#also that’s why the shadows don’t make sense and are mostly vibes

[sobselpop]

Puppeteered by somebody else

Lowkey maybe totally inspired by this masterpiece by the amazing @joycew-art

[catboybiologist]

I'm trans! Here's a way-too-long ramble on my internal thoughts on that!

My other posts on this:

https://www.tumblr.com/catboybiologist/725852054829023232/im-going-to-document-some-things-about-my?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/catboybiologist/725851397783011328/the-short-answer-is-no-but-im-gonna-have-a?source=share

So yay I’m trans! Which like, is neither unexpected nor abnormal for the community I’ve fostered here, so I’m guessing most of y’all’s reactions is just a “hey cool”. But, you see the online side of me, not the irl side, so there’s still a lot of thoughts to sort out on my end. So I’m dumping a lot of thoughts here to sort all that out. And hoooly shit, it got very long, and I still feel like I have more to say… but yeah. If you wanna hear some perspectives on my relation to gender, transness, and femboy culture, read on!

I guess the best way I can think to style this is as an interview with an imaginary third person, sooo…. Bold text is questions I can imagine people having LOL

So what’s my own personal relationship with the term femboy, catboy, and gendered terminology in general? Is the name of your accounts gonna change?

Short answer, no. I like the name CatboyBiologist. “Catboy” itself is a term that is completely untethered from gender at this point to me. Tbqh, the “cat” part feels more wrong than the boy part- as time goes on, I’ve generally ditched the cat ears for most of my outfits as I take them a bit more seriously. Maybe that’ll change when my transition actually starts, but for now, CatboyBiologist stays, and the femboy related language stays in all of my own past posts (keyword, past- more on that in a bit).

I’m not gonna be updating my approach to pronouns. Any pronouns do just fine, I’m sending a vibe into the world and pronouns are my feedback as to what other people interpret that vibe is. Default to they/them if you don’t know what to do with that.

I will be updating my pinned post to link all of these posts, but mostly copy/paste the information from before. That might take a moment cuz I’m lazy, tbh.

And let’s get something else out of the way.

I’m not socially transitioning yet, and probably won’t for a while.

Which, I think leads to a lot of follow up:

Well, why not?

I present fully male and masculine on a day to day basis, and look the part too. Part of it is just this looks insecurity. The mask stays on in my pictures for a reason. Beyond just facial hair (which grows aggressively on me and always shows some shadow), my face looks pretty masculine overall. It takes time to look the way I do in my posts. I wanna give my face and body some time to change so I can look more femme in more casual ways before I present it to the world.

Beyond that, I’m also just worried about being “accepted” as femme straight off the bat. Implicitly, I know this will be easier if I already have some small amounts of physical feminization down my belt.

There’s two main environments that worry me: family, and professionally. Family is a weird hot mess grey area that is too personal to talk about here, but the professional atmosphere is certainly going to be a bit… weird. I live in an accepting geographic region, and around people who are very outspokenly trans supportive…. But most of whom are cishet and simply don’t have a lot of experience seeing or working around trans people. I’m more afraid of being seen as “trans first, biologist second” as far as my career is concerned, than I am about outright transphobia. I know this will never fully go away, and given that I’m 6’2”, I’ll probably never “fully” pass- but I’d at least like people to implicitly read my as femme on a gut level before I start changing how I present that way. One thing my irl femboy experience has shown me is that, even if people can “clock” you intellectually, the way their gut instinct reads you affects whether they treat you as masc or femme. I hope that makes sense on some level. Of course its always going to be an awkward shift, but I hope some time on HRT will make it less awkward.

I’ve come out to one person that doesn’t know about this online persona, or the depths of my queerness. They straight up told me they were shocked. They were incredibly supportive, but they told me they didn’t see it coming at all. And they already knew that I “crossdressed occasionally”. So that’s kinda what I’m working with here.

Essentially, I’m not actually truly “transitioning” in a real sense yet. More than that, I feel like I’m getting the ball rolling. If there’s anything I learned in my research, it’s that HRT takes a while, much longer than anyone expects (suppressing my rant about how the media cherrypicks people in early transition for trans representation and the effect that has on public perception). Two years is often cited as the “end” point, but based on both scientific and anecdotal accounts, that is wildly untrue and variable. I also know that the first changes onset quickly (skin and mood, most notably), but that overall body shape changes sometimes take a VERY long time to start and progress. So to be quite honest, I barely feel like I’m transitioning yet, I’m just laying groundwork for the future.

So yeah. I’m gonna be boymoding for a bit. Possibly a year or more. Even for the people who know, I’ve still asked them to address me as he/him or they/them, and use my masculine name for now (haven’t even really decided on a femme name yet, although I have ideas [open to suggestions as well]).

Wait, so why address it online at all?

Put simply, honesty. I’m displaying a lot of selfies and experimentation with my look here, and I want to make it abundantly clear what I’m doing to have an effect on that. People have asked me if I’m on HRT in comments before, and like, I’m not gonna lie about that. Might as well also make a shitpost, a data gathering post, and a too-long ramble about it as well (which you’re reading now!).

There are a LOT of body image issues in femboy spaces (and trans spaces too!), often among very young people. While I have no issue with people on HRT continuing to call themselves a femboy (more on that in a bit), I do think transparency on that matter is helpful for those body image issues.

So to make it abundantly clear: all of my selfies and pictures that I’m labeling and tagging as “femboy” are pre-HRT. In the future, everything I tag with “trans” is post-HRT. I still got 1-2 weeks before actually starting, and I’m still going to use the femboy tag for any outfits I post during that time. The moment an estradiol pill hits my mouth, though, new pics will use trans tags.

Posts that relate to discussion of the interplay of the communities, and how I view myself within them, I’ll tag with both.

Which leads to another follow up question. This one isn’t about me specifically, but it’s my hot take about a certain brand of trans discourse I’ve seen around (mostly on reddit tbh):

Why would someone who knows they’re mtf trans willingly call themselves a femboy and/or request people to “misgender” them?

So this is actually gonna be striking a nerve with me, and I know I’m gonna kinda be strawmanning here by arguing against the ghost of reddit comments past. I’m not gonna try to dig any of them up in the internet archive, but they are sentiments I’ve seen multiple times.

I’ve seen this question almost word for word in the comments of trans subreddits multiple times. Imma be blunt, and it’s maybe gonna sound a little mean. If this thought is going through your head, you’re likely way more sensitive and particular about labels than most people. And that’s okay! Ask people to address you how you want, you deserve that respect! But the real answer to this question is that many people simply don’t mind being called whatever label is most useful or familiar to themselves in various contexts.

The moment that it becomes completely unacceptable is when someone does actually change their pronouns, name, presentation, etc, and people still address them as “male” or “femboy”. That is completely the fuck out of line, and if you don’t agree, fuck off.

Why does this strike a little bit of a nerve with me? Well, the “conclusion” I saw reached in these trans spaces multiple times when the subject was brought up was annoying as hell. That conclusion was that the only or primary reason that people labeled themselves a femboy, even while on HRT… was to sell their onlyfans. My fucking god, seriously? This is just conservative rhetoric. Luckily, on tumblr, it seems that people are a lot more accepting towards people using whatever language they like to describe themselves, which I’ve enjoyed a lot.

I’ve also had a lot of hate towards “fencesitting” directed at me on reddit, from trans people, for calling myself a femboy. I can’t remember it verbatim, but I very distinctly recall getting a DM that went something like “I fucking hate femboys, just transition already. You’re making us (transfemmes) look bad.” So yeah. Bit of a sore spot.

Yadda yadda yadda the personal journey shit

If I can be real for a moment…. In an ideal world, I would still want to be a part time femboy. Even moreso than the sheer utility of it all (eg, enjoy cis male privilege when I want, but still get treated more femme in certain contexts), it feels almost more profound to fuck with gender norms without sitting on one side of the gender line or another. But I can’t really ignore what I’ve described as my “mental resting state”- a baseline crackle of dysphoria that fills the space in my head when there’s nothing else to fill it. It’s easily distracted, but its always there, and I can’t imagine living my life that way anymore.

I’ve pretty much known I was trans since I was about 12, and had a realization that puberty was just starting to hit me, and I hated it. I suppressed it deeply, for many, many reasons that I don’t think I want to share here. But it made a lot of other mental health struggles in my life a lot worse, even if I didn’t consciously acknowledge that’s what was happening. By the time I was willing to consciously acknowledge it, I realized that my dysphoria wasn’t so bad as to dive in right away. But, I made moves to stabilize my life overall, which have been massively beneficial to me in other ways as well.

During the pandemic, I found myself living alone for the first time ever. So during the pandemic, in one last ditch effort to try to convince myself I wasn’t trans, I delved into femboy aesthetics to try and “just be a feminine man”.

That failed.

So yeah, here I am. I have a wonderful queer community both irl and online, a meagre but stable income, health insurance that has great coverage for trans care, and accepting people around me in my life. It’s long overdue. Maybe I’ll beat myself up for waiting so long and masculinizing so much as a result, but I don’t think I really could have done it any other way.

This all said, I don’t actually really consider myself a woman yet. I’m sure many of you are aware of two different ways transfemmes view themselves(and trans people in general, but using a transfemme perspective here):

-Some view themselves as having always been girls or women, but took some time to realize it and make their body more comfortable for themselves with that information.

-Others view themselves as boys or men who made efforts to become women later.

I fall strongly in the second line of thinking for myself. For my own personal experiences, even though I have felt dysphoria for a long time, I don’t really think I’m “actually” a woman yet. I don’t know what my identity as a woman looks like yet. But I deeply want to discover and create who that person is, and there’s no way to do that without transitioning.

B but… BASIC BIOLOGY!!!!!

How many biology degrees do you have? I got a BS and an MS, and I’m working on my PhD. I’m sure you’ve brought a similar level of expertise to this discussion.

But seriously, I could genuinely write an entire fucking essay about how studying biology has influenced my views on this subject, but honestly, that’s an entirely different topic. But tl;dr is that bioessentialism is brainrot, and if someone tries to use essentialist language to “justify” someone’s transness (or gender in general)… well, I think they’re wrong. Plain and simple. We don’t say someone isn’t “really able to see” if they put glasses in front of their eyes.

I’m stopping myself before I write more here, because this warrants another post or even a fucking video essay, to be quite honest. But yeah. Biology based.

Conclusion?

Uhhhh… in conclusion, I’m not particular about language or pronouns you use for me, I’m making posts about it anyways to ensure honesty associated with my selfies, if you’re transphobic jump of the tallest bridge you can find. I think that about covers it.

[gcthvile]

Rhea Howlett

Name: Rhea Howlett

Alias: Wildclaw

Age: 20

Parents: Logan Howlett and Selene Bozzelli

Powers: Healing factor, enhanced senses, bone claws, and the ability to channel energy through her claws.

Personality:

Rhea’s got a tough, no-nonsense vibe, but it’s mostly a front. She’s had to rely on herself for so long that trusting people doesn’t come easy. She’s sarcastic, a bit rough around the edges, and tends to keep people at arm’s length. But underneath all that, she’s got a soft spot for the few people she actually cares about—even if she’d never admit it out loud.

She’s fiercely independent and hates feeling like she owes anyone anything. That sometimes puts her at odds with the team because she’s not great with authority or following orders, especially if she thinks they’re dumb. She’s quick to jump into a fight and doesn’t back down, which can get her into trouble, but she’s smart enough to know when to get out if things go south.

Rhea’s relationship with Logan is complicated. She respects him, but she also doesn’t want to live in his shadow. She’s constantly trying to prove she’s her own person, not just “Wolverine’s kid.” That’s probably why she’s so determined to do things her way, even if it means taking a harder road.

Despite her tough exterior, Rhea’s loyal to the core. If she considers you family, she’s got your back no matter what, but it takes a lot for her to let anyone in that close. She’s still learning to balance that need for independence with being part of a team. It’s a work in progress.

She’s got a sharp wit and a bit of a temper, but she’s learning to keep it in check... most of the time. You definitely don’t want to be on her bad side, though. When she’s mad, she doesn’t hold back, and her claws aren’t just for show.

Backstory:

Rhea grew up not knowing much about her dad. Her mom, Selene, was a powerful mutant who could manipulate energy, but she disappeared when Rhea was still a baby. Raised by a group of mutants in the wilderness, Rhea’s life was all about survival—hunting, tracking, and figuring out her strange powers. She had claws like her dad, but instead of adamantium, hers were bone. She could also charge them with energy to pack a bigger punch in fights.

Around 15, she stumbled upon a letter that revealed the truth: her dad was none other than Logan. Naturally, this flipped her world upside down, and she set off to track him down, thinking that maybe he could help her figure out who she was.

Finding him wasn’t easy, and along the way, she found out that shady groups, including some that once targeted Logan, were after her. They saw her as the next big experiment, a way to create a new type of super-soldier.

When she finally met Logan, it wasn’t exactly a warm reunion. They bumped into each other in the middle of a fight between the X-Men and some rogue mutants. Logan didn’t believe her at first—figured it was some kind of trick. But after seeing how she fought, a lot like him, the pieces started to come together.

