of the poor, part of the poor, truly one of the people, and because of this he is able to build a shitton of power very quickly from smallfolk who are fed up with all the bullshit and want to see something anything done about it.

And I was very interested in this! Again, this is a good political problem to discuss; religious movements and charismatic grifters build power all the time by telling people that really they’re unhappy because of “these sinners or outsiders” and not because of the larger systemic issues. A LOT OF THAT has been happening lately.

Like this was the moment that the political scheming of people like Cersei and her absolute lack of interest in helping the people she’d supposedly ruling should have come home to roost. I was interested to see what would happen; how that tension would be resolved, IF that tension could be resolved.

And then...Cersei just blows up the Sept of Baelor and apparently every single member of the reactionary religious movement was inside of it because it’s never really brought up again.

There are no riots, no anger from the smallfolk at her destroying both the major religious figures AND the major religious site for a large chunk of Westeros. People still gladly flock to Cersei when Dany shows up with dragons, even though they KNOW Cersei is very willing to blow people up. It’s just..all dropped. Cersei spends the next several seasons drinking wine and wearing spiky dresses.

Granted, there were a few big political issues that D&D still tried to discuss through the end but uhh...I don’t think they did very well. For example -

They Tried! #1 - White Walkers = Climate Change and the Uselessness of the System as Usual in the Face of Existential Threats

So I do think D&D were kind of going for this a little bit, and it was certainly discussed a lot in all the blogs and meta posts leading up to season 8. And there was a lot of talk, especially in season 7, about how silly the petty political differences between Cersei and Dany were in the face of such a threat.

But the fact that the White Walkers were destroyed relatively easily all things considered, without fundamentally changing the existing power dynamic, without being forced to resolve the differences between Dany and Cersei...kind of ruins this whole parallel. Jon’s been saying throughout the whole series that they needed to fully unite to defeat the threat but uhh...they didn’t unite with Cersei and they still won so I guess it was all good!

Don’t worry guys, we don’t need to fundamentally approach politics differently to deal with climate change, lets just go to Antartica and stab the carbon emissions monster in the heart!

And the fact that ultimately the main battle of the series, the finale of the series, was focused on the various ruling houses opposing each other...kind of ends up saying that the most important thing really is the petty politics after all.

Well that’s a bad message!

They Tried! #2 - Dany the Imperialist

Now of all the political messages D&D were trying to get across in the series, I am absolutely 100% certain this one was intentional. They were trying to draw parallels between Dany and modern imperial regimes, specifically the US.

It’s all over that last script, explicitly. The dragons have frequently been portrayed as weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons, and in the script here there is an explicit connection between the destruction of King’s Landing and Hiroshima, an atrocity committed by the US. In the finale script, they also use the phrase “they burned the village in order to save it” which is a famous quote from a US general regarding the destruction of a Vietnamese village by American troops during the Vietnam War.

And Tyrion’s whole speech about Dany destroying evil men looking great from afar but horrible when you’re on the ground / closer to the reality of it has clear US parallels. The US often uses humanitarian justifications for war (taking out dictators, spreading democracy, etc) and does not much care about the atrocities the actual human beings who live in those countries face when their countries are torn apart by war (Afghanistan and Iraq are prime examples of this.)

They are very very clearly trying to make this parallel. To make a political point about how imperialism is bad. But Jesus Christ, it’s so muddled.

For one, it’s uhhh not great that the perpetrators of these atrocities are largely non-white and the victims are members of a culture that closely parallels western Europe. Given that the way the last several hundred years have played out...it’s usually been the other way around. This shows a lack of care in D&D’s part in truly wrestling with this topic, a lack of interest in really dealing with real world politics and history. Just no interest exploring how imperialism and white supremacy, how the idea that “we come from a ‘superior culture’ so clearly we know what’s best and can go around the world doing as we please” are INCREDIBLY linked.

For two...it’s mostly just Dany that’s the problem. Jon doesn’t want to destroy King’s Landing, Varys doesn’t, Tyrion doesn’t. Grey Worm does, but he’s barely a character at this point in the story. They all give her like, a million outs. Especially the bells. And those bells ring, the battle is won, but Dany decides to go on her murder rampage anyway.

The problem isn’t a system, it’s one person who has “the madness!” It’s one person being a psychotic dictator, and all the problems are solved when that person gets stabbed.

Which is absolutely not how it works in real life. We didn’t just go to war in Afghanistan in Iraq because George Bush was a bad person. If we had, we would have been out when Obama got into office. The US went to war in those countries because of a giant system of war and profit, a system that benefits many many people, that has been built over the past several generations. The US went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and stayed there, because weapons contractors wanted to be there so they could make money. Because oil companies and heavy mineral companies wanted the resources those countries had. Because the military itself has a huge amount influence over the government, and to justify their massive budget and continued influence they need to have things to do. The Afghanistan War continues loooong after the death of Osama Bin Laden because of a whole web of CEOs and lobbyists and generals and politicians, all of whom benefit from it. The problem is not one person. It’s a fundamental flaw in how the system is set up. How it rewards those who can buy influence.

And it’s so so clear to me that D&D do not understand this. Like...even a little. They don’t think in terms of systems, just good people and bad people. That’s why the end of the series, which is still a fucking monarchy, is framed positively. Because it’s not the system of power that’s the problem, it’s just that bad people were in charge! But now the good people are in charge, so it’s all good!

They like talking about the tragedy of war, like referencing historical atrocities in scripts, like talking about how deep it all is. They love to talk about how they wanted to create a fantasy series grounded not in magic, but political reality. But they have no understanding of political reality beyond the most basic basic shit. Like war is bad dontcha know! Yeah, no shit!

So these two messed up the characters, they messed up the fantasy, but they also messed up the part they claimed to care about most, the politics. Because they’re dumbshits.

Jesus this got long. If you read all this, thank you for listening to the ramblings I wrote while I should be working.

#got #got season 8 #game of thrones #anti game of thrones #anti d&d #holy shit why did i write so much #this is entirely just for me #no one else can be expected to read this

17 notes · View notes

thetygre · 5 years

Text

Arthurian D&D Books

So before the tumblrpocalypse hits us all, I guess I better belt out that mini-review of D&D books that deal with Arthurian legend for @magitekbeth, @fuckyeaharthuriana, and @lucrezianoin. These are specifically 3rd Edition books since that was the edition I started with, and it also had the greatest body of material to work with. 3rd was famous for its glut of books by third-party publishers, and Arthurian mythology was a recurring subject under the Open Source Rules (OSR).

That being said, Arthurian legend has always had some form of presence in Dungeons and Dragons. It is very openly an inspirational source in the fantasy gumbo that is D&D. The original 1st Edition Deities and Demigods included ‘Arthurian Heroes’ in it, along with gods from just about every pantheon. 2nd Edition had a supplement detailing Arthurian legend, though for the life of me I can’t find it.

But let’s start cracking on the 3rd edition books. Atlas Games’ Love and War isn’t necessarily about Arthurian legend, but it is about knights, particularly the romantic characterization of knights that is attached to a lot of versions of Arthurian legend. The book is built around the four concepts of knightly virtue (love, valor, piety, and loyalty), with special knightly orders and character options for each one. It expands outward into fantasy rpg territory a bit more by also offering race-specific concepts for knights, such as orders specifically for dwarves and elves.

Since it doesn’t have to explore Arthuriana, that also gives Love and War more room to explore knight concepts that other books here typically don’t; female knights, knight duos, fallen knights, etc. And as is standard for most of the books mentioned here, Love and War also introduces a variety of subsystems for a chivalric setting, including tournaments, piety, honor, and renown. Interestingly, one of the subsystems is courtly wit, which is a non-combat system meant to emulate the verbal sparring and social maneuvering present in stories about nobility and knights. Again, not Arthuriana, but recommended.

I’ve already talked about I, Mordred before, and it’s what got me thinking about this list again. Like I said there, I just feel like the premise of fighting an evil King Arthur alongside Mordred as the good guy just didn’t go far enough. If nothing else, Morgan le Fay should have been at least Neutral instead of still being cast as Evil. Really, everybody needs to be some kind of Neutral to really get an ambiguous setting of competing factions with no clear ‘right’ choice. Personally, I still want to see a version that goes super-hard with the alignment flip; paladin Mordred and white witch Morgan versus the half-demon warlock Merlin, his puppet king Arthur, and the death knights of the round. But then again, subtlety was never exactly my forte.

But this is where we get into the real good stuff, the books committed to Arthuriana. Relics and Rituals: Excalibur is the book of choice for if you want to plop a faux-Arthurian Britain into a high fantasy setting. It comes at Arthurian legend from a perspective that inherently has multiple races, high magic, and wandering monsters. You can play as not just a human, but a sidhe elf, halfling, dwarf, or even hobgoblin. Even half-orcs have made it in, though reflavored to be their own race of ‘Wild Man’.

Like most extensive themed campaign books, R&R: Excalibur takes an extensive look at what aspects of the base Dungeons and Dragons systems stays the same and what changes. For instance, some player character classes like fighter, rogue, bard, and paladin fit right in to Arthuriana, while other like the oriental-themed monk and the spell-slinging sorcerer are right out. (Regular classical wizards are still fine, though.) And, as is to be expected, there is a new knight class, though the author does note that it can seem somewhat redundant with the fighter and paladin still around, and its use is optional. There are a few prestige classes, with the one sticking out most in my memory being the classic Green Knight, complete with chlorophyll and resistance to decapitation.

There are a variety of essays encompassing everything from tournaments to the importance of knightly decor to honor and, perhaps most importantly, how to manage D&D’s vastly overpowered magic system and magic items into an Arthurian setting. There are no less than two pantheons, one Faerie lords and the other of this new-fangled ‘God’ fellow. Me being me, I mostly remember the chapter on how to treat different kinds of monsters; I was particularly fond of the idea of making the Fisher King’s cursed kingdom filled with undead trying to enact a danse macabre of everyday life, complete with skeleton farmers driving skeleton horses to plow barren fields. But again, that’s just me.

Relics and Rituals: Excalibur is definitely a worthy book for lovers of Arhturiana. But that’s the thing; it captures the spirit and tone of Arthurian legend, but not Arthurian legend itself. There’s definitely an appeal to it; something novel about the idea of jousting on a chimera, or cockatrice fights at the local fair, but it’s not quite the same. It’s high fantasy D&D stepping into Arthuriana, not the other way around. For that, for the real Arthurian legend lovers, you’ve got to get the real gem.

*Slaps top of book* This bad boy can fit so many knights in it. This is arguably THE book for Arthurian mythology in Dungeons and Dragons. Legends of Excalibur: Arthurian Adventures is a love letter to Arthurian legend. It starts with an incredibly brief summary of the history of Arthurian legend, from Wales to La Morte D’Arthur to John Boorman. LoE:AA makes it clear that it’s up to the reader to go research Arthurian legend for themselves; all the book can do is point them in the right direction. After that, it’s right into the content.

There are some pretty drastic changes made to the base 3rd edition D&D core rules before really setting in. The Alignment system is gone entirely, replaced by a character’s honor score. What are the character race options? Get out of here with that; LoE runs old school, so it’s human or nothing. What you do pick, though, is your starting social class, and that can make just as much difference as whether you have pointy ears or not. All the base D&D classes are chucked out except for fighter, rogue, barbarian, bard, and druid.

