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ok yes i may be evil and morally corrupt but i’m also incredibly beautiful and i think that makes up for it honestly

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ALSO thinking about her allegiance to the black rose and how, especially after she's transformed, it only goes as far as her individual interests might align with it? despite her transformation, it's important to consider she's like. in her 20s (i put her at 26ish, possibly younger), that she was groomed to work for the rose from her early teens, and that soreana is the only family she really had for years. i'd wager her lingering loyalty hinges more on her loyalty to her mother than to the rose itself — which is not to say she'd be amenable to swain or the trifarix, quite the opposite for the same reason. just that she has no reason to be loyal to the rose as far as we know, not yet (even her motivation to hunt for the tomb is about her mother being desperate because of swain's coup). so.

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something something cassiopeia's arc ultimately being one of going from conforming to beauty standards and relying on using the limited power it gave her to becoming powerful in her own right. the transformation, initially seen as a curse, embraced as a blessing instead. she no longer needs to rely on manipulation and bending others to her will, she can exert it on her own. it's not perfect (she still suffers with it, with the things she lost, with the physical toll it takes and the pain she feels), but it's freeing.

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—female rage

? // medusa by caravaggio // gregory radionov // artemisia gentileschi // monstrous flesh: on women’s bodies in horror by rebecca harknis-cross // carrie (1976) // corruption by camille norton // midsommar (2019) // helen of troy does countertop dancing by margaret atwood // medusa in her throne by reza sedhi

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cassiopeia, on the other hand, definitely took advantage of people trying to court her. on top of coming from an important noble house, her beauty, intelligence and lack of empathy are noted on her bio. her short story goes as far as to say 'assassins killed at her slightest whim, soldiers spilled their darkest secrets, and generals willingly followed her counsel in the hopes of patronage' and i simply believe she had numerous suitors who she entertained and spurned as it suited whatever game she was up to.

were it not for her transformation, i fully believe eventually an arranged marriage too good to be refused would have happened, and she would have married whoever she had to, because it'd be about the politics of it (she'd find katarina really foolish to be so emotional about it). which doesn't mean she'd stay married for long. she was a master of poisons even before being a snake, and any husband of hers was likely bound to tragically die ingesting untraceable poison. a shame, really. the tears certainly aren't feigned. of course not.

but also being a lesbian i don't think she'd be thrilled about what having to go through with marrying some dude would entail. and i think, however practical her outlook on it may be, deep down that would have left her unsettled, to say the least, about the prospect eventually she'd have to marry someone. currently she's quite content only turning men into statues and crushing the life out of them

noxus, especially as of now, doesn't seem like it would have gender roles or too complicated rituals where courtship is concerned; and many of those might be a mishmash influenced by other cultures absorbed into the empire. we know for a fact same-sex unions between noxian soldiers happen, so there seems to be no restriction of gender or associated with being part of the military (and honestly, i think it makes sense that the empire would leave its citizens free to pursue relationships in any form they want, committed or not, considering the standard is to judge one by their usefulness to noxus)

the exception would be nobility, where bloodlines and names very much matter. arranged marriages are probably common between noble families, and courtship would likely take longer and be less about the individuals and more about proving why a marriage between those two families would be beneficial.

as the du couteau heir, katarina would have been expected to marry and have children who, in turn, would continue their house's legacy after herself. of course, she never cared for that at all (and i remember a really old interaction i had with ada's sore where her mom intended to arrange a marriage for her and katarina flat out refused to comply and was simply livid). but hey, being disowned freed her from that — and even after swain reinstates her as head of the du couteau guild, she's pretty openly anti nobility. she'd absolutely not entertain their way of doing things in any scenario.

she's very i want it, i'm going to get it in general and that's also true when it comes to relationships. if she's interested she'll act on it. honestly i feel a lot of times it'd just be impulsive; but she's not concerned at all with waiting for the other person to take the lead. she's very spontaneous when it comes to feelings; the thing is sometimes she jumps in and then backs down because she's so afraid of being betrayed and abandoned and hurt again.

when it comes to marriage specifically, it's not something she thinks about at all. she's often traveling because of work, and any partner would have to understand she won't stop coming and going like that, and that there are things she simply wouldn't share with them if it's important for noxus that she doesn't. ultimately, if she's really in love with someone and getting married is important for them and they understand the terms and conditions i think she'd accept. it's just something that doesn't matter to her, and that she wouldn't do unless she really loves her partner.

