#a self-prophecizing thing

[nico-moist-moses]

It was not fun . . .

[alpaca-clouds]

Isaac's Religion: Isaac and Sin

Something that I find quite interesting when writing about Isaac is his relationship to sin and sinning. After all, he is very religious - but also he is quite removed from his religion physically. (Meaning: He does not have any family anymore or any congregation that he is praying with and such. He very probably did not have contact with other Sufi or even generally Muslim in quite some time.) And of course, if you know anything about Islam (or, let's be honest, ANY RELIGION EVER) it is quite obvious that he is living quite a sinful life during the events of the show.

Now, one thing I will share here is the following. As someone who was raised Catholic and only fairly recently learned about Islam, I am still very much surprised how in so many regards Islam has a lot more priorities straight when it comes to what is considered a sin and what not.

You know the seven deadly sins in Christianity, right? You know. Anger, Pride, Greed, Envy, Laziness and so on. And frankly, while I do get some of it, I do generally think: "This really is your biggest issues?"

Now compare this with the seven deadly sins in Islam:

Praying to false gods.

Murder.

Taking from an orphan put in one's care.

Taking or paying intrest.

Witchcraft.

Theft.

Disobedience to parents.

Yes, as someone who was abused by their mother I absolutely will disagree with the last point (and yes, it is a thing that comes back again and again in regards to the Qur'an - I mean it is a bible thing, too, obviously, but yeah... old religions). And of course there is a thing that monotheistic religions tend to have this very important thing on "don't do false gods".

But generally: Putting murder so far up, as well as the entire thing that "taking from an orphan" is considerd quite bad is also a very interesting thing.

Of course there is a whole lot of other things that are considered sinful.

Personally I still find it also quite interesting that among the major sins there is also a point of making clear that you are not supposed to force your religion onto others. (Clearly that message has gotten lost on some over the years...)

But let's get back to Isaac - because just in regards to those seven aspects, a lot of it shows up in his character arc, if you pay attention.

While we do not know anything about his actual parents, we can fairly safely assume he is an orphan or as good as an orphan (i.e. has no ability to find his parents again). He can hardly disobey his parents, but we can definitely say that things were taken from him while he was in someone else's care. Sure that person was clearly a Christian, but this has to come in there as well.

But I will always make the argument, that yes, in some ways in Isaac's mind Dracula for a while upsurped God. Given the Qur'an quotes we get from Isaac, I am still fairly certain of the interpretation that he himself saw himself as the bringer of the end times that were prophecized in the scripture. Basically he was fulfilling God's prophecy, but at the same time he also very willingly accepted Dracula as a prophet of sorts. And it seems to me that in his reverence to Dracula, there are some priorities that get shifted around for him. Mind you, I am also very firm in my interpretation that Isaac has romantic feelings for Dracula, but at the same time I also think he put Dracula's commands above the commands of God.

While I write "murder" just like this, it should be noted, that yes, within the scripture there is actually quite a lot of definition going on on when murder is allowed and when it is not. Basically, if you defend yourself or your family, God will forgive you if you kill someone. (Will I agree with one of Muhammed's wives going: "Well, that's convenient", as he had that revelation after they were attacked? Yes, I do. However, I do think just as a way to live as a people it is fair.) However, when Isaac started killing under Dracula's command, it was obviously no longer self-defense. He just killed THOUSANDS in an attempted total genocide. And just reading scripture here I would go so far and argue: "Yeah, God would not agree on that. For sure."

Again, I see it quite clearly that Isaac for himself does argue that this is the endtimes now and because of that it is alright - but it is clear that he has just decided that this is what he wants to believe and then does it because of it. He is basically lying to himself to be able to act on his own anger.

And then there is of course the forgemastery - which very certainly does fall under witchcraft. (Literally, there is scripture saying out right that necromancy is considered witchcraft. So, yeah. Definitely, forgemastery would be considered that.) Personally I do find it somewhat sad that we never learn how Isaac has come to learn this skill. Because I think that is when his religious conflict would have happened on that. As we never learn about this, we never really get to hear on that.

And of course he also steals at least some during his journey. He does so to survive, and still...

It should also be reminded, that Islam also puts a heavy emphasis on forgiveness. This is a theme that comes up again and again. Basically it goes: "Forgive others, because humans are fallible and will make mistakes." And this forgiveness is something that Isaac is quite bad at throughout the show - only coming to it in his last episode, when he finally confronts Hector. It is the first time we see him forgive something.

The show obviously does not really show Isaac engaging with the topic of sin. But given how he ends the series, it should be a topic to come up eventually.

I will still maintain: I find it kinda sad how little the fandom at large does interact with Isaac and his religion, because it is especially the religious part of his character that I find so fascinating. Especially regarding his queerness that is quite clearly there (and was confirmed through Word of God). While being gay is - contrary to popular belief - not actually forbidden by the scripture, certain practices are. Most notably anal sex - which is explicitly forbidden, no matter how the genitals of the people involved. Like, I know that theologans are there that are going to disagree with me there, but frankly... No, I am sorry, I am not seeing where the fuck you can read "being gay is bad" in this text. And for most of history that was not the way it was read.

And generally I really think... It is too bad that we do not see Isaac's journey past the end of the show. But I will talk a bit more about that in tomorrow's post.

[tag-that-oc]

I feel like I have a really complicated OC situation.

Like... They're sorta a self insert but at the same time their own thing?

It first started off with an original character that basically became an accidental prophecized child, then got thrown out of their universe and became immortal. Soon adapting to being a multiverse guardian, they got stuck in another universe and BOOM another OC but this time they're an extension of this OC!

And then that OC dies and reincarnates into someone new into a new AU. New OC! Then they return to normal and both of them co-exist. Then that one OC from earlier becomes corrupted due to an accident and yep another OC. And THEN that OC is forced to flee their world due to a virus, rescues a few others, and creates a new world to erase it completely.

Eventually they escaped that world and now there's four guardians that are all technically the same person. And THEN that fourth OC splits off into two variants: One who isn't traumatized at all and one who is HEAVILY TRAUMATIZED.

They're just a lab experiment in a group, but maybe I don't want them to be the lone survivor BOOM I'm gonna give them two other survivors and now they're a trio of three experiments. Then that sixth extension is just needing someone to care about so I make them make their own daughter and what do you know they keep DYING.

Also one of my earliest OCs is technically an extension of the first OC I was talking about but isn't a part of the OC force and they're being shipped with the least traumatized OC I referred to. Are they the same character/person? Yes but technically no. Different entity, same root, but enough of a difference and appearance shift that they look NOTHING alike it's very confusing.

... My OCs are just confusing in their lore sorry (also this is all from the top of my head lol)

i love when ocs are kind of also other ocs complicated oc situations are my favourite. they sound really cool!

[usagirln12003]

Mavis Vermillion: Hogwarts AU

Mavis Vermillion was a Pureblood witch that was born on the 23rd of June 1953 and started attending Hogwarts on the 1st of September 1964, being sorted into Ravenclaw House.