All that uprooting is fast replaced by a host of new character options. Legends of Excalibur is smaller than Relics and Rituals, but definitely packs more bang for its buck. The new character classes include the fool (with a special nod to Arthur’s fool, Dagonet), the hedge mage (new general mage/spellcaster), the hermit and the priest (for divine spellcasting), the minstrel (meant to represent more traditional Celtic/druid bards instead of the base D&D one), the noble (so that you can finally live out the fantasy of being rich and respectable), the robber baron (which is like the noble, but with more stabbing and shaking people down), the skald (another bard, but for vikings), the yeoman (Robin Hood/archer type), and, of course, the knight.

As if that wasn’t enough, there are a metric ton of prestige classes. Some are fairly bog standard, like the alchemist or berserker, while others are meant very explicitly to play into Arthurian archetypes. Remember how there was actually more than one Lady of the Lake? Now you can be one too. Merlin? Court mage. Morgan le Fay? Fae Enchnatress. And knights? Oh, you bet there are knight prestige classes here. There are no less than SEVEN knight prestige classes, including Quest Knight (specifically for seeking the Holy Grail), White Knight (to replace paladins), Black Knight (to replace blackguards/antipaladins), and practically every color knight in between.

Legends of Excalibur also offers rules for characters that advance beyond the standard level cap in the Dungeons and Dragons system, into the ‘Epic’ character levels. This is actually one of the reasons why I feel like Dungeons and Dragons can be a good fit for Arthurian legend. A character can start out as little more than a wandering soldier and advance to become as powerful as a demigod. While the typical image of Arthurian mythology is of a fairly low-fantasy medieval Europe, the actual source material, throughout its multiple incarnations, isn’t stingy about giving its characters magic powers, legendary equipment, and impossible challenges to face. While it still needs to be toned down to some degree, there is definitely room in Arthurian legend for the kind of superheroic powers that the Epic rules can bring. (Or at least as long as the setting keeps spellcasters to a minimum.)

This book isn’t just a guide to playing Arthurian characters, but the Arthurian world. There is a complete map of Arthurian Europe that has to reconcile Arthur’s given time with accounts of him rebelling against the Pope and fighting in the Crusades before Islam even existed. It’s a wonderful little detail, trying to account for everywhere that Arthur or one of his knights or relatives supposedly lived in or visited. Another detail is accounting for the the timeline; Legends of Excalibur designates five important time periods in the Arthurian cycle, from just after Uther’s death to the Golden Age of Camelot to the civil war with Mordred. Each period has different effects on not just characters, but the geography, people of the land, and magic. Try to go into the forests just after Uther died, for instance, and a character is likely to run into monsters like dire wolves. Go back when Arthur is on the throne, though, and the forest and its animals will be tamer. It’s a world very committed to the idea of Divine Right, and how a king affects the universe.

Of course there are monsters. There’s the standards; white hart, Questing Beast, though some more obscure monsters like a variety of werewolves are here too. There’s individual entries for monsters to describe their individual place in Arthurian Europe; chimeras and manticores are rare, ogres and trolls are common, etc. The real gem of the monster section, though, is giants and dragons; giants and dragons are staples of knightly mythology, after all, so they get special treatment. Just like people, dragons and giants are categorized by class and bloodline; a noble dragon, for instance, will have scales the color of gold and be the size of a castle, where a lowborn dragon looks like the wrong end of a snake and an umbrella. Naturally, there’s more Honor to be gained fighting one instead of the other. It’s a great system that reflects how, along with the King, giants and dragons are tied to the land.

But the cincher, the real hook that I think makes this book worthy of a true Arthurian legend fan, is the sample adventures and appendix. I, Mordred gave you one shot of teaming up with Arthurian big names; Legend of Excalibur gives you three. Fresh adventurers can help Sir Balin kill the invisible knight, possibly even averting the grail cycle by killing the knight before he reaches Pellam’s castle. More powerful adventurers have to choose sides in the civil war, and Mordred is once again an option. But my favorite of the three adventures has the player characters helping a young Arthur claim a castle. It would be satisfying enough to rub elbows with the likes of Merlin or Sir Kay, but then there’s a side-quest where young Arthur sees Guinevere and is instantly smitten, so he conscripts the players into acting as his go-between for her. Players have to deliver Arthur’s notes Guinevere. They can read the love poems he writes for her; they’re awful. It’s just such a wonderful little detail that it’s hard not to love it.

And then, finally, there is the appendix; a whole cast of Arthurian characters statted out. It would be impossible to cover EVERYONE, but Legends of Excalibur makes a fair effort. LoE remembers some characters that typically get left behind; Dagonet, Morgausse, Sir Bors, etc. Some characters, such as Arthur, are presented at different stages in their life. All-in-all it makes a good roundout for what I’d call easily the best book about Arthurian legend in Dungeons and Dragons, if not one of the best tabletop roleplaying.

If you scanned past all that; this is the book to get for Arthurian legend in D&D. Legends of Excalibur is the beginning, middle, and end of the argument for Arthuriana with tabletop roleplaying. Even if you don’t play 3rd edition, or even D&D, it’s still a valuable resource in converting Arthurian Europe into a tabletop fantasy setting. The only way you could get more in-depth is if you made an entire RPG about Arthurian legend.

But maybe let’s talk about that some other time, huh?

#arthurian mythology #arthurian legend #dungeons and dragons #king arthur #arthuriana #long post

64 notes · View notes

recentanimenews · 5 years

Text

Ranking All 49 One Piece Anime Arcs (Yes, Even The Filler)

On July 7th, the long-awaited Wano arc of One Piece begins, and because we're about to jump into an arc that's been building up for eleven years, I think it's as good a time as any to rank all 49 of the arcs that we have already. And I'm going to include the filler arcs, too, because even though many of them can't really hold a candle to the main narrative, I think a few of them are quite underrated.

49. Buggy's Crew Adventures

This isn't really an arc so much as a sigh of relief after the runaway train of emotion of the last few episodes of Arlong Park. You can laugh at Buggy for a bit after watching Nami's soul get ripped apart (and then put back together again).

48. Post Alabasta

You know video game sidequests that are basically around to level up your specific partner characters so that they don't get immediately wiped out in boss fights? This is the anime filler arc version of that. It's fun, though.

47. Foxy's Return

I loooooove Foxy and I looooove the Davy Back Fight arc. But Foxy's Return doesn't quite hit home. It might be because we last saw Foxy six episodes ago, but it truly speaks to Foxy's character that he'd try to make a grand, dramatic return after he got the crap kicked out of him so recently.

46. Spa Island

Foxy returns again in Spa Island, though this filler arc is mostly notable for the fact that Luffy uses Gear Third to split an artificial island in half. That alone wins this arc points.

45. Warship Island

Warship Island isn't a bad filler arc, just a victim of poor placement. It comes right after Loguetown and right after the Straw Hats have each declared their dreams. So it becomes a pit stop arc, like the Straw Hat crew getting gas and snacks before they head out on the Grand Line.

44. Little East Blue

I like to think of Little East Blue as a celebration of pre time skip One Piece, where the Straw Hats get (deservedly) celebrated for a bit. It's cute and it's a nice prologue to the Strong World movie.

43. Z's Ambition

The filler arcs that precede the movies are an odd bunch, as they tend to end with the main villain of the movie showing up in the last five minutes and declaring their plans. So it's hard to enjoy them on their own. That said, Z's Ambition has enough action that even if you don't watch Film Z (but you should, as it's great), you won't really mind the cliffhanger finale.

42. Straw Hat Separation

After Kuma wiped out the crew, this batch of episodes shows where they all ended up. And it's mainly a montage of Straw Hats being confused. And don't get me wrong—the Straw Hats do confusion like nobody's business. But you get more out of their separation in the Post War arc when they finally get around to business.

41. Diary of Koby-Meppo

Koby is a character that has always deserved more time, so getting a few episodes devoted to him and Helmeppo training to be Marines is welcome. Also, my dude Garp shows up for the first time, which means that I've rewatched these two episodes FAR more than I should.

40. Goat Island

Goat Island doesn't feel as "classic" as G-8, nor is it as entertaining as Ocean's Dream. In fact, it's about as fluffy as the goats that appear in it. But a three episode arc where Chopper talks to goats and Luffy doesn't beat up a villain but rather causes him to get shipwrecked? I'm FOR it.

39. Chopper Man Special

Chopper Man has Chopper in a cape. It's worth it for that. Please @ me. Chopper Man, you're my hero, and I hope you one day get a Chopper Man & Sogeking Save The Grand Line special.

38. Romance Dawn

Romance Dawn establishes a lot of things that will become classic tropes in One Piece: Going to a new island, meeting new crew members, helping out little kids, taking out a power hungry warlord, etc. It's a blueprint arc, and it works well as that. Sadly, the anime would not continue the "introduce a Straw Hat character with rad guitar" idea like they do with Zoro here.

37. Orange Town

The East Blue saga only gets better as it goes along, and Orange Town provides a nice counter to Romance Dawn. For example, if Axe-Hand Morgan represented the seriousness of the Marine threat in the last arc, then Buggy represents the other side of the villains that the Straw Hat Crew will encounter: cartoonish, loud, and beaten in a really fun way.

36. Ruluka Island

Ruluka Island feels like condensed One Piece, like you'd just add some water to turn this four episode arc into a twenty episode one. It's a nice arc to stretch your legs in before you go to the big themes of Jaya.

35. Ice Hunter

Ice Hunter is neat because it gives every member of the Straw Hat crew a little time to shine in a story that is action-packed and intriguing. If you miss pre timeskip One Piece and haven't watched the Ice Hunter arc, give it a shot.

34. Marine Rookie

I know that we're all eager to see the Straw Hats reunite in Wano, but if you want to see more of Whole Cake's Sanji Retrieval Team, the Marine Rookie arc makes for a solid bonus round. Also, the only reason it starts is because Luffy eats all of the Straw Hats' supplies, which, logically, should be the beginning of waaaaay more One Piece arcs.

33. Silver Mine

If you didn't get enough Bartolomeo in Dressrosa, then surprise! They made a filler arc just for you.

32. Boss Luffy Specials

You know when you fall asleep watching a show, and then you wake back up and, in your grogginess, suddenly whatever is on TV looks insane? That's what happened to me with Boss Luffy. I had just finished watching Ace's fight with Blackbeard and then, boom. I was out. Then I wake up and see the Straw Hats in 19th century Japan. The Boss Luffy stuff is fun, but I think it's best viewed when you're in a delirious half sleep. That's just my personal preference, though.

31. Caesar Retrieval

Caesar made for a fine antagonist on Punk Hazard, but he's even better as shreiking deadweight that the Straw Hat Crew and Company have to keep alive.

30. Little Garden

Little Garden isn't as cool as Whisky Peak, nor does it provide the emotional gut punch of Drum Island. Instead, it's mainly here to further the theme of what it means to be a true warrior and introduce giants (and dinosaurs!) in the One Piece universe. It gives Usopp some of the character development that he needs and Zoro almost cuts off his own feet in an effort to keep fighting. Any arc that illustrates how hard Zoro goes gets at least one thumb up from me.

29. Loguetown

Loguetown is a fun arc when you consider just how much it expands the scope of the world. Smoker and Tashigi truly begin the Navy's quest to stop the Straw Hats, Dragon gets introduced in a big, mysterious way, and Luffy takes a massive step in establishing himself in the realm of pirating. However, the Straw Hat side stories in the middle (aside from Zoro's awesome bit in the sword shop) slow it down a little.

