#he’s smart and cunning and kind and good and strong emotionally and physically

[katnissmellarkkk]

someone pointed out on here that haymitch maybe likes peeta more than katniss because peeta is everything haymitch ever wanted to be. and now i’m all messed up.

[cinnachaos]

Gjdkskaqk man, idk what else to ask I feel a little lost

So how bout you give me fun facts about ur ocs' pokemon? Can be just their main

you can also ask about my nonpokemon ocs!!! i can send u some posts about them :3

again 🩷 for rubie and 💗 for cacao (fun fact their names are based on ruby chocolate and dark chocolate because rubie is very sweet vibrant and interesting while cacao is more worried about the casual/romantic (not love, just romantic as like the ideology) aspects of life but is still very sweet and has his fields of expertise :3)

goood help whoever reads rhis

🩷 has armarouge (flare), garganacl (depos like deposits of salt!!), zoroark (miasma), skeledirge (apple fritter), vaporeon (reef), and tinkaton (lychee)

flare is MILDY haughty but generally very nice. he tries his best to help others and unlearn his bad behaviours from childhood. hes a trans guy btw!!! he also is a little bad with physical touch from new people but will show mild forms of affection so rubie feels loved.

depos is a gentle giant and very overprotective. they have a cat demeanour and love helping rubie with his homework!! he often needs a body double so depos will do research while rubie studies. very physically affectionate.

miasma is a little charismatic yet tricky bastard. he loves pulling pranks but has a hard time telling when someone genuinely doesnt like what hes doing so he tries to make sure they tell him if he does upset them. very cuddly with rubie and has a special bond with depos, often mirroring them!!!

apple fritter is a big baby /pos. shes such a cutie pie and is so nice to everyone despite her loud and rambunctious personality! she would never do anything to intentionally harm ANYONE. she will flop on rubies lap or lay down near other team members so they can lay on top of her. she has to be scrubbed often so her scales dont get crusty from her playing in mud :)

reef is extremely cunning and smart. he can come up with complex strategies to lots of problems within minutes and spends lots of time researching moves with depos. he isnt good at battle strategies but is learning !!! he likes to be the heavy damage taker, with many moves and an item healing him, to stall for rubie to figure out a plan.

lychee. oh dear god lychee. the kind of girl who will drink a monster energy, half drank, left out for hours, without a second thought. shes extremely strong, able to hold up all of her team members with ease. she loves teasing miasma and pulling tricks on him because she has very thick skin. she goes feral when someone upsets any of her team members, and specifically tries her best to be understanding with flare about his touch boundaries.

💗 dear god here we go. cacao has two teams, a travel/casual team (second team he built) and a powerful/overleveled team (first team)

first team members: squeaks (noivern), stinky (kingler, shes a girl tho so i call her queenler), jasper (cinderace), socks (boltund), expresso (thievul), and marble (espeon).

second team members: bubbles (dragonair), turaco? i believe (togekiss), kasib (scolipede), kingfisher (archeops), saffron (lilligant), and fanta (toxtricity amped form)

squeaks is shy scenemo rave kid and has a platonic crush on stinky, adores marble

stinky is big burly lady and gives big bear hugs. and is not actually stinky i just named her that cus she was a pain to catch n she beat up my team badly

expresso is kind of a wild card and pretty mysterious, but reaally loves cacao and seems to like socks

socks is literally golden retriever but gets tired out emotionally and physically easily. likes expresso

jasper is very hot cold with his personality, can be very energetic and loud one day and the next is very calm and tired. he mirrors his trainers personality which is why they get along so well!!! will give any team members cuddles if needed

marble loves any clothes that are comfy and fluffy/soft!! kneads stuff like a cat, indulges in scenemo stuff with squeaks and makes kandi bracelets w them

SECOND TEAM

fanta is a dramatic theatre kid with autistic burnout. love the college student sleepless gender, go boy give us nothing. he absolutely LOVES saffron to death

turaco is constantly worried about the fellow dumbasses (/aff) on their team and is constantly holding something healing on their person

kingfisher is super clumsy and verbally stims super frequently with cacao or turaco if cacao needs quiet no stimulation time. has a sibling like bond with turaco (hence their names both being birds, and their colors being similar! both flying types too :3) prone to echolalia

bubbles is very timid and quiet but loves cuddling with cacao and wrapping around him. bubbles tries their best to soothe cacao when hes having issues sleeping. bubbles has a sleepy mark so theyre extremely tired a lot of the time!!!!

kasib is always sticking her nose out at people and is very curious. she loves learning new things and stomps her feet (positive stim) whenever cacao infodumps to her!!! kasib is almost always watching anything interesting, but doesnt say anything so we'll never know if she ever has any thoughts behind them eyes/j

saffron is the team mom. she listens to everyones concerns and vents, sings lullabies for anyone whos having a rough bout of insomnia. she knows cacao has complicated feelings towards familial stuff, so she takes on the role of mom for him so he can feel loved. will definitely bring u your favorite food/plush/drink to calm you down

[scorpionite-astrology]

How is seen your brother/sister?

As you may know the 3rd house represent also the house of siblings along with communication and neighborhood. The planets (and to an extent asteroids) can describe what type of person is your sister/brother and how the surroundings perceive them. Aspects can be also very important as well the signs in order to have a clear picture how their behavior is and how it affected you.

Sun in the 3rd: You could have a sibling who has strong Leo energy or can be someone who is pretty famous in your immediate surroundings. Can be known as a fun-loving and charismatic person, someone who is looked up to and usually who is considered to outshine the second son/daughter. Usually suggest that you can see him as very loving, caring, giving and spoiled. On the bad side can be seen as pretentious and haughty.

Moon in the 3rd: The brother/sister is a chameleon, changeable, sensitive, needy and probably suggest that needs more love or that needs his/her family more then the other children. You can be very protective over them or the other way around, acting as the mother. You could be also more emotionally dependent on him/her the you would ever admit. In the surroundings can be seen as gentle, vulnerable or a mystery. Someone who like the moon, so near but at the same time so far away and unreachable. Often this sibling is the parent you desired to have.

Mercury in the 3rd: It could suggest that you may have twins as sibling who are messy and pestiferous. Very mischievous who like to make jokes and steal stuff from you or use behind your back. Tricksters and verbal. In the community can be seen as cunning and clever, probably with many enemies and admirers, probably they could be seen as a fraud or have issues with their reputation. They also can be knows as the smart sibling who doesn’t do well at school. Usually also suggest that to be their younger sibling.

Venus in the 3rd: The sibling usually is very fair and liked, seems tranquil, or generally could be seen as the favorite one or the one to be spoil rotten. Can be also quite distant and beautiful which can be also the description of your neighborhood. Usually his the one who be prone to envy or the seek all the attention to themselves which is a point in common with the sun. Your sibling can also be know to had various relationships or to be someone who loves more to work then actually study. In the worst cases suggests a passive aggressive sibling with a knack of getting what they wants with their charms.

Mars in the 3rd: The sibling will be very competitive, headstrong, forceful and even jealous of you. Is someone who always compares themselves with you and could try to belittle you or to compete with you for the love of your parents. Usually can be very verbally or physically violent toward you which means that usually is the bully sibling who defends you from other bullies. In the neighborhood can be seen as really harsh, strong, who can stand his/her ground, but also can be seen as too hard on their fellow brother/sister.

