#speculative character study

[the-kittylorian-writes]

🏴‍☠️ “Poor Boy” 🏴‍☠️

Fandom: Star Wars - Skeleton Crew

Type: One-shot

Word Count: 1.2k

Status: Complete

Summary:

‼️ Spoilers for s01ep07, “We’re Gonna Be In So Much Trouble.” ‼️

“Poor boy,” Jod said through gritted teeth, sneering at the tear-stained face of Wim.

But was it really Wim whom Jod entirely had in mind when he said those words?Jod had always seen himself resilient and stronger than the rest—that was why he was once more the captain of his old crew. Little did he know that the old wounds would creep in again. So… was Wim the only ‘poor boy’ in the Onyx Cinder, a ship taking him to his destiny at last?

A character study on Jod Na Nawood, speculating on the possibility that he was once a Jedi youngling, but Order 66 happened, leaving a shattered and scared little child.

Link to AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62085553

(Not sure why the link preview isn't showing up as of this posting but hopefully it gets fixed! 💫)

[muzetrigger]

In celebration of Nevermore S2, I feel the need to explain why I’m hoping for more Ada page time/development and why she’s my absolute favorite character, despite the series being absolutely stuffed with quality.

Oh and also why MorellAda is peak. I WILL TAKE NO ARGUMENTS ON THIS POINT.

So yeah, MAJOR SPOILERS Y’ALL

Okay, so when we’re first introduced Ada, she’s a minor antagonist, not just in the sense that she’s not the main villain, but that literally, she’s just kind of an annoyance to both Lenore and Prospero. That being said, shortly after the Labyrinth arc, we see her genuinely impressed with Lenore and trying to make amends.

Now at that point, there’s no real reason for us to believe that Ada is telling the truth. Yeah, she seems like she’s being genuine, but so far, we also know that she’s been playing some social games to get ahead.

That’s where we get this first piece of insight into her character (not actually the first piece but whatever):

Ada chooses caviar as her last meal, despite not liking it, or ever having had it before. She is the only student who doesn’t enjoy her final meal, and that tells us that one, Ada doesn’t know what’s good for her; two, that she probably comes from a lower class background that never would have had access to caviar; and three, that she aspires to that upper class position. She is exactly what Morella would call a “phony” but while her phoniness impacts her social behavior in the ways that Morella criticizes, she’s also lying to herself without even realizing it.

Okay, but that’s a bit of subtle character development, so Red and Flynn hit us with this:

(In case you didn’t hate Montressor already)

This moment is so critical to understanding Ada because it shows that she has absolutely no limits when it comes to proving her worth to other people. Why? Because Ada has no sense of self-worth. She is completely dependent on other people’s thoughts to feel adequate. That’s why she clings so hard to Prospero and Annabel Lee, which makes this preceding exchange even more brutal.

Ada reaches out to Annabel for support, and Annabel ignores her.

Annabel BETRAYS her, and this is going to become something of a running theme for Ada.

Now, of course, Annabel has problems, but this is COLD.

So cold even Prospero is surprised, and this sets up why Ada crumbles so easily, because the one person she thought was her friend at this school, literally her roommate (and we know what happens when you’re not on good terms with your roommate), the person who gave her (fake) love advice, just left her out in the rain.

No one is on her side, not Annabel who’s ignoring her, not Prospero (who is rightly) annoyed with her clinginess, not Will who is supporting Montresor, and certainly not Montresor who is verbally abusing her.

The only person by Ada’s side is Morella, partly because she’s being targeted too, but also because Morella is trying to protect Ada.

(Look at that hug. That is a small puppy trying to cheer up her depressed friend.)

Chapter 39-40 firmly cemented Ada as my favorite character because we get a deconstruction of this preppy, pompous, phony personality into someone with crippling self-worth issues, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I relate HARD to those feelings of inadequacy and needing external validation. Will might be the doppelgänger, but Ada is the one with Imposter Syndrome.

Anyway, now we’re going to have to skip a few chapters, because while the haunted house arc is great, it doesn’t really do much with Ada’s character. We do learn that Ada was almost definitely a servant in her past life because she’s able to navigate the house’s secret passages, and we learn that yes, she’s a romantic who clearly doesn’t understand TPO (time, place, and occasion).

Those details are important to understanding Ada, because they help contextualize why her confidence is so abysmal (servants aren’t to be seen or heard) and why she clings so strongly to ideas of ladyhood and romance (the women she served would certainly have appeared to be more comfortable than her, though I’m sure Lenore and Annabel would disagree).

We also get this feast for the MorellAda shippers:

At this point, it’s implied that Morella has stonewalled dozens of students into Prospero’s death trap, but she makes one exception that she will not stand for, and it’s Ada.

At first, I thought this was a little weird, because why wouldn’t Morella protect Lenore? I mean, she’s the protagonist and clearly treats Morella better, but looking back, it’s telling that Ada is the one who Morella chooses.

Morella’s whole deal is that she wants to protect people, and Lenore isn’t vulnerable, Ada is.

Red and Flynn do a lot of excellent foil work in Nevermore, most prominently with Lenore and Annabel, but the contrast between Ada’s dependence on what other people think of her and Morella’s dependence on what she can do for other people is just another reason why I think MorellAda is so good.

But the real interesting events happen post-house.

Prospero has had it.

Now, was Ada being clingy? Yes.

Was she being totally oblivious to all of Prospero’s signals? Yes.

Did she deserve to be told directly that Prospero was just not that into her? Hell. Yes.

But did she deserve THAT much of a verbal beat down? Probably not, especially keeping in mind that Annabel told her this:

So now that I’ve thrown Annabel under the bus for her hand in this disaster, I want to look at one line from Prospero in particular:

“Nothing you say will make you good enough.”