28. Zou

Zou might be one of the most visually rich arcs in the series. From the massive elephant to the Mink tribe to the terror of Jack to more lessons about the poneglyphs, there's a lot shoved into this short span. And between the intense epics of Dressrosa and Whole Cake Island, it's fits nicely as 10 cc's of wonder and fantasy injected into the New World.

27. Fishman Island

Fishman Island occupies a weird spot. It's thematically heavy, but also serves as the action-packed Straw Hat Crew comeback tour. It needs to stand on its own, but it also caps off with a declaration of war against Big Mom, a villain that won't be encountered for years. In all, I feel that the importance of the Fishman Island arc is yet to be truly realized.

26. Ocean's Dream

One of the final two filler arcs on this list, Ocean's Dream seems like One Piece fan fiction in the best way. If you were dissatisfied with Luffy's fight with Zoro on Whisky Peak, you get another round of it here while Zoro is being mind controlled.

25. Syrup Village

If Romance Dawn and Orange Town were warm up laps, Syrup Village is when One Piece begins to break out in a sprint. The introduction of Usopp and the Going Merry make for some great moments and it's this arc that got me hooked on One Piece when I first started watching it.

24. Dressrosa

Dressrosa, for better (and sometimes for worse) is massive. Doflamingo is a threat that had been popping up since the Jaya arc, but because of Dressrosa's scope, his defeat can feel a little lackluster, especially when you consider that he's a pitstop on the road to Kaido. But Dressrosa introduces the endlessly cool Fujitora and the Straw Hats' big pirate alliance, and also gives us the dual backstories to Law and Doflamingo, neither of which disappoint. Also, Doflamingo's abilities lead to some of the coolest action scenes in the series.

23. Return to Sabaody

The post-timeskip starts with a bang, as the Return to Sabaody arc is both hilarious and thrilling. The Straw Hats get to show off their newfound strength as they do what they definitely couldn't do in the first Sabaody arc (easily knock out a Pacifista). And we also get to meet the Fake Straw Hat crew, which does a nice job of illuminating just how much the legend of the Straw Hats has grown since they were last together.

22. Reverse Mountain

One of the major strengths of One Piece is that it can accomplish three kinds of storytelling at once—giving us a narrative that is immediately satisying, giving us a narrative that will be satisfying in the near future, and giving us a narrative that will be satisfying in the long term. In the Reverse Mountain arc, we not only get a nice story about Laboon, but we also get introduced to Baroque Works (who will be the main antagonists of the saga), and also, we get hints that will only pay off when Brook is introduced years later. Reverse Mountain is short, but it also displays Eiichiro Oda's wonderful talent as a writer.

21. Long Ring Long Land

I've seen people on the internet say stuff like "WHEN I REACHED THE DAVY BACK FIGHT ARC, I NEARLY STOPPED READING!" and man, why? Quitting a series that you love because it slightly diverts from the hero fighting god-like enemies in order to participate in some fun games? Everyone has their own opinions, but your opinion of what fiction should be is wrong. That said, this arc is hilarious and great.

20. Whisky Peak

Whisky Peak is so cool. It's an anime arc with swagger, the kind that steps into a bar and buys everyone a round. I want to be friends with Whisky Peak but I know, deep down, that Whisky Peak is far too rad to be friends with me.

19. Reverie

The best thing about the Reverie arc is that it makes the world of One Piece a little more conveniently manageable (Oh neat. All of the major side characters get to hang out for a while), while also opening a can of worms (What's with the giant straw hat? WHAT'S WITH THE GIANT STRAW HAT?). Because this is the most recent arc, I don't know if we've seen the ripples that it will create across the One Piece world, but I sure am excited to.

18. Post Enies Lobby

This isn't the first time the Straw Hats have been forced to flee a place. However, this is the first time that it's felt like they'd be wiped out if they didn't. The return of Garp (and the spectre of the Yonko) throw the Straw Hats into all new territory, one where maybe being the plucky underdog team isn't enough to save them from the threats that come. Also, goofy Franky joins the team, which provides a nice counter-balance to the hints of oblivion.

17. Punk Hazard

Punk Hazard is home to one of my top 10 One Piece fights (Vergo vs Law & Smoker), features one of my favorite locations (an island that is half fire/magma and half ice/snow and home to an evil science base), and introduces a character that has only grown on me with time (Here's a hint on who he is: He laughs like "SHERURURURURURU SHERURURURURURU). It's kind of a prequel to Dressrosa, but in that spot, does a great job at furthering the menace of Doflamingo.

16. Post War

The introduction of Sabo aka Steampunk Ace aka I'm Just Kidding Sabo Is Kinda Cool and Luffy realizing that he has his crew to keep him going make the Post-War arc into a short but powerful cap to the pre-timeskip era.

15. Amazon Lily

Boa Hancock is a supremely underrated One Piece character, with a terribly sad backstory, amazing powers, and a hilarious crush on Luffy. And Amazon Lily helps further the major trend that will reach fever pitch in Dressrosa of Luffy amassing supporters because he's just such a dang ol' nice guy. Hopefully Hancock will one day meet Bartolomeo and together they will start a Luffy fan club and then argue over who gets to be President.

14. Jaya

If you were in the dark as to what the themes of One Piece are, here comes Jaya with a flashlight. This is basically a montage of the things that are important to the Straw Hat crew, and it introduces Blackbeard, a guy that will go from "Oh he seems interesting" to "OH I HATE HIM" over the next few hundred chapters. Luffy saying "Do I know how to throw a punch, you ask?" before absolutely walloping Bellamy still gives me goose bumps.

13. Thriller Bark

There's so much good to Thriller Bark—the spooky atmosphere, the introduction of Brook, the underrated Gekko Moriah, the Binks' Sake song, the Straw Hats teaming up to face a giant zombie, etc. And just when you think it can't get any better, Kuma shows up and rocks the One Piece world.

12. Impel Down

Hey! It's Buggy! And Mr. 3! And Mr. 2! And Crocodile! And our new best boy Jinbe! And Ivankov! As both a launching point for new protagonists and a comeback for old foes (along with introducing Magellan, one of the best villains in the series, and Shiryu, one of the scariest villains in the series), Impel Down succeeds. I love it more and more with time.

11. Drum Island

I've written an entire article about why the arc where we first meet Tony Tony Chopper makes me weep, so I'll try to be brief here. Drum Island is beautiful. It's the story of a little deer guy that couldn't find a place in the world and the loud rubber bro that gave him one. It's an arc about the price of dreams and the power of having someone stand up for you when you need it most. It's about love and respect and kindess. And now I'm about to cry again. THANKS A LOT, ONE PIECE.

10. Baratie

The Baratie arc is the first hint that we'll get about how hectic the One Piece world is. We meet Sanji, we meet Don Krieg, and we meet Mihawk (and is stronger than the whole cast of the show combined at this point). Syrup Village is about leaving your comfort zones and Baratie is about finding a home in the chaos that follows.

9. G-8

The best One Piece filler arc and the One Piece arc that I most revisit (it's only 11 episodes, can you blame me?), G-8 is a One Piece Greatest Hits collection and possibly the first thing you should show someone if they want to get into One Piece but don't have long to do so.

8. Alabasta

Are the Straw Hats ready for the Grand Line? Are they ready to topple evil villains and protect those that need help? That's what Alabasta asks and the answer is "Oh yeah." Luffy punching Crocodile up through the center of the city is an iconic moment, showing us that the Straw Hats, whether they mean to be or not, are forces of good in the world.

7. Marineford

Marineford is loud and chaotic and powerful, forcing Luffy into a situation where he is simply an especially energetic pawn on the chessboard of battle. It's just as much of a rescue mission as it is a quest for survival for him, but in the midst of Whitebeard and the three admirals and the Shichibukai, Luffy makes his mark. However, he doesn't do it through displays of awe-inspiring force, but through his willpower. Aokiji is right when he says that Luffy isn't "ready for this stage yet," but the thing that scares the Navy most is that one day, he will be.

6. Sabaody Archipelago

This is not a happy arc. It's a satisfying one (Luffy punching the Celestial Dragon will never get old), and it's an illuminating one (Silver Rayleigh, y'all!), but it's not one that will end with cheering. Kizaru shows up to put an entire generation of pirates in their place and Kuma wipes out the Straw Hats. That said, even if it concludes with the most uncertain moment in the series, it's still a fun ride.

5. Arlong Park

Nami is the soul of the Straw Hat Crew, and learning what she's been through at the hands of the despicable Arlong is heart-breaking. But Luffy doesn't need to know every detail to know that he needs to help and the Straw Hats walking to Arlong Park is another one of those "One Piece is literally the best thing ever" moments. And by the end, every Straw Hat bro gets a victory, Luffy gets a bounty, and Nami gets her freedom. And what does she do with this freedom? She joins a ship full of dummies as their navigator. And I'm so happy about that.

4. Enies Lobby

For many, Enies Lobby is THE arc and I'm not disagreeing with them. It's such a display of raw emotion and exciting battles, a nonstop rollercoaster of everything that makes One Piece great. And it ends with a Viking funeral for the Going Merry, a scene that reveals Oda's true power as a writer: He makes you sob about a ship.

3. Whole Cake Island

If Enies Lobby is about being a hero, then Whole Cake Island is about letting that idea go. The Straw Hats can't beat Big Mom or her crew and will have to settle with getting Sanji and getting out. And Katakuri, the protective brother of the Charlotte family, learns that he doesn't have to be perfect all the time. It's a beautiful arc that shows that Oda is willing to play around with some of the pre-established ideas of One Piece.

2. Water 7

Robin leaves. Usopp defects, Luffy is forced to do things that no captain wants to, and a villainous team shows up that seems unstoppable. Water 7 may be the first half of a story that continues with Enies Lobby, but I find it to be the better one (though not by much). It's an arc that constantly leaves you saying "Well, what else could go wrong?" and then something else does. And it's just so good.

1. Skypiea

This is it. Everything good about One Piece, from the powerful villain (with a great weakness), to the touching themes, to enchanting locations, to the gripping adventures, is wrapped up in Skypiea. And while I have no problems with arcs being connected, there's just something about the standalone nature of Skypiea that leads me to regularly revisit it. It's an arc that makes me glad that I started this nearly 900 episode adventure in the first place. And that's the highest compliment that I can give.

Want to make your own ranking? Then watch One Piece on Crunchyroll! It's literally the only way.

What is your favorite One Piece arc? How do you feel about this ranking? Let us know in the comments!

------------------------

Daniel Dockery is a writer and editor for Crunchyroll. He has a Twitter, where you can disagree with him.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

2 notes · View notes

starringemiliaclarke · 5 years

Text

Emilia Clarke on Why Game of Thrones Is the Perfect Form of Escapism + HQ Scans

As Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke created a warrior queen for the ages. Her legend can be told on the walls of caves or on T-shirts at Comic-Con. But behind the Valkyrie wigs and very testy dragons, Clarke has an inspiring origin story of her own.

A valley sprawls before her, rich with every color of green in the kingdom, reaching out to a twinkling city, which borders the infinite sea. Her hair (tinted not with peroxide, but tiny flecks of actual gold) glows with a radiance that makes the setting sun so jealous it hides behind the surrounding mountains, and the evening sky blushes. She is Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of the Andals, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. Everything in sight belongs to her.

