#this challenge is becoming less about these swords and more about these characters I've been designing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

novantinuum · 6 months

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For any OC you feel like!

Pencil, paintbrush, Copics, graphite, pastels, palette, and creative!

Ohohoh an OC randomizer round! Sweet :D

I've already gotten some of these for a specific OC of mine, so I'll just answer them for another if that's the case. I'm most likely to stick with my LoZ OCs FYI, since they are most on my mind right now :D

Writer/OC meme source

Pencil- Does this character have any “sketchy” habits? Have they ever broken the law? Do they regret it?

Answering this one for Link and Aryll's father, Arwel...

Arwel's biggest vice is that he often treats sword/spear/bow training with his son Link like it's a real battle. There's an inherent intensity to their spars that... should any neighbors or family members happen to notice... one might very well think they were trying to kill each other. They're not, of course- he loves his son very much- but especially after Link pulls the Master Sword, there's a part of him that almost becomes fixated on the challenge of training the "perfect hero," to the point that he's not always thinking of what's best for his teen child. I'd call that pretty "sketchy," lol. Training your child in the art of swordplay is one thing, but Arwel's training style is bordering on "child boot camp" at times. Of course, he's also a father caught in an incredibly unusual situation... having to raise a boy who's been chosen as this era's hero, having to grapple with the reality that he very well MAY die in the oncoming Calamity, desperate to train him well enough that maybe... just maybe... he'll find a way to win and survive.

Given the time period and the fact that this training is officially mandated by the royal family, it's not illegal- but it does border on the edge of child endangerment.

I feel like Arwel regrets his methods on the few occasions that Link is hurt as a result of it, but not enough to soften his approach. He worries that anything less than these methods won't properly prepare Link for the horrors ahead.

On a lighter note, I feel like Arwel probably got arrested for public indecency after drinking too much in his early twenties. That's about the only official scrape with the law he's dealt with.

Paintbrush- How often does your character “brush over” conflict instead of facing it head on? Is there something specific they don’t like to face, or do they avoid conflict as a whole?

Answering this one for Link and Aryll's mother, Kelra...

Kelra is most definitely a "break inwards" sort of person. She is capable of addressing emotional conflict head on to an extent, but should the weight of said conflict grow too heavy and personal to bear she will fall to despair. Specifically, one of the largest struggles she failed to address or face for many years was her husband's sudden death- she slipped into a deep, almost catatonic depression for a long time, and was only able to push her way through thanks to the support of her daughter and mother, and others in their community.

When her husband was still alive, she served as like... an emotional anchor to him, though. Arwel was always the more "hard, cold logic" fueled one, and he very often benefited from her perspective in times where his actions could easily shake the foundations of their family... whether that be related to a job position, the education/discipline of their children, or... later on... Calamity related matters. She had no qualms against overtly telling him when she thought his stance was flawed. It's this level of transparency in their relationship that allowed them to have a strong marriage for the years they were together.

Copics- What is this character’s most expensive habit or hobby? Do they ever feel guilty about the money they spend on it?

Answering for Kelra- she quite likes woodworking. She doesn't get to engage with this hobby too often just due to having low spoons, but over the years she's constructed a whole set of wooden chimes much like the sort that hang across the streets in Kakariko. It cost a good deal of money to source quality wood for this project. She's also made her own hunting bows, using traditional Sheikah techniques passed down through her father's side of the family.

She doesn't feel shame for spending money on this, as the stipend the royal treasury provides to her husband for his duties to the crown is more than enough to pay for the essentials. (They continue to pay out this stipend after he dies, too.) She uses the extra money earned from her cheese making business to pay for this hobby.

Graphite- What’s something decently common that your character does in a unique or different way? (like how graphite is present in all pencils, but not everyone uses pure graphite)

Answering for Aryll!

This was actually a really hard question to find an answer for. Ultimately, I decided to pick a detail that's more focused on like... one of the things Aryll considers normal that has since phased out of fashion 100 years beyond the Calamity.

And that lil detail is... the fact that surnames for Hylians are incredibly rare now. There's gonna be some scenes coming up in the fic where Aryll starts inquiring about her mother... trying to find information on what happened to her after the Calamity... and she'll use her surname (Haywood), hoping it might help other pinpoint who's she's talking about. But the thing is, after the loss of such a huge chunk of Hyrule's population, the necessity of surnames to differentiate between people has dropped significantly. You'll more often see folks refer to another as "Reede of Hateno Village" than use a surname. There's some who still have them for sentimental purposes, but they're not as necessary for census reasons as they used to be.

(Non-Hylian denizens of Hyrule rarely used surnames to begin with. The one exception is the Gerudo, some who still use them for ceremonial purposes.)

Just for fun, Aryll and Link's full names in my headcanons-

Aryll Jae Haywood

Link Ordonia Haywood

Jae was the name of one of their great-great grandmothers on their mother's side, and Ordonia was a middle name that had been passed down along the men for centuries on end on their father's side.

Pastels- Give me three colors that best represent your OC. Now give me three colors that your OC likes best. Is there an overlap?

Answering for Kelra-

I wanted to give her one color in common with Aryll, and chose the shade of red for that! Like Aryll, her mixed heritage is very important to her- and this red, significant to both the Hylian and Sheikah crests- represents that importance.

The cool olive green is representative of her connection with the natural world around her (she's basically as close as you get to a farmer in a city! She keeps goats and cucoos, is the hunter and horse girl of her family, loves to spend time outside... etc etc.) and also her cool, quieter demeanor. It felt like a really grounding color, which is the sort of presence she brings to her family.

The golden yellow... amusingly enough... I mostly chose because so much of her character revolves around cheese, ahahahahah. But also, I feel like I associate her design with a lot of gold embellishments, plus her husband and Link's hair is closer to this sort of darker blonde.