Joining the X-Men wasn’t exactly Rhea’s dream, but she figured it was the best place to learn to control her powers. She had a rough time fitting in—her temper, her instincts, and that feeling of being an outsider made things tough. Her relationship with Logan is complicated. She wants to be close to him, but he’s got his own walls up, and they clash more than they connect.

Rhea’s still trying to find her place. She helps the X-Men when they need her but takes solo missions with X-Force when she can, where her more aggressive side can be useful. She’s figuring it out, bit by bit—just trying to make a name for herself without always being compared to her dad. There’s a lot to live up to, but she’s determined to do things her own way.

Hobbies, interests, likes, and dislikes:

Hobbies & Interests:

Hiking/Exploring: Rhea grew up in the wilderness, so she loves being outdoors. Whether it’s hiking through the woods or exploring new places, she feels most at home in nature.

Combat Training: She enjoys honing her skills, whether it's hand-to-hand combat, sparring, or practicing with her claws. She’s always looking to stay sharp and push herself.

Tinkering: Rhea has a thing for working with her hands. She’ll mess around with gadgets, weapons, or whatever she can find to see how it works and how to improve it.

Music: Rhea's not super open about it, but she’s really into music. She listens to everything from rock to indie and even dabbles in playing guitar when she’s in the mood.

Sketching: When she needs to clear her head, she’ll sketch things—mostly animals, landscapes, and the occasional person. It’s her way of winding down.

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Likes:

Quiet Moments: Despite her rough persona, Rhea enjoys moments of solitude. Whether it’s early morning runs or sitting by a fire, she appreciates the peace that comes with being alone.

Animals: She has a soft spot for animals, especially wild ones. There’s something about their instinctual, untamed nature that resonates with her.

Challenges: Rhea likes a good challenge, whether it’s physical or mental. She enjoys pushing herself beyond her limits and doesn’t mind taking on a tough fight.

Freedom: She values her independence and the ability to make her own decisions. She’s not one for being boxed in or told what to do.

Coffee: She’s not a morning person without it. Strong and black, no sugar.

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Dislikes:

Authority Figures: Rhea hates being told what to do, especially by people she doesn’t respect. It’s a surefire way to get on her bad side.

Crowded Spaces: She’s not a fan of large groups or crowded areas. They make her feel trapped, and her heightened senses don’t help.

Dishonesty: Rhea values straightforwardness. She doesn’t have patience for people who lie or manipulate others. She prefers people who tell it like it is.

Being Compared to Her Dad: She gets that people will see the connection, but she hates being defined by her dad’s reputation. She’s her own person and wants to be treated like it.

Overly Positive People: Rhea can’t stand people who are constantly upbeat or act like everything’s fine when it’s clearly not. It feels fake to her.

Powers (+weaknesses):

1. Healing Factor (Regenerative Abilities)

Like her father, Wolverine, Rhea has an accelerated healing factor. Cuts, bruises, and even more serious injuries, like broken bones or deep wounds, heal rapidly. While her healing isn’t instantaneous, she recovers from damage much faster than a normal human, allowing her to push through pain and continue fighting. This also means she’s highly resistant to diseases and toxins. Her healing factor makes her incredibly durable, which plays a big role in her aggressive fighting style—she can take hits others can't.

2. Enhanced Senses

Rhea has heightened senses similar to an animal. Her sense of smell is particularly sharp, allowing her to track people or detect danger from miles away. She can also see in near-total darkness and has highly sensitive hearing, which makes her great in stealth situations. However, these enhanced senses can sometimes overwhelm her, especially in chaotic environments.

3. Bone Claws

Rhea inherited her father's signature claws, but instead of being coated in adamantium, hers are pure bone. She has three claws on each hand, which she can extend and retract at will. Despite being bone, they’re incredibly sharp and strong, capable of cutting through most materials with ease. However, they can sometimes be vulnerable to stronger metals or extreme force, unlike Wolverine’s indestructible claws.

4. Energy Manipulation (Unique to Her)

Rhea’s most distinctive power is her ability to channel energy through her claws. This is a mutation inherited from her mother, Selene, who could manipulate energy. Rhea’s claws glow with a fiery red aura when she activates this ability, and the energy enhances their cutting power, allowing her to slice through tougher materials or deal more damage in battle.

When in use, the energy surrounding her claws crackles and pulses, like a controlled storm of power. She can unleash blasts of energy from her claws in short bursts, sending shockwaves or concentrated attacks toward enemies. This makes her an even more dangerous opponent at both close and mid-range combat.

While she’s still learning the full extent of her energy manipulation, she knows how to focus it into devastating strikes. However, using too much energy at once can be draining for her, meaning she has to be careful not to overdo it in prolonged fights.

---

Potential Weaknesses

Energy Overload: Channeling energy through her claws can take a toll on her physically. If she pushes too hard or tries to use the energy for too long, it can leave her exhausted or even temporarily weaken her healing factor.

Sensitive Senses: Her enhanced senses, while useful, can also be a double-edged sword. Extremely loud noises or overpowering smells can overwhelm her, momentarily throwing her off balance.

Bone Claws Limit: While her bone claws are tough, they aren't indestructible like Wolverine's adamantium claws. Under extreme pressure or against certain metals, they could crack or break, leaving her vulnerable.

Some fun facts about Rhea:

1. She’s Left-Handed: Just like her dad, Rhea is left-handed, though she’s ambidextrous in combat thanks to her training.

2. Favorite Band is Led Zeppelin: Rhea’s really into classic rock, and Led Zeppelin is her go-to when she’s working out or just zoning out. She has a soft spot for their song "Immigrant Song."

3. She Hates Wearing Shoes: Rhea’s used to running barefoot through the wilderness, so she only wears shoes when absolutely necessary. She’s always the first to kick them off when she can.

4. Can Sleep Anywhere: Thanks to her time growing up in the wild, Rhea can fall asleep in just about any situation—sitting up, on the floor, or even leaning against a wall.

5. She’s a Terrible Cook: Despite her survival skills, Rhea’s pretty hopeless in the kitchen. She can hunt and gather food, but when it comes to actual cooking, things tend to catch on fire.

6. She Talks to Animals: Rhea isn’t a mutant who can communicate with animals or anything, but she’ll often have full conversations with them, especially when she’s alone. It’s more comforting to her than talking to most people.

7. She Once Gave Logan a Friendship Bracelet: As a joke, Rhea made her dad a bracelet out of scraps of leather and tossed it at him. He didn’t laugh, but he also didn’t throw it away. She caught him wearing it once but hasn’t mentioned it to him since.

8. She’s Weirdly Good at Jigsaw Puzzles: When she’s stressed, Rhea will sit down with a jigsaw puzzle and zone out for hours. She’s fast at them and finds it oddly calming.

9. She Hates the Cold: Even though she can survive in extreme environments, Rhea absolutely hates being cold. Winter’s her least favorite season, and she’s always the one bundled up, even if her healing factor keeps her fine.

10. Her Favorite Weapon (Other Than Her Claws) is a Bow: She’s got killer aim with a bow and arrow, which she picked up from her time hunting in the wild. Even when she doesn’t have her claws out, she’s still dangerous at a distance.

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comic look:

hope you guys like her! ^^

@missstrawbs2001 @jackiequick @blueboirick @cherrysft @meiramel @purpleprincessonfyre @ask-missparker @askstevella @therealdaydreamstark @rickb-chaos @luna-d-marsh @gaminggirlsstuff @eddysocs

[nerdyenby]

DRS2 reactions (spoilers)

Ep 1

Ras at the shadow dojo???????? Who woulda thunk

New intro?!?!!!?!! Idk why I wasn’t expecting that, actually

The public including Pix with the missing ninja my beloved

Gosh, big Riyu will take some getting used to

Wait… is that a curious george reference??

I don’t know if I’ve heard someone outright say something isn’t good for their friend’s mental health in a cartoon before, it’s really refreshing

Casual Frohicky and Sora/Arin interactions my beloved <3

Omg Kai explaining Shang to Zane is such season one vibes

Lloyd having open and honest conversations with his students about both his and their wellbeing is so important to me

Ok, hear me out: au where baby Wu didn’t age back at an enhanced rate and gets lost at somepoint and Arin is teenage Wu

Dang it, Cinder’s kinda funny

Ep 2

I legit started happy stimming so hard at that opening shot, I’m really invested in Euphrasia’s story already and nothing’s even happened yet lol

Percival out here making the gen z solarpunk dream a reality!!!!

Lloyd calling it what it is — a panic attack — soothes something in me

Sora did really bad graffiti of cats when she was young, that’s adorable and kinda tells you everything you need to know about her

MY GIRL!!!!!!!

Euphrasia using a cane!!!! Hell yeah mobility aids!!!! (Even though it’ll probably be gone in two episodes lol)

I kid you not, I was 100% expecting Suetonius to say “resurrect… the Great Devourer” lmao

I love that the gang is (mostly) all together, but it’s a bit too many characters for a conversation, I get why they like to split them into groups

Nya grounding Lloyd :(( /pos

Kai boasting about a fight that he won a decade ago when Cinder probably doesn’t even know Ash is endlessly amusing to me

Ras is so dramatic I can’t really take him seriously

Damn, they’re letting characters get hurt, it’s kinda refreshing but it’s scary

Ep 3

Wait I didn’t see Euphrasia get captured :((

WHAT THE HELL?!???? /vpos

Strength, motion, energy, and life?!??!!??

AYOOOOOO?!?!????

Kai comforting Wyldfyre <333

We know this takes place after the mech shorts, so why hasn’t anyone mentioned Cole? He was also seen in public, so why did that conspiracy guy say he’s still missing?

Why do they keep leaving Zane behind?? He’s in his housewife era fr

Kai making sure Wyldfyre’s taken care of :((

This show is so unserious, I love it

I wasn’t feeling people calling Kai Wyldfyre’s dad after season one but…

No… Sora took Arin’s thing from him… she didn’t mean to, but he feels like he’s not special anymore :(

I’m going to pretend that was a believable amount of parts to make a mech that big

Kai getting moments with Arin and Sora my beloved

Kai’s “hey kid, nice of you to drop by” is giving the same energy as when Lloyd and Arin first met during the merge

THE WALLS ARE MOVING, REPEAT: THE WALLS ARE MOVING

These nightmare sequences are going so hard

Nya being the first one to realize it isn’t real when her nightmare is reality, I’m screaming

Riyu comforting Wyldfyre <333

Nya best sister award when

Ep 4

My boys!!!!!

THE found family of all time

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY CHILDREN I WILL RIOT

Seeing Kai and Nya fight so smoothly together is so special after how much they and Lloyd were tripping over each other when they first reunited

Basketball?!??!!??!!!

Autistic Arin real and true

I love Bonzle so much

Geo is such a lil bastard actually /pos, makes more sense why he and Cole are a thing, knowing Cole’s taste in men

COLE!!!!!!

Cole will never stop being overpowered, it seems, he deserves it tbh

Censorship pog /hj

“Not funny, Wyldfyre” “Not joking, Sora” the sheer cousin vibes in this interaction are too much to handle

Lloyd PLEASE just mention being 1/4 dragon, it will almost certainly get Egalt on board, I am begging

Glacier reunion!!!!!!!

Ep 5

I wanted a more emotional reunion, but they’ve probably seen each other off screen (or I’m just forgetting a scene from the shorts)

Zane, why are you still carrying that doll like it’s your child??

Bonzle my beloved, she’s says that so deadpan I don’t actually have any questions

Wyldfyre my beloved

I would die for Bonzle

Cole and Geo holding hands 😭😭😭😭😭

Is Egalt the motion source dragon?? Probably not tbh but I’d believe it

Man’s spitting facts, flatearthers are going to lose their shit

“Little fire man” IM DYING OH MY GOD

Wait when does this take place? My first instinct is while the ninja were in the Never Realm but idk if we’ll actually find out

“Friends can become like family?” “Definitely” IM SOBBING ON THE FLOOR

Letting Arin be angry is so important

Cole shutting down Bonzle’s suicidal thoughts without hesitation “no, you are loved and needed. We will find a way to protect you” <333

The physical affection in DR is so dear to me

Human sacrifices???? In MY lego show?????

Ep 6

Wyldfyre struggling with her body’s limits is really relatable as a young disabled person

FOREHEAD TOUCH :((

Plot twist: where the other ninja are right now is Mysterium and they have that tua meme of two cars passing each other moment

Damn, that exchange hit hard as a former gifted kid. Sometimes having someone believe in you hurts. You’re not just letting yourself down, but them, too

Nya just fucking bodyslamming Kai, Egalt didn’t know what he was getting into pitting the world’s most competitive siblings against each other

“The Finders are like my family” *looks at Zane* “My other family” screaming, crying, sobbing on the floor

Oh no

Wait yeah, why are they thirsty if Zane can just make ice for them to chew on? At least Cole and Jiro, idk if Bonzle needs water

The nonbinary pirate!!!