Just kidding! She is Emilia Clarke, sitting high above Beverly Hills in a glass mansion rented for a magazine cover shoot. So high up that passing aircraft rattle the bones of the house and those inside it. So high up that you can see Santa Catalina Island in the distance, peeking out from behind a curtain of fog. She laughs about something the makeup artist says, and the last of the evening light bounces off of her cheekbones and shoots into the camera lens.

We are in the sky to talk about Clarke’s reign as one of the most preeminent television actresses of our time, as Daenerys on Game of Thrones. But first, I have a few questions about her abandoned career as a jazz singer.

Clarke’s default emotion is joy — her resting heart rate seems to be just below that of someone seconds after winning a medium-expensive raffle prize — but it quickly congeals into theatrical horror when I reveal that I know that she is a casual but talented singer of jazz music.

When she was 10, Clarke was an alto in a chorus that she describes as “very churchy.” Then a substitute teacher introduced her class to jazz. “I just innately understood it,” she explains. “I was always sliding up and down the notes. Every time, the [chorus] teacher would be like, ‘Quit sliding, just sing that note and then that one and that’s it. Stop trying to fuck with it.’ Then this [jazz teacher] was like, ‘Fuck with it. That’s the point.’ ” Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Clarke was singing “The Way You Look Tonight” at the American Songbook Gala in New York, honoring Richard Plepler, erstwhile CEO of HBO. Nicole Kidman was there, too, and that is the story of Emilia Clarke, a very famous singer.

Just kidding, again! That is the story of Emilia Clarke, extremely famous actress, and it is not even the beginning. Game of Thrones, the HBO fantasy epic that has captured the global zeitgeist for most of the past decade, has entered its ultimate season. Since the show premiered in 2011, Daenerys’s searing platinum blonde has been branded into the brains of every living person with cable access, so much so that she has become as recognizable an action figure as Princess Leia. Every autumn, legions of Americans don Grecian-style dresses and carry stuffed dragons to Halloween parties in homage. Kristen Wiig even appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in a full Daenerys getup. This phenomenon exists in part because it’s a relatively easy costume to assemble, but more likely because Game of Thrones is the most popular TV show in the history of TV shows.

It’s also just one of three popular entertainment franchises Clarke has participated in. Last year: Solo: A Star Wars Story, as a paramour of Han Solo. Two years before that: the fifth Terminator movie, beside Arnold. She was also Holly Golightly in a short-lived Breakfast at Tiffany’s production on Broadway. None of those projects were particularly successful — but none of that matters, to a remarkable degree, because what matters is: The people love Daenerys.

They love a character whose series arc begins with her indentured servitude as a warlord’s concubine and ends, most recently, with her fighting for sovereignty over a league of nations and for a throne made of swords. They love how fictional languages drift from her mouth like dancing smoke, and how her searing-white mane retains a fearsome curl, even in or near battle. They love the whole dragons thing.

The people would love Emilia Clarke, too, if only they knew who she was. During the first few seasons of Game of Thrones, Clarke was able to fool the general public into believing she was very regular civilian Emilia Clarke, because Daenerys was blonde, and Clarke was not. Now, she says, recognition happens more frequently. Particularly Stateside.

For reasons I cannot fathom, Americans feel more entitled to command the attention of celebrities. “People are like, ‘UH-melia CLORK!’ ” she says, in perfect American. In London, people are prone to whisper about her as she passes by. “ ‘Was that Emilia Clarke?’ ”

“I move like a shark when I’m in public,” she says. “Head down. I think I’ve got quite bad posture because of it, because I’m determined to lead a normal life. So I just move too quickly for anyone to register if it’s me or not. And I don’t walk around with six security men and big sunglasses and a bizarre coat. I really try to meld in.” It gets worse when the show is being promoted, but otherwise, she says, it’s not so bad.

“I move like a shark when I’m in public. Head down…I’m determined to lead a normal life, so I just move too quickly for anyone to register if it’s me or not.”

Her best efforts aside, anonymity may be a pipe dream. The show is as decorated as a Christmas tree in a craft store. Game of Thrones has won a Peabody and 47 Emmys, the most of any television drama in history. The show marries critical praise with popular success, then it mercilessly slaughters those who have come to celebrate this union and receives even more acclaim (“The Rains of Castamere,” season 3, episode 9). The plotlines are famously convoluted. Luckily, we have an entire web’s worth of episode explainers, encyclopedias designed specifically for the Westeros universe, and a self-explanatory Funny or Die segment called Gay of Thrones, starring Jonathan van Ness.

When Mad Men first aired, television bloggers dutifully unpacked its symbolic elements, and millennials celebrated the show’s style with Mad Men–themed parties that were really just ’60s-and-one-red-wig-themed parties. Game of Thrones is basically an economy of its own. Since the show premiered, tourism to Croatia, whose coastal port Dubrovnik stands in for the fictional city of King’s Landing, has nearly doubled. Game of Thrones–themed weddings are so popular that it is almost impossible not to attend them — in 2016, Clarke accidentally walked into one that was occurring at the same hotel where she and the cast were staying during filming. (It was not a canonical wedding, and no guests were harmed.)

Game of Thrones has also earned one of the most important pop culture accolades of the century: The attention of Beyoncé Knowles. I believe it is her favorite TV show, and this is why.

Exhibit A: Jay-Z reportedly gave her a prop dragon’s egg from the set, at great personal expense. Exhibit B: At an Oscars after-party this year, Beyoncé approached Clarke (“voluntarily,” according to the actress) to introduce herself. “I watched her face go, ‘Oh, no, I shouldn’t be talking to this crazy [woman], who is essentially crying in front of me,’ ” remembers Clarke. “I think my inner monologue was, ‘Stop fucking it up,’ and I kept fucking it up.”

“I was like, ‘I just saw you in concert.’ And she was like, ‘I know.’ ” Clarke also mentions that Beyoncé complimented her work but declines to share specifics.

Why are people (more specifically, everybody) and goddesses (more specifically, Beyoncé) all obsessed with a show about some dragons and lots of dungeons?

“The show is sensationalist in a way,” Clarke explains, in an effort to describe a TV series that features twins having sex and a child’s defenestration in the very first episode. It doesn’t matter — Clarke’s conversational style is so intimate and emphatic that basic facts feel like sworn secrets. When she smiles, she does so with every single muscle in her face. “It’s the reason why people pick up gossip magazines. They want to know what happens next…. You’ve got a society that is far removed enough from ours but also circulates around power. How that corrupts people and how we want it, and how we don’t want it.”

In other words, Game of Thrones’ value proposition is creating a rich other world for people to experience a prestige, high-production version of pure, horny, violent, unbridled drama. It is, according to Clarke, pitched perfectly: “I think it caught Western society at exactly the right moment.”

“I don’t know about you,” she says, “but when I watch something, it’s escapism. I’m feeling crappy; I’m just sad, moody, depressed, upset, angry, whatever it is. I know that distraction is what makes me get better. Distraction is what really, really helps me.” She laughs and then quickly pivots to a caveat: “I’m sure that’s not what a therapist would advise.”

It is at this point that Emilia Clarke leans in very close, her breath knocking at my sideburn, and explains to me the bombastic and devastating ending to the most important TV show of the decade.

Wow — just kidding once more. But, uh, while we’re on the topic, how is this whole thing going to end?

It was not hard to root for the Breaker of Chains, until recently. Now we’re seeing the gentle unspooling of her character, and flickers of a dangerous prophecy that she will ascend the throne only to follow in her father’s footsteps and burn it all to the ground. For a while, Daenerys seemed like the Lawful Good ruler, but we have had the great pleasure of watching how power can pervert people. (Nate Jones, at Vulture, leads a thrilling discussion of this very topic.) (Also, if Daenerys were to rule the Seven Kingdoms, only to go nuts, we might at the very least have a spinoff to look forward to.)

Clarke will never say. Throughout 10 or so years in the public eye, her interviews have been peppered with the same handful of charming personal details from her career — the service jobs she worked prior to making it, dancing the funky chicken during her Game of Thrones audition — which feels a lot like walking a vast beach and finding the same series of 10 seashells.

Then, in March, some very different treasure washed ashore when The New Yorker ran the most illuminating profile of Emilia Clarke to date. It was written by Emilia Clarke.

If I am truly being honest every minute of every day I thought I was going to die.

In it, Clarke revealed that she had suffered two near-fatal brain aneurysms during the early seasons of Game of Thrones. The first hit her mid-plank during a training session, and not long after, doctors discovered a second that required them to open her skull for a risky operation. The recovery period was, to her, more painful than the aneurysms. “If I am truly being honest,” she wrote, “every minute of every day I thought I was going to die.” She also announced her charity venture, SameYou, which seeks to provide rehabilitation for young people recovering from brain injuries.

The second time we talk, it is the day before the Game of Thrones New York premiere, and Clarke is at a morning fitting, surrounded by a coronation’s worth of gowns. It’s early, and a passing cold has fried the edges of her voice. But her words still vibrate with so much joy, it’s like she doesn’t even notice. She’s just happy to be here, wherever she is.

Source

Emilia Clarke on Why Game of Thrones Is the Perfect Form of Escapism + HQ Scans was originally published on Enchanting Emilia Clarke | Est 2012

#articles #emilia clarke #gallery #magazines #news #photos #scans #game of thrones #game of thrones cast #GOT cast #daenerys targaryen #me before you #terminator

1 note · View note

xanth-the-wizard · 6 years

Note

You're strange and delight me. Any tips on DMing? I actually have a fair amount of experience now, but I'm making a homebrew setting soon and it's. Daunting.

I’m full of DM'ing tips! I want to eventually make a series about how to create your own campaign (which I believe I’ll be holding off until I can make some videos) but I understand completely feeling like the task of crafting everything yourself as being pretty difficult. I’ve got some tips for you on how to tackle this.

1. Establish the Main Idea2. Draw a Map3. Populate Your World4. Conflict & History5. How Does Magic Work?6. You Don’t Need to Know Everything

1. Establish the Main Idea

I believe that in order to create a new and exciting world you need to have a strong central idea to go off of. Some random examples:“The Gods are dead and now the power they wielded is up for grabs in the objects they left behind.” “The world is a desolate wasteland after an apocalyptic catastrophe. Nobody remembers how or why but what we do know is that the only way we’ve been able to stay alive is with the help of travelers from beyond the stars.” An example from The Adventure Zone being: An organization that defends the planet below from powerful artifacts in a world full of powerful magic.

Starting with an idea of how you want the world to be is a great start, and it doesn’t need to be incredibly complex. Try figuring out your Main Idea by creating a hook that is only a couple of sentences. This is also a great way to get your players excited about the world they are going to be exploring.

2. Draw a Map

Honestly, I’ve found that creating your own setting is a lot easier when you are drawing up your own map of the world. Sometimes you don’t even think, you act. Ideas flow much easier that way for me. Why did I make a huge volcano in the desert? I don’t know but damn that could be cool. Maybe a dragon lives there or is home to a society of goblins who worship and craft armor built from the magma itself. Just draft something up and don’t be afraid of making something dumb or poorly drawn. You can always create a more finalized version later.