Jupiter in the 3rd: This sibling is best known to be the funniest and the most free spirited of the bunch. Can be the one who is fiercely independent and adventurous, probably a trouble-maker and the one who caused their parents to be called at school for something that they do or said. Usually you could see your sibling luckier then you or to have a wide circle. It also suggest a very good relationship with you and the fact that bring you genuinely good vibes and love even if they can be quite devilish with their knack to create havoc just for the sake of having fun. Probably is the one who invited you to eat or to travel together or who decided to travel early in their years.

Uranus in the 3rd: The sibling is felt like a cool guy with you have the most exhilarating times but at the same time you find hard to click with. Can be quite rebellious and defiant of their parents usually provoking them and their choices. As much someone consider them pretty much the weird and uncaring siblings, actually it could manifest as someone who cares a lot about being seen and supported which usually is not the case. They also have a revolutionary sprit and thus they can be known in the neighborhood to have joined political factions usually of the the left party. Their groundbreaking views probably could make them seen by their parents to be the too much independent or hard to understand.

Neptune in the 3rd: Neptune is kinda tricky here. The sibling could be not your real sibling by blood. Later in life you could find them to be adopted or to find that you have one who was sent away for no particular reason. If that is not the case usually this make for a sympathetic brother/sister who cannot really be trusted and everything has to be taken with a pinch of salt. in the worst of cases can be junkie, a party lover, a musician wanna be. In the neighborhood they couldn’t be taken seriously or they actually are seen as confused or simply addicted, at times forgetting their kind nature. You could feel the need to take care of your sibling because of their problems or inability to live in the realty.

Pluto in the 3rd: The question is do your really know your sibling? Have you tried to understand who he/she is? Usually it implies a really misunderstood, secretive, traumatized, survivor singling who has seen the worst and had to face many things in life. Usually is seen always as an intruder in the family or someone who is quite scary because they can be quite the force to destroy what you always believe in. You could see him/her as the demon brother that you love and hate, who is trashed by the community and who discriminate him because is intense or not someone who goes with the flow. Usually also intends a strained relationship with your brother/sister who may decide to close all the contacts because of something in their childhood has being done to her/him.

Saturn in the 3rd: Usually the sibling is mature, much older and in a way of a different mindset, the one taking more after their father. Usually is seen as the one who early on takes on the role of working in order to be self-sufficient and in the case one of their parents could dead, they could become the providing factor in the family. Usually is seen as respected and serious, not someone easy to get along with but who cares a lot about traditions. In the worst cases can be a sibling envious of the success of the other or of yours.

Lilith in the 3rd: Usually this is meant more for a sister then a brother since Lilith is the matriarch of female power. The sister can be pretty much temperamental, volitive, forceful and not an easy person to get along. She may have been victim of lies regarding their promiscuity or she was actually seen as a whore because of that. Usually also means that this sibling can be unpredictable, abusive or scary in your eyes which most of the time is. Also suggest a very possessive relationship towards you and can be seen as quite smart and sophisticated. The cousins could also see her as dominating and who attacks their sibling in order to showcase their power.

[alotsgonnachange]

Fan apprentice Bios

for the alotsgonnachange/the arcana cinematic universe that eye personally believe to be better than the original game...

Name: Isabella Ciccino

Meaning: Promise of God

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Height: 5′10

Birthday: October 28th

Star sign: Scorpio

MBTI: ISFJ-T

Patron Arcana: Justice

Sexuality: Lesbian

Favorite Food: Lemon chicken orzo

Drink: White wine (Vinho Verde)

Magical abilities: Plant care/recognition (green witch), Foraging

Ethnicity: A small rocky/mediterranean esque island off the coast of Venterre that would strongly resemble sicily and malta.

Family: Mother, Angela Ciccino (deceased). Younger sister, Annamaria Ciccino (deceased)

Backstory: WIP

Occupation: Seamstress/tailor

Hobbies: Ballet, reading, drinking wine, dancing, tending to plants

Familiar: None (for now i guess??)

Love Interest: Nadia

Description: Isabella is a mysterious and alluring magician. To most people she is kind and charming, but private. She is incredibly helpful and caring to those she is friends with and cares about and will drop what she’s doing to assist. Likes to do quiet introspective work like reading, sewing, knitting and caring for plants. She’s a bit of a homebody in that sense. She comes across as level-headed and assertive in formal settings and does not allow others to talk down to her. With friends, she is a bit more sassy and teasing. She hates answering personal questions and has strict boundaries, which can lead to her being standoffish and stubborn at times.

As a Love Interest: Very loyal and committed, generally very gentle towards whoever she is seeing. You are going to have to get her to open the fuck up though she’s not good at being vulnerable AT ALL. The type of gf who may or may not qualify as a therapist/mother which…yikes. needs to work through her fear of intimacy before she can have a healthy relationship awwww 5/10

___

Name: Danielle Dupont

Meaning: God is my judge

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Height: 5′6

Birthday: September 7th

Star sign: Virgo

MBTI: ENFP-A

Patron Arcana: The Sun

Sexuality: Bi

Favorite food: Pain au Chocolat (Chocolatine for my canadians…)

Favorite drink: Espresso or a good wheaty ale

Magical Abilities: Sexual magic, chemistry/potionmaking, candle magic, topical balms/solutions

Ethnicity: Whatever the Arcana equivalent is of like. Western Europe germanic? A country including but not limited to Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland. Who cares really she is white and an Orphan

Family: Orphan!

Backstory: WIP

Occupation: Shop owner who sells potions, balms, candles and various other uhhh items usually of the purpose of sex (literally think a modern day sex shop with dildos and shit but also candles and skincare too)

Hobbies: Socializing, singing, making/testing potions, foraging, baking

Familiar: None, is in fact frightened of several animals due to trauma :(

Love interest: Lucio (Her taste is questionable and that’s okay!), also portia

Description: Danielle is a cunning and animated witch. She’s outgoing, bright and carries herself with confidence. In the past this has made her friends and enemies alike. She’s charming but can be a bit of a trickster. Her demeanor is generally calm and she does not often experience strong anger. She’s very smart and dedicated to her craft, and she is a perfectionist. As a worker, she gives excellent customer service and is a good saleswoman. To her friends, she’s teasing and wild, but loving and encouraging. On her worst days, she has the potential to be a bit more inconsiderate and is not the best at handling huge displays of emotions from others.

As a Love Interest: Girlllll…. first of all she needs to stop being emotionally stunted! My good sis cannot handle open displays of emotion at all and tends to shut down! The physical aspects are all there and excellent and she is going to be sweet, caring and loving but she needs to take things more seriously and be able to talk about feelings!!! 3/10

____

Name: Jia Song

Meaning: In korean it’s “clear” or “good”

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Height: 5’5”

Birthday: August 5th

Star sign: Leo

MBTI: ENFJ-A

Sexuality: Bi

Favorite Food: Pulled pork or a good seasoned steak

Drink: limeade

Magical Abilities: Potions/herbs and healing

Ethnicity: Her father is from the same country as Ki (in a modern AU, this would be like. Korea.) and her mother is from somewhere uhhhh near nopal or something. Warm tropical nice (in a modern au this would be Brazil), but she grew up in her mother's country.

Family: I don't currently have names but basically, her father, mother, aunt (deceased) and two younger brothers.

Backstory: will be linked coming soon

Occupation: Healer, researcher, linguist

Hobbies: Dancing, reading, adventuring

Familiar: None

Love Interest: Julian

Description: Jia is a bright and curious magician. She’s a bit nerdy and loves reading/learning new disciplines. She is an energetic and altruistic person who is liked by many. She comes off as kind and forthcoming. She is very helpful and if she can’t help directly she will find someone who can with her connections. To her friends, she is loyal and sweet and affectionate, but also has the potential to be grumpy and even a bit negative. She’s very determined in hard situations and won’t back down until things are made right. Despite this, she can potentially overthink and overestimate situations and is incredibly stubborn when she wants to be.