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@windchaser: OO I AM CURIOUS WHY CASS WOULD PICK TALON ?

i'm answering here bc i'm using the opportunity to pretend i'm productive in this blog but! like i said in the post about katarina's fave sibling, i think cassiopeia ended up a little distant from the other two, both due to personality and because she was raised to follow in her mother's footsteps instead of her father's, but i do think she wasn't completely isolated from them.

kat and cass aren't that far apart in age, so from the moment they were aware and can remember, they had each other around, unlike talon, who was adopted at some point during their childhood. but funnily enough, i think it's really a matter of personality that would make talon cass' favorite. katarina is reckless, abrasive, too intense in good or bad; talon, albeit closed-off to the point of possible coldness, would be a better fit for cass than that, i think.

cassiopeia is too controlling, which even at a young age would've manifested in wanting things a certain way and being upset when they're not (and trying to ensure they'd be, whether that's crying about it or some other sort of childish manipulation). i just think when it comes to conflict situations, talon's dispassionate temperament, even if not conciliatory, would end up working better with her because. katarina would likely fight and argue and refuse to comply

and when they're older there's the fact tal remains family, and with how he's brought to shurima by the end of kat's comic, i assume he maintained contact with cass and sore to a level, even if distant. on her part, i think cassiopeia would've reached out to stay in touch with him (she has very few people who sincerely like her, even at the height of her popularity in the higher social circles; plus she genuinely misses her family).

that doesn't happen with katarina because katarina was disowned; unlike talon, cass cares for the public image of their family and her own (and she was like, 12 when that originally happened, so very prone to following her parents' guidance on such matters; if they say her sister disgraced their family to the point she's family no longer, she would believe they have reasons to do that - which in itself is also tied to the fact cass didn't have the same negative relationship with their parents katarina had, so she values their judgment, especially their mother's, much more). but basically, talon stayed in her life while katarina didn't, and katarina never bothered to reach out either — so even beyond personality, talon just ends up being a more significant presence in her life, no matter how limited that presence is.

and that's without entering the political situation of noxus and how the sisters are both fiercely aligned to opposite sides. on top of the disownment shenanigans, katarina aligned with swain. it's open knowledge she works with the grand general. and cassiopeia was being prepared to join the black rose since she was a teenager — the whole mission where she was turned into a half-snake was rushed because swain took over power and it made soreana desperate. cassiopeia sees him as an enemy; if katarina is allied with him, she's also an enemy. this impacts less kat's side of things because i feel even when she learns about cassiopeia and the black rose, she sees it as her sister being influenced by their mother and a change of heart still being possible.

but cassiopeia knows katarina's decisions are her own, she knows her own commitment to the rose (which, as of her most recent lore update like 5 years ago when she got her color story i think, has her come to terms with what she became and decide she's going to continue acting for them). she knows they're enemies, and i don't think she feels for that as much as her older sister does, because to her katarina turned her back on them (on her) a long time ago.

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suddenly i miss them though Thanksgiving is over, hahaha

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cass would absolutely have a toxic fanbase she subtly throws against anyone she dislikes while playing the victim if people try to blame her and this is very tied with my kat's modern verse but i just want to say the moment garen broke up with her sister cassiopeia made sure to direct her fans to make his online life hell

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even before her transformation, cassiopeia aways had an interest in poisons — but while katarina stole hers herself to test and learn and build her resistance, cass studied theory and practice with equal dedication (and just had someone get the things she was interested in for her instead of what her sister did)

she knows very well to recognize effects and even develop antidotes, and not only can but likely has poisoned people in ways no one ever even suspected poisoning as the cause of death. her interests also go well beyond killing — it can be very useful to frighten people without ending them, or to make them more susceptible to doing what she wants or telling her what she wants to know.

the irony of her transformation in light of that isn't lost on her. it's one more reason cass is resentful about it (because, yes, it does seem to be a punishment to her at first, and she doesn't see herself as deserving of punishment). but there are things she enjoys about her new form, such as the inhuman strength and powers. the venom, extra ironically, isn't one of them, considering she can feel it hurting her too despite not causing the same damage it does to other people.

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babygirl this, babygirl that.... when are the daddies unionizing

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cass would be daddy tbh

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Is poro! Is snuggly! Is adorable ram creature! Gives snuggles! Friend? Friend of poro?

— @snugglyporos

Aren't the little balls of fluff afraid? She doesn't get snuggles often nowadays. Cassiopeia is careful not to cause inadvertent harm to them with claws or tail, but she is quite content to curl up with the poros. They're warm and soft and not afraid of her. She'd kill for them.

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i hate that the 'for you' dash is the default here i'm assuming bc it's a new blog??? on kat's it's normal :c

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Her mouth burned as noxious venom mingled with her saliva. 

thinking about this specific line from her short story and the fact as natural to her new form as the venom might be she still feels it, it doesn't burn her like it burns others but she can still feel it burning, that would be a constant state of discomfort

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on one hand, ahri is still a fox person in kda. on the other hand, cass would never have turned into a snake person if she didn't go to shurima. idk how normal I want her to be in modern verse

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i do love that what seems like one of her first independent acts enjoying her new powers is hunting down men who abuse women and personally i kinda love the idea her doing her vigilante shit in urzeris would end up getting people talking about it (not in the sense they know it's cass, but that they know something is watching over women and brutalizing shitty men)

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i said that joking but honestly cassiopeia sincerely thinks what happened to her was unfair ok clearly she didn't deserve it what do you mean actions have consequences