3. Populate Your World

Now that you’ve got a map it’s time to decide who lives in this world of yours. Start big with Kingdoms/Empires and other big cities. Who are they and how do they feel about one another? Is there a Queen who rules over a rich gold mine and controls all trade in the north? How does the RedLion Kingdom feel about the GreenEagle Kingdom attempting to colonize close into their territory? Once you know who runs the world shrink down your scope a little bit and build smaller villages your players could reasonably live in.

And let’s not forget, you need to create specific NPCs that live in these places. Create characters you want to run and help guide or hinder the players. What are their goals? Are they Chaotic Neutral or Lawful Good? You can also create NPCs that sort of represent where they are from. A Bard from the RedLion Kingdom may act as a someone who thinks they own everything or perhaps they are the exact opposite. They think the rich steals from the poor and their goal is to take back from the elites.

4. Conflict & History

Of course, introducing factions, kingdoms, and varied characters is bound to create conflict. After all, what is a campaign without conflict? I got into this a little bit above, but figure out what are the BIG conflicts in your world. These can tie into your Main Idea and in fact I would say they should, at least in some capacity. Is there imminent war? Does a malicious Wizard think they need to right a wrong in the world? Are monsters running rampant through the world and need to be destroyed before the problem worsens? There are so many ideas and potential hooks you can insert into your setting.

Any world is not complete without history. You don’t need to develop this so much that it takes weeks to concoct. Instead I’d say come up with some really general ideas that you can use to strengthen your understanding of the world. Even something as simple as, a hundred years before a great war was fought and with it society has changed forever. And make sure you have some idea of what earlier history would have been. Who are these forgotten civilizations and why are these dungeons here? Who used to own this treasure? Again, you only need a general idea before you develop this more (or not) as your continue through your campaign.

5. How Does Magic Work?

Magic is important to tabletop fantasy games. Maybe your world is without magic or magic is rare and unexpected. Perhaps everyone has magic within them. There are so many possibilities. And while magic is a big one, there are other questions you should tackle. How important is religion? Are science and medicine still early in their practices? These questions can always be answered later. Brainstorm and come up with as much as you can before the campaign begins. However…

6. You Don’t Need to Know Everything

This is the most important thing to keep in mind if you are feeling stuck when try to develop your world. There’s so much to developing a setting that it can feel impossible or too scary to attempt. Don’t let this type of thinking stop you! Honestly you just need to lay out the foundation of your world before starting your first session. Your players aren’t going to need to know EVERYTHING about the world and neither do you. As you run you will develop ideas, characters, locations, villages, conflict, etc. This will make things more flexible and fun as you DM for your players. So relax, draw a map, write some ideas down and set a goal for when you will start session 0.

Thanks for the question, I hope you find this helpful as you begin prepping your world! Good luck and let me know if you need any other ideas or feedback!

Edit: Also! Here’s a link to another ask I answered with some DM’ing tips I forgot to add earlier.

#xanth rambles #xanth the wizard #voodoosciencelies

100 notes · View notes

alaslor · 6 years

Text

TASK #003 - THIS OR THAT

tea or coffee ? honestly is alive only thanks to coffee.

lace or velvet ? lace is so aesthetically pleasing.

wine or beer ? avoids alcohol most of the time but honestly would have expensive wine over beer any time. he was raised by an old rich pureblood family, he has those fine tastes. would probably even share the same top 3 with lucius malfoy, ew.

flying or apparating ? no one can chase you apparating. what’s the worst that could happen besides some splinching anyway.

quills or pens ? quills, because it’s what feels right, what he was raised using, what a good dramatic bitch like him would love. but always with a muggle marker right next to him. those big chunky things are the best invention.

summer or winter ? it’s worse weather for work and order stuff and he knows it, but damn if he doesn’t love winter. the storms, the snow, the freezing cold, the huge coats. feels so cozy ?? and intense ??

muggle music or wizard music ? is very very picky with music, but mostly goes for more jazz-like vibes, and especially older muggle music. and, of course, the wizard classics his parents listened to.

hot or iced ? burn off his lips, or don’t exist at all.

moon or stars ? who cares about the moon ! alastor does, but also, we just have one ! because this doesn’t include other moons ! SO MANY STARS ! let him tell you facts about half of them !

honeydukes or florean fortescue’s ice cream parlour ? ice cream is messy and melts easily. not a practical sweet thing.

beach or mountain ? loves the heights .

shower or bath ? shower. practical, quick, saves water.

solid or patterned ? alastor will never wear a pattern and this is a fact. the hogwarts’ ties stripes were already asking for too much.

cuddling or kissing ? cuddling ! he’s a soft bitch !

forehead kisses or cheek kisses ? forehead kisses are rarer and purer and feel more important to him.

roses or lavender ? sampaguitas. tries to have some fresh ones around sometimes.

night or day ? claims to be a creature of the night, but it’s mostly because he’s had a bad case of insomnia ever since he can remember. nights are frustrating, lonely and, especially as of late, full of nightmares so give him the day please.

fiction or non fiction ? mythology nerd, but also science books nerd.

transfiguration or potions ? transfiguration mainly because he preferred the professor much more than the obviously hunting for personal gain slughorn.

concert or play ? just feels less wild, less packed, less variables to keep in mind. a bit of a wizard theater snob.

robes or muggle clothes ? can’t cope with robes. so not practical. dumb, dumb, dumb.

introverted or extraverted ? leave the man alone

socks, slippers or barefoot ? barefoot always.

rose gold or bronze ? something timeless about bronze.

bright or pastel colours ? really dark colours, or variations of light grey, cream, beige and white.

small or big house ? small, because large houses feel emptier, lonelier. remind him of his childhood home a bit too much. kinda freaks him out a bit when he’s somewhere huge without every space being packed with people.

library or bookshop ? bookshop because he buys half of it every time he visits one.

quiet or loud ? growing up so isolated and spending so much time alone kinda left him CRAVING noise and movement. keeps the door to his offices a little open to hear the noise from outside. lives in the busiest street he could find.

truth or dare ? is too private for truths, and too competitive to say no to a dare.

dragons or thestrals ? in a morbid way, loves the concept of thestrals ??

thunderstorm or sunny ? let the sky scream !

vanilla or honey scented ? honeeey. make everything smell like honey please. alastor himself smells like honey a lot, it’s one of his go-to scents, support it.

silver or gold ? gold feels warmer.

radio or newspaper ? newspaper feels more personal, and he can cut off articles for his crime boards and just make shim feel like he’s stored the information better if he’s read it.

vocal or silent spells ? silent as often as possible. lives for the element of surprise (okay u know that scene in BvS where batman is hiding in the corner of a ceiling and then BOOM attack ? u turn around and he’s there, spell already on the way)

garden or forest ? his training and experience says garden, because it’s a more controleld setting, less surprises, less possible outcomes. but he loves dense scary forests filled with creatures and ancient trees and so isolated from the rest of the world ! except the bugs. fucking hates bugs anywhere.

bag or backpack ? charmed hidden pockets but, if needed, a backpack is the most practical item.

tea leaf reading or tarot card ? will let someone go with the tea leaf just to amuse them, but 110% doesn’t believe in either.

celestina warbeck or OMEN ? yes. his music taste is very much more jazz-y, and he quite likes older muggle jazz too. probably has no idea what OMEN is.

neat or messy handwriting ? has a surprisingly neat handwriting, full of little details and flourishes, but writes most things in some sort of personal code, so you can’t make much sense of what’s there other than it’s pretty.

lower case or all caps ? everything is URGENT

pancakes or crepes ? waffles. ever since he got a muggle waffler iron, his life has never been the same.

bertie bott’s every flavour beans or chocolate frogs ? bertie bott’s beans, we die like men

hogsmeade or diagon alley ? hogsmeade is innocence. it’s hogwarts and reunions with old friends there, and light shopping. diagon alley feels more like work - has to patrol it often, finds many criminals there, does his own shady business in and around there.

over the word count or the bare minimum ? at school he was that one who went like 800 words over the max. now ? you’ll get three very simple sentences at best.

ghosts or werewolves ? ghosts are so sad and he’s secretly so afraid of becoming one. looks at one for too long and feels so anxious, nope.

cloud watching or star gazing ? let’s go outside, hold hands, watch the stars, tell the constellations and facts about their chemical compositions !

countryside or city ? city, city, city. loves visiting the countryside, especially in the highlands, but can feel himself grow into a terrible mood if he stays there for too long. the youthfulness and movement and sound of the city makes him feel alive.

witch weekly or the quibbler ? fucking hell.

fresh fruit or fresh flowers ? fresh fruits always ! you can eat the fruit, you can’t eat the flowers !

sweet or sour ? the sweetest tooth.

big spoon or little spoon ? little spoon ! i’ve said this, he’s a soft bitch !

rooftop or balcony ? open field or inside.

nearly headless nick or the grey lady ? his taste for gory shit was vert often satisfied.

lemon or lime ? lime is so GREEN and pRETTY.

flobberworms or imps ? JUST because imps annoy him too much.

satin or flannel ? no lumberjack fantasies here.

pearls or diamonds ? diamonds can be very discreet and pretty while pearls are so chunky.

dinosaur kid or fairytale kid ? fairytale kid. loved listening to folk stories from the older muggles, loved the way magic was portrayed in muggle children’s books, loved mythology. reenacted faitytale scenes by himself or with kingsley and later alisa when they were little.

poetry or prose ? prose. he wants the information going straight from the pages to his brain, not having to interpret all that written song.

cats, owls or frogs ? owls are practical, and gorgeous, majestic, just feel so wizard-specific.

#❛ : ( character study; tasks )#maraudrshq:tasks

3 notes · View notes

angelicteeth · 6 years

Note

are u ready to do 250 questions

i think i’m going to cry answering these so i will update you on if i did or not, stay tuned (i am crying right now its been so long since ive worked on this i feel like a piece of my heart is being shared with the world this is way more emotional than i thought sedtryftgyjlk;l’)