As a romantic partner: loving, but definitely also able to keep independence. Not necessarily a stage 5 clinger but somewhere in the middle. She will love just spending lots of time with a partner and just picking their brain and learning everything she can from them. The type to brag about them to her friends. A wonderful listener but give her a chance to speak too she likes talking a lot as well! 10/10 would recommend

____

Name: Ki (Kiyoung) Kim

Meaning: Debatable but Ki alone means arisen and i’m getting “Vigor and eternal” But i think names differ based on the characters u use i am not korean so take this with a grain of salt

Gender: Nonbinary i think...

Pronouns: He/him or they/them doesn't have a preference

Height: 5′8″ Short king

Birthday: February 27th

Star sign: Pisces

MBTI: INFP-T

Sexuality: Gay

Favorite food: Budae Jjigae or Yongeun jorim

Favorite drink: any alcoholic beverage where you can’t taste the alcohol and strawberry milk

Magical Ability: Divination and mediumship (idk what the proper term is) so he can communicate with spirits/the dead

Ethnicity: Think of a small nation veeeery far away from Vesuvia that's cold for a lot of the year (for reference, think Korea).

Family: a twin sister named Jiyoung, 3 older sisters (Jiwoo, Jeongyeon, Joonhwa), mother and father and paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother who are living.

Backstory: will be linked coming soon

Occupation: Musician - mostly guitar and piano. Enjoys instrument care, arranging and performing in large ensembles, not a soloist by any means. He’s a great singer but he’s shy and singing gives him anxiety

Hobbies: Playing guitar, composing/arranging, reading, writing, shopping

Familiar: a tiny white dragon named Egg. Idc if dragons exist in this world but i feel like they HAVE to..

Love Interest: Asra

Description: Ki is a perceptive and witty magician. To most he comes off as a bit anxious and shy, which he is. Once you get past that, he’s eager, forthcoming and empathetic. He is very kind and likes to believe people have good intentions. He is very helpful and always tries to make sure others are comfortable and happy. He enjoys music and learning musical instruments. He prefers to work more in the background so as to not draw attention to himself. With his friends, he’s actually very talkative, silly and goofy. He’s prone to anxiety and may tense up or feel attacked when put into frightening situations. Unfortunately he has self destructive tendencies and low self esteem and has a hard time due to that.

As a Love Interest: perfect little s/o shut the FUCK UP…. that is if u can deal with low self esteem and anxiety! He really really tries though! He’s also shy with physical affection but will warm up to it eventually with familiarity and trust. Very doting and randomly shows up with delicious food and takes care of u when ur sick. 8/10

____

Name: Mathilde “Tilly” LaRue

Meaning: Mighty In Battle? Lol

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Height: 5’11

Birthday: January 16

Star Sign: Capricorn

MBTI: INTP-A

Sexuality: Bi

Favorite Food: Lentil soup

Drink: Black coffee

Magical Abilities: Divination, telekinesis, herbs, defensive magic

Ethnicity: From a large urban area with a large population somewhere in an area a bit cooler and rainier than Vesuvia. (think like. England)(in a modern AU think Afro-caribbean)

Family: Mother and Mother and an older sister named Topaz

Backstory: will be linked coming soon

Occupation: Court Magician (but like simply a well rounded witch who goes wherever the money is)

Hobbies: Exploring, foraging, reading

Familiar: A white ferret named Elle

Love Interest: Muriel

Description: Mathilde is a gentle and thoughtful magician. She is soft-spoken and hates raising her voice, and is often making bizarre and thought provoking side comments in most situations. She is curious and intuitive when it comes to magic and often able to use several methods to predict the future for others. She carries herself in a dreamlike/contemplative manner and does not really care what others think - She’s off in her own world. With friends, she has a good source of humor and gives good advice and is a very good listener. She has an affinity for animals and nature, and would generally prefer to be outside. She can tend to be unrealistic and naive and loses hold on her emotions in tough situations (angry crier…) and feels misunderstood by those around her.

As a love interest: Downright adorable. Sweet, will bring you cool items she found and very endearing. She’s also encouraging and surprisingly cheesy. Not outwardly clingy but if you let her she will. but good fucking luck starting to date her! She is extremely pretty and gets asked out almost every day, turning down 99.999999% of applicants because other people do not particularly interest her and her taste is insanely picky! 10/10 but FAT CHANCE

[tev-the-random]

Why I Love... Lord Shen

Warning: it might sound a bit comedic, but that’s how I generally sound when I���m excitedly exposing my discoveries.

Warning 2: I took about 99.9% of the images directly from the film, most of them are for illustrating whatever I’m affirming, I DO NOT OWN THEM AT ALL!

Warning 3: this is long. Reeeally long.

 Kung Fu Panda 2 has a special place in my heart: one of my favorite movies, possibly my favorite animated movie ever! Everything in this movie is downright amazing: the animation, the score, the relationship between the characters, the development they had from the previous movie, all the fight scenes, the way they treat certain subjects of family and identity, the new characters... And, of course, the villain.

Let me tell you, Lord Shen is quite the antagonist. The peacock was quick to steal my heart and become one of my favorite characters. That struck me as odd: what makes him so fascinating? I was determined to find out, so I started analyzing! And oh boy: this is one complex character. Much more than I initially thought! 

 I re-watched Kung Fu Panda 2 three times in a roll: first casually, second with production commentary, and third with my own analytical look. I might have a problem.

 Here you have my notes from that adventure:

First of, he’s Gary Oldman. Gary Oldman is an impeccable actor and the voice he gave Shen was simply perfect, so yeah.

“He isn’t obviously physically strong, but he’s very cunning, very smart...”. Let’s give it to him: he’s got to be really intelligent. He created his own massively destructive weapon from scratch, he orchestrated this whole plan by himself, he’s (almost) always one step ahead of everybody... And he couldn’t possibly have all those wolves and gorillas working for him for years if he at least didn’t know how to convince people.

He’s a leader. He’s a boss. He’s an emperor. He knows what needs to be done and he expects it to be done.

But hey, even like that, he still believes in hard work and doing things on his own - say what you want, but making strategies actually takes a lot of work. We can also say that he acknowledges there are certain things in life only he can do for himself.

He has this “peacock thing” where he’s “sort of proud, entitled (...) in spades!”, like a person who would say ‘Don’t you know who I am?!’ upon meeting someone. He has this sense of importance. He thinks his goals and himself are so important, Heck, he literally likes to tower over the city!

(couldn’t find many GIFs, but oh well. The camera backs away from him to show the full perspective of this freaking peacock on the top of the tower, towering over the city)

 “He doesn’t have to hide”: He’s a big, theatrical, dramatic show-off. He just comes back to Gongmen from his exile and takes “his own tower” thinking ‘Ok, I’ll make my entrance right through the front door at a moment when all the masters can see me and know for sure that sh*t’s going down, but I’ll be completely calm and collected as I do so.’ Even when he’s supposedly won, as he’s crossing the city with his boats full of weapons, he clearly enjoys making quite the scene.

(Look who’s talking!)

So much of a show off, his cannons are actually designed as this fire-breathing demon, so people would know to fear him and the kind of power he had. It’s intimidating in a ‘LOOK AT MY CANNONS!’ kind of way.

He’s a perfectionist. No other words needed.

