Tagged by @dornishsphinx

Star sign: Scorpio

Name: Brian-Édouard

Height: ~175 cm / 5′9″

Put your iTunes or Spotify on shuffle. what are the first 4 songs that popped up?

I don’t use either, or playlists anywhere else for that matter. I like my music spontaneous.

Have you ever had a poem or song written about you?

A handful of letters – some handwritten, even – but no poems or songs.

Who is your celebrity crush? 

I don’t really have any. On the other hand I’ve actually left with a few local New Orleans celebrities, but I wouldn’t say I found any of them physically attractive.

What’s a sound you hate and a sound you love? 

I hate hearing anyone speaking loudly in a public setting; it’s tasteless and rude and demonstrates remarkably little concern about potential eavesdroppers (like me, naturally). This also includes screaming or otherwise annoying children. I love the sound of my sexual partners coming undone right before orgasm.

Do you believe in ghosts? 

In the sense that ghosts can be a metaphor for a restless or lingering human element, yes. Créoles in particular have an easy association with death and the undead so I can dramatize my own experiences in such terms. As a genuine paranormal phenomenon…not really. 

How about aliens? 

It would be most accurate to say that I don’t care if there is life elsewhere in the universe. It’s not something I ever think of, and I don’t really understand the appeal.

Do you drive? 

No, which is quite a pain in a metropolitan area that hasn’t yet grasped the concept of fully functional and reliable public transit.

What was the last book you read? 

Southern Decadence in New Orleans, which I believe I mentioned here when I found myself by chance with an advance copy.

Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Absolutely not. It not only gives me headaches, but as my father likes to tinker with vehicles as an ill-chosen hobby I associate it with the kind of grim, unwashed acceptance of poverty and downward mobility that he has always represented for me and that I could never endure in myself.

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? 

In one of my seizures during my undergraduate days a headphone sliced my left ear in two horizontally. It was stitched back together of course, but there’s still a bit of scar tissue visible.

Do you have any obsession right now?

I’ve just gotten back into WoW after over two months away, but that’s always been more of a background interest. I’ve been working my way through FE14 for a post series, and will be jumping into Conquest in a few days. 

Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong? 

All the time. It’s a Scorpio thing. 

In a relationship? 

Always a complicated question for me, because it depends on how one defines a relationship. I’m not dating anyone in the conventional sense, but I have, shall we say, interests in a number of men. Some of them might even be under the impression that they’re in a relationship with me.

Tagging @quintessentialgaymutant, @paragonred, @markoftheasphodel, @damoselcastel, @deetvar, @demoiselledefortune, @injygo, @darkartsandcrafts, and anyone else interested.

@demoiselledefortune reply’s to a post by @markoftheasphodel

“Tea” isn’t a meme so much as a colloquial expression, one of several common on Tumblr (see also: “shade”) to originate in US drag culture and among black drag queens specifically. It started off as “T” as a shorthand for “truth” and as such refers to scandalous gossip or a secret or something like that. I imagine that the popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race is a big factor in the broader adoption of terms from drag culture, but I’ve never watched the show myself. Extended interaction with several of the active drag communities of New Orleans has been more than sufficient for me to get a feel for them. And I second what Mark said about the use of the term on Tumblr, where it’s been made weaker by overuse as hyperbole (even if the user doesn’t think they’re being hyperbolic). 

character meme: Xander

What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her.

Rich, powerful, hot, and incredibly easy to manipulate, he’s the perfect lover. I can even forgive him for being blond and probably not all that great at active topping.

Is he/she important to the general plot?

In Birthright, pretty much the most Camus-y Camus to ever Camus since the original. In Conquest and Revelation he’s more just sort of there most of the time although there’s some tension born of just how hesitant he is to except that his father isn’t what he used to be.

Can you relate to this character at all? Does he/she grip you emotionally?

(Pseudo-)fallen aristocracy, sibling in-fighting (though he didn’t suffer the worst of it),conflation of familial loyalty and nationalism, and a contentious relationship with a deranged father all make him extremely relatable. Compared to many other fans I have less trouble forgiving his inability to see slime!Garon for the obvious villain that he is.

Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by his/her relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic)

Ryoma mostly, because they’re written to be foils who can play off each other and because the sex can be hot. I’ve also seen some good stuff with him and Laslow, Odin, and Silas. His…thing with Peri perplexes me and at the same time makes me yearn for something that will actually allow her to make some modicum of sense. Also, everyone knows that Xander/Charlotte is a great pairing for gameplay, and in doing so she succeeds at all her (and my) wildest gold-digging fantasies.

Is there anything about the character you would change?

More noticeable continuity between story Xander and support Xander. Some fans like myself can connect the dots, but it seems like many people are content to laugh at him for being dumb or inconsistent or whatever.

If you were in the fandom with this character or knew this character in real life, how would you see yourself interacting with him/her?

I think I’ve thoroughly answered this one: Hint: it goes horizontal.

Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or least favorites?

Fates husbando to whatever extent that matters, though I couldn’t tell you if he’s my favorite FE character because I’ve honestly never thought about it.

Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about this character (if you dislike) to someone new to fandom?