Cole CANNOT escape the performing arts fr fr

Ep 7

Bonzle is giving transgender

That is the most Jay and Cole thing I’ve ever heard it, it’s so in character it almost feels out of character

Arin and Sora going through the exact same thing and trying and failing to not take it out on each other :( it’s ok tho, the real ones are the ones you can be snippy with and love regardless

Wyldfyre referring to the ninja as “Kai’s friends” honey, they’re your friends too, I promise

Anyone who calls Wyldfyre dumb can fuck off, she’s so perceptive and intelligent and is really good at connecting others when she truly wants to

Bonzle’s mom <33333

Bonzle’s smile when her mom compliments her name <3333

Who you calling stolen equipment bitch?????

Lil Kai and Nya!!!!!!

Nya’s so proud of him!!!!! I could cry

Kai being the first to achieve it because fire is an element under motion’s domain methinks

Oh you bigoted son of a bitch

Zane why are you considering it????? Honey

What the fuck did you do to Jiro??!?!!!

JAY?!?!!???

Ep 8

NOOOO 😭😭😭

There’s literally a nindroid agent right there????

The og musical cue playing when Jay comes back <3

Jay on his Euphrasia arc, this is highkey breaking my heart though

I’m counting this as a fakeout death and you can’t stop me

Are you kidding me???!!!? How many times is Jay going to be one room away from the ninja

Lloyd SHUT UP /aff

“And cursed!!” She says cheerfully, this lady is an icon

The subtitles keep calling Cole Kai, what is this, season one??

Ep 9

Aww, baby Ras (trying desperately to not care about him)

Oh ok, he’s making my job easier

Poor Wyldfyre :(

I love this trio so much, their banter is so good

Lloyd honey, fighting it is making it worse

Nya holding him through his panic attack :((

I was expecting Cole to deny that it was him, the earth is going through it

The disco toaster!!!!!

Heck yeah Riyu!!!

I love them so much it’s not even funny

“What’s your elemental power, imperviousness to sarcasm?” She just called him autistic in 13 languages (I’m autistic, dw guys)

“First time driving?” “Believe it or not, no” Bonzle and Arin my beloved

I’m a touch disappointed Wyldfyre’s perfectly fine now as someone with chronic pain, but I’m glad it was handled as well as it was and it’s a really important lesson for younger audiences that pushing your body while it’s in pain only makes it worse

The silent exchange of Cole suggesting Zane takes the parrot potion is endlessly funny but also sad considering it’s probably the closest well get to talking about the Falcon

Cole turning into a puppy who cheered?!???

“At least you’re adorable” “I’m always adorable” get a room /aff

Tournament of elements flashbacks

The workplace gossip omg, Cinder really out here beefing with a 16 year old

Don’t you even fucking dare

MY BABIESSSSSS

Ep 10

Arin mistaking Lloyd and Nya for his parents hurts :(

Oh no… I mean, it was obviously coming but it’s still very bad

WYLDFYRE POPPING OFF!!!!! THIS GIRL NEEDED HER ENRICHMENT

Let Euphrasia do stuff 2024

Wyldfyre jumping in front of Kai and protecting him

The basketball practice coming in handy lol

The fight cinematography in DR is fucking superb

KAI D: (he’ll be fine, I believe)

Nya!!!!!

BONZLE MVP!!!!

I was prepared for Rontu and Egalt to stay dead, the breath I let out when the stone cracked was unparalleled

Are we legit not getting Kai back????

Cole and Lloyd hug!!!!!

RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

Oh no… that lie is going to hurt when it comes out

Kai and Bonzle!!!!

Not like Master Wu says, like Lloyd says ;-; /pos

[darkfictionjude]

Etymology nonnie here!

I think I explained I wanted to have well thought out names for my MC's. I became the etymology nonnie thanks to that.

And I already explained why my boy MC who romances Imre is named Indiana. And all the cutesy silly ideas I had based on the names. I+I=We will always haunt me. If I ever write a fanfic of WWC I'll have to include it for sure.

But here I came to announce I, surprisingly, came with the perfect name for an MC to romance Nia with. Which is funny, since I was actually trying to come up with one for an MC who'll romance Lorcan.

It came from one of the asks you answered minutes ago. Since people were asking you about the birds Nia liked. What better name, then, than Robin? It's specially nice because it works for all genders. And it makes the birdie nickname work overtime. All my MC's are male, but I think Robin works well. Nickname Rob (which coincidentally is also the nickname of an OC of mine, whose full name is Robert, lol). Mostly thinking from male references like Robin hood, as well as the many versions of Batman sidekicks.

Now, for my MC romancing Lorcan, I'm still undecided. I really have been liking Ambrose lately. It means immortal (which feels oddly ominous for this game), and for nicknames I could go with Ames or Brose (or Bro... No, I can't do that... Evil shall not tempt me). Yet, as much as I like the name, it does not convince me entirely yet.

The other one I was considering was an anagram of Orla. That is, Arlo. It doesn't have a certain meaning, but I think it's cute. And it has deep ties with the story. It follows from Prudence trying to have a second Orla with MC, to the point that even the name is related to her. And it's also wholesome and down to earth, which I think fits for a potential partner for Lorcan. I think it's also cute a potential nickname for Arlo is Lo (there are other options, like Rollo or Arly/Arlie), so it feels very tied to Lorcan specifically.

I don't know. I'm probably giving it way too much thought. But, what do you think? If not of the names, at least of my endeavor to have specific names based on the RO I'm romancing?

I do think it's a bit contradictory to the themes of WWC, that involve MC finding their own identity and selfhood. But I also like names to fit together in meaning, phonoaesthetics and overall vibe between romantic couples. So, I don't know if I should defend myself or not.

I do think robin is very cute. It could be a reason Nia calls mc that

Arlo would make sense thematically but it would also cast a shadow on mc and Lorcan’s relationship. Unless you want to constantly have his relationship with you be forever tied to Orla, it would always be a crowded relationship. The only way Lorcan’s relationship can work if he stops looking at mc like Orla’s sibling and the name Arlo just wouldn’t help. He would feel bad thinking he’s replacing Orla with you so it’s just willingly inviting more of Orla into there.

Ultimately I don’t care what the mc’s are called since it’s choice based and all of you have reasons for whichever name you pick I’m just giving my two cents on what I would think if mc was called that

[waldensblog]

Alright, I’m doing it. I am reading Shadow and Bone.

For context, I watched the show, but have never read the series before. Now, without further ado...

Alina:  I found Alina a bit irritating at the beginning, because she just seemed to be absolutely obsessed with Mal. Ana in the first few pages says the two are “too attached” to each other, and I felt that way watching the show, with these feelings amplified here. He seemed to have a life, identity, friends, outside of her, but she just kind of waited for him to come back. I loved seeing her grow at the Little Palace when she finally let go of Mal, and embraced who she is as a Grisha, started to have genuine friendships with Genya, Marie, Nadia, and hang around other Grisha. I loved her friendship with Genya so much. It was excellent growth in her, and I loved seeing it. I was a bit frustrated at the end, the way she kind of abandons everyone and runs off with Mal - on the one hand I get it - she doesn’t have the power to stop anything, and she’s saving Mal, but on the other hand, she abandoned a bunch of people to the Volcra, it’s not that heroic, but in a way, that makes it more interesting. I definitely think Alina’s major character flaw is her obsession with Mal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she kind of regresses in the second book while with him. I generally like Alina, but at times she frustrates me. 

Mal / Malina:  Mal’s character is... not my favourite, but I don’t hate him at this point. At the start he’s a friend who has a life outside his friendship with Alina - he has other friends, an identity of his own, hobbies, etc. He gets pissed at Alina at the Little Palace for getting a boyfriend, basically, and makes his jealousy her problem. It’s fine that he didn’t initially have feelings for her - which probably has a lot to do with the fact that she was a sickly girl with no sense of self - but he made it her problem and was rude. He does at least apologize later and own up to it, but it’s obvious that her past with the Darkling is not a subject to discuss, which is really a shame, because... she should be able to discuss her feelings with her friend, but apparently, cannot. 

I know she’s supposed to have a crush on Mal, but I just don’t ship it. Normally a friends-to-lovers trope is one I can vibe with, in this case, I don’t. They grew up in an orphanage together, in the same household, so it really gives me brother/sister vibes. In fact, the first time I watched the show, I assumed that was how I was supposed to view them. I also can’t help but feel like... her crush on Mal is almost more told than shown. When Mal is introduced, I am told he has blue eyes. This was the extent of the description I had for a while, but as soon as the Darkling showed up... that was another description altogether. I don’t hate Mal at this point, and I don’t ship Malina.

The Darkling / Darklina: 

The Darkling has survived centuries and seen Grisha persecution, endless wars fought on behalf of the monarchy, and he wants to liberate Ravka. His methods? I don’t agree with, but his mission isn’t a bad one, so I understand why some Grisha and soldiers were cheering at the end for him. As I was reading, I was thinking “damn I wish these soldiers would get class consciousness and stop hating Grisha, realizing the King is really the enemy, as he makes them all fight for him!”. The Darkling tries to do just that here. He’s a villain from Alina’s POV (”Fine, make me your villain”), which I think is mostly an effect of 1st person POV - imagine reading these events from his POV. He isn’t a hero, he isn’t a good guy - I’d say antagonist yes, and morally grey.

As soon as Alina meets the Darkling, we get quite the description. His silky black hair, grey quartz eyes, sharp jaw. His strong arm catches her after the initial touch which she feels an immediate connection with (I know, I know, it’s because he’s a living amplifier - but still, all the “literally turns you on” jokes are too easy here!) Later we hear he has a soft voice, a laugh she loves, and she’s eager to impress him. She’s very actively thirsting for him in a way she didn’t really seem to do for Mal. When they kiss for the first time after months of dancing around it all, she noted that she’s been kissed before, but this was something else. There’s a major spark here. I think the feelings are mutual too. When Ivan turns a corner, he has a knowing smile. As a heartrender, Ivan would know if the Darkling seriously had 0 feelings, and in that moment with Ivan, it reads to me like Ivan knew. Later, of course, he gifts her the black Kefta, with his symbol necklace, which is like the Grishaverse equivalent of wearing your boyfriend’s sweater. He wants everyone to know they’re a thing. I think he was really sincerely hurt (and probably surprised by the hurt) when she ran off. She was growing, becoming comfortable as a Grisha, everything going well, and then she just left, no explanation, because his mother said some stuff. Yeah I’d be in pain too. I don’t condone his behaviour when he finds her again, not at all. I think his feelings are still there, as evidenced by the tent kiss, and they are mutual. Despite everything, there is still feelings, still a connection. Things aren’t over. I find myself still ultimately shipping it - even if there’s obviously problematic elements, because of what they initially had, what things can be - basically I just want Aleks to get some therapy, but I know that ain’t gonna happen lol.

Also, when the Darkling said “Can I come to you tonight”, Alina hesitated but my thirsty ass would have been like “Fuck yeah” in a heartbeat. Ben’s performance gave me a crush on his character (and actor) and is isn’t dissuaded here (though I dig show Darkling more as he’s more obviously grounded in humanity - again, probably a consequence of the show being 3rd person POV vs the book being 1st person POV). I am definitely pro Darkling and Darklina. 

Baghra:

Baghra is also morally grey to me. I neither hate nor love her. On the bad, she is an abusive instructor, hitting her students when they fail to perform, and she definitely chooses what information to give in a manipulative way. She does, however, ultimately help Alina, or in her mind she does, and Alina’s perspective too. She warns Alina about the Darkling, and helps her escape, saying she loves her son and doesn’t think he’s past redemption yet. On the other hand, by imparting this information here, now, Alina doesn’t get the chance to confront the Darkling and ask his side (which I find weird - she didn’t like Baghra, but immediately trusts her over her new boyfriend who has been by this point in the story only been shown to help her). It’s also rather frustrating when she calls Alina a “foolish girl” for being involved with the Darkling... like what the hell, it’s not like YOU SAID ANYTHING, FOR WEEKS/MONTHS!!!!! So yes, my feelings are neither pro or anti, just... she’s grey to me. I’ll need to see how she develops in future books to know where I stand.

Next Up: I will wait for season 2 to read the next one, so that I am thoroughly surprised by the show!

[purplebass]

Just to get to know you better I hope you don’t mind indulging some of my questions 🤭

1. Rank your top 7 fav shadowhunter ships and why ?

2. Rank your top 7 fav shadowhunter novels and why ?

3. Top 7 fav head canons post the events of TLH about our favs ?

5. Fav shadowhunter ship to write and why?

6. Which of the four secret novels we r getting for seasons of shadow hunters are you most excited to read and why? (As well as which tier did you order?)

7. Super indulgent and shameless petition/ask- do you think you’ll ever write a long fic starring ghostwriter bc not only will that make me squeal and die of happiness I think it would be terrifyingly amazing to have someone take on TLH ambitious take on a long arc in the form of a long fic! A la downtown abbey style!

That’s all from me! Again, thank you thank you for all you do! Ur so talented xo

Hey there again :) no problem, you can ask me questions! And sorry if I took my time answering but it was a lot of q's haha

Rank your top 7 fav shadowhunter ships and why ?

Oh, this is truly difficult because I'm mostly obsessed with tid&tlh so I'll say thomastair, blackdale and wessa (I also like other ships but perhaps I'm not as obsessed the way I am with them because I prefer the historical side of tsc). Each has a special place in my heart and they make me believe in love and makes me smile like an idiot <3 and I just love that they have in common the love for books. They're all bookish in different ways.