He’s also tremendously arrogant. Because he created this “unstoppable weapon” and has all weaponry at his command, he thinks he’s outdone everyone else. He thinks that his plans are fail-proof; he underestimates everyone.

Despite that, he’s not completely stupid to assume he can do everything on his own. He knows he needs help to succeed sometimes, even though he will take all the credit; that’s why he has his little army.

His arrogance also shows when he tries to get the Soothsayer to tell him his fortune, and yet, he still insists that she’s wrong - even when she’s clearly oh so right! Although, this also shows his fear of the prophecy and how he won’t admit his own mistakes (more on that later).

Speaking of the Soothsayer, he does seem to be rather fond of her. Even if he tries to insult her and breaks her fortune-telling-magic-smoke-bow every now and then, he did keep her around mostly for company and for being petty proving her wrong. He didn’t harm her or lock her up like he did with the masters; he put up with her mannerisms even if they were annoying; he reflects at least a little on her words, which he doesn’t with anyone else; and he even “sets her free” when he’s about to begin his crazy conquering scheme, giving her time to settle somewhere safe. I mean, as far as things go with this peacock, this is really sweet.

Still about the Soothsayer, she said something quite interesting at one point: she said Shen wanted more than just ruling Gongmen City... What did she mean? What more? Did he want to conquer more territory? To innovate the city? Was he doing this (whatever she meant he was doing, specifically) for his own ambitions or only to impress his parents? Maybe both? I honestly can’t answer these specific questions...

Another little important something the Soothsayer said: she could never have foretold that Shen would do something like that, to massacre an entire people... Seeing how this was a very unpredictable move on his part, I find it safe to say he wasn’t like that when he was young; he wasn’t this completely violent, ruthless peafowl we see now...

We can say that Shen is a rather curious peacock: he tried to find something different about the fireworks; him finding about how dangerous they could be might as well have been some sort of breakthrough for him, some new, fascinating theory to be explored... Besides, he did want to have the Soothsayer tell him his new fortune, now that he “proved the old one wrong”.

The guy thought he had everything right. Finding out there was still a panda alive was like... getting punched in the face... really hard.

He’s terrified of his own destiny, really.

Shen’s expectations about Po before meeting him are terrifying, specially as he thinks - with reason - that this panda is here only for his neck.

Needless to say, he was kind of disappointed with the result of the meeting. And relieved. But really disappointed, he was ready for a fight!

For most of the time, he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy, but he has his fun.

 (Gotta love how he just cracks laughing and swiftly gets back his composure. Gary Oldman, ladies and gentlemen)

Much like any other villain in this franchise, he is quick to underestimate Po due to his silliness. This does give our panda some advantage.

Some adjectives the production crew gave to him: “very twisted, demented guy”, “intense”, “intimidating”, “really cruel” and “so mean!”. He doesn’t hesitate to hurt people physically or emotionally. So, even if he regrets his actions a little bit - again, more on that later -, that doesn’t keep him from being amused around others’ pain. He’ll use whatever means he can to achieve his goals.

I’ll say it: the years of exile made him quite the sadistic b*tch. In a way, he just wants to see it all burn, like ‘blood, heck yeah!’.Yeah, he’s a goddarn maniac for the most part.

What makes him more remarkable as an antagonist than Tai Lung or Kai - don’t get me wrong, I love  them both! But I’m setting a perspective, just bare with me here - is that he makes this personal in a much deeper way. Neither Tai Lung nor Kai had anything against the protagonist personally; they had something against the Dragon Warrior, which so happened to be Po. But Shen? Oh no, he didn’t give a crap about this Dragon Warrior thing, he wanted Po.

Not only that, but Po wanted him. Our sweet big panda had no personal correlation with the other two antagonists: he was out to stop them mainly because it was right - and to protect his friends, of course. But when it came to Shen, he had something Po desperately needed to know, he directly and indirectly affected Po’s life. Shen makes this a personal mission for the protagonist and for himself.

Once he’s finally managed to emotionally throw Po off - which makes it all so much more amusing for him - he gets “more out of control” and he’s “growing in his instability and sense of power”, which makes him mad and excited at the same time. He starts to sound like me when I find a really good plot idea for a story, but then a PANDA COMES AND RUINS EVERYTHING, so he notices he has no more time to fancily fool around and they need to ‘GET TO WORK NOW!’

At this point in life, he clearly mocks his parents’ memory. ‘F*ck the tapestry, f*ck the throne, f*ck the tower, f*ck their eternal peace after death.’

He is a walking contradiction: he’s nostalgic, yet he mocks the past; He wants to tend to the future, yet he’s stuck in the past...

(You know how he says scars don’t heal? I believe he looks at his “scars” a lot...)

He desperately wants to prove himself. To himself. And to his parents. And to his opponents. And to the Soothsayer. Ok, he wants to prove himself so bad, he actually needs all of China to know what he can do.

This all means a lot to him. Even if he plays some of it as a dark joke, it really means to him almost as much as it means to Po - albeit with different meanings.

He did his whole genocidal thing at the beginning solely to stop the prophecy from happening. This, however, had many intertwined objectives to fulfill:

It would guarantee he could keep doing his firework research - what other fascinating things could he discover? Apart from “fireworks can kill”, that is.

It would quite literally save his life - for all he knew, “defeated by a warrior of black and white” could mean anything from getting his gunpowder taken away from him to actually getting murdered. I’d say he took it as the latter.

It would, at least in his mind, make his parents proud - I can see him getting back from the panda village with something similar to ‘Mother! Father! I cheated destiny! I cheated death! I led my men to success, I shall be a great leader, one that can’t be stopped!’. Yes, he was proud of what he did back then.

This does not change the fact that it was ruthless and brutal and horrible, but is his perspective, he was on a mission. In his mind, he wasn’t wrong. His parents didn’t want to listen to him, they were being unfair! He truly believes he’s been wronged, and now the world owns him something.

This led him to believe - probably along with other past conflicts - that his parents absolutely hated him, their only child, and that he was banished as to be gotten rid of. It hurt.

 He won’t admit it, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore. I mean, he wants to prove a point, but he has no idea where to go next. He lost himself in his pursue for power and vengeance, when actually...

... He’s hurt. He’s felt betrayed for a long time and he bases himself on that to justify further mistakes on his part. Thanks to the Soothsayer, we get to see that he knows he’s made mistakes, he knows the path he’s following is not the only - and probably not the right - way for him to go, he knows  he can change his course right here, right now. But he won’t do so...

The moment he learned that his parents actually loved him and that he actually misunderstood their actions, it throws him off balance. This is him realizing - and still not admitting - he’s hurt, he hurt people who cared about him and that it was his own actions that brought him to that. Right at this moment, with the Soothsayer extending her hand, he’s faced with a choice.

He had a choice. He chose this path. He’s so far gone into his own hurt, revenge and fear, he won’t ever admit he’s the one who’s been wrong this entire time. He takes a path he knows is wrong because he can’t admit his own fault, he has to blame someone else.

He doesn’t want to be redeemed, he wants to be justified.

After he’s consciously made that choice, he sort of comes to terms with it. That’s his goal and he’s going to see it to the end, he’s not going to stop.

He learns from his enemies, so most of the time he knows what to expect from them. When he learns from Po, he gets confident and doesn’t even try to put that much of a fight; he knows Po is basically fighting himself - although, Shen will try to give him a hand at it whenever possible.

(With the wings behind his back, what a beast...)

Hey, he knows what he did, and he won’t hesitate to use it against Po, as, once again, he learned from their previous encounter.

