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im-not-a-ghost · 7 months ago

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Who has a secret crush on you?

Right before I started the readings, I just had this song playing in the back of my mind on loop so I thought maybe it was relevant to all groups. I will try to get as many details as I can to help you figure out who this is.

Group 1

Tarot | 10 of cups, 9 of cups, Knight of cups, 9 of pentacles, Queen of cups

My god there's a lot of water energy here. I wouldn't be surprised if this person had a water sign in their big three (Sun, Moon, Rising). This person just loves you so much, this is so cute. This is someone that is incredibly gentle and sweet. They speak kindly to you, they always take their time and make sure you're okay, they have no problem expressing their feelings in general but I feel like they may get really shy around you. This is someone that, in a friend group, has a very mature and parental energy. They're the kind to make sure everyone gets home safe, to tell their friends to send them a text when they're home and stuff like that. If people get drunk they'll watch over them quietly. I feel like if this person identifies as a man, they have a lot of feminine energy and women feel super safe around them. They may have a lot of girl friends because of that. They're just incredibly nurturing and giving. Their heart is so pure. This is someone that may be described as naive or too kind by others. This person is just in their own world, doing their own thing, loving everybody and wishing them well. I'm getting the message that this person could be a part of your friend group. You most likely already know them. This could be someone you also have a crush on. You could share a lot of common dreams and aspirations with this person, or you have common hobbies. Seeing how emotional this person appears to be, this could be someone that is pretty empathetic and sensitive. They may easily tear up, feel worried about other's situation. Like let's say they learn a friend's pet has passed on, this person would easily cry over the passing of the pet. Children may like this person a lot because of how kind and genuine they are. This is someone that tends to be alone, though they can be pretty sociable. For some reason, this person just likes their peace and quiet. They love every body dearly but I feel like they find it hard to find people that they really match with emotionally. This person needs depth in connections. This may be someone that likes to grab a drink with friends from time to time, after work or during the holidays to catch up and just relax. This is someone that is extremely patient, hard working and because of that they tend to be succesful in what they do, no matter what it is.

You may feel deeply connected with this person emotionally. They may bring out your inner child a lot and one way to identify this person would be that when you're around them you just feel so at peace and safe that you tend to "overshare". Like you may tell them about past memories nobody knows of, talk to them about your fears or your wildest dreams, share with them your quirky side. And because this person is just so kind and accepting, it encourages you to open up more and let it all out. You may feel unhinged with them because they naturally create a safe space for you to be yourself. You just have a lot of fun with them and they make you laugh and smile a lot. I really feel like they may already have expressed that they liked you. But for some reason maybe things didn't take off or their confession went unnoticed. Maybe at the time you didn't believe them and so you brushed it away. Or maybe it was the other way around. You confessed your feelings and they didn't react. But with time they fell in love with you. This is someone that you may have partied with or celebrated some kind of event. With the 9 of pentacles, I got that college graduation vibe for some reason. So that may be relevant to some of you. But more than that, I feel like you and this person just bonded over some sort of learning. Like maybe you witnessed each other's growth and supported each other and so you kinda rejoiced together about your respective progress. This really feels like a friendly connection that's evolving into a romantic one. This person is really playful and romantic and also very subtle with how they interact with you. They don't feel pushy at all, which maybe kinda confuses you because to you it feels like the limit between their friendliness and flirtiness is too blurry. But maybe that's just part of this person's love language and dating style. This person needs to have a partner that is like a best friend. They want to create a solid bond with you before they dive deeper and so they try to be your friend first. Maybe they feel like if they become too passionate too soon the love will just die out eventually.