2. Rank your top 7 fav shadowhunter novels and why ?

These are easier to rank :) (also you can tell I love tid/tlh haha)

Clockwork Princess

Chain of Iron

Chain of Thorns

City of Glass

Chain of Gold

Lord of Shadows

Clockwork Angel

3. Top 7 fav head canons post the events of TLH about our favs ?

I think Thomas and Alastair definitely adopt a cat or even more when they have their own house

Matthew teaches Lucie to drive his car and she's good at it (a reckless driver, though lol)

Jesse and Alastair are friends and they bonded over their mutual interest for mundane/political events and critical analysis of books no one seems to know

Will's fashion sense gets weirder as he gets older and Tessa loves to give him little accessories to match his suits

Thomas and Alastair love discovering new music together and sometimes Alastair is inspired to compose new melodies because of this (but he only shares them with Thomas)

Lucie and Jesse go on a trip to the US a few years after canon (and they're married) so she can research for her books. I believe they would really like the New Orleans vibes

All of them surely meet at James and Cordelia's house to play board games and eat together

5. Fav shadowhunter ship to write and why?

This is hard, because I obviously like to write them all, and they are different so there are different sides to explore in each. Maybe I'll say Thomastair because I really like their trope grumpy/sunshine. It's challenging to write :)

6. Which of the four secret novels we r getting for seasons of shadow hunters are you most excited to read and why? (As well as which tier did you order?)

Since we still don't know a lot of the couples, I'm excited for the Wessa story. I really want to see them being all happy and young before they had their kids, and I think Cassandra wrote something cute and fluffy that will make us go awwww!

I couldn't order any tier, sadly 🥲 because of some irl problems. But I hope someone will post some of the stories because I want to read them!

7. Super indulgent and shameless petition/ask- do you think you’ll ever write a long fic starring ghostwriter bc not only will that make me squeal and die of happiness I think it would be terrifyingly amazing to have someone take on TLH ambitious take on a long arc in the form of a long fic! A la downtown abbey style!

I love this idea! And I love Downton, so I'm up for it :) tbh I started a long Ghostwriter fic a few months ago, maybe I could continue that one and incorporate more historical things and such. I already did a sorta outline but I'm soooo slow so I need to organize things before I can post a few chapters of that (I always have too many ideas at once and I need to prioritize lol)

Thank you for this ask and sorry if it took me a few days to answer 💜

[asseater3k]

Metal gear mania days 1&2

Game: MGS2

Got started yesterday and cleared the tanker and got past the basic setup of the main game. I’ve played Twin snakes a lot back in the day so I was vvaery familiar with the controls and was able to slide back into that control scheme very easily in MGS2 save for a little trouble converting muscle memory from a game cube controller to a ps3 controller. If you’ve played either you know how good this scheme feels, responsive movement leaning around corners and first person aiming combined with the lovely shoulder button menus makes this a great experience from a gameplay standpoint I’d imagine that at launch the tanker segment was a very engaging playground for learning and testing the new controls while it my case and Im sure others who started with the twin snakes it worked as something of a check list like a pre flight check to makes everything was up and running. The tanker also does very well at setting up plot hooks and intrigue some of which went very different directions than I thought they would as always it makes me happy to hear Snake and Otacon.

(Spoilers below the cut)

I was also happily surprised to hear cam Clarke back at it as liquid snake in the form of an arm ocelot picks up being the funniest guy ever right where he left off after the post credits of twin snakes immediately showing up acting goofy doing gun tricks and turning on his allies before succumbing to the horrible fate of being British even if just for a moment. I don’t have much to say on the shift to Raiden as it was something i knew would happen, hard to keep stuff like that under wraps these days. Something I really did appreciate was just how hard this game attempts to gaslight you into thinking everything’s hunkey dory from raidens initial codename being Snake or Campbell, who I’ll talk more about in a bit repeating the lines about the Soloton radar from the first game, not much to say naritively about the early game as most of the conversation where about using the action button is various wacky ways. The main thing that happened during the first day was mostly me trying to wrap my head around why people seemed to hat raiden so much when this game came out. This guy is hilarious and frankly pretty adorable. One of my favorite things about the first game is how it makes you the player and solid snake the character feel like this expendable grunt even while doing insane shit like rocket jumping to kill a helicopter, something I haven’t seen talked about a lot is just how much of the game is something of mystery story and you ALWAYS feel like your the last to know and that Carries over to this game. At this point my naritive thoughts are gonna blend days 1 and 2 together and I’m not gonna really section things out super hard between them, I think a strength of this game is how that sense of being left in dark carries over but is fundamentally different due to having played the last game. At the beginning of MGS there’s no real hint that this is going to be more complex than it presents itself to you. The vibe early on is one of a cool action game where you go in and do snakes solider man things maybe this is different if you played the OG metal gear but for me I was unaware and that feels intentional by the time you get to the DARPA chief you start unraveling these threads and dont really stop untill the end of the game. MGS2 starts you the player and Raiden at about the same point in terms of knowledge with one key difference. You the player KNOW what really happened on Shadow Moses and raiden does not you start the game knowing that something isn’t right and there are these crossing wires but even after all you did in MGS 1 you still dont know enough. I think having the two man booth really adds to this and Campbell repeating lines from the first game weaves that beautifully to give you the sense that something isn’t quite right before you even really start the story. Those lines put you in the headspace of MGS with this full support team but here at this point you really only have the colonel and Rosemary, who I really like i think her dynamic with Raiden is cute. On the other hand Campbell feels off. I love Paul riding hearing is voice makes me feel as though I’ve consumed a lovely warm stew in an otherwise frigid winter is that warmth that spreads through out your body. I do not feel that here at all. I know he kept secrets in MGS and was pretty shady at the end (though the specifics escape me and I was too spoiler scared to check a wiki) but this feels like a whole different level At the point I’m currently at so much of the initial details have been showned to be incomplete or flat out untrue not to mention aspects of the situation he doesn’t include. The combination of his insistence that you can’t trust pliskin ( who IS solid snake I’m not gonna bother with the bit here even though its really funny) and the at times very aggressive tone with which he interacts with raiden makes it really hard to tell if this is stuff he genuinely doesn’t know or if he knows way more than hell let in on. This is another thing i think works really well in conjunction with the first game.\

In that game Campbell was a solid grounding presence which was used by the game later when even he starts becoming unsure and untrustworthy just how much you don’t know and how little of a grasp is had by the cast on the reality of the situation at shadow Moses. In MGS2 you are armed with that knowledge but are still presented with Campbell as the grounded athoritiative figure this creates a sensation of unsteady ground to the player immediately while providing a lot more incentive to interact with and trust pliskin aside form the fact he’s obviously snake he feels like hes got more of the situation figured out and is much more willing to tell Raiden. Side note these feelings of uncertainty and distrust are defiantly also influenced and reinforced by the tanker incident but I find myself unable to articulate that to the degree I could with stuff from the first game.

The Game is also paced very well even if you’re playing it like a nutcase like I am as you go through more and more of things you were told about the mission prove to just be untrue beyond just its more complicated than we initially thought, like i said I’m not sure if Campbell is traight up lying to me or not but at the point I’m at now I’ve just learned about the patriots and its hard not to notice how much the plan of action Campbell insist upon lines up with what it seems they would want at this time I can’t be sure if cause he works for the military of hes just being fed just the same bad info we are or if theres more to it but I am intrigued

On a final note the antagonist situation is interesting. Dead Cell are, objectively, hilarious. I lost my mind when Fatman in particular roller bladed up with his bomb disposal gear and wine glass to talk about how epic his next YouTube prank was gonna be, Vamp just does increasingly more ridiculous things every time hes on screen, Fortune is cool as fuck and her theme fucking melts. After that it does get a bit confusing as which out of the three between ocelot the patriots and solidus i should focus on and I think that’s intentional. It does feel like being in a room with three people where on of which is going to kill you and the others but you don’t if its going to be all of them or just one and if so which one. It all adds up to give a sense that you can’t stay still or in one place too long you have to keep pace with something to stay alive but figuring out exactly what or who is anything but easy

In conclusion: four stars check it out.

[bigskydreaming]

@destefaniart Yup, “In Their Shadows Grow Trees of Good and Evil” is definitely Court of Owls related. Its literally just using that series’ AU setting and family dynamics with the premise: 

What if the Batfam found out about the Court’s existence and plans for Dick before the Court ever tried to make a move on him, based purely on fifteen year olds Jason and Cass watching Court members be skeevy around their older brother at galas and being like...mmm, don’t love whatever’s going on over there. I sense Evil afoot.

(The following is just some off-the-cuff dialogue along those lines, but not actually likely to be the actual dialogue I go with because the character voices aren’t quite what I’m aiming for Jason and Cass to actually sound like in this. I’m mostly just being goofy for the LULZ at the moment. But like. You get the gist).

Jason: I do not care for their vibes, sister. 

Cass: Samesies.

Jason *spluttering*: Samesies? SAMESIES? Did you not hear the intonations I put in that? The gravitas? You couldn’t just like....match my energy, nooooo, you had to go and fucking derail by being like ‘ha ha, samesies, tee-hee’ which by the way, is something I have literally NEVER heard out of your mouth before now and I somehow doubt I will ever hear you say again...ugh. God, would it KILL you to just follow my lead for once?

Cass, regarding her dramatic-ass brother with all the gravitas he wanted before: Yes. I could die. Would you like that? Do you want me to die?

Jason: ....what?

Cass: I see. I would literally die for you. For our brother. But me? I can die. You’d be fine. Ideal, even. Good to know.

Jason: What is happening right now.

Cass: Learning I love you more than you love me. Its fine. Why? What’s up with you?

Jason: Why are you like this?

Cass *shrugs and stares deeply into her flute glass of sparkling apple cider as though its a scrying pool that contains the answer to his question, which is now suddenly the most important question to ever be asked and/or contemplated*: My parents are bad people. That could be it.

Jason snorts, the mood broken: Oh please. My dad’s an ambulatory piece of shit with just enough of a credit history to trick society into thinking he came out of a womb instead of a public toilet. You ain’t special.

Cass *shrugs*: Knew it wasn’t going to land. Figured I’d commit anyway.

*both pause to soak in the sudden uncomfortableness*

Jason: Right! So! How do you want to play this? Should we just skip straight past the awkwardness to an abrupt subject change and pretend neither of us ever dropped the dreaded ‘p’ word? Or we could do the whole ‘mine are worse’ ‘no mine are worse’ thing until we make a scene that ends with Dick assuring us its not a competition and we can both have shitty parents while getting that weird pinched expression where its like he can’t decide whether he wants to apologize for having good parents or like, pat us on the head for having terrible ones? That’s always fun.

Cass, nodding thoughtfully: I do enjoy that. I shouldn’t. But I do.

Jason, bumping her shoulder with his: Eh, don’t feel too bad. He gets the same look when Bruce burns toast and Dick can’t decide if he wants to roast B for it or apologize for being a functioning adult who can safely use a toaster without having the fire department on standby just in case.

Cass: Also very funny.

Jason: Exactly. Sides, its not like its your fault. I mean, how do we know you finding that funny ISN’T because your parents are shitty people?

Cass, eyeing him with the dubious air of someone who WANTS to believe, but is well acquainted with her brother’s brand of bullshit: I laugh when our brother gets the awkward look where he doesn’t know whether something’s just sad or something he should feel bad for.....because my mother kills people for money.

Jason, spreading his arms as if points were actually just made: Can you prove there’s for sure NOT a connection there?

Cass: People are right. You do use that too much.

Jason, who has never backed down in his life and for damn sure isn’t about to start right now: And you know who’s fault that probably is?

Cass, with eyebrow raised: Your dad’s?

Jason, triumphant: EXACTLY. Its not my fault the math all checks out.

Cass: Right. Its math.

Jason: Yup. Can’t argue with math. The only empirical truth of the universe. I mean, could you imagine if you tried to say math led you astray? Bruce might actually cry.

Cass: Are you done?

Jason, pausing to consider. Yeah, I can be done.

Cass takes a deliberate chug of her drink, eyes watching her brother the whole time as if just waiting for him to reverse course and pick right back up.

Jason: Hey wait a second. People say I use that too much? What people?

Cass *shrugs*: People.

Jason: Well what people are talking about me? Are they talking about me TO you? What do they say? Are you defending me at least?

Cass, after a pause: Sorry. I lied. No people were talking. Definitely not about you.

Jason, narrowing his eyes: Why don’t I believe that?

Cass shrugs: Because I just told you I lied?

Jason: Ugh, no, not about that, I don’t believe you about lying.

Cass squints: I lied about lying?

Jason: Yes. That.

Cass: That’s weird. Why would I do that?

Jason: I DON’T KNOW.

Cass: Well if you don’t know how should I know?

Jason: You’re doing that thing again.

Cass: Now you’re lying. I never do things. I’m a thinker, not a doer. My therapist even said so.