Palette- List four of your character’s primary skills, then share at least two ways these skills might blend or overlap

Answering for Aryll-

She's a decent navigator for her age, having good understanding of topography and local landmarks. If she can align herself with a landmark she recognizes and the directionality of the sun, she can pretty quickly figure out what directions north, west, south, and east are in, and approximately how far she is from the nearest town.

She's got a creative side. Mostly she's content to sketch with graphite, but she's been playing around with stone carving as well. Her portraiture isn't like... super detailed, but her doodles are stylized enough that one can generally recognize the people she's drawing.

She has a strong set of knowledge about medicinal herbs... which ones can be mixed for beneficial effects, which ones could be mistaken for poisonous plants and need to be carefully identified, and how best to prepare a few types of basic ointments and elixirs. This knowledge comes from her mother, who raised a few species of medicinal herbs in their backyard.

Whether Link likes it or not, Aryll ends up taking to the basic footwork of Gerudo swordplay techniques very quickly. It's a skill that she continues to nurture as she grows older.

I think the navigation and drawing skills have a natural overlap- Aryll could probably make a basic but useable map if she or Link ever needed one. I also feel like the medicinal herb and navigation have a potential overlap... certain herbs are bound to have specific growing regions, of course. Over time, I bet Aryll has to keep in mind which ones are easiest to find where, and backtrack to certain landmarks to find those clearings where those herbs grow again.

Creative- Free space! Share something you’ve been dying to share about your writing! Could be an OC that never gets the limelight, a moment you were proud of, or anything else you’d like to share.

This has already started to crop up a few times in what I've posted with my Aryll longfic, but a detail I haven't seen anyone notice yet-

Aryll refers to her father as "Papa" in her internal narration, but refers to her mother as the slightly more formal "Mother." This is pointing towards how Aryll's internal image of her deceased father is locked in the past, in a time when she was still calling her parents "Papa and Mama." But she's grown up with her mother ever since, and had to mature so much faster after her father's death out of sheer necessity, so the way she refers to Mother matured along with everything else.

#aryll #kelra #arwel #the ballad of aryll #ask meme #jen rambles

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leofrith · 1 year

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also leofrith/eivor for the ship ask 🥰🥰

YES license to talk about my silly little rarepair from hell that has completely taken over my brain that i haven't shut up about in our dms for the past two months straight. thank you for dealing with me btw. 🥰🥰 this is going to get long.

What made you ship it?

i liked leofrith almost from the moment he was introduced in my first playthrough and just kept spiralling as i discovered more of the little notes and things about him/from him strewn about the map (which are a subplot all on their own, to be honest). and i was dreading the inevitable boss fight and the fact that the game was probably going to force me to kill him because he is so clearly just a really good, loyal guy who gives a shit about protecting the people under his care and who just happened to pledge his sword to a total asshole. so you can imagine my immense relief when i found out i could choose to spare him.

eivor and leofrith are parallels of each other in a lot of ways imo but specifically in that they're two people who are fiercely loyal, sometimes to their own detriments. that was the first thing i noticed about them that made me start to look at them through a potential romantic lens. them being at different points in the same journey, with leofrith having been thrown to the wolves by the king he would have gladly given his life for, and then watching the same sort of thing happen with eivor and her own loyalty to sigurd when he starts acting up and treating her horribly after being freed from fulke. everything about it is just soooooooo. i could talk about them all day long... and i have.

anyway, i had sort of been dancing around them for a long while and thinking their dynamic would be neat to explore until something snapped in me in november (i wanna say the idea of hidden one leofrith? and also just finally coming up with a fic idea for them that i could invest myself in) and now i've been making it everyone else's problem ever since. 😇

What are your favourite things about the ship?

two people who are incredibly loyal and to whom honor is very important, meeting on opposite sides of a conflict that neither of them really necessarily chose to take part in but were drawn into regardless because of their loyalties (eivor to sigurd and her clan and leofrith to burgred). they're classic enemies to friends to lovers, except they barely qualify as enemies because their conflict is never personal and is entirely just them happening to be on opposite sides of the war that week. i think they have a mutual respect for each other as warriors when they first cross blades, despite being on opposing sides, which very quickly blossoms into a kinship once they no longer have to fight because they see a lot of themselves in each other.

leofrith acting as an outside observer in a way that the rest of the raven clan can't, who challenges eivor to not let sigurd walk all over her but who also intimately understands why she feels indebted to him, because he has his own sibling who pulled him out of a dark place, and for whom he would also do anything (because leofrith canonically has a sister and i love her to death even if she only exists as a name on an easily missable note and as an original character in my brain).

they also share a weakness for children, and you cannot convince me that ceolbert's affection for leofrith didn't go both ways. that is their pseudo child and leofrith is a card carrying member of my rapidly growing band of gruff men who become accidental father figures.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

i know that i call this a rarepair and the truth is that it probably doesn't truly qualify as a rarepair, because there's quite a lot of leovor content with boivor from what i've seen. but unfortunately i could not give less of a shit about boivor. sorryyyy. that's havi to me. let bi4bi leofrith and canon eivor into your hearts. ♥️

Send me a ship and I’ll answer three questions based on if I ship it or not.

#okay this got REALLY long tho. what a hyperfixation will do to a motherfucker #i absolutely could have kept going but i had to make myself stop ajgdashgasd #if anyone asks me anything about them at all i will explode!!!! love and light #also i just realized i'm doing these out of order. my bad <3 #thank you parker my love my sweet cheese my good time boy #leovor #answer #deathstars #ky posts text #ask game

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xerox-candybar · 2 years

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Fanfic ask game! 9, 27, and 34?

Hey there! <3 Happy New Year! It is so good to hear from you.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about myself :D sometimes writing feels a bit like screaming into the void (as a writer yourself, maybe you know the feeling?). I feel like this is doubly-true when it's fanfic -- we're publishing under a pseudonym and not getting paid.