Oracle cards | The Seeker, Versatility, Destruction rx, Death, Love & Emerald, Azurite, Amethyst

This person has been through a lot of heartbreaks in their life, which you may or may not know. They are very vulnerable. They just understand that life is all about change and there is no point in resisting it. They've learned that the hard way. This is someone that now goes with the flow and goes through life with an open heart and an open mind. They just want to love and be loved. Again, I get a lot of water sign energy here, especially Scorpio. They wear their heart on their sleeve. Honestly, I would be surprised if you didn't know this person but most importantly I feel like their interest in you is just too obvious. It's not even a secret anymore at this point. I feel like this person is just not good at lying or pretending. Their facial expressions are a dead give away. Like, when they're around you they just can't control their smile or their gaze automatically sets on you. They have that spark that you just can't mistake. If you were doubting someone's feelings for you, I feel like you shouldn't second guess them because they're genuinely fond of you. With the color theme of the three crystal cards, I got a bisexual vibe from this person. Maybe this isn't something that they openly express, maybe they aren't even fully aware of their own preferences but I feel like this person just loves people in general and would be okay with loving men and women alike as long as the feelings are mutual. So maybe if you know this person and you know this fact about them, it could be a confirmation sign for you. Other than that, I get a very spiritual vibe from them. They have a lot of love to give and they strive to be a good person. Other signs that were mentioned in these cards were Leo and Pisces. This person could be described as a hopeless romantic, dreamy, meditative, authentic, naturally beautiful. There's just something that's very fluid and light about them. Like they just take things and people as they come and go.

Confirmation signs : -> number 9, stars, ravens, red, pastel colors (pink/blue/purple), letters D & A, Scorpio, Pisces, Leo, Come as you are by Nirvana, LBGTQIA+, teeth, butterflies, owls

Group 2

Tarot | Knight of pentacles, 10 of pentacles, The Star, 6 of wands, 6 of pentacles, king of swords, back of the deck 8 of swords

This person has a very sharp mind and is laser focused on their career and what they wish to achieve in life. They tend to worry a lot about the future and overthink. They may currently in a phase where they feel like they’re creatively blocked or things aren’t progressing as they wish. They tend to be in their own bubble a lot. Also, they are very successful in their life at the moment. They worked really hard to get where they are. This person is a workaholic. You may know them through work, whether that’s because you work in the same environment or because you had to be in their working environment at some point in time. Like, think of a patient going to the hospital or a customer doing their shopping. Work is the common thread that sparked this meeting is what I meant. This person takes a lot of time to warm up to people. They’re a bit uptight sometimes but they’re very kind and understanding. They are respected by many. People tend to admire them. You may have interacted with them through social media. This person is also very generous and giving. They could do a lot of community work or acts of service. That may be something they are known for. Like, they could publicly advocate for a humanitarian cause or use their social media platform and influence to help people. This person could have major Taurus and Aquarius placements. But more than that, I get the feeling that they’re just very graceful and they set the example. Like they have a lot of principles and a strong moral code which impresses people. They just are naturally bold and confident but they may not be aware of it. They are very good communicators. They could speak many different languages. They are educated and very smart. This person likes debates, philosophy, history. They have a bit of a competitive side.

One way that you could recognise this person is that they are really blunt. They don’t filter their words which sometimes may get them in trouble. They always say what they think and mean what they say. They put a lot of thought and heart into what they do. They just love to learn and improve. They are extremely dedicated and patient. They definitely have a good income. This person could be physically attractive. I get the message they have the eye for aesthetically pleasing things. And that is reflected in how they dress and appear to others. They may come from a wealthy background for some of you. Or like their wealth has been built from generation to generation. This person may be slow to make a move but they definitely understand everything before anyone else does. They are observant and witty. They can be quite sarcastic at times. I feel like this person tends to be alone a lot. They may not have a lot of friends or have a hard time connecting with people. They look quite intimidating to others. Especially their eyes. They have an intense gaze. They see right through people. They have strong boundaries. This is also someone that may enjoy being in the spotlight even though they may tell you otherwise. They are humble and reserved but they definitely thrive the most when everyone is watching them. This person may have a following on social media. Like, maybe they do it for fun but it actually worked really well and now a lot of people follow them. I feel like this person doesn’t really grasp their full potential and the impact they have on other people.