Jason, rolling his eyes: That’s because you’re a demented little chaos monster who pathologically lies to your therapist just so you can giggle at Bruce’s face every time she comes back with increasingly niche diagnoses for stuff you read about on WebMD.

Cass: Bruce said I needed more hobbies!

Jason: Yes, and manipulating your therapist into basing an entirely absurd and completely off-base CASE STUDY on you is what he meant.

Cass, the unrepentant: He should have been more specific.

Jason: She’s going to publish only to be completely discredited and then laughed right out of her tenure isn’t she.

Cass, shrugging: I don’t know how tenure works.

Jason, eyeing her sternly: Don’t you think that a) there’s a chance this might have gotten a LITTLE out of hand, and b) you should be at least a LITTLE concerned that I of all people think this is a bad idea?

Cass: Why do you get to be the only one with bad ideas? My parents are bad people too! Math!

Jason: Eww, stop making me see the error of my own ways! I’m too young to repent!

Cass, rolling her eyes now: I’m only doing it because she’s a terrible person who shouldn’t be allowed to work with children who can’t tell when she’s being secretly judgy while saying things that would make them feel bad if they couldn’t tell she doesn’t really care about helping them like I can.

Jason: So you’re saying.....this is all just because she’s actually a danger to the people she’s supposed to be helping, and you’re only doing it for the greater good.

Cass: Mostly for the greater good.

Jason: Cass!

Cass: Its not my fault its still funny!

Jason groans. He’s so not cut out to be the responsible sibling. It feels gross. How does Dick do it all the time.

Cass, exasperated: Jason. She thinks I have an imaginary friend.

Jason: What? Why the fuck does she think that?

Cass blinks: I told her I did.

Jason groans again.

Cass: She didn’t have to believe me!

Jason: Why didn’t you just tell Bruce the real reason you don’t like her and let him deal with this?

Cass, hotly: I’m not a QUITTER.

Jason: You get how absurd you’re being right now right? This is ME. Judging YOU. For YOU being the absurd one here!

Cass: Your last therapist was convinced you were a pyromaniac!

Jason jabs a finger at her: Hey! That is NOT the same! ONE time, I said ‘fire pretty’ as a JOKE, and he just leaped to conclusions!

Cass: You started a fire. In your room. That same night.

Jason: That was an ACCIDENT! 

Cass crosses her arms. Judgmentally.

Jason: He was being RIDICULOUS and it was totally ridiculous that Bruce just like, BELIEVED him because like ‘he’s a professional Jason, he knows how to do his job,’ as though the fact that I can literally LIE TO HIS FACE about secretly being fucking ROBIN in session after session wasn’t kinda a big red flag that maybe the dude’s not that GOOD at his job, y’know? But you show B enough diplomas on a wall and he’s like ah excellent, an expert, like people don’t BUY their way through school all the fucking time and I was just TRYING to make Bruce see how ridiculous it was to think this guy had ANY clue what he was talking about by being like hey, look at all the super flammable and incendiary stuff I have just readily available throughout my room, and yet surprise! No fire! Could a pyromaniac do that?!

Cass: And then a fire started.

Jason: Yes, obviously, but only on ACCIDENT.

Cass: From all the super-flammable and incendiary stuff you accidentally had in your room TO start fires.

Jason: Okay, see, I feel like you’re not getting it.

Cass: That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

Jason: Oh great, now I’m getting judged by Miss Watch Me Gaslight My Therapist Into Losing Her Job By Writing About How Not Normal I Am, With This Of Course Being a TOTALLY NORMAL THING TO DO

Cass glares at him. Jason glares at her. 

Cass: This is why Bruce is so sure we need therapy, isn’t it.

Jason: Can we agree that he can never know that we’ve come to understand why he’s concerned, and that making us go might not actually be the worst thing he’s ever done to us?

Cass: Obviously.

Jason: Great. Now to distance ourselves from this uncomfortable self-awareness as quickly as we possibly can, let’s jump tracks: where did we land on those creepers talking to Dick and how we feel about their vibes?

Cass: The vibes are rancid. 

Jason: Awesome, we’re still on the same page. And this leads us to conclude that the owners of the rancid vibes give Major Skeeve and we do not like and or trust them or their skeeviness right? 

Cass: Duh.

Jason: So in conclusion, rancid vibes, skeevy dudes, probable evil afoot. At the very least, insidiousness. We should definitely investigate further.

Cass: Yes. There will probably need to be punching.

Jason: Any particular reason, or because you just want to punch them?

Cass: *hesitates* Sure.

Jason: I am so uncomfortable with this inverted dynamic wherein I am the voice of reason and also moderation. Are we done yet? Is opposite day over?

Cass, rolling her eyes: Fine. Minimal punching. And I won’t even enjoy it even if they are evil and my parents are still bad people and math said it was okay.

Jason: See? There we go. And Bruce thinks we need therapy. Hah!

[earthstellar]

Still going through the TFP Art Book! 

There are some really dramatic/dark scene concepts/colour storyboards, hinting at how dark the show could have been if they had elected to take a more adult route. 

1) Fowler being strung up and interrogated.

I actually really love the more realistic depiction of Fowler here, rather than sticking to his animation model.

It’s commonly noted that due to budget/technology/animation/etc. limitations, the human character models aren’t quite as good looking as the bots are, and I’m personally fine with that because I understand why it sort of had to be done that way.

Still, I can’t help but imagine how visually interesting it may have been to do an almost mixed-media approach, with the bots remaining essentially the same as how we see them in TFP’s animation already, but with human characters and environments being perhaps a little more realistic looking, hmm...

...If necessary, even going less 3D for the humans/environments might have been a really unique way to visually distinguish the bots from humanity and Earth, and make them stick out just enough to give a more alien, grand feeling to their presence.

Of course, I’m old enough to remember when 3D/computer animation was literally brand new, and there were a few shows (a few of which were on Liquid Television and the original iteration of the SciFi Channel animation block) that did this kind of 2D/3D blend owing to limited 3D capability etc. at the time, and I remember thinking it looked really, really cool. 

(When Reboot came out, it blew everyone’s fucking minds. Hexidecimal was genuinely frightening. If I recall correctly, I believe that was the first fully 3D animated TV series? I could be wrong, though!) 

I wonder if we don’t see things like that anymore, because modern/younger audiences might find it too jarring or possibly even distracting, as there’s no longer any strictly technological reason to have to do this type of animation style blending? 

Either way, it’s fun to think about. I love the style used for these more serious concept illustrations. 

2) Arcee being pushed back by enemy fire, mostly holding her own... For now. 

Again, there’s a particularly dark/reddish hue to the background/scene here, and the camera angle/direction lends to heavy shadow and diminished overall lighting, which really emphasises a feeling of tension and danger or even dread. 

What’s interesting is that in the Art Book, the image is described as “Arcee fighting Vehicons”, but it seems to me like she’s got a few human soldiers also firing from her side (possibly Unit-E members?), with the opposing forces looking to be humans (possibly MECH?). 

I wonder if the image summary in the Art Book is either incorrect, or if there may have been a reason for what seems to me like a mis-caption! Weird; I’ll keep an eye out for anything else like this in the book which might be slightly mismatched between images/text. 

I don’t currently recall any scene in TFP where Arcee is fighting with human soldiers against MECH in anything that resembles quite what’s depicted here, although of course there are some conflict scenes with MECH, so perhaps this was just one idea that got nixed as episode development continued onward from this stage. 

I also think the more realistic style here works great, as with the Fowler example;

Nevada is a great environment to work with and can be made very sinister looking very easily (desert sands are orange, which can be skewed either brighter or darker in a natural-looking way to emphasise positive or negative mood in a given scene), and the heat cracking of concrete industrial flooring etc. which is fairly common in any consistently hot environment could help lend a nice broken-in, rough feeling to a given environment such as the MECH base, giving it an even more “evil” vibe. 

It also really sells the difficulty being faced here, creating a more evidently threatening situation and increasing the sense that this is a hostile, dangerous encounter. 

[redbootsindoriath]

My current headcanons for Third Age elven clothing styles

I’ve been saying I was going to do this since the first time I posted a drawing of Legolas on this blog.  It’s definitely time to make good on that promise.

Come the Third Age, elves seem to be a little bit less spread-out than they were in the First Age.  Of course there are some groups of them here and there who are just kind of doing their own thing, but for the sake of not dragging this post out for forever, I’m mostly going to stick to the main three elven kingdoms that we hear about in The Hobbit and LOTR.  Sorry I don’t have drawings to accompany the descriptions right now.  Maybe eventually I will.

To get this out of the way, disclaimers etc., these are almost exclusively my own headcanons rather than things Tolkien himself said.  Also they are general styles rather than all-encompassing rules that I consistently follow to the exact detail so don’t come at me like “Oh but Tarva what about so-and-so which you drew whenever-it-was, if this character is from Lothlórien why did they look like they’re from Rivendell that one time” or whatever, individual characters have individual styles, I keep changing everything anyway, etc etc.

Mirkwood Mirkwood has possibly the most odd style, due to them being secluded and not caring what anybody thinks because the only people they do business with pften is Laketown and who cares what they say.  Travel clothing materials are tough so you can snag them on underbrush and not have to worry about them tearing.  Their tunics usually are very short, leaving the waist bare, for greater range of motion (since they live in the forest they’re always up and down trees and stuff).  These “crop top” tunics also mean that they pack lighter for travel.  Since Mirkwood is farther north and more hostile than many other forests, shoes are pretty much a requirement, but they’re generally very light shoes that can be taken off and attached to a belt or something if you’re going to be climbing a particularly tricksy tree and will need better mobility and grip.  Mirkwood elves often wear leaves in their hair, both for camouflage and for aesthetic.  On occasion they’ll put spots of pale paint on their bodies and faces to imitate the dapples on a deer’s flanks because they think it looks nice.  Of the three best-known elf kingdoms, they’re the one with the most feral vibe.

Lothlórien Lothlorien elves wear grey and silver clothes and love shinies and stuff so their jewelry is all gems and stars and sparkly and chains as thin as spider webs; anyone who’s not royalty (or in direct and specialized service of royalty) has pads on the insides of their legs from the knees to the ankles for protection as they climb trees, and everything is made for climbing and disappearing in the shifting light and shadows.  Lothlorien is where ethereal reigns supreme.  By moonlight everyone looks like they’re made of mist and dew and spider silk and like they will evaporate when the sun rises; by day they look like shadows on water over a stony stream bed.

Rivendell Rivendell elves have long, sweeping clothes for maximum drama since they don’t really have to do a lot of fighting compared to the elves east of the Misty Mountains (and they’re also dramatic and have so many Ñoldor and those guys are Just Like That™). The jewelry is exquisite and the clothes are covered in rich embroidery: it’s clear that they’ve gathered the wisdom and skill of every race from every age of the world.  Long capes and long robes and long hair for everyone.  The people themselves look as rare and beautiful as the clothes they wear.  This is the elven kingdom where you are most likely to find deep, rich colors; as soon as you walk into Rivendell you get the sense of being surrounded by wisdom and history and tradition, but simultaneously it feels unreal; everyone has a personal history thousands of years old but is still a child in their wonder of the world.  Elves are climbing trees in floor-length satin mantles without getting caught on the branches, and singing nonsense songs on gem-encrusted harps that were brought from across the sea before the first sunrise.  But somehow they’re still the least unnerving lot of elves in Middle Earth because at least they live in actual buildings instead of tree houses or caves and they probably won’t kill you on sight if you accidentally stumble upon their hideout.

TLDR: If you see a Mirkwood elf run past in the woods, you ask yourself “What the heck was that?” and now you’re on edge wondering what strange forest spirit you just disturbed. If you see a Lothlorien elf run past in the woods, you assume the light is just playing tricks with your eyes because “that was a strange shadow, I could have sworn it moved.” If you see a Rivendell elf run past in the woods, you’re awestruck and you begin wondering if reality really was what you always thought it was...for the rest of your life you keep wondering if you’ll see them again...

[serenheist]

What Jungkook is like in a relationship/ Jungkook as a boyfriend Tarot reading

I was gonna put Jin up first but I finished Jungkook quicker so oops but I’m finally back after 200 years of adulting things

1. How long does it take Jungkook to get into a relationship? 8 of pentacles, 2 of cups, the world Do he prefer long or short term relationships 7 of swords, ace of wands Nelys the alchemist 27 reversed, 5 of swords, 9 of cups reversed 

For an actual relationship and not just dating I think he can take a while if not a long ass time because he’s too much of a perfectionist and will work hard at making sure everything is right before getting into a relationship. I don't know why I’m getting like before things would get “steamy” he would never let them see his body until he worked out enough for his own standards like everything has to be perfected and mastered beforehand. There’s also a reoccurring theme of work getting in the way and even in the beginning stages it’s like he meets up with them does whatever then has to hurry and run back to work and is like “hey I gotta go but I’ll text you later” type of shit. Big focus mostly on career though so it’s hard to tell. But I still think he’s not just sleeping around with just anyone I mean they have to be important if the 2 of cups pops up. I don’t think he’ll get into an actual relationship with someone unless there’s a strong connection. Or at least to him it seems like an important connection.