Aster: She/Her - Leo - 19 - 5′9

1. What is your OC’s favorite color? red, dark red specifically 2. Does your OC collect anything? What do they collect? she likes collecting swords and daggers3. What kind of things is your OC allergic to? oranges and cat dandruff 4. What kind of clothing does your OC wear? she likes wearing long sleeved shirts and baggy pants a lot. she’s never without combat boots- but when she has to Dress Up for family events/kingdom stuff she tends to wear form-fitting dresses in her kingdoms colors- blue, green, and other earthy tones5. What is your OC’s first memory? she remembers playing by a river when she was around 4 or 5 and finds a dog that she later takes home with her and keeps :^)6. What’s your OC’s favorite animal? Least favorite? she really loves black panthers and humming birds, she hates moths7. What element would your OC be? actually, she’s part of a world that has 4 kingdoms based off of the 4 elements and she lives in the Earth kingdom but i would say she, herself, is fire8. What is your OC’s theme song? something that would be Dark and get your adrenaline Pumping, not sure entirely though9. Do you have a faceclaim / voiceclaim for your OC? no, i don’t! she has a kinda deep but feminine voice10. What deadly sin would best represent your OC? pride11. What are your OC’s hobbies? she likes to read high fantasy novels or historical fiction novels, she enjoys exercising/training, and doing crossword puzzles12. How patient is your OC? How hot-headed are they? she’s very patient and also extremely hot headed, but she knows how to control it for the most part- unless you say something she doesn’t like/is very passionate about 13. What is your OC’s gender / sexuality / race / species / etc.? she’s female, a lesbian, and… well, she’s pink-ish/purple, and i haven’t completely thought about what they’re called yet- basically she’s alien14. What foods does your OC like to eat? What are their least favorite foods? she really hates extremely greasy food, nothing in particular just anything with dripping amounts of grease make her gag- her favorite is probably fruits- save oranges15. If your OC could have any pet, what would they choose? Why? she really wants her own dragon! she wants to get one herself so she’s been saving up for it, she plans to buy one fairly soon- she’s almost to her goal! she’s always wanted one since her older brother got his16. What does your OC smell like? lavender and vanilla 17. How do they make a living? What kind of job do they want / not want? What is their dream job? What do they think of their current job? she currently teaches younger kids how to train/fight and she really enjoys it! this has always been her dream job, actually, or working with dragons. 18. What are your OC’s greatest fears? Weaknesses? Strengths? her greatest fear is drowning, her weakness is always needing to be right, and a strength is how confident yet humble she is19. What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have a favorite song? she doesn’t really invest a lot of time into music but she really enjoys rock and alternative 20. If they came from their world to ours (if not already in our’s) how would they react? What would they do? she would be curious of everything but also very hesitant, she’d probably first go into a bookstore to see if we have a good selection of high fantasy and historical fictional novels!21. What personal problems/issues do they have? Pet peeves? her pet peeves are people chewing with their mouth open and people who think they’re better than everyone else just because they’re rich. she’s also trying to work on how she always feels the need to be right22. What kind of student were they/would they be in high school? she did very well in school, was top of her class and actually looked forward to going- even though she almost always looked disinterested23. What is a random fact about your OC? she doesn’t like staying up late and always has to wear socks to bed24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living? she has a pretty positive outlook on life, she thinks living in general is interesting and no life is insignificant 25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them? i wanted to write a well planned and thought out story about 2 girls from different kingdoms falling in love but having immense amounts of support so i did a ton of research and boom! aster was born! her design at first is practically the same as now, only minor details changed. her personality is very outgoing, she’s definitely an extroverted person but not in a bubbly sense. 26. Who is the most important person in their life? Why? Who is the least important to them (that still has an impact) and why? the most important person in her life is probably esen, her girlfriend :^) the least important is her old best friend, they drifted apart but they still mean something to her27. What kind of childhood did your character have? a happy but sometimes lonely childhood, she didnt have a best friend until she was 11- she usually hung out with her 2 older brothers 28. What kind of nervous habits do they have? Do they stim? Do they have any kinds of addictions? she has a ring she always wears and when shes nervous/anxious she twists it in intervals of 3. she enjoys watching stim videos, typically paint or bread ones29. If they could choose their epitaph for their grave, what would they choose? probably something along the lines of “In loving memory of an angry, tired soul” because she’s always Angry and Tired esen probably wouldn’t let her put that on her grave tho30. Do they want to get married? Why or why not? Would they ever want kids? Do they have kids? Why? yes! she’d love to get married :^) she’d want a small but fancy wedding. she does want kids, but only 1. 2 tops31. What is their most traumatic memory/experience? What is their favorite memory? most traumatic experience would have to be when she was 3 and almost drowned :^) hence her fear, and her favorite memory is probably when she surprised esen randomly with a bouquet of red roses and a necklace that has a pink carnation on it, which is her favorite flower. she could never forget how esen’s eyes lit up and it felt like her smile could swallow her whole32. If they could have one thing in the world, what would it be? she doesn’t know, she’s still trying to figure it out33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why? probably, the person would most likely have to hurt someone very close to her or just piss her the fuck off to no return34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually? her father is the king so her family is Royalty. theres lots of balls and parties where she plays the role of a charming and sophisticated daughter who knows Exactly what everyone who comes up to her is talking about she zones out SO MUCH at these parties, she’d rather be with esen35. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories? if nobody is around, she’s usually day dreaming. it’s one of her favorite things to do. she thinks fondly back on memories, but not super often 36. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain? i think she just wants freedom the most. she enjoys living in her kingdom- but there’s just so many people and she’s tired of them. she wants to live out on a farm or a secluded place with esen, doing whatever they please whenever37. What’s something that your character does, that other people don’t normally do? she often jogs in place because she always needs to be moving38. What would your character do with a million dollars? please do not give her a million dollars she has NO self control39. What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? Nightstand? Garbage can? water, grape juice, a fruit bowl, and yogurt. she probably has her work out clothes on the floor right now, and some books. on her nightstand is the book she’s currently reading, a lamp, and a candle. in her garbage can is some papers she crumpled up and a banana peel40. Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with? to the local theater to see some of the younger kids put on a play. she’d probably wear a white tube top, fancy-ish black pants, a black blazer, and black heels. she’d go with esen and maybe her 2 brothers!41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why? depends on who/what she’s angry at but she typically bursts out screaming, sometimes getting so frustrated she pulls at her hair. she’s very loud when she’s mad42. Does your character have any scars? Where did they get them from? she has a scar across her nose, she got it from when her and her brothers were play fighting and one of them didn’t realize it was a real knife and accidentally cut her43. What was the most offensive thing your character had ever said? when she was like 6 she called her mom an old hag serdtfygiuohi she doesn’t like to say mean/offensive things but that slipped out 44. How does your character react/ accept criticism? depending on if she asks for it or not, she takes it very well… unless you say it out of the blue when she didn’t ask for any, then she would probably say something snarky back and get angry with you 45. If your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? Do they even LIKE pineapple pizza? she actually really enjoys pineapple pizza! it’s her favorite. she’d probably ask you for more46. Your character is given a voodoo doll of themself. What do they do with it? Do they see if it actually works? she’d probably display it on her bookshelf but never see if it actually works, she’s paranoid about it47. Can your character draw? What do they like to draw? Do they doodle? she doesn’t actively draw but she likes to doodle if she’s really bored! she draws pretty well, she’d be excellent if she actually practiced but she isn’t really into it48. What were their parents like? How has that affected how they are as an adult? her parents are very loving and supportive! it’s affected her very positively, she’s very kind and humble- if she didn’t have amazing parents i don’t think she’d be the way she is, she’d most likely be mean- maybe even cruel49. Does your character like candy? Do they get sugar rushes? What are they like when they get a rush? she does like candy! it’s one of her weaknesses, actually. if she eats a lot of it, she does get a sugar rush- which is kinda bad because she’s even louder than normal and even easier to agitate, but she’s also a lot more bubbly and giggly 50. If your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? Would they try to avoid death anyways? Would they try to make their last days count? she’d probably think about it for a couple hours- or even the whole day. after that she would try to make her last days count but also try to avoid death at all costs. she’s a very determined person, and hates to give up

Esen: She/They - Pisces - 22 - 5′1

1. What is your OC’s favorite color? pink!2. Does your OC collect anything? What do they collect? she collects stuffed animals, sea shells, stickers, and dolls !3. What kind of things is your OC allergic to? nothing!4. What kind of clothing does your OC wear? pink, frilly, lacy clothes! she loves dressing like a doll, honestly. very into pastel. but when she has to go to a party she wears her kingdoms colors- white and black5. What is your OC’s first memory? her first memory is when she was 6 and sitting on a picnic blanket in the spring with her mom while her dad and older siblings played a game of hide and seek6. What’s your OC’s favorite animal? Least favorite? her favorite animal is bunnies and butterflies while her least favorite is spiders7. What element would your OC be? her kingdom is based off of air and i have to say i agree! she’s definitely air 8. What is your OC’s theme song? bubblegum bitch by marina and the diamonds9. Do you have a faceclaim / voiceclaim for your OC? nope! but her voice is very sweet and soft, like candy10. What deadly sin would best represent your OC? envy11. What are your OC’s hobbies? reading classic, romance, and historical fiction novels, doing arts and crafts, and embroidering 12. How patient is your OC? How hot-headed are they? she’s extremely patient and not very hot-headed, when she’s angry she turns very cold13. What is your OC’s gender / sexuality / race / species / etc.? genderfluid, pansexual, japanese/alien- idk ! she has fairly pink skin14. What foods does your OC like to eat? What are their least favorite foods? she really enjoys sweet things and fruits, she doesn’t really enjoy anything with a ton of salt15. If your OC could have any pet, what would they choose? Why? she’d really love to have a bearded dragon! her older brother used to have one and she would help take care of them often16. What does your OC smell like? she tends to wear floral scents a lot !17. How do they make a living? What kind of job do they want / not want? What is their dream job? What do they think of their current job? she works with her mom as a seamstress! she really enjoys it because she works on big, frilly dresses the most- which are her favorites. her dream job is to own her own dress shop18. What are your OC’s greatest fears? Weaknesses? Strengths? her greatest fear is never being able to wake up again, a weakness is how cold she is toward other people, she more often than not comes off across cold even though she looks so sweet and inviting. she’s actually very cruel. a strength is how nothing ever gets to her- she’s blocked out anything negative. the only opinion that matters to her the most is her own, and sometimes her girlfriends19. What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have a favorite song? she typically listens to lana del rey, marina and the diamonds, nicole dollanganger, and other artists that sound similar. her favorite song is dog teeth by nicole dollanganger or queen of disaster by lana del rey20. If they came from their world to ours (if not already in our’s) how would they react? What would they do? she’d probably react similar to aster21. What personal problems/issues do they have? Pet peeves? she’s a very emotional person but never lets anyone see, she always appears cold and harsh. the only person who’s managed to help her open up more is aster, which she is extremely grateful for. she’s working hard to be kinder and smile more. a pet peeve of hers is people wearing shoes around their house, she thinks it’s very rude and disrespectful22. What kind of student were they/would they be in high school? she was an amazing student, as was aster, she was top of her class and managed high scores on everything23. What is a random fact about your OC? she often loves laying in bed and just scrolling through cute animal videos, it helps calm her down24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living? she has a very realistic outlook on life that can sometimes be very dark and depressing. she doesn’t really know how to feel about life and living, she’s still very much trying to figure it out25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them? it’s the same answer as asters but nothing has changed about her design! she has a very cold and stoic personality, but once she opens up to you she’s very loud and bubbly26. Who is the most important person in their life? Why? Who is the least important to them (that still has an impact) and why? most important person in her life is aster, her girlfriend, and the least important person is probably her father27. What kind of childhood did your character have? she had an okay childhood, she doesn’t remember much about her father but she does remember spending a lot of time with her mom and her older siblings 28. What kind of nervous habits do they have? Do they stim? Do they have any kinds of addictions? she often chews/picks at her lips when nervous and she likes foam and slime as a way to stim- she also loves paint mixing videos 29. If they could choose their epitaph for their grave, what would they choose? something snarky but thought provoking 30. Do they want to get married? Why or why not? Would they ever want kids? Do they have kids? Why? she does want to get married! but only to aster. she’d be okay with 1 or 2 kids31. What is their most traumatic memory/experience? What is their favorite memory? most traumatic memory she has mostly blocked out- she doesn’t like bringing it up but her favorite memory was when aster slept over at her place and they just had a really sweet, romantic night in. they watched movies, ate junk food, laughed until they cried, and started a scrapbook together- she really cherishes every moment with aster in general but that one is her most favorite32. If they could have one thing in the world, what would it be? a caring father33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why? yes, not much, probably because someone hurt her family or aster. she might even end up killing her father but that’s a whole other story34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually? her family, like aster’s, gets invited to parties often because her father is an Important Dude so she often goes to those and pretends to be a loving, caring daughter35. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories? she daydreams almost all of the time, living in memories or just in her own little world. she isn’t worried often, only when she’s feeling really down36. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain? what she wants most, she has, for the most part- and that’s aster. aster is what she’s dreamed of all her life, someone to care about her as much as she cares about them, someone who will accept her for who she is- bad and all. she wanted a place to call home, and aster is her home37. What’s something that your character does, that other people don’t normally do? she cries all the time. she cries for everything. she doesn’t let anyone see her, but once she’s alone she weeps. for something lost, something found, something happy, something sad, when she’s mad or when she’s scared. she cries for it all38. What would your character do with a million dollars? she would buy so much jewelry and beautiful dresses but also spend a ton on aster39. What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? Nightstand? Garbage can? peach tea, green tea, chocolate almond milk, grapes, and some vegan cheese. there’s nothing on her bedroom floor, she likes it to be clean. she has a rose gold clock, a book, reading glasses, and a cup of tea on her nightstand- and there’s nothing in her garbage can40. Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with? somewhere with aster, probably one of her favorite white dresses, frilly white socks, white platform heels, and a white/baby pink parasol41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why? she immediately turns cold and shut off, but if she’s alone she’ll cry because she’s so overcome with emotion- if she’s in public and someone has made her mad she will be calm but cool, deflecting whatever they’ve said and most likely proving them wrong42. Does your character have any scars? Where did they get them from? she doesn’t have any scars!43. What was the most offensive thing your character had ever said? she always says something offensive to her dad which changes each time she has to speak to him, it probably refers to what a shit person he is44. How does your character react/ accept criticism? she takes it very well but if it’s unwanted she’ll get in your face about it 45. If your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? Do they even LIKE pineapple pizza? she enjoys pineapple on pizza, just without the cheese- unless it’s vegan cheese but she prefers it to be just the sauce and extra pineapple!46. Your character is given a voodoo doll of themself. What do they do with it? Do they see if it actually works? she would first see if it works and then after finding out if it does or not, display it somewhere. maybe even with her other dolls47. Can your character draw? What do they like to draw? Do they doodle? she likes to draw! her favorites to draw are dresses and pretty people :^)48. What were their parents like? How has that affected how they are as an adult? her mother is one of her favorite people and she has a strong hatred for her father. because of her father she is a very cold person yet still loving like her mother49. Does your character like candy? Do they get sugar rushes? What are they like when they get a rush? she does like candy sometimes, she really loves marshmallows and sweet taffy! she’s never had a sugar rush before but she’s witnessed aster’s and she is Terrified but Intrigued 50. If your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? Would they try to avoid death anyways? Would they try to make their last days count? she would 100% avoid it at all costs and probably even succeed, she’s very skilled