Oracle | The Magi, The Revolutionary, Shadow, Get Curious, Play & Shungite, Apophyllite, Kyanite

This person is very spiritual, may be religious but most importantly they're into the esoteric. They could practice meditation often, maybe they pull their own tarot cards or practice some form of divination. One thing is sure, their intuition is on point. They always speak from the heart and work hard to stay true to themselves. They have a "if you don't know, don't talk" type of mentality. This person only speaks up to deliver the truth. Other wise, they'll keep quiet. They go deep. They're not afraid to be alone. They may even purposefully seek solitude. They are quite playful and innocent, very kind and open minded people, but they'll make sure you're worth their time and energy before they let you see that side of themselves. This person does not joke around. You either love them or hate them, no in between. They have a bit of a ride or die attitude. This is someone that may have struggled with mental health issues. They are thus very protective of their own space and peace of mind. They spend most of their time educating themselves, trying to become a better person, connecting with the divine. Material matters don't interest them. It may be difficult for them to remain grounded in reality. They are constantly thinking, trying to anticipate and plan their future. They have a very good perception of people and themselves. They're highly conscious of their own limits and shadows. They've done a lot of shadow work and they make it their life goal to purge whatever shadow they have. This person is really intense. I get strong Scorpio vibes from them as well as Aries for some reason. They can definitely be stubborn and opinionated. But this person just wants to be the main character of their own story. They want to be in control of their own fate and that may be because they didn't have the possibility to express themselves before. They are really powerful and influent. I feel like a lot of people would get impacted by their words and mindset, and this person would be like "what? what's going on?". They don't realize how inspiring they can be to others. They're a natural born leader. They just intuitively know what to do and what to say at the right time. They just instantly get it, which may scare people a lot. Their job could involve being in the public eye or talking a lot. Like, making speeches and uplifting people. With that play card I also get that very childlike energy. So maybe they work with children.

Confirmation signs: -> Parted hair, mistletoe, butterflies, crystals, letter S, grey and lilac, birds, bats, dolphins, Russia, India, Scorpio, Aries, divination

Group 3

Tarot | 9 of cups, Hierophant, 7 of swords, High Priestess, 6 of cups, 8 of cups, back of the deck 4 of cups

I get a strong past life / past energy from this group so for some of you this could be an ex lover. I also heard, as I got the two first cards, "a person that you dream of marrying". They are a soulmate of yours. They could be a childhood friend. You could have had a child with this person. As of now, you and they are not together that's for sure. There's a separation energy here. This is someone that you either could not be with or you had to hide your relationship for a time. One of you eventually cut ties with the other. This person is still in love with you. They lie to themselves about that and try to pretend that they are over the break up but even after all this time they still think of you and they miss you. For some of you, this person is now in a committed relationship and they're trying to move on but they still reminisce about the past and wonder what things could have been if they gave your connection another try. I get that they have a lot of regrets. I pick up on another energy of two people loving each other greatly but being unable to make their connection official. That may be for those of you that have a specific person in mind that you wish to marry someday. You and this person are both heartbroken over the fact you can't be together right now. Your attraction for each other is kept hidden. This person is downplaying their feelings for you. They pretend to be your friend. They may have purposefully friendzoned you, thinking it would make things easier but it just made it worse. In reality, this person was thinking about marrying you too but they can't. I'm picking up on religious and cultural differences that scare them. I get the message that they are feeling pressured by their family's expectations. They feel deeply connected to you, both spiritually and emotionally. There's a lot of water energy here. They're deep in their feelings for you. They are wearing a lot of masks around you. Maybe for some of you, they're already engaged. Or they promised to marry someone but then they met you and it completely wrecked them. They've tried to forget about you but they just can't. You're not in contact with them right now but you may intuitively pick up on their energy. Specifically, you may get messages from them through music. Like, you turn on the radio in your car and suddenly you hear a song that maybe you used to listen to together or the lyrics just remind you of them. That's very specific but they may have a little moustache.

Both of you think a lot about each other, no matter your situation. I feel like you may also reminisce about this person a lot. This is someone that you have a lot of affection for. Maybe you've hidden your attraction for this person for a long time because you feared rejection. I feel like deep down you know that you and this person are meant to meet again. But the timing just wasn't right and you've accepted to let them go, even though that was a difficult thing for you to do. Both of you have come a long way but there's still a lot of healing to do in your connection. And this person could potentially be coming back into your life for that exact reason.