I gotta say too that the 7 of swords usually screams fuckboi to me but in this case I think the lying and trickery aspect of the card can be taken literally to mean of course he has to lie and sneak around when fans would legit doxx and slit his partners throat if they knew they were together. But anyway in a relationship there’s definitely gonna be extremely strong sexual chemistry I don’t know why this keeps popping up but alright. But one annoying thing is that in a relationship jungkook seems to like fighting in a way. He doesn’t like to lose to anything and will want to win an argument even if it’s petty. There’s also a kind of energy of the other person feeling inadequate sometimes with how much praise he gets from the entire world. It makes the other person feel as exposed since they’re not doing as “well” in the grand scheme of things. And will sometimes not want to compliment him on things because he gets compliments from the entire world this is just day to day petty shit. Another thing is getting into a relationship thinking this person is the one but then realizing over time and all the work you put in was useless cause this is emotionally unfulfilling.

2. Past and present love life king of pentacles, wheel of fortune reversed, queen of pentacles 

Past: bruh his love life in the past is similar to the present. He was mostly focused on building his own career and wealth and love was on the back burner tbh. I think since he has huge goals for himself there was really no time to even do other things. But his love life right now seems like it’s a external long term problem affecting it. And I think he’s learning how to balance his love life and work life right now and just letting things happen and trying to take care of his body and mind.

3. What is he like in a relationship Tobaira of the waters 37 reversed, The glanconer 62 reversed, mother of dawn, knight of pentacles, flashover 11, 6 of swords reversed, addiction 11, envious gluttony 9, is this me? 4

When Jungkook is in a relationship he doesn’t fully feel like he can be emotionally vulnerable and instead will act mischievous and play around to hide behind vulnerability. It can tend to make the other person mad because they never know when he’ll actually be serious because he plays too much sometimes. There’s also playing up to peoples ideas of him. It’s not outwardly tricking people but allowing them to believe what they want and project their fantasies on him. It’s like a weird energy of wanting to rebel but also you feel stuck and want to please them so you don’t let them down. I think he overthinks legit everything and makes things a bigger deal in his mind than what it really is.

Another thing is he could have a tendency to stay with someone even if it’s toxic because of a mix of remembering the good times and also insecurities. There are big vibes of being emotionally stunted like I feel that he’s mentally a teenager still and even though he’s physically different and projects something different. When he’s in a relationship; he still feels like that insecure kid in his head and he can’t escape it. It’s like a false bravado thing going on. There’s a hole that leads to darkness and from that another one that leads to even more darkness. That's dramatic but that’s what it’s like for him. It’s like this emotionally starved monster in his head but in reality the monster is this scrawny young boy who wants to let go and open up but is blocked by himself and running away from his shadow aspects. I do see him though slowly moving towards becoming more open, honest allowing his vulnerable and passionate side out in a healthier way but it might take a while (unless he’s already been working on this) since the knight of pentacles is the slowest knight but he’s also the most stable and loyal.

4. What is his "type" the sage 19 reversed, knight of cups reversed, Jeanne the maid, golden empress, the lovers reversed, 3 of cups reversed 

His ideal type is someone who can come across as aloof, cold, excessively critical. Hey I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but when I pulled a clarifier I got the knight of cups reversed lolll. Dude likes toxic people apparently. On the surface they might look “normal” but on the inside their inner world is overflowing and they have an abundance of charisma and sexual energy. Honestly that could be a big reason why he likes that. There’s a big dualistic energy in them and appearing the best on surface level but underneath is really unpredictable and has the energy of unrequited love. I think he likes those types of people who don’t fawn over him like he’s the second coming of Jesus tbh. This person doesn’t give 2 fucks and they don’t tell everything up front they’re mysterious and it’s more of a challenge for him. They’re really good at appearing humble and maybe innocent even but that’s just because they know how to woo people really. They’re confident and can convince people of almost anything especially around those in power they know how to present their best self to get what they want.

At first I was confused why your ideal type would be someone that seems manipulative af but it makes sense when Jungkook has a lot of deep dark shit he needs to work on from the other cards. I think it’s a big codependency thing and excitement that someone toxic can bring also the fact that this person is down for anything in the bedroom they’re not ashamed or shy about it. His idea of love is pretty distorted he thinks he needs someone who is as intense as he is but really it would be a bad combination especially with the lovers reversed. I’m getting especially that as long as he keeps going after these types of people, he’s never going to be with his “true love” for a lack of a better term. Basically not be with someone who is actually good for him. There could be third party bs but I’m getting more of an overindulged and addiction energy between both of them. Even if he knows they’re no good it’s just so intoxicating it’s like a damn drug to him and it feeds into his more animalistic side (I have no idea how to articulate this lmao) it’s like possessive nature. This reminds me a lot of the attachment types since there’s a lot of people like this who love a more avoidant person and I feel that Jungkook is probably avoidant himself so this is like home sweet home to him. It puts him in the cat chasing mouse position instead of the other way around. That emotionally unavailable energy is very appealing to a lot of people I guess especially when you’re used to everyone bending over backwards for you.

5. What is his love language: Ta’Om the poet 29 reversed, the bodacious Bodach 59 reversed 

He likes when someone actually does helpful things for him that is useful and not like the annoying meddling energy of just doing stuff for him that he doesn’t want you to do. He also does this for others. So acts of service mostly but you already knew that.

[therealvinelle]

Carlisle wouldn’t want to be human

This really goes for most of the Cullens, Rosalie excepted (I think Edward would last one day without his telepathy and superpowers before this happened (well honestly I think his denial would keep him from ever admitting this but this isn’t an Edward post so we’re cutting this thought short right now before it spirals)), but I see both Edward and general fandom just sort of take it for granted that if anyone offered Carlisle a miraculous human again pill (and I’m just picturing that as some hokey pill being sold on ad TV) he’d praise Jesus and swallow that down immediately, and I’ve to see anybody argue with that so here I go.

First of, if Carlisle were to suddenly find himself human again I have every belief that Aro would materialize and go, “My dear Carlisle has been made a human? How tragic! Never fear, old friend, I’ll fix that for you. Om nom nom.” and then Carlisle would not be human. And I’m only half joking when I say that, because Carlisle has a lot of friends, and while his animal diet is all well and good, if he were to actually do something like this they’d be very sad his human obsession has gone too far and stage an intervention. “We’re doing this because we love you, Carlisle. Now please try not to be too delicious. Om nom nom.” And then we’re back to Carlisle being a vampire again, though with slightly longer hair this time.

More seriously, if Carlisle was offered this miracle pill, then as a doctor he’d probably be less than enthused about it. He was there to see what happened to the Native Americans when the Europeans came carrying brand new disease, and after viruses and bacteria have had 350 years and a globalized planet to evolve, our seventeenth century priest is going to be in trouble. He’s unvaccinated to boot. He also has a completely different intestinal bacterial flora than modern humans do, which I imagine would not be fun for his digestion. This guy would be a sickly, constipated mess.

As for the main reason - why would Carlisle ever want to be human?

Before he’d mastered his thirst, then he’d probably feel obligated to. For as long as he hadn’t mastered it there was always the risk of him losing control and killing somebody. In his early days he certainly would have jumped on the chance. But none of this is a problem anymore.

So, to take the reasons why he wouldn’t say yes in the present day - first of, why would he not want to be a vampire? He is past worrying about his thirst. His vampirism is at this point purely an asset to him. It makes him great at his job. All his friends and family are vampires. If he were to become human again, he’d not just suddenly suck at his job (as I imagine he has incorporated his super senses into his work to the point where he would pretty much have to learn everything anew if he still wanted to be a doctor), his brain would be slow and limited, and he could never see his cherished friends, people he has known for centuries, again. He’d have to start over with another fake identity in a new place, and sure, this time he could stay until he died of old age, but he’d still be lying to everybody he met about his identity. Carlisle is very much a social butterfly, and he’d be unable to form meaningful friendships when he could never get truly personal with anybody.

In other words, Carlisle would be signing himself up for a lonely life of being average if not bad at his work. And his work is incredibly important to him.

Then there’s the fact that as a doctor, modern viruses aside, when it comes to health problems Carlisle has seen it all. He would know better than everybody that even if the modern viruses don’t make him a sickly mess, even if he doesn’t join the statistics of people who die in tragic accidents, he could still get a brain aneurism at the age of 24 and his human LARP is over. And who knows, maybe he had some nasty disease lurking in his DNA just waiting to ruin his life had he lived long enough, such as ALS. But assuming that Carlisle says “I’LL RISK IT”, even if he makes it to an older age, aging is no joke. Dementia, gout, incontinence, the general and inevitable decline of his body - this is the looming shadow hanging over all our heads. For an immortal who has seen countless humans succumb to it, why choose this?

And for what?

So he could have kids of his own, presumably with Esme?

He has a whole family. Rosalie and Edward especially are his children. Just, this guy loves his whole family so much, I can’t imagine he’d throw them aside in favor of some faceless toddler concept. I also don’t think he’d even want kids of his own, but I think that’s for another post. And also mostly a vibe.

So he could grow old with Esme?

Again - why? She’d be just as much an outcast as he, and face all the same health risks (except I suppose for the modern viruses, she hasn’t been dead for that long). I can’t imagine he’d want to sit idly by and watch her either die ahead of schedule, or live long enough to become unable to care for herself.

Then there’s the fact that at most he’d have six or seven decades. To him, that’s just the blink of an eye. And, again, a very unpleasant blink where he loses everything, is less intelligent, and slowly dies.

Lastly there’s the fact that the human he was is dead, his time has passed. Carlisle doesn’t belong in the human world any longer. He interacts with it because helping humans gives him joy and meaning in life, but he’s a man out of his time and this brave new world is not the one he once lived in. He would not in any way belong, and I think he knows that quite well.

Just, the whole idea that Carlisle would want this is founded on Carlisle having some sort of innate worship of humans where being human is inherently better. I’m sorry, but that’s Edward. If Carlisle felt this way, he wouldn’t be turning others into vampires, and he wouldn’t have vampire friends all over the globe. To him, thirst isn’t a problem, and his vampirism means he can save more humans than he otherwise would. The remaining concern would be God, but Carlisle’s life philosophy is that being a vampire is not by itself a sin, so he’s fine in that regard too.

In summation, I think Carlisle is quite happy being a vampire, and wouldn’t have it any other way.

[crimefightrmoved]

VOICE MODULATOR : It’s definitely something he’s adapted to his armory more recently. Just because for me it makes more sense and more effective as far as espionage and safe guarding his identity. But with it comes a more modular approach to finding the voice for the Bat. In the sense, that while his own Batman voice is a lot more growly, raspy than his Bruce Wayne voice, the modulator does make it more monstrous and animalistic. Almost like a roar then completely mechanical. 

WHITE EYES & COWL : The suit for the most part inherently does have the len ( even if live action suit references don't ) and his cowl is very tech-based. Armorized and does have multiple weapon-based capability that may or may not be limited to his ears being detachable rocket projectiles. Lens have the functionality similar to Snyder’s Batman run and Arkham Games, e.g. direct connection to the Bat Computer, Facial Recognition Software, etc. Also like in the Snyder run, he’s got lens implant with similar functionality but mostly as sort of an on the go modular connection to the Batcomputer for mobile visionary access. 

REBIRTH SUIT: Standard suit in main verse, mainly involves light padding and body armor. Majorly in the chest area in favor of protecting major organs. Has close contact anti piercing fabric. Bullets or Armor piercing bullets are still free game. 

BRANDING : He definitely brands criminals and mostly the worst of the worst.  And majorly the ones that have serious human rights violations.  More of as a means of warning to the criminals themselves and his own way of keeping an eye out for those type of people after. Let them be haunted with the symbol of the Bat’s justice for the rest of their life literally scorched into their skin. He definitely does this for those cases that fall away through the blurred lines of the legal system. And it’s sort of a promise that he’s always going to keep an eye out for them when they finally make that one mistake.

DR. CHASE MERIDIAN : As far as my canon goes, it’s strictly adapted from the movie ( Batman Forever ). I thought it should be noted now since they’ve adopted her into the main continuity and I’m still vibing to see what kind of origin / relationship they’re going to have there. 

KNIGHTFALL AFTERMATH : Kind of iffy with the whole ordeal of that to be honest and for me it’s a lot easier to read it as NERVE DAMAGE caused by compression or trauma which led to exhaustive physical therapy and a mental breakdown of sorts. A large part of which was his mental state exacerbating the symptoms. And a great after-effect of the whole ordeal is Psychosomatic Back Pain. 

BATMAN’S SECRET IDENTITY : Mostly a not so comprehensive list that I recognize would know his identity as far as the main verse goes are: Riddler, Hush, Strange, Ra’s and Talia, Selina and the Joker. All the Batfam Allies ( even Jim because I purely believe he does and just doesn’t admit it and Bruce is also fine with that charade ) and the main League Roster. Outside of that, his identity is still considered a well kept secret ( sorta lol ) and the existence of the Batman as an in-world mystery. 