(’Oh, does my tail disturb you? Cool, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind every time we meet.’)

He projects. When he claims to Po that “Your parents didn’t love you”, he’s actually talking about himself and his own pain in regards of his own parents. He wants to hurt Po by saying that, yes, but that’s one of the first times he’s actually been able to “put voice to what he’s been feeling” until now.

Once he thinks he’s finally won, he gets waaaay too excited. And waaaaaaay too confident. He rubs his victory in everybody’s faces! Now, he sure is peacocky, eeeeey!

That seems to be a constant characteristic of him: he gets too confident when he’s winning and absolutely desperate when he’s losing.

Either all people are with him or against him, and whoever is against him shall perish, even if they were previously on the same team - the only exception to this, maybe, being the Soothsayer.

(He freaking killed his own second in command just because the guy refused to fire at their own men!)

He takes what he can - again, he’ll do whatever it takes to reach his goals: ‘Can’t fire? Send the armies! My armies are losing? I’ll fire on my own! They’re destroying our cannons? Well, do what, KEEP FIRING! Everything went down in literal flames? I’ll fight until the end!’

If he sets his mind to something - be it revenge, killing Po or conquering all China - he won’t give up until he’s either victorious or dead (he went for the latter).

“See, that’s the thing, Shen. Scars heal.”

“No they don’t. Wounds heal.”

I believe what Shen really means here is that some problems are too harmful for people to let go of them. He thought his problems were a scar that could never be healed, so he had cope with the pain by himself with revenge, but he could never find peace. He thought the problems he caused Po were a scar that couldn’t be healed, too; he thought that Po, too, would seek revenge to deal with his pain, that Po, too, would never find peace. But he did. And Shen found himself amazed... and afraid; more afraid than he was of  Po’s vengeance.

A little something before I say my final notes: let’s quickly analyse Shen’s fighting style, because the animators deserve attention for their wonderful job - also, it connects to the next note, so...

He uses his opponents moves against them;

He uses height as an advantage;

PROJECTILES!

Use them weird bird knees for some curious yet efficient movements;

He uses his sword - which is actually a weird looking yanyuedao/guan dao - a lot;

He uses his claws a lot, too;

Block-attack movements;

He uses his tail as both distraction and a defense in quite the clever way;

It’s like a dance: agile, swift, smooth, precise with a lot of twists.

He fights more for self-defense than anything. He has cannons and an army, why bother taking offence on his own?

The exception to this is during his last battle with Po, where he attacks on close combat: here, Shen lost his mind completely. He starts attacking recklessly, he loses precision, he uses every last bit of strength he has in him. He’s just... He’s really mad.

(I’d have to put the whole fight here to illustrate exactly that, but unfortunately, there’s not such GIF... Oh well, I’ll trust you know what I mean)

One final note to this analysis, about Shen’s last moments:

I’ve seen lots of people discussing what his final scene meant, when he closes his eyes and quietly accepts his death - he even turns to face the falling cannon in the last second - and most of them seem to think that that’s Shen finally finding his inner peace. But I don’t think that’s quite it. Taking everything I described here, it doesn’t seem to align too well...

What I think happened - and of course, I could be totally wrong - is that this is when Shen finally takes the blame for himself. Here, to his face, is the final undeniable proof that his actions can have negative consequences for him. He’s been facing those consequences for years, but only now can’t blame someone else. He cut all the strings that held the cannon. It wasn’t Po, it wasn’t the Five, it wasn’t his men, it wasn’t his parents, it was him.

It’s all over: his men are dead, all his cannons just exploded, he can’t win anymore, even if he kills Po. He caused his own defeat already, why keep fighting? So now, as the last thing he does in his life, he’s facing consequences forward in the most honorable way he can in those few seconds; either that be a way of saying sorry and finally admitting he was wrong or a way to set his own destiny, not defeated by a panda, but by himself. It’s a bit of both, I think.

So, why do I love Lord Shen? Between his mannerisms and evilness, he’s a very complex, deep character with an underestimated mind and, like any person, his own issues to be afraid of. Yes, he screwed up really bad, but I think he just made the wrong choices...

(Besides, he’s Gary Oldman, come on!)

[thereluctantherosrose]

Hogwarts Mystery: Aleksia Aries Profile

Thanks to @hogwartsmysterystory​ for the template <3 

Identity

Name: Aleksia Liusaidh Aries

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Birth Date: December 10th, 1972

Species: Human

Blood Status: Pureblood

Sexuality: Straight Demi-Sexual

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: Euro

Residence: Scotland

Myer Briggs Personality ENFJ - The Protagonist 

The Mage

1st Wand:

Vine Wood

Phoenix Core

12 3/4

Pliant Flexibility

2nd Wand:

Ebony Wood

Phoenix core

13″

Animagus: Golden Retriever 

Misc Magical Abilities:

Legilimens

Occlumens:

Frost Affinity - only females of Aries family

Animagus

Boggart Form: Her abusive father

Riddikulus Form: Her father turns into a monkey with a dress on

Amortentia:

What she smells: Fresh laundry and a hint of sandalwood 

What she smells to others: Cherry blossoms, chocolate, rain

Patronus: Husky

Those with the Husky Patronus are often very in touch with their environment and fantastic team players.

Conjurer's of the husky are hardy in heart and mind. They cope well with hardship, often able to endure struggles others could not.

Despite this hardiness, those who conjure the Husky are gentle with others. Careful and kind in interactions. Those with the husky cooperate well with peers and work very well in a team. Those with this patronus are intelligent and spiritual.

Patronus Memory: Playing with Jacob and riding on her griffin, feeling the wind in her hair

Mirror of Erised: Her with her brother and friends, everyone happy and safe.

Specialized/Favourite Spells:

Meteolo jinx

Melogers Jinx

Depulso

Incendio

Appearance

Faceclaims: Lilly James

Game Appearance:

Height: 5.3′ 

Weight: 145 lbs

Physique: curvy, very muscular (very athletic) 

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Black, long and wavy

Skin Tone: Not completely pale. Can tan

Body Modifications:Earrings

Scarring: She has alot of scars on her back from her family abusing her, especially her cousin and father. 

Inventory: she always carries her wand, notebook, pencils, candy

Allegiances

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Ilvermorny House: (she would be a Thunderbird)

Affiliations/Organizations:

Gryffindor

Prefects

Headstudents

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Ministry of Magic

Aries Family

Professions:

Prefect

Headgirl

Chaser

(eventually Headgirl)

Curse-Breaker

Magizoologist/ Writer/ Animal Rescue

Order of the Phoenix

Hogwarts Information

Class Proficiency:

Astronomy: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Charms: ★★★★★★★★★☆

DADA: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Flying: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Herbology: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

History of Magic: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Potions: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Transfiguration: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Electives:

Care of Magical Creatures

Study of Ancient Runes

Quidditch: Chaser

Extra Curricular:

Quidditch

Frog choir 

Duelling Club

Favourite Professors:

Minerva McGonagall: Aleksia finds her to be a motherly figure which she confides in. Minerva helps Aleksia deal with the emotions that she tries to hide and the depression she deals with.

Filius Flitwick: She respects him as a dueler. She loves learning as much as she can from him. 

Least Favourite Professors:

Rakepick: She didn’t trust her right from the beginning. She recognized the manipulation tactics she used to get her way as something her family constantly used. When she found out the truth she wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t make her any less angry.

Snape: He’s rude and mean. Why would she like him? She doesn’t hate him, but he certainly isn’t her favourite, nor she his. They are both stubborn.