It’s not the final line of Prospero’s diatribe, but it’s definitely the one that hits the hardest for Ada. She is trying SO hard to play the part of a lady in order to be loved, and she is being told that at a fundamental level, she is inadequate.

And she takes that about as well as someone who’s had this happen to them could:

A hatchet to the stomach’s going to ruin anyone’s day, but we can reasonably infer that the person who axe’d Ada was probably the young master she was serving and was having an affair with, and that he aimed for her stomach to abort any kind of child she might have carried.

Again, we see this theme of betrayal and rejection. Ada might not have been able to be a lady, but in an affair, she might been able to pretend that she genuinely had her master’s affection, even though she was just there at his convenience.

This was foreshadowed all the way back with Ada’s first confrontation with Montressor and it’s a great example of how thoroughly planned Red and Flynn’s writing is (Annabel Lee’s panic attack at Lenore’s death in the Labyrinth and the House Fire is another amazing example).

But, it’s also super traumatic which means we finally get Ada’s Spectre!

First, let me gush about how AMAZING this design is. Just aesthetically, it’s great. But it’s also amazing because of how it showcases so much of Ada’s identity. If you look at the spectre’s skirt, you’ll notice it has two distinct parts, a larger back that mimics a lady’s hoop skirt, and a pleated miniskirt, which wouldn’t be out of place in a skimpy maid costume. In her spectre form, we can clearly see Ada attempting to match a lady’s silhouette but upon closer inspection, we can also see the part of Ada that might have sparked her fatal affair, this symbol of risqué servantile behavior.

It’s also worth mentioning what ISN’T in the Banshee’s design, her abdomen. Obviously, this might be a reference to the fact that she was killed by a hatchet to the gut, but if we get dark with it (and it’s Nevermore, we can’t not get dark with it), what men traditionally (and unfortunately still do if the 2024 US elections are anything to go by…) value in a woman, her reproductive ability, is absent.

Ada, who places so much importance on what others think of her, is literally is worthless to them. (I want to clarify, I DON’T personally believe that, but from a 19th-20th century male perspective, that tracks.)

We could also read her abdomen’s absence as another attempt for Ada to play into feminine expectations. Because she’s missing her stomach, she has a tight hourglass figure. I don’t personally believe Ada has an eating disorder, but as the last dinner scene clearly indicates, she has a complicated relationship with food and what stigmas are attached to specific cuisines, and unfortunately many people do metaphorically throw away their stomachs to pursue beauty goals like Ada’s spectre does literally.

Stepping away from design, I also love how Ada acts immediately after getting the slightest bit of power.

She is PETTY.

She taunts Prospero (and let’s face it, you cheered. Don’t lie to me!), which I find so interesting because suddenly, Ada is the one giving opinions.

Ada is finally allowed to express herself.

Here, she takes it out on Annabel, which makes total sense. Annabel abandoned her and is the embodiment of what Ada craves outwardly. But Ada also recognizes that she herself is a servant who was forced to serve people like Annabel and denied their comforts because of her status. If Ada hadn’t been a maid, if maybe she had been a noble or a “true lady”, maybe should would have been allowed a romance or allowed to keep her child or at least allowed to live.

The Banshee is such a perfect moment, because until this scene, Ada has bottled up her insecurities and played the part of a loyal lackey and been this “phony”. As a servant, her entire livelihood would have revolved around keeping up appearances (or disappearances) around her masters, but as a ghost, Ada is more genuine than she has ever been.

And that’s so wonderfully displayed by how Annabel defuses the situation:

To the very end, we see Ada being vulnerable. Annabel takes advantage of her insecurities, and as the Banshee, Ada doesn’t try to hide the fact that it devastates her.

If the Montressor moment didn’t guarantee a place in my heart for Ada, Episode 71 definitely did. I’m not going to argue that characters in Nevermore haven’t experienced worse, but I will argue that no character in season one ever gets close to how pathetic and distraught Ada is here.

And what’s so heart-wrenching about this for me is that Ada is aware of how pathetic she is. She knows she’s been acting like an idiot and throwing a tantrum like a child, which is a surprising amount of insight and maturity for someone we have been led to believe is quite frankly an idiot. And yeah, I relate to those feelings of self-loathing and not knowing what to do or even where to start triaging a disaster I made myself.

Now, Montressor takes advantage of this like the abuser he is by swooping in and wooing Ada, but before that, I’m going to rewind like the shipper I am to replay this:

Again, we see Morella trying to help Ada! And obviously, that’s not what Ada needs at that moment, but it’s worth keeping in mind that out of everyone in the lecture hall then, Morella is the first and really only one to reach out to Ada. (Montressor is a manipulator. He doesn’t count.)

Last time skip, I promise!

The end of the Wall arc doesn’t quite reach the highs (or is it lows?) of Ada’s character development, but I’m so excited for what it sets up in season two.

So, Lenore and the gang find where Montressor has Cask of Amantillado’d Duke and they dig their favorite French man out while beating the shit out of our cowboy(?). There’s a ton of great moments (hell yeah, Pluto! Get him!) but the battle really swings in the misfits’ favor when Duke hypnotizes Ada to traumatize Montresor.

One, this is just an amazing display of Duke’s spectre, two, it shows that Montressor has reasons (maybe not great reasons but at least they’re reasons) for being such an asshole, and three, it shows us that mental spectre powers are straight up busted.

We already knew from Prospero that Ada’s fear factor could trap a person inside a vision of their own trauma so realistic they can feel the physical effects of it, but she can also send a man with a broken Fibula into a full blown frenzy, AND Duke’s hypnosis is something even he can’t dispel.

(Does this look like the face of a man who has things under control?)