Definitely needs more hype, along with some advice to read into him critically and be prepared to make some logical deductions the game doesn’t quite spell out (or maybe it does in Japanese, I’ve forgotten).

Is this character popular with the fanbase?

I think so? All the Fates royals have notable fan followings, though most of them also come with a fair number of detractors as well.

tibarn and reyson for the meme?

What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her.

Tibarn: Responsible bara dad/gay uncle with just a hint of rogueish charm to bolster his likely considerable financial assets. Even though PoR makes the ravens out to be the winged pirates of Tellius Tibarn looks the part much better.

Reyson: I like how his character and struggles against his own absurdly frail biology plays with stereotypes of gendered behavior. It’s also cute how he drops the tough guy act around Tibarn. Don’t much care for his singing, but that’s true of all the herons.

Is he/she important to the general plot?

I’d classify both as B-list characters, a very large category in Tellius or in most FE settings just because of how broad the scopes of the plots can be.

Can you relate to this character at all? Does he/she grip you emotionally?

Not so much anything with Tibarn, but Reyson obviously has a similar taste in men. Punching out Oliver was cathartic, if indelicate.

Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by his/her relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic)

With each other, as practically canon as it is. Ike’s relationship with both is an interesting one, as would Naesala’s were it not for the messiness of the hawk genocide and its lack of real resolution in the story.

Is there anything about the character you would change?

A paired ending would have been nice, especially since I read somewhere that one of the Tellius art books or some other source like that apparently confirms Nailah/Rafiel.

If you were in the fandom with this character or knew this character in real life, how would you see yourself interacting with him/her?

A highly profitable threeway, obviously. 

Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or least favorites?

Tibarn’s got a lot of sex appeal, true, but it’s not quite my favorite type of sex appeal. Perceval and Xander and others hit that much better. And Reyson by himself I’m fairly neutral on though he is the heron I find most interesting.

Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about this character (if you dislike) to someone new to fandom?

With all the shipping wank over Ike Tellius’s other queer-coded characters seriously need some more love, and these two are no exception.

Is this character popular with the fanbase?

Not as much as they ought to be, see above. It may be a bit hard to judge though, since like Jugdral Tellius’s fanbase is a bit of a niche thanks to limited exposure.

character meme: Jean ValJean

Kind of a tough one there. It’s been years since I’ve read Les Mis or been involved in the fandom.

What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her.

Mostly neutral honestly, I understand from a literary perspective why his character arc is compelling but it’s not one that grabs my sympathy personally. I feel like I was a (small) part of the group at the forefront of the Tumblr fandom circa the 2012 movie that got everyone looking more at Les Amis than at the actual protagonist, and although that would develop in some pretty weird directions over time I don’t feel ashamed of it or anything.

Is he/she important to the general plot?

For narrative and thematic reasons he’s the central protagonist, though interestingly he’s neither the author’s self-insert nor probably one we’re meant to find the most relatable.

Can you relate to this character at all? Does he/she grip you emotionally?

A little bit? He’s French and thoroughly screwed over by society, though not in any way similar to me. His various internal debates over morality can be quite compelling though.

Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by his/her relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic)

Valvert is a big deal in the fandom, but I’m not emotionally invested in it because I don’t care for rival ships in general. I like how his encounter with the bishop at the beginning of the story informs his choices in everything he goes through later.

Is there anything about the character you would change?

The name origins of early modern French peasantry cannot possibly have been as silly as his is. Eh, it’s memorable I suppose.

If you were in the fandom with this character or knew this character in real life, how would you see yourself interacting with him/her?

This really depends on which era of Valjean we’re talking about. Convict Valjean would get a hard pass from me, but M. Madeleine or M. Fauchelevent are respected enough to where they might be one of my pursuits (although Valjean seems fairly uninterested in sex of any kind so games of seduction are likely beyond him).

Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or least favorites?

Neither. Like I said I have essentially no strong opinions involving him.

Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about this character (if you dislike) to someone new to fandom?

People reading the Brick for the first time will get the full impression of all that Valjean has to offer, but if they’re coming to it after some exposure to the current fandom they probably deserve a bit of a heads-up that Valjean is a pretty big deal.

Is this character popular with the fanbase?

Not really, a common criticism of the state of the Les Mis fandom today. Of course, from what I saw of the fandom prior to the 2012 movie it’s not like things were much different then. Everyone just loves the Barricade Boys more.

Character Meme

elle-lavender:

Send me a character and I’ll answer the following:

  • What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her.
  •  Is he/she important to the general plot?
  •  Can you relate to this character at all? Does he/she grip you emotionally?
  •  Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by his/her relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic)
  •  Is there anything about the character you would change?
  •  If you were in the fandom with this character or knew this character in real life, how would you see yourself interacting with him/her?
  • Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or least favorites?
  • Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about this character (if you dislike) to someone new to fandom?
  •  Is this character popular with the fanbase? 

It seems I now have a new game to look forward to this holiday season after all: Diablo 3 is coming to the Switch in November. I’ve never played any of the games in the series but have always found them interesting from afar, especially this one with its WoW-esque elements that ought to make it easier to get into. It’ll definitely be less of a leap than trying to get into the Skyrim port (which I’m still waffling over, nearly a year later).