Oracle | Connect to heart, The Seeker, Transmute, Movement, The Pillar & Sodalite, Apophyllite, Astrophyllite

Again, I get that friend vibe from this spread. This may be someone you felt very comfortable and safe with. You maybe started out as friends but quickly became lovers. This person is very giving and generous. They wear their heart on their sleeve. They may be the puppy lover type. They are pretty active. They like to use movement as a way to detox and release stress. This is a person that is very grounded and mature. They made you feel safe and they really have that spouse energy. I feel like this is a solid person, with an open heart and an open mind that really matches you in terms of what they expect from life and what their goals are. You may have had a similar perception of love and relationships. Maybe you both wanted kids and a house that you could live in. This person is physically attractive and I feel like when you were in contact with them it may have been very hard for you to keep your hands to yourself lmao Like, they're just so sensual you may have felt really horny around them. And vice versa. This could be someone you had sex with. Again I am picking up on something really specific so that might not be for everyone. Also, this may be triggering to some of you so I want to apologize if this makes you uncomfortable, but I feel like I have to say it. You can skip this part if you wish.

For some of you, if this was someone you met when you were younger like a teenager or something, you may have had unprotected sex with them and got pregnant. But you could have hidden that from them. I'm getting the message that you didn't keep the baby. Or if you did, you never told this person that this was their baby. Again, that is very specific so I don't think it will resonate with everyone. Or maybe just you were really afraid of getting pregnant if you kept seeing this person and you were in a position where you couldn't allow yourself to be in such a situation so you decided to part ways with this person. Maybe you just were too young and thought this wasn't a good idea. I wish to point out that the person we're talking about is a very respectful person. I don't pick up on an abusive or toxic energy. This is someone that really treated you well and was very understanding of your limits. I don't see this person forcing you to do anything, I don't feel like they didn't know what they were doing. This person was very genuine and conscious of their feelings and desires. They truly loved you and envisioned a future with you. And I feel like if you had told this person that you got pregnant, they would have been okay with it and been a responsible person. I get a very soft vibe from this person honestly, they're just such a sweetheart. They may have been a bit immature but this person definitely wasn't egotistical and careless. I feel like they would have loved to be a parent and go through this experience by your side.

Confirmation signs : -> pet dog, snakes, bees, Pisces, Taurus, Scorpio, Virgo, Norway, Quebec, India, Colorado, Rihanna - Shine bright like a diamond, Selena Gomez - Can't keep my hands to myself

#pick a card #love pac

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astrobydalia · 10 months ago

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Astro knowledge pt. 2

work by astrobydalia

Cancer rules hotels, motels, etc. Hotels are all about hospitality, making people feel welcomed, comfortable, provide for basic needs like a bed, food, etc. Of course this will differ based on quality and the kind of place but in general places designated to provide shelter and a place to stay are ruled by Cancer

When I learned this it made a lot of sense cause my mom has Groom in Cancer and 7th house ruler in the 4th house and she met her fs at a hotel. I know a couple who has Cancer ASC in their composite chart and they met at a hotel

Jupiter is a very unpredictable planet and a negative manifestation of it is that it can make things grow uncontrollably without reliable results. Jupiter can give blessings yes but it does not guarantee success. Those blessings are just opportunities but it's up to you what to do with them.

Astrologically, the key to success is Saturn. That's why success is so hard to obtain and it's a symbol of status or accomplishment. And yes this applies to whatever it is you consider success. Saturn is not about obtaining success in itself, it's about growth, the way we feel accomplished and successful as humans is when we feel like we've grown and flourished overtime. That's why it doesn't matter what your definition of success is, in order to get it you need to mature and go through sacrifices and lessons related to your Saturn placement.

MC/10th house = what success means to you Saturn = also related to what success means to you, but it can specifically tell you how to get it

Moon is related to wealth that's why it is exalted in Taurus!

Moon in a man's chart indicates his wife because Moon symbolizes the divine feminine. Venus is important too but ultimately a man will commit to a woman that satisfies his Moon energy. That's why it is often said that men marry someone like their moms or the way a man treats his mom is how he's gonna treat his wife

5th house rules your creative endeavors and the 11th house rules your public/clients/fanbase/etc. That's also why 11th house is related to money you make in your career (2nd from 10th). If you wanna have your own business you gotta look at both the 5th and 11th houses

Something I don't see people mention much (maybe because its obvious) is that Libra energy makes things to be balanced in itself because Libra is all about avoiding any extremes. Libra makes this to be on the "elevated" or positive side but always keeping it moderate. For example, if you have Libra ruling your money houses your income could be averagely decent, like you could make good money (cause, Venus) but you're not insanely rich either or it does not appear that you are (cause Libra also rule appearances).