She had a Beech wand with a Unicorn Hair core.

Her Patronus was a fairy.

Her favorite subject was Care of Magical Creatures and her least favorite subject was Potions.

She was one of the Ravenclaw Prefects of her year and later Head-Girl.

Mavis is kind and protective of her loved ones. She cares, guides and protects them whenever it's possible. She seems to be quite cheerful as she's smiling and happy most of the time. Mavis can also be quite carefree and reckless, and this side of her is shown when she allowed Jellal Fernandes to participate in a Duelling Tournament, as long as it improved their chances of winning, despite the fact that if anyone found out about the ex-worker of the Ministry of Magic and escaped convict, it could be disastrous to the school.

Mavis is quite playful and to a certain degree, childish. She even left St. Mungos just to cheer on Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament, solely because she was bored in the hospital. She seems to be indifferent to certain things. For example, when Mavis felt a malicious force coming from a few Slytherins, she was not especially worried. Though playful, she can be quite serious at times. When it came to winning the Triwizard Tournament, Mavis cast aside her smile, adopting a serious persona in which she stated she would lead Hogwarts' champion to victory, taking charge and giving out orders.

Mavis was once given the epithet Raven Tactician, as she led her team to many victories thanks to her exceptional skill in making strategies during battles. However, Mavis can miscalculate a strategy every now and then, and upon learning one was a failure, she usually doesn't take it well.

Among one of her most noticeable quirks is that Mavis adores being barefoot. Out of comfort, she shuns shoes and chooses to always wander around barefooted everywhere she goes, and to emphasize this conspicuous habit, she is often shown at the perspective of her feet. It is a combination of traumatic events she endured at a young age and her own preferences that caused her to develop the habit. During her childhood, she was abused by her foster father Zeeself, who made her give back the one pair of shoes he bought for her after he decided she doesn't deserve them, then threw them away when his daughter refused them, forcing Mavis to go without footwear. During her time at Hogwarts, she grows so accustomed to her lack of shoes that even when she has freedom to use shoes again, she absentmindedly forgets to wear them. When Zera notices this and scolds her, Mavis cheerfully replied she feels better barefoot. She has apparently embraced the habit wholeheartedly, as she has not been seen wearing shoes since this incident.

Another noteworthy element of her innocent and gentle nature is that she entertains a belief that angels may exist, after her parents mentioned their existence in a fairy tale back when they were still around. As a result, this eventually inspires her with the name for her book, and is at the core of many of the principles and values it and the vast majority of the students at Hogwarts now have.

For a time, Mavis lost her kindhearted, outgoing, and innocent demeanor. Upon discovering a prophecy that predicted that she would give birth to the sons of one of the darkest wizards of all, she becomes a very frightened shell of her former self, driven to despair and madness. In this state, she starts exhibiting the concentric red eyes that Zeref has, and spends over a year in seclusion, far removed from anywhere she could possibly destroy innocent lives. Consequentially, Mavis's appearance goes from pure yet elegant to badly broken and disheveled. She becomes so hopeless that she tries and fails to end her life through starvation, but, upon seeing how Zeref is suffering from the prophecy just like her, she finds new hope through feelings of empathy and love, resolving to find a way to make sure the prophecy doesn't become true.

However, after she and Zeref gets sent back in time where they eventually have their second son August, with them also being put into a age-less sleep for years until she wakes up again, she regains her original good nature and cheerfulness in response to losing her memories about the prophecy. However, there is a noticeable change in her behavior towards seriousness, because of a combination of lingering darkness, guilt, sadness, and regrets hanging over her as she worries about the consequences of her past, the future of Hogwarts, and the wizarding world.

[cuntstable]

like ultimately the reason why i love pucci so much is because hes such a good breakdown and criticism of christian mindsets, like for example the way they can trap people in loops of suffering and then glorifying that suffering and thus thinking that others suffering is ok actually like ”oh you went through horrible things but actually youre sinful and wrong so you DESERVE to suffer in shame and in fact you should self flagelate even more”. and like also having this very evangelical nihilism about the world you live in bc everything in it is ultimately all in service for the Next World so actually who cares about the evil acts you commit as long as they serve to bring about that prophecized World to Come. and ofc the Everything happens for a reason idea. like the pain you experienced cant be meaningless, there has to be a point bc god is always right. suffering is holy and because ive suffered that means im superior to you and the chosen one and its all part of the plan and and and etc etc.

and miraculously for arakis writing it all ties together so beautifully and puccis relationship to dio being what it is IS a part of that. like again its a vulnerable person being taken advantage of and frankly radicalized into a violent and harmful ideology / theological position, partially due to how growing up in a hyper religious hierarchical setting sets you up to be easily exploitable (especially as a child!!!!!!!!!!!) by people who have power over you.

on top of that pucci telling dio that he ”loves him like he loves god” is very obviously not meant to be seen as a good wholesome statement, as its a a scene where after having his loyalty tested, a deeply catholic child tells dio that he puts him on the same level of authority and absolute knowledge as a god. its grim! its sad and tragic! that all is key to understanding pucci as a character as well as how dio was fundamentally evil to the very end, so going like Oooh actually dio was a positive influence and if they both were adults theyd have a healthy happy relationship like the age is the only problem like DO YOU HEAR YOUSELF

[toomuchgas10]

there's a whole point to some things to cover knew ground. not to self prophecize.

to go somewhere and come back reporting what you found.

you all with your bare minimum no one cares. you lack of curioisty disgusts me.

Alejandra Pizarnik, tr. by Yvette Siegert, from “Psychopathology Ward”, Extracting the Stone of Madness: Poems 1962 - 1972

[auncerra]