(the original ask is here, for anyone that wants to participate - for their own work or mine)

I'm going to be answering these questions in reverse order, for aesthetic reasons.

34. What's the weirdest thing you researched for a fic?

"Debunking Santa Claus with Mathematics"

I dunno, man, I just feel like as a kid, Genos probably celebrated Christmas by doing complex math equations with his family. This is how he almost accidentally ruins Tareo's Christmas in my Wanpanmas fic.

"Can you hear a meteor before it falls on you?" is a close second. (Short answer: Yes, you can.)

27. What motivated and pushed you to write more this year?

Easy! A genuine love of writing. There is nothing in the world I would rather be doing.

This is a double-edged sword, though, because I have definitely used it as a form of escapism. Like most people, I've been at least a little traumatized by the pandemic and I sometimes forget how weird/hard life is right now. I've always struggled with social anxiety and it's like I have a much lower tolerance for human contact now. Interacting over very specific things (like fandom) is less anxiety provoking. Also, writing is a way of spending time with other people, even if you aren't actually there with them because those people are all fictional.

9. What's a scene you wrote this year that you're particularly proud of?

I'm really proud of Saitama's motivational speech to Garou in "not that guy." In the chapter, Garou thanks Saitama for teaching him so much. Saitama tells him "I didn't teach you, you taught you." This is almost exactly what he tells Genos in the latest manga chapter -- which, of course, wasn't published at the time.

I also had Saitama sticking his finger in ear, trying to remove a glob of earwax as he spoke. I hadn't read this section of the webcomic yet, but the panels directly before his final speech to Garou are just several scenes of Saitama picking his nose. That was very affirming, because I have the hardest time keeping Saitama in character, and I feel like I nailed it. (“Being gross at inappropriate times” is a weird thing to have nailed and an even weirder way to have nailed it? Anyway, that’s ONE for you, I guess…)

In the scene I wrote, Saitama gives Garou a whole speech -- which we don't normally see him doing, he's canonically not very talkative -- but he does garble every single thing he tries to quote, which is on brand. And, more importantly, the dialogue struck a nice balance between "scenes that were fun to write" and "scenes that challenged me." To Garou (and probably everyone else), Saitama sounded mixed up and nonsensical, but his ideas made sense to him - and as a writer, I needed to make that come through.

There's definitely an art to writing coherent nonsense (C.S. Lewis' The Jabberwocky is an excellent & well-known example) and I enjoyed exploring the mechanics of that.

To make things even more fun/meaningful, Saitama's speech is mostly comprised of real quotes about life & teaching that are meaningful to me, combined with more banal platitudes. ao3 actually did not have enough space in the "End Notes" section for me to cite all my sources, and it had been a long, long time since I had to edit anything for space constraints so... yeah. That brought back memories of editing playbills and lit mags and research posters…

I had a lot of fun with this scene, and I feel like it almost killed me, which is usually how I know that something is working. And even when writing becomes incredibly vexing and painful, I still cannot imagine myself doing anything else.

...Thank you, @beileil! You are wonderful and awesome and thoughtful. Thank you and everyone else for listening. <3

A snippet of the scene I mentioned is below the cut, for anyone who is interested in a teaser.

“You’re… a good teacher. What you said, it... really helped me,” Garou said. “So. Thanks.”

Garou’s gaze wandered up from the floor and briefly met Saitama’s eyes, before retreating back to some indistinct patch of carpet.

“I didn’t help you,” Saitama said plainly. “You helped you.”

Saitama drew himself into a seated position, ankles crossed. He rested his left hand on his knee, upturned towards the ceiling. He raised his right hand to the level of his eyes, palm open and facing outward; inadvertently assuming the posture of angels and saints. The evening light beamed, beatifically, off Saitama’s bald head - bathing him in an accidental halo.

Saitama jammed his index finger into his ear and twisted.

“You know, I try not to do a whole lot of teaching?” Saitama mused, wedging his finger more deeply into his ear canal. “I think that’s the trick to it.”

Garou flicked the dressings on his fingertips absentmindedly. In one swift and sudden motion, he tore away the remaining bandages.

“‘Successful students are their own teachers,’” Garou said, making his way to the trash bin beside his desk. He looked at Saitama. “In other words — have your disciples do all your dirty work.”

Garou dropped the used bandages into the waste basket, adding, “Bang was fond of that.”

“Mm, no. That’s not what I’m talking about.” Saitama said, scrutinizing the glob of earwax on his fingertip. “What’s that other saying people say sometimes? It sounds real smart.”

“Ah, let’s see.” Garou leaned against the wall, arms folded. He pondered for a moment, before reciting something in a flat and listless drawl.

“‘A master teacher does not instruct his disciples. As light can only be kindled from that which is already burning, the master must — '”

Saitama bolted from the bed.

“Woah. Woah, woah, woah. Slow down.”

Saitama slashed at the air, crossing his arms into an X-shape.

“Why are you guys lighting yourselves on fire down at the Fancy River Fist Place?!?” Saitama demanded.

Garou answered with another grandiloquent eye-roll. Truly, a monumental gesture of contempt — a lesser human would have easily thrown their back out.

Saitama, unperturbed, resumed excavating his own ear wax.

“‘The other saying people say sometimes,’” Garou grumbled. “Come on, man. How the fuck am I supposed to make sense of that? You’re not giving me much to work with.”

“You already know what I’m talking about. That’s the point,” Saitama said, wiping his index finger on the side of his shorts. “It’s that thing people tell you, when you’ve gotta move on? Like, ‘you can go to all the places, but you can’t stay here’. I think it’s in a book —“

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go — is that what you mean?” Garou arched a brow, then smoothed it out with his fingertips. I should really go back to waxing these, he thought. They’re getting out of hand.

“Yeah, kinda.” Saitama nodded knowingly. “I mean, life is a journey but teleportation isn’t a thing, so you gotta wander some. But it's fine, just remember not all who wander are there — “

“‘Not all who wander are lost’?” Garou prompted, in a tone that seamlessly blended admiration and irritation.