Aquarius rules heavy cold winds (you know like those very heavy and erratic winds), that’s why it also rules over airports and planes. I've also seen astrologers say that back in the day, Aquarius used to rule over sailing of bigger boats which also needed heavier winds in order to move

We all know Leo rules inner child. One thing about children is that when you're a kid you kinda don't have a concept of others being their own person and having completely different lives (that's something Aquarius brings awareness to, that's why its the humanitarian), but rather kids tend to assume everyone lives the same way as they do. That's what happens with Leo astrologically, they tend to not understand or fathom or be interested in things that go beyond them or their experience. Their own perspective of life is their whole world and what they will project on everything much like the Sun project its own light into the world. In the case of very unhealthy Leo energy this can go as far as actively minimizing other's experiences and perspectives. When Leo does try to understand others, they have a tendency to circle it back to something they can relate to or is relevant to them or they can understand

There's also another side of Leo that rules teenage years since that’s the period of our lives where we are finding our identity/expression and also where we start to become more interested in romance and sex

In composite, the ASC is how the relationship started and how it generally comes across as but the 7th house is the dynamic the two people have between them, how they actually interact with each other

Both Aquarius and Pisces are the last two of the zodiac wheel and both relate to themes of evolving as human and elevating spiritually but because of this, these signs are the hardest to develop healthily and many people fail to do so. That's why you see many Aquarius and Pisces placements with a god complex or huge entitlement cause both share this sentiment of feeling 'different', more elevated or special than everyone else

Venus finds fall in Virgo bc Venus is a sex goddess, she rules abundance, sensuality, pleasure and indulgence. Virgo on the other hand is the virgin, she's minimalistic, cerebral and modest, she’s too much of a “prude” for Venus.

Since Pisces is the most empathetic sign, its opposite Virgo is one of the most unkind signs unfortunately. Pisces wants to find the beauty in all things and people (Venus exaltation) while Virgo wants to find the flaws and everything that is wrong and needs to be improved or fixed. Pisces is about accepting the "soul" of things while Virgo is attached to an idea of how things should be. That's also why Venus finds falls in Virgo because Venus is related to kindness (this does not mean Virgo Venus people are inherently unkind, this can manifest in any unhealthy virgo placement, it's just an astrological explanation)

Domicile/exaltation is not always positive. When a sign exalts a planet it means that it can enhance both its positive AND negative qualities. That's why exalted mars can manifest as toxic masculinity or why exalted Venus can manifest as textbook enabling behaviour. On the flip side, planets are its fall/debilitation are challenging placements because the positive qualities of the planet are weakened but at the same time its negative qualities can be neutralized. For example, Mercury debilitated can be less prone to pointless rambles and have a more focused intellectual approach, debilitated Venus can be less compliant, etc

The energy that rules horror astrologically is Pisces/12th house/Neptune, we usually associate it just with dreams and idolization but it actually has a creepy and twisted side to it. Neptune is all about blurring the boundaries of reality including what we judge to be good or bad (Virgo). It rules over dreams AND nightmares. Not only that but Neptune energy does not understand the difference between a dream and a nightmare. This characteristic can range from blindness to red flags all the way to having rather morbid fascinations.

Following the above, the association of 12th house with nightmares is also explained by Saturn finding its joy is this house (the so called 'bad spirit', the never-ending burdens that come to haunt you). However, as I explained earlier in the post, Saturn is the key to success so this means Saturn is the key to help you achieve your dreams (12th house)

Pisces/Neptune energy rules spirituality but at its lowest it can also be the most superficial and vain sign (again, the negative side of Venus exaltation) because Pisces also rules illusions and idolization. It can focus so much on portraying an ideal image that it does not dive deep within, wants to escape reality and live a fake ideal

In terms of performance, Leo is theoretically better at sex than Scorpio

How to read the chart of a Nation + some observations

Sun signifies the characteristic of the rulers and it also symbolizes what that country is all about if that makes sense. For example USA is Cancer Sun and they've always been known for they patriotism and how they're very attached to their past as a nation.