It also sets up this exchange:

Morella is able to break through Duke’s hypnosis, and she does it without attacking Ada’s insecurities like Annabel did. Now, I’m a hopeless MorellAda shipper, so of course I reading into this, but even then, it showcases how important Morella is to Ada. After all, Morella is basically the only person who has stuck by Ada’s side this whole time.

…At least until this happens:

Morella has had enough of Ada’s excuses, and just like Prospero basically tells her to shove off.

But the painfully ironic part about this is, Ada is telling the truth. This ONE time, it really isn’t her fault. It’s Duke’s.

But Morella won’t let her get a word in and I love how Flynn drew Ada’s face. It’s a different kind of fear than when Ada was groveling in front of Montresor or reeling from Prospero’s rejection. Here, she isn’t afraid of being abandoned by Morella; she’s afraid of losing Morella.

I know that difference might sound REALLY contrived to some people, but in this case, Ada has a way to keep Morella in her life that doesn’t involve debasing herself and believes that Morella will listen to her. For the first time ever, Ada thinks she has a little control over the situation together with a friend, not an enemy. They can talk things out, and that really shows how close her connection with Morella is and how that connection can be the catalyst for Ada to start developing some self-respect.

Except Morella totally shuts her down.

Of course, I’m disappointed that there’s this “divorce arc” but it makes sense in context and it’s healthier for Morella to make a clean break from the posh crew (even though Ada clearly needs her wife more than ever, like come on, don’t leave her in Monstresor’s clutches!)

Speaking of which, I’m much more disappointed with how Ada immediately crawls back to Montresor and Annabel after being chastised. If there’s one thing I have on my season two checklist, it’s Ada learning to have some confidence in herself (and maybe tossing Montresor to the Hunt).

And I really want an apology from Morella and Duke to Ada. Now THAT’S delusional, and I might be the only one who thinks Ada deserves those apologies, because let’s face it, Ada is a wreck, but it would be nice, especially if she gives out the several dozen apologies she owes the misfit crew too, so that she can hang with them and spend more time with her wife Morella.

Anyway, yeah.

I really like Nevermore.

And I really like Ada. I think she’s severely underrated.

Of course I love Lenore and Annabel, and Morella is a precious and badass cinnamon roll, and Duke is so SO cool, and Pluto is cute as hell, and Eulalie is basically manga-Orihime (which is amazing), but there’s something so HUMAN about Ada.

I empathize with her in ways that I just can’t with the rest of the cast because… they’re just too awesome. I have difficulty believing Lenore or Annabel will ever feel something as fundamentally devastating as Ada has. At their core, they’re just stronger people. Ada is someone who needs more support and it’s nice to see those weaker characters treated with the same amount of care as a protagonist who we typically see stumble a lot but ultimately succeed. With side characters, there’s a genuine chance that they fail permanently and that adds so much to Ada’s stakes.

And honestly? I’ll say it. I think a lot of the students had alright lives or even good lives, they just happened to be cut short traumatically. Exceptions for Lenore (obviously) and Pluto (baby, you deserved so much better than your deadbeat dad), possibly Eulalie for having to live through WWII, but you’re not going to tell me that Montresor didn’t have a good run being awful, Duke didn’t have a successful performance career, and Prospero wasn’t a wealthy bastard. But who knows? We haven’t delved too much into the others’ backstories, so I could be very wrong.

Anyway, I guess this was just a very long-winded way of me saying I love Ada because I’m a total girl-failure and also I’m super excited for season two.

[valtsv]

something i really appreciate about the silt verses finale is that carson being unwritten from the narrative didn't change anything on a wider scale. because of course it didn't. he admitted it himself; he's just one guy in an entire system of abuses and cruelty and people fighting to be the one calling the shots. cutting off a few more heads will only free up more spaces for new ones to grow and trample one another in the bid for power. which makes how he dies all the more impactful in spite of how narratively and personally "unsatisfying" it is - despite the utter denial of catharsis - for both his and VAL's character arcs. because in the end, they both realised the truth, and were able to accept it with dignity.

[bazookaboi]

Random test I made in my pretty unrealistic angular style. Might delete it later because I don’t like how the eyes turned out...

Messing around with the Ivilitium’s designs a lot, this one here is inspired by atlantic mackerel. I see them all the time in fish markets here and find them quite interesting.

Flat colour version and reference bellow the cut!

[patchwork-crow-writes]

I've just realised that Ralsei's spell being called "Pacify" potentially houses a double meaning - one which strengthens his connection to Kris and the Dreemurrs.

Obviously, the spell's function is to "pacify" TIRED enemies, and in that sense it does exactly what it says on the tin. But to pacify is also to soothe, to appease, to subdue. And this is something that Ralsei is always attempting to do, particularly when it comes to Kris. He constantly reassures them, offers to give gifts or perform services for them, and most tellingly of all, sweeps troubling concerns under the rug in exchange for nice-sounding but ultimately meaningless platitudes. He does all of this in an attempt to keep them onside, to keep them behaving and to keep them doing what they need to do.

Think about how we use the term "pacify" in our lives. Generally we use it in relation to young children and infants - in the US, you literally have an object called a pacifier to soothe troubled babies and toddlers. Now think about how such objects are used - they can bring comfort to a distressed child, but arguably their main purpose is to give the parent(s) a means to make that child behave, to render them docile and passive, to get them to comply, to grant the caregivers in that child's life a reprieve from their big and troubling emotions.

Once you understand this, Toriel giving the horned headband to Kris takes on a new and troubling context. On its surface, it seems like a cute, harmless gesture that affirms their desired identity as a boss monster, as a true member of the Dreemurr family. But think about it some more, and you realise that all she was meaningfully doing was deferring their distress, granting them a quick fix to soothe them but allowing the underlying issue to fester underneath.