“Getting lost isn’t really a thing,” Saitama said, gesturing vaguely to everything and nothing at the same time. “Because wherever you go, you’re already there yet. But I can’t really help you, because I have to be here now. You get me?”

Garou rolled his eyes and then stopped; he was making himself dizzy.

“My point is — get lost once, ya can’t get lost again,” Saitama said. “But don’t be a dick about it. Everyone’s fighting their own battle and it’s gonna be uphill both ways.”

“Sensei —“ Garou froze. He touched his fingers to his lips, unable to countenance what they'd just let slip. Then he shook his head vigorously, as if his subconscious were some sort of damnable Etch-A-Sketch.

“Saitama,” Garou grumbled. “You are making zero sense.”

Meanwhile, Saitama had started pacing — as though ambling around in circles would lead him towards a reasonable conclusion.

“Good,” Saitama said. “That’s the only real kinda sense.”

#ask game #opm fanfic #garou #saitama #my writing #wilf #(work i’d like to finish)#splendiferous mutuals

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epicspheal · 3 years

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Hello! Just popping by to ask about Calla! I've reread your oc post for the hundredth time now, and she just so interesting! Like what's her relationship with everyone and such. Not to mention she reminds me of Kipo in a way.( She seems the optimistic sort, not to mention insanely smart)

Also if you haven't, pls watch Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. It's animated, but it has a good story and music. Majority poc cast is a bonus.

Hi there ihopethisendswell!

I have definitely watched Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts, although I need to finish it (after I get done with studying for the MCAT, that test is *shudders*). I can definitely see Calla reminding your of Kipo they do have some similarities (there’s also one other champion OC of mine that has similarities to another Kipo character) Definitely putting everything under the Keep Reading tag because this is long.

Her outgoing, friendly nature is also very much in part due to the fact that as child genius she didn’t really get a chance to spend time with children her age as she went to college at 8. So she’s been kind of lonely and thus always eager to make a new friend. She can be a little too blunt with her words, but she’s aware enough to know when she might have crossed a line and will apologize profusely afterwards

Obviously her closest relationship is with Hop. Calla actually lived in Wedgehurst and not Postwick but Hop spent a lot of time Wedgehurst (because that’s where the primary school). They became friends over the summer at the berry shop and pretty much became joined to the hip when Calla wasn’t away at Motostoke University doing her chemistry degree. Hop (being a budding science nerd himself) enjoyed hearing from her about what she was learning in college and he would share stuff about Pokemon that he learned from Leon’s college textbooks. The two also bonded from being lonely with Calla being isolated from people her age because of being a child genius and Hop was ostracized for being Leon’s brother (in the fact of the kids in Wedgehurst loved Leon, but they found Hop annoying and only pretended to care about Hop if he mentioned something about Leon coming home). Calla was the first kid he met to be interested in Hop as a person, and not as Leon’s little brother so their friendship means the absolute world to Hop. They balance each other out as Hop is known to be impulsive and patient whereas Calla is far more cautious and deliberate. You would think given those descriptions Hop is the Sword Hero and that Calla is Shield Hero but it’s actually the reverse. Throughout their journey Hop and Calla learned the value of the way the other acts. Hop learns to be a little less impulsive (as his impulsiveness combined with his tendency to get flustered cost him many battles). Calla learned that’s okay to make bold decisive moves without meticulously planning them out which helped her in the long run against tough opponents (such as Rose who has a steel type team that walled her poison types or Leon who has a team fast heavy hitters that even with poison set up could still absolutely maul her team given the chance to do so) Also I should note Calla is not a Victor/Gloria stand-in. Victor and Gloria very much exist in my “Pokemon canon” but they were some of the fake friends to Hop who secretly thought he was annoying. Basically Victor and Gloria in my universe are those Pokemon fans who hate Hop and find him annoying. :(

Speaking of Leon, Calla of course was a fan of him from the start. She did get a little upset with him constantly keeping her and Hop away from the berserk Dynamaxed Pokemon, thinking that he didn’t think they were capable of helping out. Which wasn’t the case it’s just and this going into some of my broader personal headcanons, Leon and his cohort (Piers, Sonia, Nessa, and Raihan) were at the mercy of a jerk Champion (my OC Jack, the last champion on that OC Post). He didn’t want to take away from their gym challenge like what to happen to his. Of course once the Darkest Day and Sordward/Shieldbert arcs are over Leon and Calla ended up working well together as fellow champions and friends. As I alluded to in my oneshot Midnight Snacks (shameless plug) Calla has a tendency to be a night owl and if she’s stressed she’ll call Leon over to one of the battle cafe’s to have pastries and chat. Leon loves listening to her science theories (and yes he actually understands her rants on chemistry and toxicology) and Calla loves having a cool older brother she never got (she’s an only child). They also end up as in-laws when Hop and Calla get married at 23. Leon is also very protective of her, giving her less responsibilities than Rose gave him and helped to warm the public to her as some of them didn’t take too kindly to her using Eternatus in her champion matches.

But in terms of the adult she most looks up to, that’d be Sonia. Strong battler (unlike in canon, we get to see why Sonia used to be Leon’s rival in my personal Pokemon verse) and a smart scientist lady. Calla was immediately awestruck by Sonia and always enjoyed her time talking to Sonia helping her with her theory about the truth of the Darkest Day. Sonia, Hop and Calla end up being the science trio once the SwSh events come to a close. Sonia was the one to encourage Calla when she becomes 18 (and has now held the title of champion for 5 years) to go back and pursue her PhD in Toxicology giving the Galar region their first ever champion professor! If Leon is the big bro she always wanted, the Sonia is definitely the big sister she always wanted.