Moon represents the people (civilians, population, the society). The energy you will likely experience by actually spending enough time there and start integrating yourself with the people. For example New York has Aries Moon and a relative of mine who used to live there once told me jokingly "with all the hustle and normalized criminality sometimes it feels like a war zone here"

Ascendant is the general national identity they present, the first thing that comes to mind when you think about that place. I've also noticed the stereotypes of a nation a lot of times relate to its ASC. For example Canada (Toronto) is Libra ASC and they’re known for being polite and nice to everyone. Japan (Tokyo) has Virgo ASC and their known for being super diligent and clean (think Marie Kondo). USA (nation) is Sagittarius ASC and they’re known for being loud, entitled, optimistic, multicultural, a massive country, cowboys and country music, etc.

work by astrobydalia

#astrology #astro #astro observations #astro notes #zodiac #birth chart #astrobydalia #astrology observations #astro community

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danieyells · 11 months ago

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Tokyo Debunker Stigmas, Artifacts, And Other Possibly Combat Relevant Information

Since we've met all of our current ghouls, I decided to share my non-comprehensive list of the stigmas and powers and weapons of the ghouls we've seen so far!! This isn't all of them because they haven't all been revealed or explained. But it should be everything we've seen so far! Let me know if/where I've missed things! I've also mentioned some other details for some of them, namely the less human ghouls.

Updated for: Episode 17

Jin Kamurai

Stigma

Incantation - Bianerus

Effect - forces the target to obey his command.

Currently cannot be activated without the PC's enhancement. At present, only Tohma, the PC, and few if any others know this.

Incantation can be recited mentally

Continuous commands("kneel") only seem to last a few minutes at most

Artifact

Sword - teleportation

Can be used to cut a portal into the air for teleporting someone with him, but doesn't appear to need this for just teleporting Jin

Jin is able to throw the sword quite precisely despite its size

Teleportation takes more time depending on the distance from his current location to his target location

Cannot teleport out of a location that's being affected by an anomaly(such as an anomaly preventing entrance or exit from a location)

Tohma Ishibashi

Stigma

Incantation - Argeas

Effect - "lets him send vibrations long distances"

Vibrations include the vibrations from his voice, allowing his voice to carry longer distances, making him heard further away

When enhanced he can break through anomalous soundproofing and better specify the direction his vibrations carry(as neither Kaito nor Luca heard his voice from outside the room)

Artifact

Halberd - ?

Able to tremble on its own. How much else it can move on its own is unclear.

Tohma claims it has a "troublesome" nature, and seeks to mow down anything in its path when it senses conflict and it takes a lot of effort to keep under control

Other

Tohma naturally has "brute strength" which, combined with his stigma, allows him to essentially make earthquakes.

Tohma has the trust of Darkwick, allowing him to easily get access to powerful common artifacts such as the skeleton key

Tohma takes alprazolam, "a fast-acting benzodiazepine used as both an anti-anxiety drug and a muscle relaxer. Used to manage anxiety, depression, insomnia, and physical symptoms caused by psychosomatic disorders." Tohma claims he takes them for headaches. Leo says they're very addictive and that Tohma has them refilled more often than is usual for headaches. It seems he's blackmailed a Mortkranken student into letting him have them. It's unclear if this is meant to be a sign of addiction or if they're actually necessary.

Tohma says he has "many attentive attending physicians" which may suggest some form of chronic medical problem.

Lucas Errant

Stigma

Incantation - Iggnaim

Effect - creates a barrier.

When enhanced the barrier becomes visible. It's significantly larger and supported by a large anomaly that's invisible to everyone but the PC and perhaps Kaito, even unable to be seen on cameras or by Luca himself.

The barrier doesn't appear to need to be around Luca specifically, as he protected Nina with it despite not being next to her. However it's uncertain how far he can project it as he was in the same room and for near her quickly to fight the Dullahan.

Artifact

Twin blades - ?

Appear identical aside from a difference in color.

Smashed through reenforced glass to choose him as their new master.

Apparently sound to Luca like a crying child. He believes the child must be begging for his help.