It's hard not to infer that Toriel giving Kris the headband was more for her benefit than it was for theirs - she wanted them to feel safe and secure, but she either couldn't face up to the difficult discussions regarding their nascent species dysmorphia, or she didn't think it really mattered enough to do so. So instead, she PACIFIED Kris with a superficial object in place of the genuine understanding and patience they needed.

So. Is it any wonder that Ralsei turned out the same way? Is it any wonder that he takes the path of least resistance when faced with troubling issues that can't be solved nice and neatly in the present moment? After all, he is just continuing to do what he believes is his purpose - to Soothe Kris's troubles, to Affirm their identity and importance, to Subdue their distress no matter how painful or pressing it might be. THAT was the purpose which Toriel instilled in him when she gave the headband to Kris - to PACIFY is literally in his nature.

With all of this in mind, Chapter 3 is shaping up to be very, very interesting.

(these ideas were gleaned from this excellent post by @dyke-dreemurr which I highly encourage y'all to read if you haven't - essentially going over Toriel's well-meaning but inadequate parenting towards Kris. I also riffed on that post with thoughts of my own which I refined and made into this post here! Thanks for the inspo!)

[styllwaters]

✦ Trail ✦

Background study for fun :] started this in December and abandoned it for a while before picking it up again. Here's Gazi-miah and Jes-ren on a hike together, not long after Gaz moved into the Valley Ranch. The surrounding terrain is full of rivers and canyons.

Reference image used:

Some progress shots:

[wanderingokali]

Witch Hat Atelier artstyle study with Kalops and some elements from chapter 1. Mostly wanted to replicate the little chapter illustrations that usually feature one character and some nice visual elements and frames.

[jurassicjoowan]

Spec evo raptor dinosaur, it snarls, it jumps, and it runs over 40 miles an hour across arids!

These facial studies were to help give it a stronger, more intimidating face compared to its previous iteration.

[cassiopeiasara]

I’ve deleted those previous answers bc apparently “please stop talking to me about this” wasn’t clear enough. I’ve deleted at least 4 other asks. Please I do not want to talk about this storyline. I don’t fucking care if you think you have proof it won’t happen. I answered before in good faith. Now kindly fuck off. I don’t how more clear I can be than “I don’t want to talk about this.”

[p34ce0fm1nd]

something i’m thinking abt is why does cooper have a tattoo of a lamb on his right wrist? what does this symbolize?

in the movie world design means just as much as words and objects. everything has symbolic meaning. the head of design gave cooper that tattoo for a particular reason. the placement, the animal, the design of it; and i’d like to know why.

cooper is a killer, he doesnt seem the type to get piercings or tattoos yet he has one. he mustve gotten it for a reason. tattoos make a person more noticeable, especially in his line of work. he knows this and it is said in the movie. so why have a tattoo?

what does this mean for his character? why would he get it? what is the story behind his tattoo?

and the tattoo itself looks worn, from years of work and it being exposed to the sun. with the fine lines it must be at least 8-10 years old. meaning he must have gotten it after riley was born and before logan was.

so why the tattoo? what does it mean to his character?

[originalcrime]

“This doesn’t change a thing between us, okay?”

it’s a not a reassurance to Buck, it’s a reminder to Eddie. Eddie who knows, intimately, that somewhere years back his heart got off the train and stopped at Buck’s station, but refuses to look head on at it, prefers to keep Buck at the arm’s distance of “best friend” and “guardian in the event of an emergency” because acknowledging his feelings? Confessing? It’s the ultimate failure.

It’s reckoning with the fact that shoving all of his fumbling queer feelings into a box as a teenager, of packing away any hopes and dreams he might have had for a life on his own terms as a young man, marrying Shannon to give Christopher the heteronormative nuclear family he was supposed to, joining the army as a coward’s way out of actually being part of that family, chasing relationships with Ana and Marisol as fundamentally broken facsimiles of the marriage to his dead ex-wife that he’s lionized so desperately in his head, ignoring everything within him screaming that with all of this he wasn’t doing right by himself—all of it was for nothing.

All of it would end with Eddie kissing a man, with Eddie sleeping with a man, with Eddie raising a son with a man—everything he wasn’t supposed to do, everything he wasn’t supposed to be. And yes, it’s Buck, and Eddie has so much love for Buck, more than he could ever know what to do with or where to put, but to love Buck honestly—it doesn’t just mean that Eddie’s doing something he was taught was wrong as a child, as part of a religion he no longer believes in as an adult. In means he has spent his entire life, and every scrap of agency he ever almost had, fighting against the impossible, the inevitable.

And Eddie knows this, and he hates that he knows it so he pretends that he doesn’t and it’s almost enough. Buck unknowingly telling Eddie that’s he’s attracted to men too changes nothing. It doesn’t mean that Eddie might have a shot, because Eddie cannot have a shot. Because he has spent so, so long trying to be the guy who doesn’t want that shot. Because after all these years, all this blood, every bad choice, every failure, every fuck-up—after a lifetime spent beating himself bloody trying to escape the truth at his core, how could he let it overtake him? How could Eddie lay down his fists now?

[welcome-to-cell-hell]

Finally got around to a real design for Memory! He urple

[Start ID: Colored and cell shaded digital drawing on a flat gray background of Memory Cell’s spec design, portrayed in his canon outfit but with a slightly darker skin tone and purple markings that match his tie and eyes. There are a lot of secretary bird elements to his design, including arm feathers and ragged black feathers on his ears and the back of his head. A note reads: “these are receptors, they bristle when they sense a known antigen. This memory B hasn’t preened because of stress, so his don’t work as well.” Memory cell is looking over his shoulder at something offscreen with a panicked expression, and is holding a thick stack of paper with one sheet flying to the floor. To the left are reference images, two of secretary birds by Ken Behrens and hawk conservancy trust respectively, and some PNGs of Memory cell from the anime from https://cellsatwork-anime.com/character/ memory_cell.html. Another note reads: “lmao he’s a secretary to B cell so I made him a secretary bird ain’t that funny guys I’m so funny right please laugh please.” There is a watermark in the bottom left corner of the drawing. End ID.]