Bunni: She/They - Sagittarius - 27 - 5′3

1. What is your OC’s favorite color? white!2. Does your OC collect anything? What do they collect? shells, white/lacy things, stickers, and old clown dolls! also anything care bares or strawberry shortcake!3. What kind of things is your OC allergic to? dust and bees4. What kind of clothing does your OC wear? only white clothes, as its her favorite color and makes her the happiest- typically lacy or frilly things! doesn’t really like pants a lot 5. What is your OC’s first memory? baking a lemon cake with her mother while her father fed her little brother in his highchair!6. What’s your OC’s favorite animal? Least favorite? bunnies!!! and she’s deathly afraid of bees/wasps/moths7. What element would your OC be? earth!!!8. What is your OC’s theme song? a soft melody, not sure which9. Do you have a faceclaim / voiceclaim for your OC? no! she has a very soft and quiet voice though10. What deadly sin would best represent your OC? gluttony 11. What are your OC’s hobbies? baking, crocheting, painting, and making stained glass things!12. How patient is your OC? How hot-headed are they? a saint. the most patient. is hot-headed in private though…13. What is your OC’s gender / sexuality / race / species / etc.? non-binary, bi-ace, they’re an alien so… idk… they’re a periwinkle color ??? (they prefer strangers to use they/them bc she feels very personal!)14. What foods does your OC like to eat? What are their least favorite foods? loves sweets!!!! LOVES THEM!!! also loves fruit! doesn’t really like meat much15. If your OC could have any pet, what would they choose? Why? a bunny… they are her favorite and its her name so !16. What does your OC smell like? sweet sweet vanilla 17. How do they make a living? What kind of job do they want / not want? What is their dream job? What do they think of their current job? her current job is her dream job, she loves it so much. she owns a little bakery/cafe!!! she would never want a job like her old one- it took so much out of her18. What are your OC’s greatest fears? Weaknesses? Strengths? her greatest fear is waking up one day and nobody remembers who she is- that jupiter and delaney don’t recognize her. a weakness is how often she takes in strangers, like she just. helps anyone. please bunni be fucking careful. a strength is despite being super kind and caring- she doesn’t take shit from anyone and WILL tell you off- extremely politely though19. What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have a favorite song? she likes anything soft and makes her feel like she’s floating on a cloud20. If they came from their world to ours (if not already in our’s) how would they react? What would they do? she would want to go to every bakery she can get her hands on, and also craft stores21. What personal problems/issues do they have? Pet peeves? she’s still working through some old scars her past job has left on her, she’s much better now but some things still get to her often. usually in nightmares uh a main pet peeve is people not picking up after themselves- she hates cleaning up after others 22. What kind of student were they/would they be in high school? UH shy quiet kid in the back that nobody notices until halfway through the year- gets pretty good grades A’s & B’s23. What is a random fact about your OC? she hates blood because it reminds her of how much she has on her own hands24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living? she has a relatively positive outlook! she thinks life is beautiful- and that she’s found things that are worth living for- including herself25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them? UH well i was on a character making website and i made pretty ppl and turned them into my ocs… her design has definitely changed the most, her skin is lighter, she has white hair when originally she didn’t have any. its hard to describe but i like her design a lot more now- it suits her better26. Who is the most important person in their life? Why? Who is the least important to them (that still has an impact and why? her brother, delaney, and jupiter!!! her old boss- for a lot of various reasons he’s a scumbag god27. What kind of childhood did your character have? a very happy and loving childhood!!! loves her parents so much28. What kind of nervous habits do they have? Do they stim? Do they have any kinds of addictions? she clicks her nails together when she’s nervous/anxious. she fucking loves cooking/food, paint mixing, soap cutting, and foam videos! has slime and foam of her own she likes to stim with. sometimes chews on a rubber bracelet she has with her all the time29. If they could choose their epitaph for their grave, what would they choose? ‘In Loving Memory of a Sweetheart’ or something cute30. Do they want to get married? Why or why not? Would they ever want kids? Do they have kids? Why? maybe? she really wants a wedding tbh… doesn’t want any kids! maybe adopting but most likely not 31. What is their most traumatic memory/experience? What is their favorite memory? a mission at her old job went horribly wrong and everyone but her was killed. she still blames herself to this day. her favorite memory is when she was sitting on the couch, jupiter next to her and delaneys head on her lap. delaney was having a random lazy day and just wanted to hang with her girlfriends. bunni was happy to hang with them when delaney said that she thinks this is what happiness/loves feel like- content and home. and bunni started crying because she loves them both so very much32. If they could have one thing in the world, what would it be? a giant kitchen thats strawberry shortcake themed33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why? never again.34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually? uh idk she just lives at her bakery and loves her gfs ok35. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories? very active! she loves daydreaming and she worries SO MUCH god please let her rest. tries not to think of anything from age 18-24 but anything before that is peaceful and relaxing 36. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain? she’s pretty content, doesn’t know what she wants. mainly to help delaney- she’d do anything for her girlfriends 37. What’s something that your character does, that other people don’t normally do? she really likes face masks so she’ll put a couple different ones on throughout the day very often and sing opera… i don’t know why…38. What would your character do with a million dollars? buy so many things for her bakery/cafe but also probably herself- finally buy a collectors item she’d been eyeing for weeks- months even39. What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? Nightstand? Garbage can? fruit, peach tea, almond milk, orange juice, some vegetables, butter, and a pitcher of fruit water. her bedroom floor is clean as is her garbage can! on her nightstand is a little twin stars clock, white frilly lamp, the comic she’s borrowing from delaney, and a glass of water40. Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with? probably somewhere with jupiter and delaney! definitely wearing a white off the shoulder top, white skater skirt, white fishnets, white platform heels, and a white hat! 41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why? clenches her fists if she’s mad at someone else, trying not to take it out on them. feels like she’s boiling from the inside out. usually distances herself and screams as loud as she possibly can42. Does your character have any scars? Where did they get them from? she has quite a few scars all over her body from her previous job 43. What was the most offensive thing your character had ever said? “if you don’t shut the fuck up right now I’m going to rip your arm off and stuff it up your ass so you can choke on it” her job made her. pissed. 44. How does your character react/ accept criticism? depends but she’s relatively neutral, unless its about her baking bc she is So Proud of it 45. If your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? Do they even LIKE pineapple pizza? she. loves it? would eat a whole pie by herself. maybe 2.46. Your character is given a voodoo doll of themself. What do they do with it? Do they see if it actually works? she would Not see if it actually works and probably give it to delaney or put it in a glass case display so nobody will fuck with it 47. Can your character draw? What do they like to draw? Do they doodle? she likes to draw the cakes or sweets she wants to make!48. What were their parents like? How has that affected how they are as an adult? love them!!! great people!!!! helped her keep her sanity!!!!!49. Does your character like candy? Do they get sugar rushes? What are they like when they get a rush? Do Not Give Bunni Candy, Please50. If your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? Would they try to avoid death anyways? Would they try to make their last days count? you bet your ass she would try to fucking avoid it at all costs and run away with her girlfriends