HELL - A LIVED SERIES

Let the record reflect I woke up red-eyed this morning to the sound of ‘Carnivore diet’, to the sound of once again a founding principle of something I studied, researched, circumnavigated dietarily on my own and faced immense ridicule for, pushback for, demeaning, condescending attitudes for - something that is now being studied and applied by the very things which condemned it. Something that is being taken credit of/for that they INTENSELY REJECTED support of, something I PUSHED for for its health and physiological benefits, something I LEARNED IN MY BODY IN MY SPIRITUALISM IN MY CONNECTION TO THE EARTH in PRACTICE. SOMETHING I LIVED. Yes, my dreams may have pre-prophecized events like this, once again reflected the toxic environment within which I HAVE NO CHOICE but to occupy, but that does not make the reality in any way simpler to swallow or accept. I have the right to not want to share all of the trademarks and secrets, all of the small constructions which have allowed me to foster security within myself. So yes, it does BOTHER ME that those that MILITANTLY SURVEIL STUDY MY EVERY MOVE CONDEMN MY EVERY ACTION now suddenly and EXPECTEDLY are following a TEMPLATE I PIONEERED AROUND 2018, IF NOT SOONER, WITH RADICALIZATION. FROM JUMPING FROM DIET PLAN TO DIET PLAN, ENTIRELY VEGAN FOR A YEAR+, FOLLOWING EXPERIMENTING WITH VARYING MACROBIOTIC INTAKES AND LEVELS OF CONSUMPTION - I.E. LOSING A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF BODY WEIGHT FOLLOWING A STRICT, STRINGENT MILITARY-STYLE WHEAT/GRAIN DIET - literally consuming copious amounts of shredded wheat, small portions of bird-feed as I deemed that [protein-high nuts, starchy grain, some meat eventually in allocated portions, sunflower seeds] - I experimented with every diet in the spectrum of dieting, coffee fasting for periods of 3 days, water-dieting, omnivorous/blended dieting which more reflects some of the carnivorous template I have integrated today - I STUDIED THESE THINGS. I DID MY RESEARCH. I CALIBRATED MY LIFE AND HEALTH AND DIET AND EXERCISE AND FITNESS AND SPIRITUAL PSYCHIC LIFESTYLE AROUND WHAT I WAS CONSUMING, SOMETHING THEY ARE SO WILLING TO SIMPLY PLUCK OFF THE BACK OF MY LABOR. SOMETHING I HAVE NO DOUBT UNLIKE OTHER THINGS THEY ARE WILLING TO ATTEMPT TO TAKE AS THEIR OWN WITHOUT ANY INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT ANY PAST DUE CREDIT PAID FOR MY LABOR. FOR MY THOUGHT. THIS IS WHAT LIVING WITH NARCISSISTS LOOKS LIKE, IT IS CONDEMNING YOUR EVERY ACTION OUT OF SPITE ENVY AND RAGE AND THEN SIMPLY WHIPPING UP THE EXACT SAME MODEL TO APPLY INTO THEIR LIVES WHEN IT IS OR FEELS CONVENIENT OR TIMELY FOR THEM. IT IS TAKING THE THINGS YOU PRIDE YOURSELF ON HAVING ESTABLISHED AND SOILING THEM, MOCKING YOU AT YOUR WORST, KICKING YOU WHILE YOU ARE DOWN, UNDERESTIMATING YOUR EVERY CHOICE AND THEN PROCEEDING TO TAKE THOSE CHOICES AND READ THEM AND APPLY THEM AS ONE WOULD A FUCKING DOCIER. I LOST LIKELY HALF MY BODY WEIGHT AT ONE POINT IN TIME STRETCHING THE RANGE OF DIETS, TAKING THESE STEPS TO ADAPT MY IMAGE ON MY OWN WITH NO HANDOUTS, WITH NO HELP, WITH NO ENCOURAGEMENT - MET ONLY - NO - WITH DISPARAGEMENT. WITH TACTICS TO TRY AND REFRAME THE WAY I THOUGHT AND VIEWED FOOD, TACTICS LIKE A NARCISSISTIC GUARDIAN REFUSING TO EAT THE FOOD THAT THEY ATE WHILE ENCOURAGING YOU TO ORDER IN SURPLUS, TACTICS LIKE SHAMING FOR SUGAR-CONTENT FOODS OR ONCE BRIDGING AWAY FROM PROBLEM AREAS DESPITE HYPER-INDULGING THEM, THEN CONDEMNING YOU FOR EFFORTS TO PUSH YOUR SELF-IMAGE FORWARD AND FIND SOMETHING THAT INDEPENDENTLY AND INTUITIVELY MERGED WITH YOU, THAT LED TO A SENSE OF IMAGE-ACCEPTANCE. DO I HAVE TO CARVE IN BLOOD ON THE WALLS I AM LIVING WITH PATHOLOGICALLY NARCISSISTIC THINGS. DO I HAVE TO SOAK ALL OF MY CLOTHING IN THE WRITING THAT MY IDEAS ARE BEING STOLEN FROM UNDER ME. DO I HAVE TO SCREAM TO EVERY UNWILLING UNFLINCHING UNACCOUNTABLE ASSHOLE IN THE PROXIMITY-ABETTING-COMMUNITY EVERY GORY DETAIL OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TORMENT THAT PRESIDES OF SOMETHING PUSHING YOUR EVERY BUTTON KNOCKING ON YOUR EVERY WALL REFUSING TO RELENT. REFUSING TO STOP. REFUSING TO EVER PAY YOU YOUR DUES.

SO NO, I AM NOT CONTENTED WITH THE REALITY IN WHICH I HAVE HAD TO LIVE. I AM NOT SATIATED WITH THE FACT THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN EXAMPLES AND PRECEDENTS I HAVE SET AND I AM MEANT TO SELF-CONTAIN AND PRIVATIZE EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE AND EVERY RATIONALE FOR LEAVING AN ABJECTLY TOXIC STRUCTURE THROUGH NO CONTACT ONLY TO WATCH THAT FLAWED BODY STEAL HEAVY, ROOTED ASPECTS OF MY LIFE OUT FROM UNDER ME, I DON’T NEED MY INTUITION TO INFORM ME IN HIGH-CORTISOL DREAMS THAT I AM LIVING IN A TOXIC TOXIC PERVASIVELY TOXIC PLACE AND HAVE NO MEANS TO AN END IN THAT PROPERLY BEING HANDLED. I AM AWARE. I AM AWARE OF THE DELIBERATE ATTEMPTS TO INCITE VIOLENCE. TO INCITE CHAOS. TO UNRAVEL MY SENSE OF SELF-WORTH. THERE ARE SUCH THINGS AS PITCH CONTROL AND KEEPING THINGS TO YOURSELF, AND NOW I FLAGRANTLY HAVE TO AIR THIS OUT ON A BLOG SPACE THAT MIGHT NOT BE READ PERCEIVED AS A LUNATIC BECAUSE IF I DON’T AIR OUT SOME OF WHAT I AM EXPERIENCING AT THE HANDS OF THESE THINGS, NOT QUESTION - FACT, I FEEL LIKE MY BLOOD PRESSURE COULD RISE THROUGH MY SKULL.

YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND, EVER, SINCE YOU ARE LIKELY SURVEILLING MY SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE ANYWAY - YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND - THE CORE OF WHAT I AM, WHAT I DO, WHAT I CREATE, WHAT I PIONEER, WHAT I METICULOUSLY STUDY AND APPLY, YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO HAVE ANY CAPACITY TO MIRROR ANY ASPECT OF WHAT I AM AND CLAIM THE CREDIT AS YOUR OWN. YOU WERE NOT VEGAN TO OMNIVORE TO CARNIVORE TO OMNIVORE TO CARNIVORE, TO OMNIVOROUS CARNIVORE-EDITIONS MAY VARY - I APPLIED WHAT I DID FROM MY OWN INSIGHTS. I TARGETED WHAT WAS SYNCHRONOUS FOR ME. I SUGGESTED TO MULTIPLE OF YOU TO TRY IT AND YOU SHOT IT DOWN, ONLY NOW, IN FACT, TO SEE THE REALITY. TO SEE THAT EVERY “SUPPLIED” THING HAS JUST BEEN A MEANS OF MEASURING MY PROGRESSES AND TAKING THEM LIKE AN END OF YEAR EXAM.