[danwhobrowses]

CR's Godly Option C: Who will go for it?

Spoilers for Campaign 3 Episode 119 below

Okay so there was a development.

After a long and painstaking dance of circling around the Predathos and Gods situation, we have reached the pivotal point. Bells Hells are fighting the God Eater, Imogen is still tethered to it, and the Gods are sending reinforcements to try and seal it again.

Sealing Predathos again is unlikely, since it required the Primordials before, and it'd only be a temporary fix. Most of Bells Hells are advocating for change within the relationship between gods and mortals as the Matron of Ravens had hinted, with all of them (yes, ALL of them, including Ashton and Dorian) wanting to prevent the gods from dying, but they also believe Predathos will get out either way. I think it's implied that defeating Predathos will force it to be suppressed within Imogen, that or it'll just discorporate and another Ruidusborn will become the vessel once it recovers its strength, but since it's intent on consuming divinity and can threaten to overwhelm her again, the third option was presented: to become mortal.

While the Matron explains that if the process is possible they will still regain their memories similar to how the Luxon and the mortality route they took in Downfall work, the gods will also need to be convinced of this outcome between death, departure, or depower. In this post I will discuss the potential of each god's reaction and willingness to enact this option C. I'm also thinking this under the impression that the gods will reincarnate, it wasn't fully clear that's the case but since this is meant to shift the relationship between gods and mortals long term I'd suspect it'd be a cycle.

We'll go alphabetically, also because we all know who begins with A.

Asmodeus, The Az-hole Lord of the Nine Hells Given that the Lying Cheating Whore Bitch that is the Lord of Terror, Lies, and the Hells has a massive shtick up his butt about mortals being lower than him, becoming mortal permanently is like a worst case scenario for Azzy M. He will be the hardest to convince, especially since as Lord of Lies he will have obscenely high charisma to resist potential persuasion rolls. The only opening is to appeal to his insecurities about his family, the deep but warped longing to be with them again, but even that is a paper thin line not even Braius can easily stay on the right side without the risk of a ripped-off face and a shattered spine. If he is convinced, however, there has to be the expectation that a betrayal or loophole is inbound.

Avandra, The Changebringer The Goddess of Change is someone you'd expect to welcome the very nature of her domain. Had FCG survived perhaps she would've been more present or be in the position the Matron is in right now for the story, since in hindsight she is similarly suited to be the vehicle of this path. Also a Goddess of Adventure, she might even be enticed with the idea of getting to partake in her own journeys, so a low amount of convincing is likely to be needed for this one, the Hells may spend more time chatting to check in on FCG with her instead.

Bahamut, The Platinum Dragon We don't get much info on the Platinum Dragon in the campaigns despite its looming presence and adjacency to the parties, its influence is central to Vassalheim, the religious capital of Tal'dorei, which has a big hand in a lot of Exandrian Politics. Given its strong sense of justice and protecting the weak, I think the Platinum Dragon would need some convincing that this is the right call - which can be difficult given the prospect of chaos that'd unfold from it - but would bend to its logic if the majority were in support, the Lawbearer and Knowing Mentor may be linchpins to encouraging them since they all have the air of sharing the same sense of pragmatism.

Bane, The Strife Emperor War and Conquest are Bane's bread and butter, and while peace can be established in the aftermath it is sadly in mortals' nature to fight and take from one another through violent means, bread and butter (metaphorically, but imagine if it were literally for a moment). For that reason I think Bane would be fine with mortality - war could perhaps be more fun if there's jeopardy involved and death this way is just a respawn. They may put on a front to be against it because it's for reasons of peace, but Bane would rather live to fight another day than never fight again.

Corellon, The Arch Heart The Arch Heart is a curious one. They wanted to leave, they told Bells Hells as much in the feywild, but the Matron is convinced that the Arch Heart simply wants change and would be open to mortality. Due to them having the chance to present their case for departure, I think the Arch Heart would take probably a medium level of convincing. As SILAHA they enjoyed the indulgences and hedonism of mortality and can do so again, but may feel a little slighted by Bells Hells not following through with their plan - they are a vain god after all. Overall I think they too would bow to the majority if it came to it, since their plan involved all of their siblings running with them.

Erathis, The Lawbearer There is a downside for the Lawbearer and Wildmother with mortality. As lovers, sacrificing their divinity will mean life apart from one another for long periods at a time, and by the time their memories are restored it can open up a massive can of worms if they found love with others as mortals. The Lawbearer would be one who'd acknowledge the logic, but resist the offer from an emotional standpoint - perhaps preferring to run or to die in each other's arms than to be apart. It'd take convincing the Wildmother to convince them, so it'd be a tall order for Bells Hells to achieve, but it can be done given how she bends more to logic - seeing as she's the one who proposed the idea of the Divine Gate.

Grummsh, The Ruiner Grummsh is a brute, a lover of blood and slaughter. As a result, the Ruiner will probably need as much convincing as Bane does; adverse to the logic of peace but secretly salivating the idea of future conflicts and being hands-on with it in a continual reincarnation cycle. Some convincing required to bypass the facade of hesitation, but not a lot.