Other

Carries around a knife.

Kaito Fuji

Stigma

Incantation - ? (has an audio file, but the spelling hasn't been shown.)

Effect - "can see auras sometimes"

Does not need to be activated with his incantation, but appears to activate at random.

Auras have different colors for different people, allowing him to discern if an entity is the person they appear to be or not.

Hyde didn't sound certain about what it does.

Kaito has notably enhanced vision, able to see things that are further away and surprisingly makes him skilled at reading lips.

Kaito screams when Luca's stigma is enhanced, looking straight up at the anomaly it spawned despite no one else but the PC appearing to see it. While it's possible he only saw its aura, it's likely he saw the anomaly itself.

Artifact

Rogue bow - ?

Produces magic arrows that veer nonsensically off path when shot, except, seemingly, if there's a malicious or threatening target(?) at which point it will veer to save an endangered target(such as the ghost boy being taken by the arms) and/or go directly for the source of a threat or malice(such as the faceless anomaly about to attack the PC and Riku, the glowing grave of Natalie Hunt, or the mirror affected by the Mirror of Melancholy that was showing his grandmother.) When the magic arrow hit the glowing grave it "blew the whole thing apart." The same happened when it struck the mirror.

Other

Pretty acrobatic despite not training, flipping and cartwheeling across the graveyard to dodge the ghostly arms trying to grab him.

Alan Mido (Alan Todoroki)

Stigma

Incantation - Yagsal Olbalsa

Effect - ? "Seems to be an extremely dangerous ability" -B's Log

Seems to enhance his strength, as he punched Takeru's tulpa in half

Seems to make him uncontrollably violent, seeking to kill his enemies(looking for Takeru's tulpa's head and crushing his throat) and possibly reduces his awareness of his surroundings(light removed from the eyes of his sprite and panel art, grabbing and pulling the PC without realizing he was hurting her, continually attacking Takeru despite being aware he couldn't take him out with punching, only regaining his senses when Sho grabbed and spoke to him)?

Artifact

Lead pipe - ?

Leo Kurosagi

Stigma

Incantation - Haxs

Effect - super hearing.

Increases distance and precision of his hearing. Does not allow him to hear through anomalous soundproofing.

When enhanced increases distance further and allows him to hear through anomalous soundproofing.

Had the PC enhance it in order to find the escaping possessed guard during the prison riot. Uncertain if this allows him to hear ghosts or if he simply needed the increased precision due to the surrounding noise.

Makes Leo sensitive to sounds and noise even when it isn't active, resulting in noticing noises other people can't hear and frequent complaints when in noisy environments or around loud or high-pitched people.

Artifact

Bubble gum - can be manipulated into any shape when blown.

The longer it's chewed, the longer he can manipulate it

"So if I chewed this one a bunch and stuck it over your nose and mouth...

"...you'd suffocate. Bye bye Honor Roll."

suggests that it can't be removed until the time he's manipulated it runs out?

Cannot capture incorporeal targets.

Popping it can cause some form of damage, such as when he destroyed a Cyclops Eye in the staff room after covering it with the gum.

Shohei Haizono

Stigma

Incantation - Spurno

Effect - "just jams stuff"?????

Primarily seems to push things or result in change of direction, possibly able to cause sensory scrambling resulting in uncoordinated movement or temporary stunning(as with Takeru's tulpa?)

Leo says it can be used on incorporeal targets, but Sho says it can't take something down unless it's "super weak"

Used in Episode 2 to prevent Takeru's tulpa from walking straight

When enhanced in Episode 2, pushed Takeru's tulpa back with greater force, but didn't push him away, or cause him to release the PC(stunned him?)

Used in Episode 12 to remove the ghost of the prison guard possessing Alan and push the ghost into a cell to lock it there until it moved on

Artifact

Motorcycle - ?

Her name is Bonnie. She eats food placed in her fuel tank instead of gasoline, including chewing it and even burping. She's picky about what she eats. Her favorite food is barbecue sandwiches, but she also eats jerky.

If she isn't fed three times a day "she gets sulky and refuses to start." Her engine won't start at all if she's hungry.

She's described as a "large motorbike" by the PC's narration, and Subaru apologizes for the amount of space he's taking up on the wharf in Hotarubi to feed her, corroborating this.