DEEP DOWN CLARK’S ESSENTIALLY A GOOD PERSON / AND DEEP DOWN I AM NOT : This is more in support to Bruce’s mindset as Batman. And why he lives in the shadows so to speak. Or he perfects the art or works in the gray area. Because when he’s fighting, he’s not a fair person. Or even the very concept of him is not really fair, but in the service of justice, he’s a very means to an end type of vigilante. So long as the means to an end is not at the risk of an innocent life. Emphasis on the innocent life. Because if push comes to shove, he will jump with a child in his arms out of a burning building than try to save every grunt that tried to burn down the building in the first place. 

ARKHAM HOME FOR THE EMOTIONALLY TROUBLED :  This, again is mostly in my canon, something that was changed and pioneered by Bruce himself around the last 5 or 10 years or so. Something that adapted as well with the changing attitudes toward mental health and a name he does continually try to support as far as helping the patients within it. And something he definitely tries his best to kind of push back against any secret government task force. It definitely isn’t the safest or most reliable mental health institution and still develops a bad reputation from time to time. But it’s some progress compared to how he found it when he started 20 years ago. 

[nabrizoya]

RoW Theories and Things I Want to See

with RoW literally a few weeks away, here’s some theories your way. 

this is Really long. like, really very long; mind you. 

Nikolai might become a disabled character.

It’s just the vibes. If we can take reference from the Too Clever Fox story, there’s a line that says “...and his [Koja’s] fur never quite sat right the same...”, which might hint at it (mostly bc i don’t want him to die). Also if this is indeed possible, it can be used to address ableism if it exists in this universe, especially since Nikolai is someone in the highest position of power. 

Zoya will experiment the shit out of powers. 

Idk why the synopsis says that using her powers might be a great deal, which tbf will be because she is truly the most most powerful atm; but Zoya wouldn’t mind taking the step outside of the old norms and bend the orders until they serve their purpose. That’s the entire goal rly.

But all along, she will consciously keep herself mindful to not hunger or discharge her power in a way that may cause harm. She knows the tyranny of the Darkling and the ways he employed. She knows better. 

More character depth to Zoya. 

Given the excerpts, the book does seem to explore Zoya’s infinite grief. And of course her Suli heritage, which a great part of the fandom consistently wants to shadow what with the talk “white features/ part Ravkan” bs. 

But there’s more. I hope RoW will show Zoya’s dilemma (that was alr hinted in KoS) she has with the power she holds, the responsibility she has with having that power + using it in the way that will not be detrimental to her and the country. It will be a great way to portray her self-awareness and doubt and insecurity. She is a good leader, that much is told in text but not shown. There’s character development from the end of R&R until KoS that makes her evolve from a what she was then to the capable and mature 22 year old she is in KoS. 

Of course all of their capabilities will come to light in RoW but I think Zoya and the agency to her as a character will play an integral part. More so because Zoya is to be the conduit to reversing the current Grisha orders, which runs in parallel with the fact that she needs to go back, go back to the roots of her Grisha knowledge and roots of her i.e. her unending grief and trauma. 

She will need to forgive herself while also dealing with the guilt and anger she may have caused due to her position and power. All of this while dealing with her own complex and contrasting emotions due to her own trauma.

Nikolai is held for treason. 

The word of allying with The Darkling may be out and that is enough reason for the entire country to turn against him. The secret about the monster causes issues more than enough already, and this will plunge the country into deep political turmoil and threats to security. So RoW will be more politically driven. That said...

There’s no overt war. 

By this I mean that there will not be war on the battlefield, both armies or more charging at each others’ enemies and such. Ravka cannot afford one either. The excerpts have already proved that. There will be skirmishes akin to a war scenario, but a complete battle like the last battle in R&R? Like a final battle? That’s not going to be there, I think… What I’m assuming might happen is that the Fjerda and Ravka will take a possible Cold War route, if it isn’t already the case they’re already dealing with atm. 

Ravka’s monarchy will collapse. 

It may become a democracy or any other form of public or majority vote. But the monarchy (as well a possible dictatorship, esp with the Darkling returned) will be eliminated. ...Or so I hope, since it has been alluded to in KoS. 

But that poses many problems. With no one line for the throne, let alone with a crime so dark like a blot on Nikolai’s skill (of taking the Darkling’s help), it is possible that Ravka will shun it, right alongside being torn about it because Nikolai has been, for the best of his ability, a good King. All of this in line with the Resistance rising in West Ravka. 

This ties in with the court matters, especially if I want to hold the further points I make true. The resolution to acquit Nikolai of his charges requires a testification forth a jury which will then make a decision about his motives and future. 

Zoya as the Interim Head. 

After all of this, Zoya’s point about Ravka not accepting a Grisha Queen will be true after all, because there will be no monarchy to welcome such an arrangement. 

But Ravka will need a good and trustworthy leader despite Grisha powers and Zoya is the best person to take care of that. The comment “...becoming a steady leader...” and the “Welcome home, Commander,” were there in KoS for a reason (and this is what I think it will link to). 

That being said, there’s more nuance to this than my summary. Zoya is a character of colour. That—in addition to the already existing threats, objections and possible question of capability in the position—ill play into how she will be able to discharge her responsibility. It’s not going to be convenient.

EDIT: taken from a reblog/addition to the og post:

A smoother/more structured transition

Once after the monarchy collapses and a leader must be chosen, it will not be Nikolai. Nor will it be Zoya, though she might serve as an interim head. What I assume might be possible is that someone older is chosen, someone older and loyal and with the proof of knowledge and service to the country. Possibly by majority vote or elected by a council.

Instead of the sudden change, this can be a smoother (if that can even be said about such a major political scenario change) or more structured. I also say this because a. if Nikolai is indeed charged (and later acquitted), firstly his political career will already hold a blot if the word about using the Darkling as a resource is out and secondly, he’s way too young to serve as the leader (by modern standards, sure, but like, the required age will be set while drafting the constitution? currently its 35+).

Instead, the current cast can become representatives (which Zoya would already be, (mostly the head of the) international committee that safeguards the Grisha all over the world) and the Triumvirate will be dissolved. (it should be, tbh)

And hey, b. after all of this, they can and kind of need to take a step back. Nikolai and Zoya will be able to truly explore their relationship, given how Nikolai mentions how he wouldn’t marry unless he’d have had the chance to court someone and marry someone he barely knows nor knows him. For Zoya’s part, she does know Nikolai but surely probably not the extent of openness that a healthy relationship has, and on Nikolai’s part, he admits he barely knows her beyond as a General except for just little things about her.

They could be able to realize and work on their feelings while alongside being involved with the workings of the country and the constitution.

“One day you will overstep and I will not be so forgiving.” 

Need I say more? Something that Zoya does will cost her Nikolai’s goodwill and we know Zoya knows her practicality and the extent to which she will unapologetically move if there is threat to the country and its King. She will do what was right and required. 

A major part of that line ties in with Magnus Opjer and I think with the confidence in the versatility of her powers, Zoya might as well move w/o any word to the Triumvirate to eliminate the most direct threat to the throne. This will bring splits in Nikolai and Zoya’s relationship. 

How this tension between them will be resolved without compromising either of their values, without playing into fandom stereotypes and others must be carefully handled. All of this while showing the best of their dynamicity, practicality and priority as they carefully pull out just those weak sticks of the jenga without putting the whole country into trouble. And with a war in plain sight, they’d know better than pointlessly argue and would rather see how the two of them are wrong. This ordeal will bring out just how condensed power is in the current scenario, imo. 

Importance on the way women have shaped history. 

Something that KoS has already set precedence for. Zoya being a PoC, Nina taking into account of the sufferings of women she comes across and the consistent ‘Who will remember them?’ will be elaborated on further. As for how it is done and how well it is done, that remains to be seen. 

Baghra is alive but maybe not thriving bc she’s stuck in the Ice Court. 

They entered a chamber where an old woman sat with her hands chained, flanked by guards. Her eyes were vacant. As each prisoner approached, the woman gripped his or her wrist.

A human amplifier. [...] But the Fjerdans used them for a different purpose – to make sure no Grisha breached their walls without being identified.

Kaz watched Nina approach. He could see her trembling as she held out her arm. The woman clamped her fingers around Nina’s wrist. Her eyelids stuttered briefly. Then she dropped Nina’s hand and waved her along.

Had she known and not cared? Or had the paraffin they’d used to encase Nina’s forearms worked?

- Chapter 22. Kaz; Part 4: Trick to Falling, Six of Crows.

Nina will be the one to free her and together they might wage a war from Djerholm together.

This gets even more interesting because we know the anguish and scorn that Baghra feels for her son at the same time; she understands the wrongness that he used to seek and will continue to. Zoya does take Baghra’s name at the Fold when she mourns and rages over how people forget the destruction and most importantly, forget the women. Baghra could be the symbol of the stag as the art piece depicts, or will be shown with relation to the Darkling’s powers.

As for how she will play into the story, perhaps she will be the one to help reverse and find the roots of the orders, in the sense that changes the perception of the Grisha powers for the Grisha as well as the common folk of Ravka. She is the only other person other than Juris and the Darkling to have the age of eras together, knowing Ilya Morozova, and she will be instrumental in giving Ravka an advantage over Fjerda. Either that or she will help in scrubbing the prejudices of Fjerda slowly away with whatever powers she has left. Or both. 

Alina will reappear, but will not contribute to the plot significantly.

Zoya understands that the truth she knows about the Darkling is very minimal not enough to end him for once and for all. It makes sense that she will probably consult Alina for it. So, Malina appearance, possibly at the orphanage. Alina will not directly contribute to this war, but she will play a critical role in defeating the Darkling.

Besides, Alina —and Baghra— are the only ones who know that there has only ever been two Darklings. Zoya did sense, multiple times during KoS, that the Darkling is damn old. Yuri mentions it. And while it is not outright specified, the fact that Zoya thinks that she realizes just how ancient Lizabetha is in context of meeting the Darkling is enough proof for her to seek more information about the age and the older skill of the Darkling. 

And I think it goes without saying that I want to hope that the Darkling and Alina will not meet. Pls, she’s had enough. 

Lada is the lost, other friend that Zoya refuses to bury. 

“She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend.”

Liliyana is dead, we know. But there’s no other mention of Lada except for the “wondering what happened to the pug faced girl.” Lada is possibly a part of the group of women and a Grisha returning to Ravka from Fjerda, exploited by the parem. She might die being unable to withhold the sheer torment of the parem induction, which will devastate Zoya because Lada was also the closest she’s had to a family with Liliyana. 

Either that or Lada is already dead or dies some other way, and Zoya cannot bring herself bear the grief of losing her. 

Cameos: Inej and Jesper. 

The most likely of the crows to appear in RoW are Inej and Jesper and they’ll play equally important roles in the plotline. Here’s a breakdown of why:

Inej

Inej has taken the responsibility of becoming a slave hunter, and it makes sense for Inej to make an appearance in the book, given that there’s going to be a ship taking the Grisha from Fjerda to Ravka. 

The women aboard are vulnerable and require immediate attention, which Inej will immediately zero in on. She will have enough reason to suspect both Leoni and Adrik on the ship, especially when the jurda parem is still a secret. Leoni and Adrik cannot give that information away because they don’t trust Inej (and have no reason to either). Inej won’t trust them either, not until she understands that the reason why the women are being taken to Ravka and for what reasons. 

Which gives her excellent reason to step in, try to analyze the situation and help the women accordingly.

Here’s an exciting thought though. Once after the entire misunderstanding is overcome and Inej understands (esp. if Nina is brought into the conversation and security and secrecy of the conversation is ensured), there may be discussion about how the Grisha might find a safer space in Ravka.

Inej’s appearance might also extend to playing a pivotal role in giving Zoya the confidence to seek her heritage and where she hails from, to embrace the part of her past and forgive herself and others for her mistakes. 

ALSO, 

Grisha finding a safer space in Ravka will mean that Inej can pitch Jesper’s case for him to Zoya. Being the highest authority who takes cares of the responsibilities of the Grisha, Zoya will be the best person to talk about this with. 

And so, here comes Jesper. 

Jesper

For one, I wish Jesper and Leoni interact, talk and just bond like the iconic siblings they would be. <3 But more than that, Jesper plays very integral to the plot for more reasons.

Jesper’s arc will parallel Zoya’s. Both of them are new to their powers in their own individual sense; Zoya is trying to use her new powers in a way that hasn’t been done before, thereby breaking the Grisha orders of powers and Jesper (assuming he has decided that he might want to learn and embrace his Grisha powers) is learning them afresh. 

This journey of them trying to embrace, learn and relearn and reject older norms and experiment really work in tandem.

That will lead us to a further (plot) theories. 

Ties with Novyi Zem 

As of the KoS end, Ravka has no support from anyone atm. Sure the Kerch will provide funds but Ravka has no real allies. Here’s where Novyi Zem and Jesper come in. 

We know Novyi Zem is a new country and also that it is the second safest country for the Grisha in the universe. As of KoS, their agreements are not renewed and they would be since between Kerch and Novyi Zem, Ravka was forced to pick Kerch. Yet Ravka needs their help in acquiring jurda for the antidote. 

So here’s the deal: Ravka will get their jurda but at many conditions that the Novyi Zem will impose on Ravka to not let exploitation get in the way. 