As far as the league goes, Calla is pretty much on good terms with everyone not named Klara. Klara choosing the poison type as her go to because it wasn’t as popular as other types and she thought she’d have no competition in that realm. As someone who is very much passionate about breaking the negative stereotypes of the poison typing, she found Klara’s reasoning to be absolutely insulting.

When it comes to the league, Calla in particular is close to Marnie and Bea. You can often find Calla, Marnie and Bea hanging out together shopping for clothes or eating pastries at a battle cafe. Gordie, Nessa and Calla frequently have competitions to see who can do the best backflips or the best splits. It did take Calla a bit to warm up to Bede at first given how he treated Hop and how he almost wrecked her the first two battles (if wasn’t for her Stunky she would’ve been wiped by psychic trainer Bede), but they are kind of like how the player is with Gladion in SM/USUM. Not friends but not enemies.

Calla has mixed feelings on Rose and Oleana. Rose actually gave her a scholarship to go to Motostoke University when she was 8 (her parents wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise) so she’s indebted to him (he saw her as he saw Bede, Oleana, Leon- talents that can help the future of Galar). And on a personal level Rose was never rude to her. Oleana also kind of took her under her wing because of them both being science gals. But seeing how badly they miscalculated everything really shook her to the core.

As far as my other champion OCs go, Calla gets along with everyone but Jack (but then again no one gets along with Jack). Calla and Marsha have a particularly close bond as Marsha taught Calla how to cornrow her hair and play spades (Calla was not blessed with parents who knew how to cornrow...or play spades). Marsha is another big sis for her. Calla and Jabari bonded over being type specialists (Jabari is a water type specialist) and Jabari taught her how to rollerskate in exchange for Calla teaching him how to do cartwheels. Calla was of course very interested in meeting Valen (a talking robot who’s a skilled trainer? that’s a dream come true for her). They delight in battling each other and eating Alolan Pancakes.

#pokemon trainer oc #pokemon headcanons #pokemon swsh headcanons #ask epic spheal #ask me anything #thanks for the ask #rival hop #champion leon #pokemon sonia

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otomelavenderhaze · 3 years

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Hello Fa!!! I'm running out of greetings haha I had quite a good day, hope you are doing ok too and yeah we're kinda like pen pals lol

It's sad that you had so little luck with your pulls, hope is shining your way now, right? It'll take some time, but your team is going to become just perfect for you!

I SEE I really missed that about the guaranteed 5-star in the poor reading i made on the mechanics lol It's great news, it gives a sense of relief. The system isn't even that bad

I'd say "strive for your dreams" since you seem to like Xinyan so much and she must be of great help too!

I've also been playing too much. Of course, breaks are so important! I'll take some time away in the future too

The events are something I'm very interested in, I want to know how they are like. I guess, after you've cleared the game for now, there must be not much to do so it must be good for you!

Hm my type of weapon is the big sword too, it used to be the normal sword, but like you said they do less damage than the big ones, so yeah. There must be other weapons that I don't know about, so I can't be a good judge on the matter, I can only say that spear users are great too, they're fast and I wish I had one :'). I complained about the bows but if I was skilled they'd be one of my favorite weapons to use!

Hey, dear anon!! I don’t even try, for me nothing can be as good as the same old “hey” xD yep, totally pen pals now!! This is so nice kkkkk

Now that I think about it, I guess we all free to play are kinda unlucky overall, because we can’t whale our way through the game like content creators do, so maybe we all feel a little bit unlucky don’t we? My sister says that the only lucky moment to her is Childe, Razor, and Qiqi, in all those months kkkkkkk she does have more 5 stars than me.

I think that five-star thing was added after patch 1.1... so in theory, it started with Childe’s banner. It does give us a sense of relief at some extend, but at the same time it’s hold-back for sure, because now that I know, I will have to use mine very wisely.

But yeah, the gacha is a challenge and at the same time the worst thing about the game, together with the resing system.

Yeah!! I will go for my dreams, cuz actually the thing about that game is finding the character that really suits us best and Xinyan has been a real-life safer for me overall because Fischl is a such paper-thin character to use as dps!! And btw, since Xinyan is a 4 star she will be added to the main banner!! So the chance to get more Xinyan will never end, differently from Zhongli.

Well, you haven’t been playing the current event? The flying around course? You still have time to do the courses btw, it’s a fairly easy event but it’s a such cool challenge!!

Yes, the events are basically what I can do :’) that and farming. If I knew, I would’ve slowed down with the history quests.

For me, and like, I have no way to prove it or saw another ppl talking about it, for me I think that spear users are the medium ground between big sword users and small sword users, because they retain a great deal of physical damage, but don’t lose any speed.

That’s actually why I was drawn to Zhongli and Xiao!! Because spear users to me are a mix of two great types of weapons and still get to be no unique, faster and cooler!! xD

Yeah, I can feel the bow-thing too, I actually like very much bow users, it’s not a mistake that my main dps right now is my Fischl!! Maybe they can fix the aiming system in the future, we can’t ever forget that Genshin is a game that is still being polished, so things can change and will change to make the game better.

#ask #personal #somehow I feel like we're friends already anon #feel free to talk to me whenever you feel like okay?#even if it's something non genshin related #Fa talking about Genshin Impact

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kingofthewilderwest · 6 years

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I was surprised that you didn't mention Viggo in your mental illness analysis. I've always thought that he seemed like a high functioning psychopath, perhaps an example of the Dark Triad (psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism). He is ruthlessly cruel to dragons, infects people for profit without remorse, and has a henchman executed in his first appearance. He also seems to have lacked genuine affection for his own brother. Like Dagur, I found his redemption unrealistic.

From this post.