YOU HAVE DIPPED YOUR HANDS IN SO MANY THINGS THAT AREN’T JUSTIFIED OR TRUTHFUL. YOU’VE LIED TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. YOU’VE STOLEN FEDERALLY-ISSUED DOCUMENTS AND MAIL. YOU’VE TAMPERED IN MY FINANCES. YOU’VE ATTACKED MY MENTAL HEALTH. YOU’VE CONDEMNED AND SLANDERED MY CHARACTER. YOU’VE DONE SO MANY ATROCIOUS THINGS I CAN’T COUNT THEM IN ONE BLOG POST, NO ONE WILL EVER UNDERSTAND THE SHEER AMOUNT OF THINGS I HAVE HAD TO BALANCE. NO ONE WILL EVER BE ABLE TO WRAP THEIR HEAD AROUND COMPLETELY WHAT I LIVED AND THAT’S THE REALITY OF MY LIFE PAINTED IN FRONT OF ME. MY LIFE I MADE. MY LIFE I FUCKING GRUELINGLY MADE.

I DON’T CARE IF IT’S SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE. I DON’T CARE IF THIS IS EXACTLY THE REACTION YOU ARE PINING FOR. SO ONCE AGAIN YOU CAN MALIGN ME TO EVERYTHING AROUND YOU. WHAT I WRITE IS TRUTH, NOT OPINION. REALITY, CIRCUMSTANCE, HARD-LIVED-REAL.

IT MAY SEEM SMALL TO YOU BUT THIS IS DAILY FOR ME. THIS IS THREE YEARS OF HELL FOR ME. THIS IS DECADES - DECADES OF SYSTEMIC UNDERMINING FOR ME. THIS IS WATCHING MY LIFE BECOME SUBJECT TO THOSE THAT HAVE NO LIVES AND POSSESS NO SOULS.

SOULLESS, EMPTY, GODDAMN HUSKS.

AND NOTHING ELSE. NO HOPE OF ELSE. NO INTELLIGIBLE BASE OF ELSE.

MONEY-GRABBING, LOITERING, OFFENDING, VIOLATING, ABUSIVE, MANIPULATIVE, DOMINEERING, BULLYING, ATTACKING, STALKING, VINDICTIVE, STEALING, THIEVING, HATEFUL, SPITEFUL, ENVIOUS, UN-ENCOURAGING, UN-RECIPROCATIVE, UNAPPRECIATIVE, BLAMING TAKING TAKING TAKING ELSE IS WHAT I’VE HAD TO ENDURE. IS WHAT I’VE HAD TO FACE. IS WHAT HAUNTS MY DAYS AND NIGHTS. IS WHAT LIVES THERE LIKE SOME FOREBODING EVIL GIFT I HAVE TO GRIND DOWN INTO LESSON AND ACTION AND APPLY FOR MYSELF TO SIMPLY KEEP SANE. TRANSMUTE TO MAINTAIN SANITY.

MY LIFE IS SOMETHING YOU ARE ALLOWED NO CREDIT FOR.

MY WAY OF LIFE IS SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO.

WITH THESE WORDS I HOLD YOU TO ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE, WITH THESE WORDS I MAKE IT DISTINCT AND CLEAR I AM NOT A DOORMAT, I AM NOT A SLAVE TO YOUR MENTALITY, I AM NOT A PART OF WHAT YOU DO, AND YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE, AND YOU WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE.

You will be held responsible for ALL that you have done. Closed, BARRICADED doors or not.

2/13/2025 Auncerra Bohne

[meowcitymotherfucker]

Awwwww you have so many pets!! Agh they sound so cute. One day I will have a cat and I plan on naming it Pringles (if it is orange) and Pickles (for any other color)!!

OH THE ADVENTURE ZONE IS SO GOOD! But... you need to like their humor in order to like it- so I can understand if it isn't for you lol. Until the end of the first arch they are just following a module and having a good time, nothing really story heavy happens until later. (OH BUT ITS SO WORTH IT OMG-)

Favorite was ELA I always loved writing, I was just sad that it was almost NEVER creative writing. Just boring essays n' stuff. Least favorite was history/geography and... it shows. I am... REALLY dumb when it comes to those two things.

Favorite stuffed animal... hmmm. I would probably have to go with either Fred the GIANT stuffed bear, or my dragon with no wings (totally not a dinosaur- I refuse to admit that-) and his name is Quest!

As to what I am drawing: Right now I am working on my comic! I would show you but it might give away who I am haha (also- can't send pictures via anon)

Questions: What is underland chronicles about? Funny how similar our taste in shows was because MAN I know none of the books you listed. Do you have a favorite video game?

(also this is so fun! Thank you for doing this with me! I love meeting new people on here!!)

-🌻

History is my downfall as well!

Ok, so The Underland Chronicles follows the story of this 12 year old kid named Gregor. He lives in a small New York apartment with his mom and 2 sisters. One day, he and his baby sister fall down a vent shaft in their apartment building laundry room... and then keep falling. And falling. They wind up in this place called the Underland. It's an absolutely massive cave system running underneath like, the entire U.S. Down there is a full on city of people called Regalia. There, Gregor learns that he's a great warrior foretold by the prophecies of their people. And that basically all the animals in the underland are massive and sentient. There are giant bats that people "bond" with and can fly on the backs of. Giant man eating rats that want to kill all the humans in Regalia, giant cockroaches, giant mice, giant lizards, and just so much more.

This poor kid has been prophecized to basically save this kingdom from like a billion different threats. He has to kill this entire rat army, find a cure for a deadly plague, slay this extra giant rat dude, and like so much more. Also, this is written by Suzanne Collins, the author of the Hunger Games. So while these are books intended for 12 year olds, they are violent and graphic. So many characters die, and I think I cried over like every book. The last one really left me messed up. They are great. Like, for example, there's a scene where a character gets eaten alive by a giant pitcher plant, and they try to save her, but when they pull her out she's like completely dissolved by acid from the waist up. And on multiple occasions Gregor has been described as "drenched in blood" (not his own) and just absolutely traumatized. This kid gets messed up.

I love it literally so much. This series was like, the best thing my little 10 year old self ever read. I still encourage people to read it no matter your age cause it's just so good. It's also really hard to describe so my little summary does not do it justice at all.

My favorite video game is Little Nightmares! Specifically the first one, but I'm also a big fan of the second! I was also a big Undertale kid, but for some reason now I don't remember much of it?

Questions: Do you have a favorite video game? And aside from Warrior Cats, what's your favorite childhood book? Or favorite book in general?

(It's past 12 am here so I'm probably gonna go to bed in a bit!)