Relationships

Brother: Jacob Aidan Aries

Pureblood

January 14th

Slytherin

Spoiled by parents, was the favourite sibling

Jacob got everything he wanted because he followed everything his father wanted, also because he was male.

Jacob would do most of what his father wanted so that he could get what he wanted. He is cunning and therefore would take advantage of his fathers resources. 

Hated his father for everything he was, but never showed it. Unlike Aleksia, he knew how to hide his hatred and play it smart.

He vowed one day he would be strong enough to get both Aleksia and him out.

When he went to Hogwarts, he befriended Duncan and Olivia Greene. He became obsessed with the Vaults.

When Duncan was eventually killed, he nearly lost it. He couldn’t believe one of his best friends died because of him.

Rakepick used his need for power and want to be strong enough to help his sister to manipulate him into continuing with the Vaults until his disappearance.

Got scars on his face from his encounter with the dragon

Father: William Lee Aries

Pureblood

brown hazel eyes

Slytherin

One brother and 2 half sisters

Met Aleksia’s mother, Leanna in a bar in Scotland while on a business trip.

Parents approved because of her Pureblood status and beauty, as well as the fact she was Slytherin 

Married Leanna after she became pregnant with Jacob.

Demeanor changed after that. He became controlling and abusive

Very close with his family and often has them over.

They, like him are very judgemental and not good people. Very manipulative

They believe that blood must remain pure, and all the others were to be avoided. 

Aries family females can develop an ice affinity, and if strong enough can conjure an ice guardian. Aleksia is the first female since her great grandmother who was able to produce a guardian. 

He blamed Leanna when Jacob went missing, which lead to separation.

He eventually found a new wife, Emily, who was the perfect wife for him.

They had a son.

Mother: Leanna Mckinley Aries:

Pureblood

Brownish-red hair, brown eyes

Slytherin

Grew up in Scotland with 10 other siblings

When she became pregnant with Jacob, her and WIlliam married and moved to England.

Began to be abused both physically and emotionally when she did not listen. To avoid this she complied with most of what he wanted.

Leanna wasn’t allowed to see her family, being manipulated into thinking that she was unwanted 

When she became pregnant with Aleksia, she wasn’t happy, knowing she would have to subject another child to the grasp of William.

She saw how Jacob was treated better than Aleksia, but thought she couldn’t do anything about it and would make it worse. She tried to teach Aleksia to just do what her father wanted and things would be alright. Aleksia was too head-strong for that.

Eventually left with Aleksia to Scotland after Jacob went missing.

She became very strict when it came to everything and they have a strained relationship still. Aleksia is still learning to trust her.

Cousin:

Pureblood

Blondish hair, blue eyes

Slytherin

Durmstrang

England with parents

Physically and emotionally abusive to Aleksia

Very manipulative

Cocky

He is very talented in the dark arts

He becomes a death eater when the death eaters escape from Askaban 

Love Interest: Barnaby Lee

Best Friends:

Barnaby Lee

Rowan Khanna

Rival:

Merula Snyde

Ismelda Murk

Enemy:

R

Madame Rakepick

Death Eaters

Voldemort

Father 

Aries Family

Henry - Cousin

Dormmates:

Rowan Khanna

Pets:(Domesticated pets)

Astra - White fluffy cat

Pepper - Snowy Owl

Merrill - Rat

Jaxx - Crup

Fenris - Kitten Kneazle

Darcy - Kneazle

Bubbles - Frog

Poof - Puffskein

Closest Canon Friends:

Barnaby Lee

Bill Weasley

Rowan Khanna

Penny Haywood

Jae Kim

Tonks

Chiara

Closest MC Friends:

Alex Johnson @cervo-live-in-arts

Aisling Baskerville @elefseija

David Denneth @callmederok

Sonia Zur @onboroo

Laurent King @slytherin-puffskein

Ethren Whitecross @hogwartsmysterystory

Eleanor Dacres @swansangel

Emilia Martin @emiliawyd

Aisling Casey @badeeaswife

Background/History

Aleksia was born in England on December 10th, 1972 to parents William and Leanna. She grew up with her father, mother and brother Jacob, however, her fathers family was a big part of her life. From the time she was little she was seen as weak, not just because she was the youngest, but because she wasn’t like the rest of her family. Her entire family consists of Slytherins, with the exception of a couple of Ravenclaws. She is the only Gryffindor in the family, to which the whole family was shamed by. Her cousin Henry in particular hated Aleksia, and would often beat on her, which was allowed by the adults and seen as him playing and venting out his frustrations. Jacob was the only one who was on her side, but not all the time. She was often punished by her father and put outside, not being let in until morning. That is when she met Revena Sevier and Merric Nyx, who also were kids living on the streets. They all became very close, and would take care of each other. Revena and Merric were eventually adopted by a music shop owner, who would let Aleksia stay with them when she was put outside. 

Aleksia and her mother eventually moved after Jacob’s disappearance, and moved to Scotland. William still had a hold of them financially, and still had a hold of them, but less. Aleksia’s mother became very controlling and protective after this, which made them butt heads alot. Aleksia didn’t completely trust her mother, since she often went with her fathers will and didn’t fight back. Even years after she was learning to trust her. Aleksia’s father would sometimes try to visit Hogwarts to leave notes and things for her to manipulate her or would try to see her. 

When she went to Hogwarts and looking into the Vaults, she found that it gave her purpose. She found alot of great friends, and learned to truly trust people. She and Merula definitely had a problem with each other right away. Merula reminded Aleksia of her cousin Henry, and immediately had her guard up. They eventually get a mutual civility by sixth year. Not friendship, but civil relationship.

Henry went to Hogwarts for the first couple of years before being transferred to Durmstrang to learn more. During the years he was there, whenever they saw each other, he would try to jinx her and hurt her. She eventually had enough and attacked him, leaving him to go into the hospital wing. 

It was after the ice vaults, that she started to develop her ice affinity, and began exploring her family background. From then on she often could be found studying ice glyphs and conjuring. By the time she was 18 years old, she was able to conjure an ice guardian for a short while, and by the time the war came, she was even stronger.She could conjure it and make return it whenever she wanted. 

One time during her sixth year, she was forced to go to visit her father, and there he tried to tell her that she was going to have to get married right after Hogwarts. He had set up an arranged marriage. He blackmailed her, saying that he would make her life hell and that she needed to continue the family purity. When she returned to Hogwarts she isolated herself for days until she finally emerged from her room depressed and hopeless. Her friends came to her rescue and cheered her up. 

MORE TO COME

Personality

Extroverted: Aleksia is very personable and enjoys being around people. She is able to charm most people with her upbeat personality. Of course this doesn’t mean that she doesn’t like her alone time. She loves it. However, if she is isolated for too long she gets depressed. 

Stubborn and Hot Headed: Oh boy this girl is STUBBORN. She will not back down for most things. If she wants to make a point, she will stick with it and find evidence that it is true just to show she is correct. However, if someone shows her real evidence to the contrary, she will back down. She has gotten into fights before, but not for no reason. If someone messes with her or her friends she will get in their face. She has head butted Merula before for bullying Ben. 

Reckless: She can be quite reckless and put herself into harm's way without thinking. She often pushes herself past her limits and is often needed to be reminded that she needs to take care of herself. Despite her being reckless, she is not reckless when it comes to others, only herself. 

Hard working: She is an exemplary student and very intelligent. She excels in most classes and always seeking to learn new things. If she wasn’t in Gryffindor she most likely would’ve been placed in Ravenclaw.