The post prompt did ask specifically for dragon riders, which is one reason I wasn’t putting Viggo on the radar, but I suppose I also interpret Viggo’s personality from a different angle than you do. While it is true that Viggo can be cruel to dragons (though not out of the norm for Barbaric Archipelago society!), can be very self-confident, and is interested in his profits, I also find Viggo to be someone who operates under a sense of gray morality rather than a psychologically diagnosable, consistent disregard to others. He especially isn’t someone I find who acts with something like Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) - it takes more than being greedy and putting oneself first to have NPD. There are so many neurotypical human beings in this world who act with both greed and disregard to certain populations (like non-human animals), and Viggo is someone I think who manifests a drive for profits - but not someone who has an excessively inflated sense of self-importance or an inhibition to comprehending others’ emotions.

I find Viggo a neurotypical individual, as with most of the villains in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise - Alvin the Treacherous is also someone who does horrible things without care to other individuals, Krogan has far less interest in other human lives, but that sort of treatment of other humans comes from many avenues, not per say personality disorders. What experiences we have in life and how we respond to them shape how callous or kind we are to people, and that’s what happens with Viggo. I mean, even siblings loathing each other is something that happens with far more frequency than the psychological conditions detailed in the DSM.

And in truth, beyond a discussion of mental ailments, I also don’t think that calling Viggo extremely callous and lacking remorse is a full picture of what his personality is. I see Viggo as a character who is willing to go into more “gray” zones than others with conscience do, but he’s also someone who doesn’t give up his conscience entirely. He even admits that as a kid he was someone who thought a lot more along idealistic virtues. So he’ll do brutal acts, yes, but needlessly brutal? Not as much. And the more time Viggo spends with Hiccup… the more we see instances of mercy.His very introduction sets the stage as someone who sees a gray zone of morals (rather than no conscience) and is willing to learn the techniques to win from anywhere he can. It’s through this sense of conscience, and this sense of learning techniques from whomever he can… that he comes to respect Hiccup. I think that his redemption was written in a realistic, gradual-growing manner.

Viggo’s redemption arc grows in two main fronts: his disenfranchisement with Krogan, and his growing respect of Hiccup.

Setting the Stage: Viggo and Ethics

In Viggo’s character introduction, we see how Viggo talks about the blur between society’s typical assessment of good and evil. He furthermore mentions something interesting - when he was a child, he wanted to be the “honorable Viking” himself.

Viggo: Maces and Talons. I began playing with my grandfather when I was just a boy. I always insisted upon being the honorable Viking chief. I could never understand how he bested me time and time again. For years I assumed his skill transcended mine.

When we are young, we’re often more idealistic, be it anything from dreaming how far we’ll succeed in life, to believing how people will (or should) act in difficult situations. Society can have a sense of an ideal “good” morality framework that makes you act like the honorable Viking in every circumstance, doing nothing that would be even the slightest bit morally gray. We learn that Viggo had that sense of conscience and idealistic good in him as a boy, a desire to be that honorable and morally upright being who never stepped into questionable mud.

But what Viggo learns in life - and which many of us do, honestly - is that moral choice isn’t so easily black and white. What actually is the right choice is more convoluted in context, circumstances, means, ends, goals, values, starting states, ending states… so many factors… that it’s sometimes legitimately hard to weigh all the pros and cons and make what you believe to be morally best. Do you do something some people would consider “sketchy” to reach the great, moral end goal? Or do you avoid getting that great moral salvation moment at the end because you cannot tolerate doing something “sketchy” at the start? Or do you just play it by whatever your conscience feels at the time? Deontology, teleology and utilitarian-type ethics, virtue theory… there’s a reason why philosophers have posited so many different frameworks by which to evaluate moral theory and to try to arrive at an understanding of what morality is. It’s because it’s tricky as fuck in the real world.

The way I see Viggo’s comment, he started with a pretty idealistic deontological framework as a boy. He believed that he could always do the right thing and that the means would always be just as pure as his ends. Deontology in moral philosophy is the belief that actions in and of themselves are good and bad, and that you can’t use any action to reach a greater goal at the end (the ends do not justify the means, essentially). But Viggo found out, through Maces and Talons, through the trials in life, that this maybe wasn’t the best way to approach life’s challenges. And indeed he continues on to say:

Viggo: But you see, in Maces and Talons, as in life, the line between good and evil is often unclear. Black and white can become gray so easily. What one soul considers evil another might consider righteous. The honorable chief who fails to see this is found to be the fool.

Viggo isn’t saying that any action is permissible. What he’s saying is that he’s moved from a deontology-based ethical framework to something more utilitarian. That is, he thinks the ends can justify the means. Sometimes you have to do something that might raise a few eyebrows in order to reach that better end result. That’s what he’s saying about “What one soul considers evil another might consider righteous.” Someone who is a deontologist would frown at a utilitarian individual’s course of actions, but both people legitimately believe they are doing the morally upright choice.

Now, I’m not saying that Viggo believes he’s always in the moral good. I don’t think he does. He knows he’s made moral mistakes and has crossed the line. But I also don’t think he’s saying, “Meh. All actions are okay. Nothing is evil!” Viggo is just saying that you’re naive if you’re going to try to act life as a deontologist. And that is indeed how we see him act throughout Race to the Edge. He’s not going to do something “sketchy” without remorse and reason, but he’s also going to take a few steps down the “gray path” that the strict deontologist wouldn’t.

This setting the stage is important to understanding Viggo’s character as he comes in contact with Hiccup. Hiccup is someone who still holds the ideals Viggo has discarded as unsatisfactory and incomplete. It’s one reason why Viggo might think Hiccup isn’t a threat at first. But as you watch Viggo develop, you realize… Hiccup’s ideals being the “honorable Viking chief” are going to hark to Viggo’s internal interests, too. And as Hiccup still manages to get things done without being played for a fool… Viggo’s respect in him will grow.

Viggo’s “Mercy”

Viggo has a sense of mercy for the people around him, too. It’s not readily available in his opening introduction - that’s a rather ominous and worrisome moment. However, it sets the stage for how he continues developing. We know Viggo is someone who once believed in being the “honorable Viking chief” - and now his introductory scene shows how he has removed himself from what he believes is a naive perspective.