[nikethestatue]

Mates, in SJM's world, and most 'mate' worlds, perform grand heroic gestures for one another. They are prophecized. They make impassioned speeches.

They say things like 'I have no regrets in my life, but one..."

Others whisper 'stay with the High Lord' about them.

They slay 1,000 warriors, to save ONE.

Their screams of anguish destroy cities and crumble mountains.

They fearlessly slither into enemy camps to save their mates.

They walk into a sea of fire, an inferno, for their mate, to make sure that they don't self-destruct, even knowing that they might die in the process.

They skin those who had harmed their mates alive.

They mist those who are about to clip their mate's wings.

They murmur 'I am getting her back' and in fact, get her back.

They share power: during battles, reforging Cauldrons, sharing a magical dagger, while scrying or fighting Death Gods.

What exactly have Gwyneth Berdara and Azriel Archeron done for each other that is remotely mate-like?

Or for that matter, Lucien Vanserra and Elain Archeron?

Did Azriel step into the midst of the Blood Rite to save his 'mate'? Nope.

Did Lucien save his mate from Hybern? Nope.

Did Gwyn.....nevermind.

[alwaysalir]

After watching the episode a second time I don’t think it’s Daemon was out of character and his why.

From the minute he hears of his brothers death he immediately goes to this idea that the greens murdered him. I know that might sound ridiculous because of how bad off the Viserys was but it doesn’t matter what we think. It’s what Daemon believes. So when he’s planning the defenses and getting ready to go to war he’s also in his mind avenging his brother.

Through our the episode you see the emotion and the rage building in Daemon. It starts with the news of Viserys death. Then as he is planning how to protect Dragonstone in case of an attack you can see he gets physically uncomfortable at Rheanyra’s screams. Considering the labor is early he had to know that baby will not make it and that ultimately Rheanyra could die too. The minute he gets word that Rheanyra doesn’t want things done without her he moves on to insuring that if she dies her heir Jace will be in place by having the few Kings Guard swear to both of them. When he finally goes to see Rheanyra he sees that their daughter is dead and in those few moments on the beach you see him fall to his knees with grief. Right before the Coronation you can see the anguish on his face as he looks down at the crown that he just a few days ago put on his brothers head. If you don’t see this man’s pain then you’re not paying attention. Later he’s completely insulted by Otto’s offer that includes making his sons Political hostages and what’s even worse is Rheanyra stops him from killing Otto And he has to watch her being manipulated by the greens the same way for Viserys was.

And that second black Council meeting is practically vibrating with rage. When Daemon agrees to marry Rheanyra she made the plea for him to help her go against the Greens. Now as far as he’s concerned them killing Viserys and stealing her throne was an act of war. After Rheanyra clears the room this is the first time we actually see them talking about what’s happening And you immediately understand that they aren’t listening to each other and they don’t understand where the other is coming from. Rheanyra I think assumed Daemon is being his typical self wanting to plunge into war not understanding that he has all this emotion and rage building inside of him and no place to put it and the only way he’s dealing with that is this idea of going to war and killing the people that hurt his family. Daemon’s frustrated by Rheanyra’s composure and lack of visible anger. When she starts talking about The PropheC something inside and Damon breaks. First off it’s the realization that his brother never trusted him but it also seeing Rheanyra use the same excuses to allow the Greens to get away with Treachery.

It’s an absolute breaking point and I think as Rheanyra experiences him losing control in that way she suddenly understands why he’s been acting the way he has and that’s why she’s not angry or scared. She knows Daemon better then anyone and understands that when he has no place to put his feelings it can result to Physicality. I do think it’s very obvious that he’s ashamed that she has to see that side of him. I think he knows there is nothing he can contribute to the black council until she makes the decision to go to war So he self exiles But instead of running away he goes to do some thing that that can help her in Upcoming war he knows his inevitable.

I’ve seen all these takes about how Daemon doesn’t love Rheanyra and he’s just after power and it’s just nonsense. Daemon did an awful thing and it’s not something I Condone or even really like but it’s not out of character and it doesn’t change the way he feels about Rheanyra. The respect he has for her is clear the entire episode. The way he’s always looking to her because ultimately he serves her and he always listens to her. Yes they had a fight and weren’t seeing eye to eye But despite all that despite his anger and how upset he was he still shows up for her at the end of the episode. They could’ve had anyone deliver that news to Rheanyra but it was a Daemon because he is not going to abandon her. He will stand beside her and fight this war on her terms

[actually-the-antichrist]

Blog Intro (old ver Oct 8th 2022)

about time I finally organized this lol

Hello friends and enemies. My name is Dionysus/Denise (all pronouns) and this is where I put stuff related to my writing / polytheism / Classics / theology. 

I post and reblog things related to Hellenic polytheism, Chinese folk religion, early Christianity, and occasionally witchcraft. I share my own creative writing pieces or essays related to these topics, and I also reblog academia and Classics related things or the occasional research article. 

I’m currently a college student studying in the States (I am from China), and I made this blog to engage with the online Polytheism community. In my personal projects, I am very interested in theology & philosophy and am attempting to build one regarding polytheism. I’m a big fan of interfaith activity and am quite eclectic in my practice. I’m not a big neo-platonist; I lean heavily on post-modernism/ psychanalysis/ queer theory in my theological thinking. I’m currently attempting (and failing) to study Ancient Greek. I’m very open to any kinds of asks on any of the topics of interest, or just random stuff. 

Polytheism-wise, I’m devoted to Dionysus, and engage a lot with Apollo, though a lot of deities are in my life. I also love engaging with Satyrs in terms of their creative power. Personally, I find Freud very Bacchic, and I think Foucault was possibly the Pythia (yes, Foucault, prophecize the fall of western civilization, do it). Gnostically, I identify with the demiurge because of my being a writer (yes this is a very serious blog as you can tell). Politically, I am an Anarchist and that makes me the spiciest Zeus worshipper alive.

So there, take my belated self introduction. Feel free to reach out if you want to make friends (or enemies, both are acceptable). Love you all. 