Caring: She cares too much at times. She is so selfless that she always is looking after others and making sure they are looking after themselves. She will always help others in need no matter what. She even helped Ismelda with her crush despite the fact that Ismelda has been shitty to her, and despite the fact that Aleksia was in love with Barnaby.

Misc

This life is mine is her theme song

Has a will headbutt anyone who is an idiot to her or her friends.

She has headbutt Merula once for calling Ben a MudBlood.

Is smol but strong as hell

Sweets may or may not be her addiction. Especially chocolate.

Just wants all the hugs. GIVE HER HUGS PLEASE.

Total nerd. Sci-Fi, books...ya nerd XD

If you get close to her, she will consider you her child and she will protec

She can be reckless

VERY STRONG

Has a strong kick

Used to have a toy wolf, but her cousin and father ripped it apart. 

For Aleksia’s 15th birthday, Barnaby purchases a plush wolf for her, which she absolutely treasures and cuddles with.

Aries family females have the ability to produce ice glyphs and if powerful enough ,can summon an ice guardian. Aleksia is the second one in the family that can conjure a guardian.

Barnaby and Aleksia wait until they are 24 to get married. Their wedding is sweet with close friends.

When death eaters were freed, Barnaby and Aleksia moved around quite a bit, knowing that Barnaby’s parents would look for him.

Aleksia’s cousin, Henry, joined the death eaters soon after. 

Aleksia and Barnaby were separated after a death eater attack. Aleksia was found by Henry and he used the Cruciatus curse on her. He left her for dead bloodied and broken. She was found by Penny and Rowan, who Barnaby had contacted after the attack.

They end up having 3 children with Barnaby, Kieran and Kaia and youngest Faye.

[tarisilmarwen]

Tari’s Top Twenty OTPs - #1

OTP: Robin/Starfire

Fandom: Teen Titans (2003 animated cartoon)

Robin: The leader of the Titans, Robin is generally stern and determined, a tough, driven fighter who never gives up.  He takes his role as a hero very seriously.  He’s smart and cunning, quick on his feet and with his wits, and the writers often describe him as the type who can jump off a building and figure out how not to die on the way down.  When not in leader-mode, Robin can be pretty laid-back and warm and approachable, and is always there for his friends with an encouraging word or two. Robin is often brash and overconfident, competitive to a fault, and he sometimes falls into periods of obsession and self-hate.  Despite this he manages to be an overall effective leader, and a generally nice kid, if a bit of a socially awkward one.

Starfire: Starfire is the second-born princess of the planet Tamaran, and is considered the “heart” of the team, the glue that holds them all together. She’s bubbly, enthusiastic, and has very little trouble expressing herself, wearing her heart and her emotions on her sleeve. Kind-hearted and naïve, Starfire often finds herself frustrated and confused by Earth and its culture, and makes her best attempts to learn and fit in.  (Because of this, she is endlessly curious and thirsty for knowledge.)  She frequently feels very awkward and out of place.  She’s also self-conscious about her body and what other people think of her.  But she also has a fiercely loyal protective streak.  She tends to believe the best of others but she can throw down like a champion if you threaten those she cares about.

Together: Robin and Starfire are best friends, and tend to have a positive, balancing effect on each other.  They lift each other up when one of them is down.  Starfire encourages and consoles Robin when he’s being self-deprecating and destructive.  Robin patiently explains Earth things to her and tries hard to make her feel comfortable and wanted.  They’re very protective of each other and they have a strong bond of trust between them.  They have faith in each others’ characters and abilities and they mutually care very deeply about each other.

How I Got Into The Fandom: In the summer of 2006, my family went on a cruise and one night my sister and I tuned in to Cartoon Network to watch some TV. Appropriately enough, “Final Exam”, the first Teen Titans episode ever broadcast, was on.  Upon returning home I did some YouTube archive binging (this was back when they weren’t as vigilant about copyright protection), watching episodes and fanvids like my life depended on it.

When I Started Shipping Them: Practically from the start.  The very first moment they walked into the common room together in “Final Exam”, and then the way Starfire got super worried and almost hysterical about his disappearance just had something inside younger me… intrigued.  As I continued to watch fanvids and blaze through the first season, I found myself giggling and “Aww”-ing at their cute moments.  I liked that they kissed and hugged and made blushy faces at each other.  I enjoyed their obvious protectiveness over each other.  And then came the trifecta of episodes “Masks”, “Mad Mod”, and the “Apprentice” finale.  Robin and Starfire got to be Battle Couple for the first time and we got to see the serious and mature side of their relationship.  We saw Starfire calling out Robin’s self-destructive behavior because she cares about him and saw his worry and concern for her safety driving him to work hard to put Slade away, saw them unable to hurt each other when forced to by circumstance, saw Robin being spurned into action by Starfire’s tears, and saw her eaten up with guilt for doubting, even momentarily, in his goodness of character.  And I was pretty much a goner from then on out.

Why I Love Them: They are THE OTP of my OTPs.  They have everything I love in a fictional couple.  They were, in fact, formative of a lot of my preferences when it comes to fictional couples.  The boy being an adorable awkward stammering dork who can’t quite spit out how he feels.  The girl being strong and kickass and the boy totally liking that.  The starting off from a strong bond of friendship.  The mutual care and concern for each other’s emotional and physical well-being.  The balancing-out effect they have on each other.  The mid-battle tag-teaming.  Robin and Starfire have a paradoxical relationship dynamic: on the one hand they’re nervous teenagers hopelessly crushing on each other and struggling to figure out their feelings for each other, but on the other hand they have such strong trust and faith in each other that their relationship gets pretty darn epic at times.  They are amazingly compatible and they mesh together so well, both as friends and as lovers.  They make each other ridiculously happy.  They will forever have top billing in my heart and they are my favorite fictional couple of all time.

Three Favorite Moments:

1. “Stranded”

Can I list the entirety of “Stranded” as a moment?  Is that allowed? Because seriously there is way too much shippy goodness in that episode for me to pick just one standout moment.  I love it all.

Robin and Starfire tag-teaming against the monster, perfectly in sync and in tune with each other.  Robin showing complete faith and confidence in Starfire to catch him when they leap off the balcony and the ledge together.  The two becoming suddenly flustered and confused when they have to confront their painfully obvious feelings for each other.  Robin devolving into a stammering dorkwad, flailing about and just generally failing at How To Do Feelings. Starfire being so emotionally rattled and insecure by her doubts and confusion that her powers fail.  The two of them stumbling through a semi-confession that yeah, they do actually sort of like each other Like That.  And everything culminating in Robin taking Starfire’s hand, telling her, “As long as we’re together, we’ll be okay.”, and the two embracing tenderly once they’re safe.  It is heartwarming and precious all the way through.

2. The face-off in “Apprentice Part Two”.

The bits leading up to that make it better (or worse, depending on your point of view), because Robin has been noticeably and deliberately avoiding Starfire the whole fight. He can’t bring himself to fight her, can’t bear to even remotely hurt her.  And she too is reluctant to take action against him at first.  She just stands there, calling out to him, reaching for him, watching in paralyzed horror as he attacks their friends.  It’s only when they’re forced to that they point their metaphorical guns at each other, only when Robin is about to get away and Starfire, in her moment of doubt in him, puts aside her feelings for her duty and blocks his way and Slade orders Robin to use the thermal blaster on her.

And they still can’t do it.