When Viggo learns about the hunter who takes inventory without permission, he first holds a sword in front of the man. Many other villains in the HTTYD franchise would have been crueler to this man. But Viggo, instead, after terrifying the man by holding a sword to him, puts the sword away. He doesn’t punish the man, lets the man go away, and says, “We’re not animals.” His first appearance isn’t executing a henchman; it’s granting the henchman a second chance. The man, as he leaves Viggo’s tent, breathes out, “Oh, thank you, Viggo. Thank you.” Viggo is a harsh boss who is willing to do some scare tactics to get people to pay attention to him, but he isn’t going to kill someone for a minor infraction like that.

In fact, Heather, who’s used to seeing lots of barbaric people in the archipelago, is surprised to see Viggo’s mercy. He’s acting a lot kinder than many of the villains she’s come across before - including her brother.

Heather: You forgave that man. I wasn’t expecting that.Viggo: Forgiveness. Not exactly a sound business practice, now, is it?

Now, this isn’t the full story. You’re right. If you’ve been reading this far and are raising your eyebrows, that’s because you know we’re not done. This scene’s not as cute and clean as that. We hear the man screaming after he’s taken away. Clearly the man who thought he was forgiven wasn’t brought out free - he was punished. Clearly Viggo isn’t as forgiving as his first action makes him appear.

I personally am not convinced the man necessarily died. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t, but since it’s a long, sustained scream that we hear in the distance… the man is likely to have survived. The man would have been suddenly punished, given how he was deceived, but a quick execution would have created a cut-off scream. Regardless, the end result of Viggo’s conversation with Heather isn’t the nice-sweet-mercy-thing we originally thought. He’s giving her an ominous threat about what could happen to her if she ends up being a traitor. She could get taken out before she even realizes that she’s being punished.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because it still sets the stage for Viggo’s perspective and growth throughout the show. Viggo might have punished this man in a creepy way - be it death or something less - but the concept of “We’re not animals” actually, interestingly enough, remains. Viggo is willing to do some dark, manipulative things - like trick this man into thinking he’s punishment-free, then enacting the punishment - and through it intimidating Heather - but he’s also someone who pays attention to the gray zone of morality… and we see that the more we interact with him.

Growing Tensions between Hunters and Riders

Hiccup starts as a toy to laugh at. But as the two interact increasingly more, Viggo finds that Hiccup should not be underestimated. This is the growth that happens between these two from Seasons 2-4.

So. For starters: Viggo doesn’t kill people when he doesn’t need to. He toys with Hiccup when they first meet, but he doesn’t kill the teen - even when he has the chance. This is true even in “Maces and Talons Part 2″ before Hiccup influences Viggo. We see from the start Viggo has the internal capacity to grant mercy.

At this point, Viggo finds Hiccup more of an amusing nuisance than anything else - not a threat to be extinguished. Viggo even thinks that Hiccup’s reputation plays the young man up more than he actually is. So, at this point, Viggo believes he doesn’t need to kill Hiccup - Hiccup hasn’t done anything to “merit” that. It’s enough for Viggo to show Hiccup that he’s more manipulative and powerful than the boy, and through that, hopefully dissuade the young dragon rider from interfering with his business dealings. Viggo manipulates, without killing, to toss Hiccup off his back before the boy can do any more mucking around with the dragon hunters.

Of course, Hiccup doesn’t get dissuaded. Hiccup decides to continue tackling on and disrupting dragon hunting trade. The kid Viggo initially considers to be an amusing non-problem turns into a real problem. Viggo becomes frustrated - the kid is interfering with his business! (His legitimate business, might I add. Everyone in the Barbaric Archipelago was hunting, fighting, or using dragons for trade goods. Viggo doesn’t necessarily beat dragons cruelly - he’s using them as wares like everyone else at the time). And so Viggo transitions from disregarding Hiccup to finding him an actual, annoying, frustrating pest.

Now Viggo needs to deal with Hiccup.

At first, Viggo thinks that he can deal with Hiccup and his increasingly meddlesome behavior by manipulating Hiccup - hence his “Defenders of the Wing” manipulation tactic. Hiccup can still be of use as he is. The kid’s fervor for protecting dragons can be used. But by Season 4 times, Hiccup has aggravated and tarnished enough of Viggo’s plans that he really needs to do something about Hiccup, and he’s going to use increased measures, precautions, and dangerous tactics to do so.

Viggo and Hiccup constantly raise the stakes and circumstances for each other. They continue seeing the capabilities each has. By this point, Viggo no longer underestimates Hiccup, but considers him quite the adversary. Just consider the change in perspective Viggo’s had toward Hiccup from S2 “Maces and Talons Part 2″ versus S4 “Gold Rush”:

“Maces and Talons Part 2″ - Viggo is not worried about being exposed to Hiccup alone, thinks that Hiccup and Toothless were no problem or danger at all to him, and leaves them alone without any consequence once he has the Dragon Eye he needs.

“Gold Rush” - Viggo mentions having extra precautions about being around Hiccup and the riders, and in fact is planning to kill them and their dragons because they’ve been such a threat to his operations. He goes out of his way to make sure the residents of Dragon’s Edge are eradicated.

It’s a growing rivalry with a morphing perspective on Viggo’s end.

And by the end of it, Hiccup outsmarts Viggo… and Viggo falls to his near-death.

Viggo, despite having his added gray morality choices (compared to Hiccup’s limited “honorable Viking” ideology), is overcome.

Viggo’s Mercy

Viggo has learned to see Hiccup as someone to not be underestimated. Viggo has seen Hiccup’s inventiveness and abilities to get the task accomplished. As someone like Viggo who takes tactics where he can, it makes sense that his frustration of Hiccup… turns into begrudging respect of Hiccup. He can respect someone clever wherever he finds them.