[creepy--claws]

[● Before I go to sleep I'm gonna tell a story but first another rant

I saw someone point this out already but people in the early warrior cats fandom were fucking high or something because they acted like

-Dovewing was a self centered lazy whiney bitch who walked all over people

-Bumblestripe was just an innocent baby boi who liked a girl who used and manipul8ed him and was only into bad boys who are fucking horrible

-Ivypool was this super cool edgy hipster who worked super hard and was doing Dovewing's shit for her and was really awesome and actually saved the day meanwhile Dovewing did nothing

And as a bonus, Blossomfall was horribly abused by Millie and she is completely in the right for being upset at her disabled sister who is also being mistreated by her mom

They were so far fromt the truth omg

Dovewing was hard working yet burnt out and was juggling so many things at once with so much pressure on her shoulders even since she was an apprentice. She didn't enjoy the pressure of being the third prophecized cat in this prophecy she knew nothing about and not to mention Lionblaze's treatment of her. He wasn't a good mentor. He put so much pressure on her and so did literally everyone! Bumblestripe, Cinderheart, Whitewing (HER MOM), and Rosepetal put pressure on her to date Bumblestripe, someone she wasn't interested in, and who was also super creepy and manipulative towards her. He got mad at her for being disinterested and put her in situations where she would be framed as the bad guy for trying to let him down easy and tell him she doesn't really see him that way, and there were times he made it so she couldn't say no and couldn't reject him. That's nasty! Not to mention Ivypool's mistreatment of Dovewing. Ivypool wasn't super cool and hardworking and kickass. She was this greasy teen who couldn't keep up with her sister who is literally a gifted kid who doesn't want to be held up to such high expect8ions, yet Ivypool decides it's Dovewing's fault that Ivypool can't keep up and is also pissed off that Dovewing doesn't dedic8 herself to spending all her time with her at all times. Ivypool is mad that Dovewing is basically being mistreated by everyone but not because she feels bad for Dovewing. It's because she's jealous that Dovewing is being mistreated. Also Ivypool training in the dark forest didn't make her hard working. She did battle training, yes, but she wasn't like super cool and good at it. Also she wasn't the greatest spy, either. Lemme wrap this up with Blossomfall. I h8 the romanticiz8ion of Blossomfall and people treating her like she's right. She admitted that she's a bad person for being jealous of her disabled sister but decides she's not gonna change her behavior and she's just gonna stay mad at her sister and her mom. I don't blame her for being upset at Millie, but I do blame her for her reasoning. She's upset because Millie is fretting over her paralyzed sister. Bro. Millie's treatment of Briarlight wasn't good either, like it's super ableist to treat her like she can't do anything and getting mad at the doctors for not being able to make her back legs fork again. Blossomfall is envious anyways. Also not to mention her treatment of a dying old woman like a couple arcs later. I blame lot of cats for their mistreatment of a dying old lady because she isn't a clan cat, and Blossomfall is one of them. She was so mean to Sunrise and for fucking what? Why do you want this cat to die so badly what the hell did she do to you

Ok I'm done pissing off warrior cats fans off to discuss other things and possibly pass out]

[existentialcrisis-servedhot]

thoughts and feelings on harry's house

music for a sushi restaurant: i think this is the opener because he wanted to give us an out. like this is what my album's gonna be, all instrumental and experimental and this is your last warning, get in or out. i think that's really clever and bold and it sort of feels like he's growing into himself

late night talking: i listened to it on coachella first lol so i don't have any fresh thoughts. this is classic harry though, making us believe this is a happy album for at least the next few minutes

grapejuice: no thoughts just vibes

as it was: it was such a great thing to release this as a single 'cause it lets you know where he is headaspace wise. it's such a heart wrenching experience to listen to this song, knowing you're not alone in wanting things to be as they were, a wish never to be fulfilled

daylight: and it all goes downhill from here. things start getting melancholic from here. but the imagery goddd the imagery in this song is worth dying for. as an aspiring writer, i'm really fucking jealous

little freak: no but i literally thought this was gonna be about sex. seriously. and then it turns out to be a song that makes me feel dead inside. but let's talk about deadness on the next one, shall we? (sidenote: this bridge omggggg)

matilda: need i say anything more than what the internet has actually said? i cried. in fact this is the first time I've used the "hide" option on spotify. 'cause yk ik i need to be in a certain headspace (read: need to be in the mood to get fucked up) to listen to this one. i need to know i'm alone and can dry heave and sob before playing it. in fact i've only listened to it three times yet and i plan to keep it that way for a while

cinema: imagine being so cool harry fucking styles writes a song about it. imagine harry fucking styles wondering if he's good enough for you.

daydreaming: OMG THE INSTRUMENTALS IN THIS ONE *chef's kiss* harry's outdone even himself in terms of instruments in this album and I've got literally zero complaints

keep driving: right when i first listened to it i thought to myself, that video he was filming in that yellow outfit, it's for this one. it was just an instinctive response to the melody and even though that feeling isn't there anymore after multiple listens, if an mv does get released for this song, let it be known i prophecized it. the song in itself is just soooo ugh inexplicably lovely. it's really the kind of love letter I'd like to receive lol

satellite: ummmmm. satellite is matilda's little sibling in terms of me crying. seriously there's just something so disturbingly poignant about the lyrics. the desperation, the longing, you can feel it

boyfriends: again listened on coachella first so no fresh thoughts. but i have a feeling that he's talking about himself in this one. like idk just a feeling. like somehow a sense of self deprecation festering in it? and he's talked about how he wrote after seeing the way some dudes mistreat their partners, like his sisters and his friends, in the zane lowe interview, but it's also an acknowledgement of his own behavior so yk i'm not completely wrong haha

love of my life: just like sushi is the perfect album opener, this is the perfect last song. this is the most beautifully unsettling song on this album. like obviously matilda and satellite are sad af but on the surface this one doesn't seem sad ykwim? it's beauty is in its implicit despondence. it's beauty is in the longing for what you know YOU threw away. things aren't as they were because of YOU. and man is that concept sad. the perfect ending to a beautiful piece of art that i'm going to be playing on repeat for at least the next whole month.

[anachronisticcrab]

This has been on my mind for a while, but I’ve never actually addressed it, so here’s my honest opinion on the ‘feminism’ in PJO/HOO/TOA (I haven’t read Kane Chronicles in years, and I’ve never actually read MCGA, so I’m not addressing either of those)

The Hunters of Artemis

Fucking misandrists. It’s not feminism

Kicking people out for being wlw? Not feminist

Kicking girls out if they enjoy sex, or if they have sexual encounters? Not feminist, that’s slut shaming and it’s not okay

Preying on 8 to 16 year old girls, whose brains have not finished developing? Not fucking feminist

Treating men like they’re the scum of the Earth? Not feminist

I’m not saying that men are great. Personally, I’ve got a long and complicated history with men. But I don’t treat them like I’m better than them because I’m not a man—that’s misandry not gender equality, and not feminism

Lying and tricking young girls into hunting down mythical creatures for their entire lives (during which they will be children forever), without letting them in on the knowledge that they will be in constant danger and will never be able to see their families and friends again? Not feminist

They are the epitome of ‘not like other girl’ feminism, which is a recurring theme in Rick’s books

Plus they’re inherently ableist. The second you become a hunter, all physical imperfections disappear because they ‘make you weaker’? Plus, no way in hell would someone in a wheelchair, or someone with depression, or someone with sensory issues, or someone whose blind or deaf be allowed to join the hunters. It’s not feminist

The fact that I’m willing to bet that femme nonbinary and/or trans women won’t be allowed to join. After all, if wlw are kicked out for being wlw, why the fuck would Artemis let trans women or nonbinary ppl in? That’s not fucking feminist

Also, half the Hunters don’t think that satyrs are real guys cause they’re half goat? Like shut the fuck up, they ID as a man, they’re a man.