After a tense moment, Starfire’s love for this boy comes charging back to the fore and she stands down her guard because she’d rather die than hurt him or be in a world where they have to be on opposing sides.  And Robin, too, stands down at once, disobeying Slade’s orders, because the thought of hurting Starfire pains him, he can’t hurt Starfire, he won’t.  Again, after this whole face-off, he deliberately avoids attacking her. Even when he has a clear shot.  Because even shooting her to save her life when Slade activated the nanites inside the Titans’ bodies was too much harm caused to her.  This is one of THE most epic moments of their relationship, and certainly one of my top favorites.

3. “Haunted”.

Starfire rips through the floor with her bare hands in order to get to Robin.

Starfire RIPS THROUGH the INCHES THICK STEEL FLOOR with her BARE HANDS because ROBIN IS IN PAIN AND HURTING HIMSELF AND SLOWLY DYING SOMEWHERE IN THE TOWER AND HE NEEDS HER.

And when she finds him he just smiles at her, tells her everything’s okay now, and collapses into her arms.  And she just holds him. Epic.

[adlunametadastra]

What is Sexy?

Earlier this morning, I was having somewhat of a conversation with someone whom I enjoy talking to. The topic of “sexy” was presented, as in he referred to me as being such. I rebuffed that notion on the grounds that, well, as I told him, what I see as sexy in my mind is most likely very different from both his and the overall conventional ideal. Let me explain.

To Me...Sexy is Femininity. 

Femininity, to me, is a state of mind in which a female who identifies as such thoroughly and genuinely enjoys being a female. They enjoy being feminine. They enjoy engaging in feminine type activities such as primping (hair, makeup, skin, mani/pedi, etc.), dressing to suit their body type, and overall just being a woman, sexual power and all.

While I do in fact identify with my sex, female from birth, I...have ZERO of these things!! For one, wearing “sexy” clothing will trigger a panic attack. It always has. Second, I have zero patience for primping beyond basic hygiene and maintenance such as putting on deodorant, brushing my teeth/washing my face, and otherwise making sure that I look human before I leave the house. 

Sexy...is a State of Mind.

It is in fact a state of mind, however one identifies, that spurs the confidence and belief in one’s sex appeal/physical attractiveness. For instance, if you have self confidence, you want to treat yourself well, from working out regularly, eating right, and dressing well. You want the world to see you how you see yourself. Me? While I 100% focus on eating right and being active regularly...I have the ability to dress well, but not the motivation. And yes, I need to be motivated by some external factor. Otherwise, I can leave my domicile in footie pajamas, a cap, and a jacket and not give ONE SINGLE FUCK about what anyone thinks about it, or me. 

In other words, my state of mind doesn’t align with the notion of a handsome man (such as the one I was talking to this morning) thinking of and seeing me as...sexy. It befuddles and bewilders me with more often than not provoking a response of incredulity. Put simply, I never have, I still don’t, and likely never will believe a man telling me that he thinks I am “sexy” when I have never seen myself that way and still don’t to this very day. It’s not meant to be deprecating, but rather bluntly honest. I just don’t, and won’t ever, see myself as sexy.

Sexy is...Knowing Your Sexual Self.

Well I mean, this is self explanatory. I turned another year old today and, in the back of my mind there’s an ongoing list consistently reading off a list of “never have I evers”, from kissing, to holding hands, to sex (and all manners/variants of it), to receiving flowers/gifts, to even being told that I’m beautiful...which is another point.

I FIND ABSOLUTELY NO VALUE IN BEING TOLD THAT I AM “SEXY”. I have no real connection to this concept so therefore, this means absolutely nothing to me. Not one thing. Sexy is...a person enjoying who they are, wholly, and to the fullest, and in a way that is attracting to their intended audience, as it were. Maybe this can be blamed on my conditioning growing up, because I was never ever told, not even by my own parents, that I was beautiful. It was always “wise”, “smart”, “timid”, “stubborn”, “difficult”, “crazy” (I refused to do what I was told. Ever.), and otherwise treated as if beauty, even if not in the conventional sense, wasn’t something that would ever be applicable to me. Add on to the fact that I was always (and I do mean ALWAYS) the ugly fat dorky friend whom boys would use to get to my prettier friends, and yeah, this slowly but surely helped shape my psyche into something that just didn’t, and wouldn’t ever, believe that I could or would be seen as sexy, desirable, pretty, beautiful, hell even a human being that exists on the same plane as others, unless it was for the purposes of a joke or, as previously mentioned, tricked into feeling like i was just so they could get to my friends. 

Now...onto What is Sexy to Me.

I grew up watching martial arts movies and action/adventure movies that honestly influenced the archaeologist that I am today. From Double Impact, Kickboxer, and Lionheart (all starring Jean-Claude Van Damme), to Indiana Jones movies and The Mummy series with Brendan Fraser, I wanted to travel the world, be able to kick some serious ass, do what Indy did/does and get paid for it just like he did, but with my own little twist.

Then...the show Xena: Warrior Princess entered into my life, and suddenly, my views on what is sexy evolved.

Now, I had this naturally 5′11 Woman, who had raven dark hair, pale blue eyes, a real woman’s body (including thighs that touch), and there she was, kicking ass. Xena mastered every weapon that men knew how to use, from her fists, to the Bo staff (seen here), to the sword, and her whip, but she also had weapons of her own distinction, such as her chakram, her “pinch”, and...her womanly appearance and beauty which were often played to her advantage. In my fragile state, here was this tv icon who showed me that women who were smart, clever, cunning, resourceful, strong (physically and mentally), capable, and self sufficient were not only just as good as men, but better. And it was THAT concept that equated, in my mind, to a kind of beauty that couldn’t be replicated in conventionality.

So...What Exactly Makes Me Feel Sexy?

Here I am, in my mid 30s, fully accepting of the notion that primping doesn’t make me feel sexy, but practicing my Bo Staff does. Getting my hair & nails done don’t make me feel sexy (but the process itself triggers my synesthesia which is a good thing overall), but learning how to use a sword does. Taking a martial arts course does. Knowing that I can make my own money, be completely self reliant, defend myself and others, and use my loud and unapologetic voice to speak up and out against shit that doesn’t sit well with me, whether socially, politically, or academically. I find that, despite my size, my ability to do yoga without falling over (lol!), my ability to fix my own toilet, that I can kick down a door, speak 4 languages (aside from English), and much more things (like getting myself out of sticky situations) to be sexy, because it represents PERSONAL POWER. AND I FIND POWER INSANELY AND STUPIDLY SEXY.

The fact remains that, while a lot of women (if not most) will primp, pamper, and otherwise soothe their egos in order to feel sexy and feminine, I would much rather have a long sweaty session of kickboxing or tae kwon do (with my wrists and knuckles wrapped) while listening to Daughtry, Eminem, and Panic! At the Disco. Instead of walking around in satin this, or silk that, I have a pair of plaid flannel pants with the matching top and some slippers because I get cold easily and need to be warm at all times. Feeling powerful and capable makes me feel sexy, not putting on makeup and jewelry and going for a night out on the town. Apologies, but if you handsome bastard happened to be suckered into wanting to date me, it will be your task to consistently make me feel physically, sexually, and emotionally desired. Otherwise, sexiness will never even cross my mind.

While I demand to be surrounded and wooed by men who are conventionally sexy/handsome/well groomed/well dressed/intelligent, et.c, like the one gif’ed here,

He will also have to be good (as in more than understanding) of the fact that I am not conventionally feminine, sexy, or even beautiful. I know about things that others aren’t even aware of, and due to being a synesthete, I literally see hear and feel the world differently than others do, so of course I will never be like other women. 

And that, folks, is quite alright with me.