Ioun, The Knowing Mentor Ioun has spent centuries collecting information and knowledge, in turn being a deity of prophecy and teaching, she may have already seen this coming. However, she hates secrets and reverse-engineering the forbidden knowledge that is the Ritual of Seeding may make her hesitant of the path. Some convincing is required, but The Knowing Mentor is a fair and logical god, and in logic she can be persuaded and understand that this is among the better solutions to the problem at hand. The Hells may also entice her with the hands-on approach of learning new things, possibly citing Dunamancy - through Ashton and their head maybe - since the gods treat it as foreign and alien.

Kord, The Stormlord The Stormlord is renowned for being badass and stoic, which unfortunately makes him hard to read in this situation. Unlike Bane and Grummsh, Kord doesn't lust after war and battle but prepares for it nonetheless. It may be hard to convince him though, because they could see the option as abandoning the fight - going against their tenets of strength and bravery in battle - but his awareness of Imogen can come into play in her influencing him, and if Bane and Grummsh's excitement can't be hidden it can be used as incentive to keep their warmongering at bay. He can be swayed, but not easily - it cannot be framed as giving up.

Lolth, The Spider Queen Lolth has a disdain for mortals on a similar maybe-slightly-lesser level to Asmodeus, she's possessive and proud of her power, and mortality would mean that she would have to confront the many enemies she has made - such as the Kryn - without the comfort of being out of their reach. She's also petty, and feuds with the Arch Heart and Stormlord can make it harder to convince her if they're already convinced - and vice versa. The Spider Queen strikes as someone who will agree to something so long as she benefits, curiosity can only go so far after all, she may even ask for some grovelling or a tribute/offering as a sweetener. It will be difficult, but the Opal incident is indicative that she fears Predathos, Bells Hells would need to infer that it's the most profitable option to her but also make sure it's not framed as her conceding to their request or being threatened.

Melora, The Wildmother As with the Lawbearer, the Wildmother will struggle to be convinced not because of the logic but because of the heart. Being separated from her lover is a big sacrifice she will very likely show her teeth to avoid, but in exchange she will get to return to her beloved domain properly once more. This may make the Wildmother easier to convince, or it could be harder given how she has trouble letting go of things - since she protested the idea of the Divine Gate in Downfall's epilogue, and the only thing stopping her from being a Betrayer was a reluctance to leave Exandria. It will probably fall to Orym, who has had experience being apart from people they love, to turn the scales and convince her, which will domino into convincing the Lawbearer too.

Moradin, The All-Hammer Not much is known about the All-Hammer, which is a shame since the past campaigns have had such inventive and artistic characters. That being said, I don't think the All-Hammer will need much convincing. Some convincing may be warranted since they are a God of Family and Legacy too, so they'd want to ensure that the rest of the gods are in agreement, but the All-Hammer admires creativity, ingenuity, and craft; and that is something Chetney has the edge to appeal them towards. A chance to see what more mortals can create, to unlearn and relearn various artforms for lifetimes, Chetney's own pursuit of legacy makes him the perfect one to relate to the All-Hammer, and thus there is limited convincing needed.

Pelor, The Dawnfather There have been two sides to the Dawnfather when in conflict in Campaign 3; on one side you have Ayden, the sunshine multiclassing do-gooder who clings to hope and humanity, on the other you have the Dawnfather that sent an angel to suppress Hearthdell and threatened to withhold power from Deanna for questioning him. Like the Stormlord, the Dawnfather could protest or take offence to the idea of becoming mortal permanently, as he could also see it as abandoning their sworn and solemn duties. Asmodeus and The Arch Heart paint him as chief among the 'but mah children' gods in their internal debate to stay or flee, which can be used in convincing him. But he is prideful, and stubborn, and wrathful, meaning it will require a lot of tact and careful wording to achieve, possibly moreso than it would the Stormlord.

The Raven Queen, Matron of Death As the one mulling over the method of enacting the plan, the Matron is a definitive yes who won't need convincing, she's already been convinced. Mortality is not new to her, and she has no disdain for it.

Sarenrae, The Everlight Aside from the All-Hammer and Changebringer, I think the Everlight is perhaps the one Bells Hells won't need to convince at all. The events of Downfall showed that she loves mortals, and loved mortality; the chance to live and love, to raise children, she loved it all and the moment she parted from it she missed it dearly. She might have a bit of guilt about leaving her followers like Pike, but she might also relish the idea of getting to know them on a more personal and mortal level too.

Sehanine, The Moonweaver The Moonweaver's tenets include to live untethered and free and to seize one's own destiny, which could act as a pro or con to encouraging the idea of becoming mortal. It leans more towards the pro side, since lifetimes of experiences can entice her against running away forever - and Fearne is the likely candidate to frame it that way if she is in need of convincing - but it falls to whether she has already made up her mind about which path she wants to take. If she's already chosen another option, it may be difficult to change her mind because it'll be something she doesn't want to do. If she's open to the idea there's little convincing, if not then it requires Bell's Hells to sell the idea.

Tharizdun, The Chained Oblivion Tharizdun is a strange case. The ancient primordial evil trapped in the Abyss - a visual representation of 'too much chaos' - that creates demons and aberrations with its mind to sic on Exandria isn't exactly one who was sent through the Divine Gate willingly. Mortality and reincarnation is likely something it'd leap at, freedom and the floor to corrupt and influence more directly, but also something the other gods would be greatly against them having given their efforts to seal it near the end of the Calamity. Because of this, the convincing would be for all the other gods - mainly the primes - rather than the entity itself, and thus it can be a deal breaker. As a non-Tengar god however it may be 'off the menu', and thus a compromise to keep it trapped may be achieved - it's actually a little unclear if Matt includes them and another non-Tengar god when discussing 'the gods' in this context, since they are included in the pantheon but not exactly a 'god'.