We see Viggo starting to take some of Hiccup’s ideas to level the playing field. Viggo starts using the cauldron to withstand the fires of the volcano - the same tactic Hiccup and the Defenders of the Wing used to survive lava. This makes sense. Viggo is a tactical man who knows when an idea is smart.

But because Viggo is learning to begrudgingly respect Hiccup… he’s actually being influenced by Hiccup in more ways than how to survive lava encounters. He’s also got some respect for Hiccup’s ideological framework - that ideological framework that Viggo himself once held true as a child.

And this is where we really start to see that Viggo does have a sense of mercy and compassion for other individuals.

Krogan is introduced in a way somewhat akin to Viggo. Krogan at first seems to offer mercy to a dragon hunter who doesn’t like how they hunt, asking for feedback and offering to let the employee leave. But then Krogan murders the man and asks the others if they’re willing to question his tactics, too. Just like Viggo, Krogan offers false mercy and trust, then shows who’s really in charge. But unlike Viggo, Krogan never demonstrates a respect for smart, tactical behavior, nor a respect for the value of a human life.

Krogan is someone who’s more willing to be ruthless with his punishments or disregard others. In this season the two butt heads a lot about not only how to run their operation… but also about moral values. Viggo is the one who tells Krogan they need Fishlegs alive because the boy has extensive dragon knowledge; Krogan is the one who says he has enough knowledge himself and they might as well kill Fishlegs. Viggo is the one who says that reverence isn’t a bad thing so long as it doesn’t cloud one’s judgment, and uses Hiccup’s ingenuity and victories against Viggo as inspiration for future projects; Krogan is the one who just looks down on Hiccup and thinks he shouldn’t be given such respect. When Krogan says that Hiccup’s weakness is being afraid to shoot to kill, Viggo actually seems… irritated at the suggestion.

And, most tellingly, when Krogan is willing to let men die going down into the lava… Viggo is trying to minimize casualties:

Krogan: Why are you sending only one man down at a time?Viggo: I sent three down last time. Only one came back, which is two more than the time before that.Krogan: They’re disposable. That’s why we have so many of them.Soldier: That’s right. Krogan doesn’t tolerate failure.Krogan: Right you are. Now, say your farewells and get your pathetic behind back in that tub. Now!

Krogan doesn’t care if these men die. The fact that Viggo actually is trying to keep his subordinates from dying says something, doesn’t it? In a subtle way, Viggo’s enacting mercy.

Throughout Season 5, we see that Viggo is definitely the more thoughtful and considerate individual between the two.

Some of it is harking back to who he always has been - again, he didn’t kill Hiccup needlessly in “Maces and Talons” or anything. Some of it is that Krogan’s rudeness is making Viggo hate their alliance and disrespect his partner in crime. And some of it is also harking back to Viggo learning to respect Hiccup for who he is, tactics and morals and all.

Viggo’s Redemption

Frankly, the more we see Krogan be rude to Viggo, the more we see Viggo preferring Hiccup over him. But because Viggo and Krogan have the same goal, while Hiccup has an opposing goal, it’s pragmatic and obvious for Viggo to continue with his current partnership.

Until, of course, that partnership ends. Krogan forsakes Viggo. Krogan, like always, has no regard for anyone else. Krogan, like always, holds no respect for Viggo’s motivations and ideas. Krogan, through these actions, butts Viggo out of the game and nearly has him killed.

So for someone who’s grown to respect Hiccup Haddock and grown increasingly disillusioned with his partner Krogan… and for someone who still has some goals he needs to accomplish with extra assistance… it makes sense that Viggo is going to go to a new partner.

Viggo does this in a realistic way that isn’t sudden repentance saying he’s wrong. Viggo is still manipulative, trying to trick Hiccup, talking up things like the red oleander flower. Viggo is still wanting to partner with Hiccup for his personal ends, not for bettering Hiccup’s stock or because he sees eye-to-eye with Hiccup’s desires. But Viggo’s working with Hiccup out of a set of conditions that makes complete sense from context.

Viggo is never someone who returns back to idealism and what he considers a naive frame of ethics. When he recruits Hiccup for help in Season 6, he even tells Hiccup that the kid isn’t ruthless enough, and that this is going to come back to bite him. Viggo has learned through life that the person who seems to have greater skill is probably the person who isn’t limiting themselves from achieving their needed (and often good) end. But because of how situations fall down between Viggo and Hiccup, he makes that last-minute redemption built out of the respect that’s been ever-growing out of him for the dragon riding crew.

At the very end, when Viggo is about to die… he’s going to respect the boy who he sees deserving of respect, over dying for the cause of Krogan, who’s betrayed him.

And maybe, in that part of Viggo that’s still a child, he’s happy to be fighting for the “honorable Viking chief” - even if he, the traitor, dies in the end.

So for Viggo’s characterization arc? Personally, for me, it works.

Unlike Dagur, I think that Viggo’s arc was much better paced and gradually built, with a good progression of events that allow us to understand why Viggo would eventually take Hiccup’s side. He’s not someone with a psychological inability to feel compassion for others. He’s not someone so self-important that he can’t respect and learn from people who best him. He’s not someone unusual to society - he’s someone who is focused on profits and puts others’ interests a little bit aside for his own gain. He’s not someone who is morally credible in every choice, but he’s also got some good points to make about how we might or might not achieve our goals. Frankly, I agree with Viggo on more points than I should probably admit. But regardless, this is why I appreciate his character arc, and why I feel he was a well-constructed character start to end in the RTTE narrative.

#long post #rtte #Race to the Edge #Maces and Talons #Maces and Talons Part 1 #Maces and Talons Part 2 #Gold Rush #Triple Cross #The Wings of War #The Wings of War Part 1 #Viggo #Viggo Grimborn #analysis #my analysis #ask #ask me #anonymous #awesome anonymous friend #Krogan

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