Artemis finds underage girls who are unhappy, tells them that they’ll have no responsibility, that they’ll be immortal, and that they’ll have fun all the time... and doesn’t tell them any of the bad parts until after they’ve pledged their eternal allegiance to her and her Hunt

The fact that she stops they’re education?? How is convincing young girls not to educate themselves feminism??

It also annoys the shit out of me that Artemis and her Hunters claim to support women, but send untrained, clueless, unsure girls who have only been a part of the hunt for two days on deadly quests where 2 ppl have been prophecized to die. Wouldn’t you want to send someone with more experience? Wouldn’t you want to actually support each other and send in someone with a higher chance of survival? And YEA, I’m talking about Bianca (not her biggest fan, but it was still fucking shitty)

In short, I freaking hate the Hunters, if you couldn’t tell. They aren’t feminist. They’re TERFs and misandrists. And Artemis is fucking creepy

The Amazon’s

Worse than the Hunters

In this case, I don’t know if they kick out wlw, trans women, or nb ppl (I don’t think so, but I’m not sure on that) so I’m gonna put that to the side for now

What I do know however is that they have actual slaves. Like motherfucking human slaves

They rape men, and force them into slavery. How the fuck is that okay? It’s not fucking feminism!

It’s not feminist to put someone in slavery; it’s fucking inhumane and terrifying! It’s a violation of about a hundred basic human rights!

It’s not fucking feminist to rape guys; it’s inhumane and in violation of basic human rights (again!)

They are not feminist; they’re misandrist slave owners

‘Not Like Other Girls’

Both Annabeth and Piper were portrayed as feminist icons during the series. Right? Right??

Fucking wrong. They both repeatedly put down other girls for exemplifying feminine qualities, basically saying that being feminine is weakness and it’s disgusting

How is that feminism?

Piper constantly shit talks her siblings because they’re super girly (for the most part)

She and Annabeth treat Drew like shit because she’s feminine and she goes after guys (and ok, Drew is a bit of an asshole, but there are better reasons to dislike her than she’s girly and likes guys!)

That’s not okay— feminism is about uplifting women, and supporting one another. Not about slut shaming and denoting ppl for exuding feminine qualities

Femininity does not equate to weakness. femininity does not mean you are less than. femininity does not mean you deserve less respect. femininity is not inferior to masculinity. Femininity does not mean you’re dumb, weak, silent, or cowardly. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You are always worthy of respect (unless you’re a fascist or anything along those lines)

Thalia Grace

She gets her own category cause oh my gods I hate her so much

Not only does she support the Hunters and Artemis, she’s a dedicated defender of it

On top of that, there’s her Death to Barbie pin. What the fuck? Cause Barbie isn’t feminist?

Barbie is a doll that comes in all different shapes, sizes and colours, a doll that has hundreds of different careers, a doll that shows little girls that no matter what they look like, or where they come from, they can do or be anything (I know that it used to only be a skinny white blond girl, and maybe one other white girl, but that’s changed). How is Barbie not fucking feminist?

How is sporting a pin that threatens to destroy a doll that uplifts and promotes self love and positivity to little girls all over the world feminist? How is she feminist? She’s not-like-other-girls

She simultaneously supports an ableist, transphobic, homophobic goddess who preys on young girls, is actively against anything remotely feminine, and claims to be feminist, liberal, and punk, of all things! She’s not fucking feminist, she’s not fucking punk (I’m gonna make a whole other post trashing her, cause oh my fucking God she drives me crazy)

Basically what I’m trying to say in this is that the ‘feminism’ in the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles is fucking disgusting. It’s not feminism

If you don’t agree with any of this, or if you don’t like this, dni.

[ivanaskye]

I’ve been thinking about making this post for a while, since I finished reading Wheel of Time, a series whose first book I read many years ago and hated, a series which ended up being very much one of my favorite of all time if not my single favorite, a series that has my two favorite characters ever.

A series that is very flawed.

So behold, my long answer to the question...

Should you read The Wheel of Time?

I’ll split this into three sections (but not three posts): What Even Is The Wheel Of Time, Some Likely Dealbreakers, and Tl;Dr.

Under the readmore, of course.

1. What Even Is The Wheel of Time?

A system of circular time in which the same rough eras of humanity repeat

However, the fact that time in the series operates this way... doesn’t actually matter that much.

And out of seven total repeating ages, we only spend time in one, and only know anything at all about four others.

The last three? A mystery

Don’t worry about it

Okay, that’s probably not what you were asking. You were probably asking something more like: what’s the plot of this series?

Let me be straight with you about that one.

It’s a Chosen One plot.

But,

It also has a very large cast of characters, many of which are very Protagonist in their own right

Including the main character’s immediate foil, who is absolutely not a “Chosen One” except for the fact that she freaking chose herself, basically manufacturing her own call to adventure out of the main character’s. 

The six Most Main characters (by most fans’ understanding), can IMO be divided exactly into three foil-pairs: the Central Saving The World one, the Self Awareness Whomst? I Hate People Of Course I’d Never Help Anyone (Trips over 139289131 Pictures of Helping Other People) one, and the Study In Leadership one.

And remember that Chosen One I mentioned?

Yeah, he actually has a shit deal with being Chosen

Specifically: he is 100% prophecized to destroy the world. Whether he also saves it is a little more up in the air.

He’s also almost certainly fated to Go Insane.

(...Which is why the first ~3 books of the series are just him Running Away From His Fate at Full Speed, which--spoiler alert--Does Not Work.)

See also: Alienating All Your Friends 101, How NOT To Accept Being Polyamorous, It’s War Crimes Time

(Yes, there is canon polyamory.)

(...And a LOT of canon war crimes.)

But. In order to go any further, I have to talk about the Possible Dealbreakers of these series. 

2. So, About Those Dealbreakers

Broadly speaking, I’d say there are three: length, The Gender Binary, and Oh God Why Is Everyone Such A Dumbass.

Let’s go at these one-by-one.

Length

Let me be very clear here: WoT is over four million words long in total.

This has at times been calculated as perhaps the longest word count for any series... ever? It’s certainly one of the longest English-language series that occurs to random statistics geeks to look at the word count of.

For reference, in case you needed it... that’s longer than Homestuck. This is true even if you translate images, videos, and so on into equivalent word counts. And include the epilogue. And... yeah.

It’s like, shonen-long.

The upside of this, however... is that it’s really long.

That might seem like a weird upside, but if you’ve ever wanted to get really immersed in a series... especially if you read very quickly and usually get through things fast... well.

To put things in perspective, I often read 300-page books in one sitting without trouble. WoT took me about six months.

So uh

Do you want your life, mind, body, and soul to get eaten by a book series?