Tiamat, The Scaled Tyrant Another god eager to get out is Tiamat, Arkhan stole the Hand of Vecna for this sole purpose after all. 'Let no affront go unpunished' is a tenet that'd mean Tiamat would take little convincing to return to the Material Plane. In contrast to Lolth, paying back her grudges would be high on her agenda, as well as amassing wealth and her kin, it'd be more of a challenge to convince the Platinum Dragon of her release given how destructive chromatic dragons can be and have been in the past. So not much convincing on her side really, just opposition from opponents.

Torog, The Crawling King Torog's time as Zaharzht in Downfall was intriguing. Without it the jealous god of torture, jailers, and slavers would ironically be someone you'd expect to desire freedom from imprisonment, but Zaharzht hated being mortal and constantly harmed themselves throughout Downfall. Their monologue about peace implied that Torog may be the only god to welcome Predathos' consumption of them, which makes it difficult to say how much convincing they'd need and if they'd even acknowledge Bells Hells' offer in the first place. There's a chance they may bend to family majority, since Zaharzht had a soft - albeit warped and abusive - spot for Asha, but it's probably not something they'd like to agree to out of the three options.

Vecna, The Whispered One Centuries as a Lich leads to only 3ish decades of godhood, damn does it suck to be Vecna. The Whispered One is a god who would definitely reject the idea of returning to mortality, and someone who would probably rather take their chances and run. Much like the Chained Oblivion, being a mortal would probably be very bad for Exandria anyway, since he knows how to Lich himself and knows the Ritual of Seeding to undo the process anyway - Vassalheim has not quickly forgotten his attempt to raze them. He doesn't want mortality and the mortals won't want him, and without the sense of family that Asmodeus may have for the other gods he might be the joint-highest lost cause among the gods. However, the lack of familial ties and potentially also being off-menu might mean the gods are less enthusiastic about staying as a set with him in it, and would be willing to accept mortality without him. As a result, very difficult to convince, not a positive to do so, but there may be a willingness from other gods to just let him run.

Zehir, The Cloaked Serpent Our final god is a mystery, as obscurity is among his domain. We know more of Zehir's treacherous servant Uk'otoa (uk'otoaaaa) than we do of the god himself, but from what we do know is that they are unique in having the most enemies even among their fellow Betrayer Gods, Torog and Lolth. Their small amount of worshippers, mainly Yuan-ti and other snakefolk, are often described as ones looking to be equal to them, which may make it a tall order to convince Zehir to give their followers and enemies a better shot at killing them. There is perhaps the opening of playing to his pride, an assassin would be proud of their ability to kill, and fluffing his ego in order to 'prove' his skill among these bloodthirsty followers and enemies is a route that can be used with solid enough deception. Niche degree of convincing due to poor knowledge of him, but still possible.

[sickofthistoxicshit]

Can we talk for a second how both Gerrard and T touch Buck without his permission?

Like completely un-prompted T kissed Buck after he talked about attention and how great Eddie is for a good five? Six minutes?

And completely un-prompted, when Buck is again confused as to the consequences of his actions, which ironically sent both Eddie and Gerrard to get medical attention 🤣 and he expects Gerrard to fire him, when in fact Gerrard hugs him for saving his life.

This time, finally, Buck has the proper response of why is this person hugging me instead of firing me?

Which is, funnily enough, with T - what should have been asked was why are you kissing me instead of reading me the riot act for hurting our friend?

The parallel is there, and if I had to guess, Buck wasn't confused with Tommy because it was a supposedly romantic/lusty reaction, like he knows what to do with that, he's done it with perfect strangers so it felt natural even though the gender changed.

But here Buck doesn't know what to do with adult gratitude, and a hug at that, he's not used to that, so hence the proper reaction of wtf is happening here in this scene with Gerrard.

Buck will probably play along, a lot like he does with the situation with T, but he's aware with Gerrard, and once he gets rid of one, he will probably get rid of the other as well, because he will come to his senses when he connects what bothers him in his relationship with Gerrard with what may be out of place in his relationship with T.

Ironically, the one hug he did expect was the one he got from Eddie in the coming out scene, and there was no confusion there. He knew what to do with it, because it was Eddie.

Just a thought.

[patchwork-crow-writes]

I am just now realising something about King - specifically how he relates to Susie.

A lot of people draw parallels between these two characters, as they're both brash and egotistical, aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, and they even both say "quiet people piss me off" to Kris while holding them aloft. But while these similarities are quite compelling on the surface, there is one fundamental difference between them.

Susie is always, unabashedly herself, no matter what the situation might be. She sticks to her guns until she's run out of ammo, and then starts clocking people over the head with the barrels of those same guns. She does not compromise her intrinsic self for anyone, though that doesn't make her wholly immutable, as we see with Lancer and then Ralsei softening her up.

King, on the other hand, is duplicitous and dishonest to his core, and has a view of himself that is VASTLY out of lockstep with everyone else's. He considers himself a hero to his (terrified, oppressed) people, will not hesitate to drop his own son off the edge of his castle (and be incredibly backhanded about denying it after the fact), and will feign surrender to secure an ironclad advantage over his enemies. Contrasted with Susie, he will say and do anything to come out on top, no matter how badly that might reflect on him.

With this in mind, I think King might more accurately be alluding to Susie's dad than Susie herself. While neither of her parents have appeared in Deltarune thus far (may change in the coming chapters, but may well not), it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to imagine at least one of them acting like King does - using force and intimidation to get their way, while falling back on manipulative ploys, and even displays of affection, to keep people (read: Susie) from deserting them outright. It would certainly go some way to explaining Susie's view on the world pre-chapter 1 - her extreme defensiveness and reluctance to trust others in particular - along with why she isn't keen on contacting them to let them know she's staying with Kris.