Jupiter: She/Her - Cancer - 26 - 5′6

1. What is your OC’s favorite color? yellow!2. Does your OC collect anything? What do they collect? makeup, tigers, plants, and anything floral !3. What kind of things is your OC allergic to? some perfumes4. What kind of clothing does your OC wear? loves crop tops and high waisted shorts, sundresses, off the shoulder tops- anything that makes her feel beautiful 5. What is your OC’s first memory? her and her sister discovering an injured dragon and taking them home to help save it!6. What’s your OC’s favorite animal? Least favorite? TIGERS!!! big cats! fucking hates ducks ???7. What element would your OC be? earth! loves plants. loves outside. 8. What is your OC’s theme song? something pop and upbeat!9. Do you have a faceclaim / voiceclaim for your OC? no claims but a sweet yet silky kind of voice10. What deadly sin would best represent your OC? lust 11. What are your OC’s hobbies? video games, makeup, and doing nails!12. How patient is your OC? How hot-headed are they? pretty patient, only gets hot-headed when irritated or annoyed13. What is your OC’s gender / sexuality / race / species / etc.? female, bisexual, and also alien…she is Green… don’t know much else 14. What foods does your OC like to eat? What are their least favorite foods? loves pasta, bread, fruit, and anything cheesy. doesn’t dislike much, but fucking hates pickles15. If your OC could have any pet, what would they choose? Why? she wants a cow. so badly. idk why. just loves them. moo bitch. moo. 16. What does your OC smell like? very floral 17. How do they make a living? What kind of job do they want / not want? What is their dream job? What do they think of their current job? she’s a personal stylist! she enjoys it, she never really had a dream job. 18. What are your OC’s greatest fears? Weaknesses? Strengths? being buried alive is probably her greatest fear. a weakness is how emotionally attached she gets to people, how invested she becomes. a strength is her people skills- despite having bad anxiety 19. What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have a favorite song? indie, pop, alternative are her go too’s! harry styles, lorde, and such. loves sober by lorde a lot!20. If they came from their world to ours (if not already in our’s) how would they react? What would they do? try out so much food, would be so interested in everything and probably try talking in depth to everyone she meets21. What personal problems/issues do they have? Pet peeves? she has very severe anxiety she’s trying to cope with, which has its ups and downs. a pet peeve is scratching silverware on a plate. hates the sound it makes. 22. What kind of student were they/would they be in high school? very talkative and social, wanted to be everybody’s friend. very likable- mainly got B’s23. What is a random fact about your OC? she hate socks??? never wears them. only wears heels or sandals24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living? very optimistic, looking forward to the future very much. loves life, thinks its fascinating and loves watching it grow and just. be. 25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them? the same as bunni but I haven’t changed her design at all!26. Who is the most important person in their life? Why? Who is the least important to them (that still has an impact and why? her girlfriends, delaney and bunni, and her sister! least important is a stupid ex who won’t leave her alone 27. What kind of childhood did your character have? pretty good! had lots of fun and loads of friends- but never a best friend 28. What kind of nervous habits do they have? Do they stim? Do they have any kinds of addictions? twirls her hair and bites her nails when nervous or anxious. doesn’t really stim unless its slime!29. If they could choose their epitaph for their grave, what would they choose? “I’ll Haunt You If You Even Think About Looking At My Grave” 30. Do they want to get married? Why or why not? Would they ever want kids? Do they have kids? Why? married, yes! maybe to kids- not opposed but doesn’t really want one31. What is their most traumatic memory/experience? What is their favorite memory? delaney got into a bad motorcycle accident once and they didn’t know if she was going to make it… delaney and bunni threw her a surprise birthday party that was summery themed and she cried sedrftgyhu she wasn’t expecting it and she felt SO loved32. If they could have one thing in the world, what would it be? mental stability ! she hates her anxiety sooooo much 33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why? probably not! but you’d have to hurt her gfs or her family to get her to really consider it… or ruin all her makeup…..34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually? doesn’t do jack shit she only cares abt her gfs and sister35. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories? she daydreams often, but not as much as you might think. she’s almost ALWAYS worried, her anxiety is Awful36. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain? she’s pretty okay right now… has all she wants, really. 37. What’s something that your character does, that other people don’t normally do? she has a pretty elaborate skin care routine and performs it roughly twice a day38. What would your character do with a million dollars? buy so much makeup and clothes, spoil her gfs, and probably save some money for her little sister39. What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? Nightstand? Garbage can? fridge would be the same as bunni’s they live together but her floor has a pile of clothes in the corner, random makeup items, and empty bottles of pink lemonade. her nightstand has a cute floral clock, her rose gold watch, and a pair of sunglasses and her garbage can is empty bc she just throws shit on the floor all the time, sigh40. Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with? somewhere with bunni and delaney, probably. she’d probably be wearing a floral dress, maybe sunflowers, white wedges with wood bottoms, and a little gold purse! 41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why? she doesn’t get angry super often but she’s Loud and probably cries, acts like a little kid most likely 42. Does your character have any scars? Where did they get them from? nope! she’s scar free43. What was the most offensive thing your character had ever said? if she’s ever catcalled she definitely says something Nasty to the person44. How does your character react/ accept criticism? she takes it well and acts stoic because of her job, she’s trained very hard to be the perfect stylist! 45. If your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? Do they even LIKE pineapple pizza? she doesn’t mind it but it’s definitely not her fave 46. Your character is given a voodoo doll of themself. What do they do with it? Do they see if it actually works? fucking chucks that thing so far away from her and hopes it never returns 47. Can your character draw? What do they like to draw? Do they doodle? she often designs things for clients if they want something specifically made for them but that’s about it!48. What were their parents like? How has that affected how they are as an adult? her parents were very kind and sweet people, she really loves them a lot but they aren’t extremely close 49. Does your character like candy? Do they get sugar rushes? What are they like when they get a rush? she enjoys very sweet candy, but nothing else! she’s had a couple sugar rushes but she crashed Hard from them, no matter how small they were 50. If your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? Would they try to avoid death anyways? Would they try to make their last days count? she’s so stressed her anxiety is through the ROOF but delaney and bunni help her and they spend a lot of time together! she’d probably try to find a loophole, though

Delaney: She/Her - Gemini - 24 - 5′11

1. What is your OC’s favorite color? dark dark red or black 2. Does your OC collect anything? What do they collect? comic books, knives, and cool jewelry for her piercings 3. What kind of things is your OC allergic to? nothing she was made to be Perfect4. What kind of clothing does your OC wear? typical punk/goth/emo clothes! a lot of fishnets, chains, boots, belts, and jackets5. What is your OC’s first memory? white walls, tests, experiments, sterile smells, moving shadows, blinding lights, wakeupwakeupwakeup6. What’s your OC’s favorite animal? Least favorite? loves snakes, lizards, and all that jazz. doesn’t care much for birds7. What element would your OC be? fire, sigh8. What is your OC’s theme song? something sad and emo, probably, but also fast paced and adrenaline pumping 9. Do you have a faceclaim / voiceclaim for your OC? no but her voice is… smoother than you expect. she looks like someone with a gruff voice but its nice and smooth, angry sounding but not necessarily Gruff it is kinda deep tho10. What deadly sin would best represent your OC? wrath11. What are your OC’s hobbies? reading comics/graphic novels, riding her motorcycle, annoying jupiter and bunni12. How patient is your OC? How hot-headed are they? sheeeee’s patient depending on her mood? typically Isn’t because she likes annoying people but when she actually cares she’s very patient. pretty hotheaded, definitely says a lot of shit In The Moment 13. What is your OC’s gender / sexuality / race / species / etc.? female, lesbian, ??? she’s… an experiment so technically an alien and a human? they merged both of them together… i haven’t fleshed this part out a whole lot 14. What foods does your OC like to eat? What are their least favorite foods? she… Loves… pancakes…. and wings with curly fries….. and food. she discovers she really fuckin Loves food. hates pickles god fuck15. If your OC could have any pet, what would they choose? Why? a big ass snake tfgui16. What does your OC smell like? for such a long time she would just smell like a hospital but now that she’s her own person she experiments with a bunch of different ones, she’s still trying to pick a Fave because everything just smells so fucking nice17. How do they make a living? What kind of job do they want / not want? What is their dream job? What do they think of their current job? she’s very confused on the whole aspect of jobs and making a living, bunni and jupiter mainly support her bc they make A Lot but encourage delaney that she can get a job If She Wants one… she’s kinda looking into working at a comic book place, tbh18. What are your OC’s greatest fears? Weaknesses? Strengths? hospitals, doctors, needles specifically IVs or shots, and dressing gowns. she can be very emotionless at times which can be off putting but she just genuinely doesn’t know how to react tfuygi but it can also be a strength??? she has a lot of Love in her which is essentially what saved her :^)19. What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have a favorite song? she mainly listens to instrumentals??? or sad/emo/goth music20. If they came from their world to ours (if not already in our’s) how would they react? What would they do? oh god please Don’t she’s already confused by her own world drftgyhui21. What personal problems/issues do they have? Pet peeves? she was an experiment for the first 16-18 years of her life and she still often has that mindset, even though it’s been years… she’s trying to work through it and her fears but it’s so fucking hard lol 22. What kind of student were they/would they be in high school? she would’ve been a dumbass trouble maker had she actually grown up as a normal being 23. What is a random fact about your OC? she really fucking wants to get her tongue split, she currently has it pierced though 24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living? Not Good.25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them? saaaammmeeee as bunnniii and jupiterrrrrrrr26. Who is the most important person in their life? Why? Who is the least important to them (that still has an impact and why? bunni and jupiter! her gfs! the gorls! uhhh a doctor at the place where she was created :^)27. What kind of childhood did your character have? awful, lonely, painful28. What kind of nervous habits do they have? Do they stim? Do they have any kinds of addictions? the uh doctors where she “lived” used to experiment on her with drugs and she developed a codependency with heroin for a little bit, and it was the absolute fucking worst thing in the whole world. now, though, she just drinks kind of excessively 29. If they could choose their epitaph for their grave, what would they choose? “experiment: fuck your bitch”30. Do they want to get married? Why or why not? Would they ever want kids? Do they have kids? Why? married, possibly. kids, hell no. 31. What is their most traumatic memory/experience? What is their favorite memory? she was about 8 or so, and wandering the halls of the ‘hospital’ when she stumbled upon a room with someone her age strapped down to a table. she watched silently as they were tortured and its forever burned into her memory. doesn’t help she remembers everything vividly, but that one sticks out to her the most. her favorite memory is literally just watching her gfs do something or just hanging out with them rdftgyui she’s So in Love but doesn’t know how to fucking voice anything 32. If they could have one thing in the world, what would it be? …revenge 33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why? yes. any doctors who hurt her. they wouldn’t have to do fucking anything, they’ve already done enough. 34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually? none35. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories? she tries her best to distract herself all the time so she can’t live in her memories, but that only helps so much 36. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain? peace. quiet. anything. 37. What’s something that your character does, that other people don’t normally do? every time she puts on socks she has to go on a slippery surface and Slide 38. What would your character do with a million dollars? she has no idea she’d probably just fucking stare at it until bunni or jupiter said ‘hey you can get ____ this now’ and she’d be like ‘oh shit i can Get Things’39. What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? Nightstand? Garbage can? nothing on her floor, a stack of comics shes reading, a random book she found and actually liked the idea of, some candy40. Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with? bunni and jupiter, somewhere Nice, would for once probably wear nice dressy-ish clothes so basically a suit, minus the jacket unless they’re going to a restaurant, and a red button down with a black tie 41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why? she… explodes? yeah. its… not fun42. Does your character have any scars? Where did they get them from? y e a h she has scars on her arms from experiments and self harm, she has one on her face going through her left eyebrow, a couple on her stomach and legs, and one Big one her knee43. What was the most offensive thing your character had ever said? she says stupid shit all the fucking time, sigh44. How does your character react/ accept criticism? blankly 45. If your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? Do they even LIKE pineapple pizza? fucking loves food will c o n s u m e it46. Your character is given a voodoo doll of themself. What do they do with it? Do they see if it actually works? sheee displays it, actually! she doesn’t test it, though, she’s not stupid47. Can your character draw? What do they like to draw? Do they doodle? she cannot do jack shit48. What were their parents like? How has that affected how they are as an adult? doesn’t have any 49. Does your character like candy? Do they get sugar rushes? What are they like when they get a rush? she loves candy a shitload but isn’t really affected by it??? unless she eats like a gallon of sugar 50. If your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? Would they try to avoid death anyways? Would they try to make their last days count? she honestly probably ends up avoiding it because she’s that cursed, sigh

#wow i have ocs #aster #esen #bunni #jupiter #delaney #holy fucking shit this is 7 months late thanks for waiting amber im So Sorry

2 notes · View notes