scuttles into ur asks with my url pls
🔵 -- 'MY OPINION ON...' meme . ACCEPTING
CHARACTER IN GENERAL. One of Ninazu's greatest strengths for me, as a character, is the balance you manage to strike between [a] having her be significantly involved in the events of DBZ canon and the lives of various important characters, and [b] not having her necessarily alter those events or those lives, from the canon, with her presence/influence.
Please don't get me wrong; I don't have a problem with OCs that ask for others to 'play along' in order to be accepted as part of the Known Narrative Landscape. However, the fact that Ninazu, as a character, doesn't demand that from players interacting with her, means inherently that people will have an easier time understanding her and interacting with her.
She doesn't necessarily alter canon or inflict herself upon it, so much as carefully insert herself into spaces that can afford to be filled -- which, at times, can be quite a delicate balance to maintain. I think it generally takes a special, understanding touch to maintain that balance.
HOW THEY PLAY THEM. I've seen a lot of characters with a lot of Ninazu's characteristics before -- (which isn't a bad thing, mind you!) -- but one of the primary things that I personally think sets Ninazu, and your attitude about playing her, very distinctly apart from many of those other characters is the fact that you're willing to [a] give her characteristics that actually lead to negative consequences sometimes, and [b] likewise acknowledge those consequences and play them out in meaningful, lasting ways.
Sometimes it feels like people specifically avoid allowing their characters to ever be wrong or foolish in manners that could be perceived as unattractive by the reading audience -- and personally, once I clock that particular shortcoming in a person's writing/character-building, I pretty much can't un-clock it, precisely because it suggests to me that the person has their own ego tied up in their character, and thus will likely have a certain desire/need for the character to always be right, always be cool, always be justifiable, and so on. It places a certain limit upon the character's capacity for growth -- which in and of itself makes, for me, often an unappealing character and unappealing writing buddy.
So, with that having been said: the fact that you let Ninazu have shortcomings (and subsequently play them out or otherwise acknowledge how they can and will be a problem for her or others under the right [or wrong] circumstances), and also let her have significant issues in addition to more run-of-the-mill, 'normal person' flaws, helps to shape her into a well-rounded, relatable character. When people won't let their characters have issues to contend with, it limits my ability to perceive that character as a fully-realized person. With Ninazu though, I get a sense of both the good and the bad, and subsequently feel as though I understand the kind of person she is, the kind of person she could be, etc. Likewise, I enjoy how, even though she has all sorts of experiences and abilities that "normal" people certainly don't, her flaws, insecurities, desires in life, etc., all together render her nonetheless quite relatable and understandable. Like, sure, she's exceptional as far as what she can do and has done -- but, within the scope of the story you have for her, she's still just a person out here trying to figure it out and make a way for herself in a manner that satisfies her, while (she hopes) doing as little hurt to others as possible. What's more relatable than that, right?
THE WRITER. Let us put it this way: after returning to this blog following approximately a year-long hiatus, you were one of a small handful of people that I very specifically, very consciously checked in upon, hoping to find that you were around -- not just for reasons of wanting to RP with you (although that's of course true), but also simply for the fact that I enjoy you, want to get to know you better, and hope to make hanging out with you (even if just in fits and bursts, as adult schedules allow) one of the regular little rhythms of my life, if indeed that appeals to you as well.
(Why, yes; this is me essentially going, 'I want to be your friend; I hope you're amenable to being my friend as well.' I'm not too proud to admit as much.)
RP WITH THEM. We tossed a couple small things around back before we both fell off the face of the earth for a long while, so technically this is a 'yes', but of course I'll be looking forward to expanding upon that and exchanging more with you in the future.
WANT TO RP WITH THEM. Naturally.
SHIP THEIR CHARACTER WITH MINE. I sometimes feel hesitant answering something like this with any variation upon the 'yes' theme if I haven't at least discussed it a little with the player in question...so thankfully I get to answer this with a flagrant 'yes' because we have discussed it some. Booyah.
I know we haven't had the opportunity to talk it out a great deal just yet, but it is preemptively funny to me how, at least given how things seem from our preliminary conversations, this is perhaps the most--...I suppose, "normal" romantic ship I've discussed for Seventeen, at least in terms of the emotional trajectories and such. This dynamic comes with its own set of hurdles that they (both individually and together) will need to contend with, of course, like any other; but this dynamic is also ultimately, nonetheless, about two people with weird histories and weird experiences and weird hang-ups learning how to understand themselves, and each other, and making a rewarding union together out of that.
In sum, there's a certain, wholesome, 'everyone has the power to make the life they want' quality to this whole scenario -- and a funny thing is that that's actually one of the issues that Seventeen is likely going to have to contend with within himself, early on as they're growing closer to each other. He's aggressive in his right to exist as he pleases, and yet simultaneously sure all the way to his bones that he's still just a bigger, more grown-up version of The Bad Kid he doesn't really remember being but knows he must have been. So then, Nina comes along. Clocks that streak in him, even just as a friend and general nice person -- and is like, 'what? Of course you're not fundamentally rotten. Why would you think that?'
What I'm saying is: do you have any idea how much that's going to fuck with him?
OVERALL OPINION. What have I been doing with the rest of this meme if not opining?