The answer to that question will probably tell you if you should read Wheel of Time

The Gender Binary

Okay, so here’s the thing: in the time period WoT takes place in, only women can use The One Power (the main form of magic in the setting).

The reason for this is that the One Power, despite being called one right there in the name, is divided into the Female Version and the Male Version. Only women can use the former, only men can use the latter. And the latter has been tainted such that any man who uses it goes mad.

Our main character is a man who can use the power.

The upside is that things actually go very un-sexistly from here. The different ways to access male (saidin) vs female (saidar) power don’t actually correlate to any consistent difference in personality or attitudes between men and women.

The fact that the MC is The One Man Using The Power and The Most Powerful, Because Chosen One... is actually also played shockingly un-sexistly. 

However, there very much always is that binary. Trans people? Nonbinary people? Uh... you can headcanon if you want, but the canon is not giving you that much to work with.

To make matters a little worse, men and women distrust each other to an almost hilarious amount in the setting. (My guess is something about Mostly A Patriarchy + Women Are The Mysterious Powerful Magic Users has really frayed gender relations in this society.) There are many, many in-character statements of “All men are [x unflattering thing]” “all women are [y unflattering thing]”, but these do not seem to in any way reflect the author’s beliefs, and are never actually true in-world; the characters are just Bad At This.

(A common example of this is “Women are all gossips!” *cut to a group of women* “Men are all gossips!”. Of course, the truth is that there are both male and female gossips and non-gossips in the series).

You would think this situation would lead to more just-women and just-men groups, but except from Magic-User Stuff, there isn’t that much of that, becaaaaause

~Heterosexuality~

Sigh, yes, this series is very het.

It’s not as het as it is binary; the Aes Sedai (female magic users) have a word for women who are having sex with each other, and there’s an onpage FF kiss in the prequel.

But it’s... not a lot.

So if you need a hit of sweet, sweet LGBTQ rep, it’s... not going to be here. Sorry. (Thankfully, a very large amount of fantasy books coming out today do have rep! It’s not that hard to find!)

Thankfully, most of WoT’s het romances are pretty good and believable/shippable. Though not all are.

And, the final likely dealbreaker...

Everyone Here Is A Dumbass

Listen. Nobody in this series drank their Having Brain Cells juice, uh... ever.

(Okay, exactly two characters--Min and Loial--did, but that’s it)

You know how I was talking about the gender mistrust? That’s just one example of an endemic problem of absolutely no one trusting other people, telling anyone things, or in any way having functional conversations

Min Literally Saves Lives By Being The Only Person Who Tells People Things

In addition to interpersonal problems, the characters’ problem-solving skills are uhh

Uhhhhhh

Uhhhhhhhh

Well, as I said, Rand, our main character, spends three books running away from his problems at full speed

After that, he’s only uh... dodging! Jogging away! Yeah

Meanwhile, basically everyone is doing the I Must Put Myself In Extreme Danger To Protect My Friends Who I would Never Accept Doing The Same (bonus points for when two people are doing this to protect each other at the same time) thing

And I Will Face God And Run Into Danger At Mach Speed

The upside is... you might like reading about these kinds of characters

But if you prefer characters who are not walking trash fires

Then I’m sorry

WoT is probably not for you

3. Tl;dr

In summary, Wheel of Time is an almost comically long series about a large cast of characters who have never functioned in their life trying to prevent the end of the world and having a really bad time.

(For some reason it doesn’t have a reputation as a Dark SeriesTM, but it actually is very dark at times. Although far from grim--every action seems to really matter, nothing is meaningless, it’s just that sometimes those actions are war crimes and people dying and a shit-ton of torture).

IMO, some of the other series that might be good predictors for liking WoT are Homestuck, Hunter X Hunter, and ASOIAF. In other words, other very long, large-casted series about trash fires.

If you want one other bit of enticement, the main character has the lowest nadir of any character arc I’ve ever seen, followed by the most impressive high and resolution. So if that’s your kind of thing, and if the dealbreakers don’t break your deals. Go ahead and give it a try.

[lazyliars]

Ranboo, The Mage of Rage

Mage: Active Visionary Class, invoking the Archetype of the Prophet

Rage: Governs Negative emotions, confusion and doubt, chaos, and contempt for lies and blindly accepting things on faith.

A Mage of Rage might be parsed as: One who Knows Rage, or One who Knows through Rage for themselves. It might also be; One who Knows their own Rage/confusion/negativity/.

The Mage of Rage is a potent Class/Aspect combo. Mages are known for their convictions, and for having the resolve necessary to change the world if they don't agree with it. Rage lights an even hotter fire behind those convictions, with the addition of a connotation with negative emotions and often uncompromising ideals.

However, Ranboo is a good example of 'too much of a good thing' in action – he struggles with the fallout of his Classpect more often then he benefits from it. Instead of him searching tirelessly for the truth and changing that which he deems wrong, Ranboo finds himself overthinking things to the point that he deems himself as the root cause of the awful things that have happened to himself and others. Instead of feeding into his search for Knowledge, he assumes that he already Knows; the trap of complacency that the jaded Mage may fall into if they burn out.

Ranboo is inherently tied to Rage-y things – doubt in himself and if the way he understands the world is True, confusion and anger at the chaotic and unfair world he was thrust into, and most of all a deep desire to Know the Truth about himself.

That last one might seem contradictory, until you consider the Dream Voice – literally his inner self taking taking the voice of a man who has caused nearly all of the chaos and confusion, telling Ranboo to Remember. In this way, Ranboo is encouraging himself to Know Rage.

This isn't an easy task however; Ranboo reacts badly to the voice, spiraling into a well of negativity and catastrophizing, also Rage associations. He has to be pulled out by Phil, and ultimately, it's through this connection that he's able to recover and avoid one of the Mage's pitfalls; drowning in their Aspect.

Ranboo also suffers from one of Rage's caveats; Distrust. He accidentally betrays, or at least thinks that he's betrayed people many times, and ends up breeding mistrust in people like Quackity.

An example of Ranboo Knowing Rage would be during Doomsday; Ranboo Knows that taking sides is ultimately meaningless, and that it's ultimately masking the Truth – that Dream is the cause of all this conflict. He Prophecizes the downfall of the people who refuse to see past these arbitrary lines, and ultimately follows his own prophecy when Techno spares him during Doomsday.

Finding the Allium in the chest could also be seen as Ranboo cutting through a misconception to find the Truth, granting him the knowledge that Tommy cared about him more than he thought.

Ranboo is also one of the only people to Know even partially what happened to Tommy during exile. He makes an attempt to Guide Tommy through this confusing period of time, visiting him and leaving him messages.

Finally, if Ranboo were to follow the outline of the mage's story, he would need to accept his negative traits and break through his resistance to Knowing himself and his Rage. In doing so, he would become an indispensable source of Knowledge and could bring about a revolution against the wrongs and cruelty in this world, the likes of which the server has never seen before.

Note: I'm using this lovely analysis as the basis for my interpretation of the classes.