The conditions imposed could be (these are just some at the top of my head but I hope there are more to ensure the safety and security of the Zemeni, in Novyi Zem and in Ravka too) : 

Naval support from Ravka

We know of the Zemeni ships and ofc Nikolai has been hard at work trying to develop plans to use the sea to its fullest advantage. While the news of the izmars’ya isn’t public, Zemeni can place a condition for technical aid from Ravka since Ravka does have the technical knowledge it can dispatch as a condition.

A Grisha School in Novyi Zem

Think about it. Ravka, despite being the safest place for the Grisha, still isn’t entirely safe. Not all Grisha become soldiers in Ravka, they have a choice to abstain but those who are training are still recruited a honed for purpose alike preparing for war, especially the teens and preteens from the time of the Civil War. The training does take a lot of time. Ravka intends to make a home first and then service, but at the moment, while the Grisha are provided safety, it’s not assured in the best sense. Both the facts about a home and service are in precarious positions atm.

TL;DR: Ravka isn’t entirely safe for Grisha therefore the Grisha themselves too are not + Ravka is war torn. 

So what happens? 

One of the conditions as the next best country that serves as home to the Grisha, Novyi Zem may put forth the prospect of building a Little Palace like institution for the Grisha in Novyi Zem. It sounds morally wrong in the sense that the Grisha there will also be trained for war, but the war will end and soon, the Grisha will not be subject to serve for something but engage in economic activities as anybody else with the progression of time.

All of this won’t happen immediately either; learning their powers, honing it in the way that is unocnventional from what it had been pre-RoW and that transition + the building of the establishment in Novyi Zem and laying foundation for the  transnational panel or committee for Grisha that Zoya talks about will all take so much time. 

A few Grisha representatives from Novyi Zem can learn at the Little Palace and by the time the construction of the institution is done in Novyi Zem, these Grisha, along with other willing Grisha who either want to return to the country they were born in (like Leoni) or are offered to teach in a different country can do so too. 

There will be stricter terms so as to not ensure exploitation and possible colonization in these nations. 

Zoya mentions in one of her chapters that eventually there will be a need for the a  transnational panel or committee for Grisha. Jesper can Zoya can make it possible, adding in other countries to the panel slowly as the war recedes. 

Kaz and Wylan? 

Least likely to make an appearance, in my opinion. I think they’ll be mentioned plenty of times or brought up once and given great importance for how they can help in the side plot. 

Shu Support: 

This is more a hope than an actually theory dfbkdhjadfh but Makhi might have to step down from the throne because Ehri will take the place; either as a Queen (no...) or she might oversee the process of strengthening Shu Han and finding a leader (if she doesn’t want to become one herself). 

Ehri is capable, more than capable despite the little we know of her from the last chapter in KoS. All I hope is for an understanding and friendship between Nikolai and Ehri (and the subsequent cancelling of the marriage duH) for this to happen. She has little interest in statecraft but with the time she might spend with Nikolai, she might change her views. Even if not then she still gets the happy ending she deserves with Mayu (which is canon at this point rly).

Emotional Development or Breakdowns

Okay but I really, really, really hope we get to see all the three protagonists lose their shit and deal with their trauma, seek help or trying to stop isolating themselves or anything else they do to cope? Nina, Zoya and Nikolai, all of them cry, all of them get to completely lose it, let themselves be human and healthily cope and learn to rely on the people they trust the most. Like the sheer power and potential to show the myriad of ways to deal with grief, sadness, stress and more and make use of the trio’s backgrounds to show healthy and diverse ways of helping themselves, by letting themselves and others help them is just *combusts* Incredible! 

That being said, can I also ask for moments of fear and desolation from the side characters too? Impending war isn’t small business, it will take its toll on people, and all these reactions just cement their fears and what they value the most so. pls. Humanizing them rly. 

The Saving Each Other 

As much as I mostly kinda hate this trope, there are traces in the KoS that Zoya might be the one to end Nikolai’s affliction. On the other hand, there is talk of Nikolai helping Zoya control her powers which seems counterintuitive when you consider that Zoya knows that there is a line that she must never cross and that she is very, very careful about it and will continue to be. 

They can instead be the ones who motivate each other in times of distress as they always do (as shown with how Nikolai tries to gain control over his monster during the burning thorn ritual in KoS, allowing himself the vulnerability but also knowing that giving up will be unforgivable to both himself and Zoya as well) but I seriously do not wish for each other to be the ones directly ending one another's misery. Or perhaps this is just a fear imo that Leigh wouldn’t even take the route of (in which case, thank fuck).

Stab Stab Stab 

Zoya gets the chance to kill the Darkling with the rest of her friends. After all, Darkling does call them all his old friends. Just Julius Caeser him all the way and put a bow tie on the book. *chef’s kiss* Everybody deserves a second chance... at ending a tyrant when it fails the first time. 

+

So far, this is it. Rule of Wolves is in less than a few weeks and im- asdfghjkl. not Ready. i’m more Worried than Ready.

[veliseraptor]

CQL Characters Rated by Their Stress Levels

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “Lan Wangji smiling at Wei Wuxian” and 10 being “Lan Xichen at Guanyin Temple.”

Lan Wangji: Varies wildly over the course of the series; see @howpeacefulislwj for detailed rundown. The roundup post averages his peacefulness at 4.2/10. Generally speaking, stress levels middling, between 3/10 and 5/10 with some extreme highs, pretty much all Wei Wuxian related.

Wei Wuxian: One of those people where you’re like “god I hate him, everything’s so easy for him and he can do everything better than me, it’s the worst, how the fuck does he do it” and then years later you find out that he had an epic burnout and dropped off the face of the earth for sixteen years because actually it wasn’t that easy he just made it look that way. 

I mean, he starts the series at about a 5/10 general state (he’s managing a lot but handling it okay) and basically escalates to a relatively consistent 9 or 10/10 for most of the stretch from the Burial Mounds through to his dying. Someone should make a @howpeacefuliswwx chart, I’d be curious to see his average.

Jiang Cheng: Has been existing in a constant low-level state of stress since late childhood and only grows over time. The calmest I think we ever see him is when he’s holding a bunny and other than that it’s mostly downhill. I worry about him getting ulcers sometimes. 8/10.

Jiang Yanli: Jiang Yanli is so used to being stressed that she barely even registers it any more. What do you mean, most people don’t raise two other children when they are also a child? What do you mean, most people take breaks from supporting others to help themselves? Weird. If she was thinking about it she’d be at a 8 or 9/10 but since she’s so accustomed to this way of life that it just feels totally normal she’s more like a 4 or a 5. 

Jiang Fengmian: Avoids being more stressed by generally avoiding his problems, which is one way to deal with it but doesn’t really end up working out most of the time. 3/10.

Yu Ziyuan: Resides somewhere in the vicinity of 5/10 stress levels, 11/10 rage levels, and when the stress levels get above 5 then everyone else’s stress levels better be hitting the roof.

Lan Xichen: Lan Xichen would probably be relatively unstressed if life didn’t consistently come crashing through his relatively chill vibes. Lan Xichen on a good day is, like, 3/10, handling pretty well, but when things start going wrong around him then he pretty quickly hits critical stress levels and will do drastic things to resolve that, such as convincing Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao to set aside their near-murder differences and swear brotherhood, which will definitely work out absolutely fine. Ends up averaging closer to 8/10 because things keep going wrong around him.

Lan Qiren: He’d be fine if his entire family didn’t insist on causing him problems, constantly. Handling it surprisingly well, all things considered. Still 6/10 though.

Nie Mingjue: I mean, does spend a large chunk of time steadily inching toward a qi deviation? That on its own is pretty stressful and also he just seems like generally a high blood pressure sort of person. But the qi deviation inducing saber is definitely not, like, helping. Putting him at a roughly 6 or 7/10 with a median level that just keeps inching slowly upward.

Nie Huaisang: Actually less stressed than you’d expect given how flighty he seems to be! Even when plotting revenge is less “stressed” than “determined.” Pretty good at keeping himself calm most of the time. Generally sits at a stress level of 4/10 or so with a few significant exceptions.

Jin Guangyao: Very stressed all of the time. He has a lot to be stressed about! Between the various complexes and the tendency toward paranoia, Jin Guangyao is definitely among the most stressed in a room at any given time, while doing his best to convey otherwise. But seriously, look at this smile. Does that look like the smile of a serene man to you? 10/10.

Jin Zixuan: You know those high-strung racehorses that sometimes get spooked by, like, a shadow on the ground? That’s Jin Zixuan. Mostly manages to mask his constant low-level “AHHHHH” with a layer of arrogance and/or social awkwardness that looks like arrogance, but it’s there, in the background. 7/10.

Jin Zixun: Shielded from the general Jin neuroses by being an asshole. It’s not fair, but there you are. 3/10 because he does seem to have some inferiority complex issues going on, but that’s not the same thing as stress.

Jin Guangshan: Deserves to be a lot more stressed than he is. Alas, is confident enough to not be terribly stressed. 2/10.

Mianmian: So you know how cheetahs are very panicky animals and so they often in zoos get paired with dogs who will help them figure out that this situation is safe and they don’t need to panic? I feel like Mianmian is Jin Zixuan’s stress meter in their friendship. She will let him know when to be stressed! Because she is not going to spook at her own shadow. Has a sense of reasonable responses to stressors and knows how to remove herself from a bad situation when necessary. Generally a 5/10 because the inherent stress of existing in the Jin Sect is a real thing. 

Wen Qing: It’s hard to be the most competent person in the room most of the time who spends most of her time in very politically precarious positions and with her or her brother’s life at least sort of in danger! Pretty up there for “most stressed” candidates. She’s really having a time of it. Generally hovers around an 8/10.

Wen Ning: Generally not stressed, at least not in the traditional way. Is distressed a lot, but not so much stressed. Ends up at roughly 4/10.

Wen Chao: Like Jin Zixun, gets somewhat shielded from stress by being an unrepentant asshole, though his end of life 11/10 stress via Wei Wuxian kind of makes up for the rest. Averages more of a 2/10 most of the time, though? I don’t think we can let that relatively brief period skew the scale too much.

Wen Ruohan: Does “magic induced losing your mind” count as stress? I mean, he has a pretty stressful job even before that, but he doesn’t project “stress” so much as “incipient madness” during the period where we actually see him doing things. Not sure what rating to give here. It seems like he’s kind of on a different scale.

Wang Lingjao: For the most part seems to manage to get by relatively stress-free, up until things start going completely to shit and she gets haunted to death. Generally closer to a 2 or 3/10, because life as a servant ascended to mistress in a strictly hierarchical society is inherently a wee bit stressful.

Wen Zhuliu: Too sick of this shit and not getting paid enough to really stress out about it. 1/10.

Lan Sizhui: One of those people who manages to appear serene and calm all the time but mostly has just gotten used to functioning at a higher level of stress and therefore can pass for calm even when he is having an Experience of it, which makes his stress levels kind of hard to gauge. But I’d put him at a relatively consistent 6/10.

Lan Jingyi: Wouldn’t call him stressed exactly but he’s definitely very high energy. Kind of gives off the vibes of a very energetic dog who would be stressed if you didn’t keep him busy, but mostly (because I feel like Gusu Lan Sect is pretty good at keeping him busy) hovers around a 2 or 3/10. 

Jin Ling: I feel like Jin Ling isn’t stressed most of the time up until the actual events of CQL itself, where he is both very stressed and very confused almost constantly from the time he first runs into Wei Xuanyu, and it only goes downhill from there. So covering the events of the show I’m going to put him at a 7/10, because he does manage to deal with some wild things with some equanamity and makes it all the way to episode forty-five without breaking down sobbing.

Ouyang Zizhen: Seems like a sensitive soul but doesn’t give off the impression of carrying around a lot of stress, at least not from what we see of him. Probably the chillest of the junior quartet, tbh. Gonna give him a 2/10.

Xiao Xingchen: For most of his life Xiao Xingchen manages his stress very well! He’s actually surprisingly chill. Gets significantly more stressed, understandably, after Xue Yang engineers his no good very bad breakup (the first one) with Song Lan. But in general not that stressed! It is actually part of why he doesn’t handle the stress when it comes very well. He’s not used to it and he only had one pair of eyes to sacrifice. In general a 3/10.

Song Lan: Makes up for Xiao Xingchen’s relatively low stress levels by picking up on the stress for both of them. Still chiller than a lot of people on this list, though, but there’s a lot of very stressed people in this show, so. 5/10.

Xue Yang: Manages his stress by making everyone else very stressed, on purpose. If he’s having a bad day he’ll go and make someone else have a worse day and it helps. At least until there’s a dead Xiao Xingchen and then nothing helps! But as a rule exists at a general 2/10 and honestly he deserves it.

A-Qing: Her life is inherently stressful because she is a street kid trying to make it in a world that is not very friendly to people with no structure supporting them, but she manages to bear it pretty well on the whole. Still, it’s hard being a-Qing. She just makes it look easy. Probably a 4 or 5/10.

Sect Leader Yao: He’s not stressed, but he’s very good at making everyone around him stressed every time he opens his mouth. His presence is a +2 to stress for everyone in his vicinity with the exception of Sect Leader Ouyang, who is for some reason immune. 0/10.