Perhaps when King's character becomes more relevant again - which I don't doubt he will - it may shed some more light on that dynamic. It will be interesting to see how Susie reacts, regardless of whether this interpretation holds any weight or not.

[vesperpharsalius]

I think about Cassius discovering Darrow killed Julian in a universe where they’re lovers EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE

Damn. Me, too.

It’s grueling to even write those scenes, tbh, because I have to somehow justify Cassius’ decision not to gouge his own eyes out or taking a long walk off a short rampart, when that is invariably where his stream of consciousness leads. My poor lamb suffers more than Jesus. 

😔

😈

More seriously, though—we should not underestimate the intimacy of their brotherhood or assume a romantic and/or sexual relationship would automatically be more intense. Sure, they might not have explored each other’s bodies at the Institute, but we can safely assume they’re much closer than the canon insists upon.

After all, they spent the bulk of the first two months in each other’s sole company, more often than not, and were constantly having conversations that we weren’t privy to. And their ensuing overfamiliarity is demonstrated by how casually they touch each other, despite both of them being defensive towards unsanctioned affection, and how they instinctively reach for each other, despite both of them being emotionally repressed.

There’s something audacious that should not go unrecognized about Cassius cupping Darrow’s neck when he calls him brother, pulling leaves unprompted from his hair (which, it bears mentioning, is precious to Darrow) after Lea’s death; that he would do this, at all, and that Darrow would not only let him but think nothing of doing so, of being so vulnerable to Cassius and permissive of his touch, even in a freshly traumatized state. 

Equally significant is the fact that Darrow expects Cassius to hug him, despite all that’s transpired, when they reunite at Castle Mars, and that Darrow wants to hug him; that Darrow reaches for Cassius during the Triumph and presumes his lingering tenderness will be reciprocated, even after he’s outed as a Red; that Cassius, in turn, reaches for Darrow as the Obsidians take him away at the Spires and expects his protection, despite the fact that Ragnar’s blood is drying on Darrow’s hands.

And so on.

There’s an impulse in this fandom to romanticize their behavior, in the sense that it’s seen as evidence of a romantic dimension to their relationship, and I, of course, believe they’re deeply in love. But it’s important that we acknowledge their level of intimacy does not insist on the presence of that romantic dimension, lest we fall, in our haste to rescue them from heteronormativity, into amatonormativity. Both are reductive.

I go into deeper detail here, but one of the things I love most about the Bellona family is how they reject amatonormativity, how they live in defiance of it. And, regardless of whatever romantic and/or sexual feelings he might harbor for Darrow, Cassius clearly believes in the preeminence of platonic love, especially fraternal love. He barely shows an interest in romance, at all, and never at the expense of his family.

He is a brother, a cousin, a son, an uncle—and perfectly content in this, proud of this, defined by this. 

Why are you saying all this, Vesper? How is this possibly relevant?

Well, I’m not sure that Cassius’ reaction to the Holo would be substantially worse if Darrow was his lover, rather than his brother. I am speaking hypothetically, as we’re unlikely to ever see Cassius’ reaction to the Holo or experience of the stabbing, generally, in a universe where Dassius is platonic, and this aspect of I&F is still nebulous, because I have conflicting ideas that I’ve yet to reconcile.

But the romantic dimension, surprisingly enough, might be an improvement to Cassius’ situation. Might being the key word, because we’ve no touchstone to measure Cassius’ anguish against, but...

Darrow is less of a Julian–substitute if Dassius is romantic, rather than platonic, and there would naturally be more distance between Darrow and Julian in Cassius’ mind. Cassius’ feelings for Darrow would be less commensurate to his feelings for Julian and Darrow could never supplant Julian in Cassius’ heart, because the love Cassius would feel for Darrow is fundamentally different.

There’s a certain guilt that sprung from Cassius calling Darrow brother—Cassius doing so and Darrow encouraging him to do so, that weighs heavily on their consciences in the canon; it’s absent if they’re fucking instead. 

It’s true that Cassius would feel physically polluted by Darrow, defiled by the hands that are still lathered, spiritually, in Julian’s blood, but he could ultimately shift blame to Darrow for this and engross himself in outrage over the deception—which is only defensible, after all, insofar as it was necessary.

Necessary to befriend Cassius? Yes. Necessary to deceive Cassius? Yes. Necessary to scapegoat Titus? Maybe. Necessary to manipulate Cassius into teaching him Kravat so he might survive a future duel with him? Pushing it. Necessary to fuck Cassius? No. Necessary to seduce Cassius? No. Necessary to court Cassius? Fuck no.

Darrow has very much lost the plot here and whatever justification he could cling to. He’s crossed a line—and they both know it.

And this would allow Cassius to claim moral highground he wouldn’t otherwise possess—his actions would be more vindicated, because Darrow is deeper in the wrong. And that sanctimoniousness would effectively suppress his awareness of his own culpability, too; both in Julian’s death and Darrow’s lies, because he could’ve prevented both if he’d been less selfish—as far as I&F is concerned, at least.

Because he could’ve warned Julian about the Passage, after all, and he should’ve thought more critically about Darrow’s discomfort over Julian and pried further in their conversations. Even in the canon, it must’ve been obvious that Darrow darkened whenever Cassius mentioned Julian.

Cassius is too clever not to have noticed this... but he might be delusional enough to pretend he didn’t. Perhaps, he simply wanted Darrow too much—as a brother, as a lover, however you slice it—to risk revealing something he’d rather not know.

And the irony of choosing to watch the Holo, despite this, is surely not lost on him. Not in I&F, at least.

Anyways! Food for your thoughts, anon?