She seems to have some control of her own movement as Sho rewards her for staying upright when stopped and made to buck by Luca's barrier.

Sho drives her just about everywhere and drives her around at Leo's request as well. She has a travel permit that needs to be shown when leaving and reentering campus, however she's able to break through the checkpoint with enough speed.

She's kept on her artifact chain when not ridden.

She's able to comfortably be ridden by two people but three is very tight.

Haru Sagara

Stigma

Incantation - Bahnti

Effect - reduces gravity's effects on his own body.

Reduced effect of gravity allows him to move extremely fast.

Makes his body much more fragile when used. Possibly includes weakening his immune system?

Artifact

Deck brush - ?

Other

He rides around on it while distracting Otohime, skidding across the floor on the brush until he tips over.

Cannot damage incorporeal targets

Right arm has been replaced with a prosthetic from Mio Susuhara after being broken by "Gen"(presumably Shion Genkai) which is currently damaged after he caught Ritsu's camera with it. Because of the current extent of the damage he was unable to perform labor tasks that require it and struggled some when playing volleyball.

Towa Otonashi

Was an acrobat back in Dionysia, which explains his athleticism and flexibility and the like.

Claims to be a pacifist now, suggesting he was not while in Dionysia

Stigma

Incantation - ? (has an audio file, but the spelling hasn't been shown.)

Effect - Controls wind and weather(?)

Towa exhibits control over weather as his primary ability, and he confirms it's his stigma when the PC asks in Episode 12.

Others' understanding of Towa's stigma is only that he controls lightning and that other weather patterns are random, not in response to Towa's feelings.

The weather reacts to Towa's emotions, causing the sky to darken in preparation of rain, lightning, or snowstorms when he's angry.

Towa is also able to predict weather that he doesn't control.

Towa can create lightning(which he uses to electrocute enemies), rain, wind(used to create a pillar of water for the PC to land on when falling off the boat, a whirlwind for gathering ducks, and to direct the rain sideways to wash bubble soap off of Kaito), snow, and possibly earthquakes(the ground is noted to start shaking in response to his anger.)

He 'rides the wind' in order to jump high as though flying

Artifact

Bubble wand - blown bubbles cause explosions.

The explosions are powerful enough to destroy glass that withheld a full grown Kraken.

Towa warns not to touch the bubbles, as they will kill you.

Not all bubbles seem to cause explosions as he blows bubbles from atop the Capybus without there being any harm done.

Other

Towa's nature is implied to actually be quite malicious and uncaring, especially towards things that are weak and especially towards humans, however he claims he changed because of "love." Several home screen lines, his full awakening line, and his response to being touched by the turtle anomaly in the Dragon Palace support that he hasn't fully changed his mindset, only represses it.

Towa cannot speak during the daytime and is only able to talk when it's night. This includes being in Obscuary, where it's permanently night, however the cover of clouds doesn't allow him to speak during the day meaning it's not related specifically to the visibility of the sun. However this is drawn into question when the presence of the giant cat anomaly in Episode 12 casts a shadow over him, briefly allowing him to speak.

Can speak to and understand anomalies, even those that lack speech capabilities(such as the tree on the hill.) Haru is aware of this ability.

Able to see and hear ghosts(Zenji) and possibly other things that only people who are "special" can see(the tree on the hill, which even Ed cannot see.)

When Towa is away from Jabberwock for an extended period of time(in Episode 4 it happened after 24 hours) the nature conditions deteriorated significantly, with water drying up and the sky dark despite it being sunny the previous day and the anomalies beginning to behave violently. According to Ed, if Towa is away from Jabberwock for too long the anomalies within will begin to die. Ed suggests that Haru is unaware of this fact. In Episode 12, despite being away for 3 days, this doesn't appear to happen.

Anomalies fear him and obey him, particularly when he's angry, even to the point of kneeling out of fear when he's furious. Normal animals experience the same fear, freezing and behaving anxiously in his presence.

Says the PC smells nicer than before, perhaps able to smell their curse's advancement due to the flowers that would grow on her as a Kyklos.

Ren Shiranami

Stigma

Incantation - Raothtas

Effect - ??????

B's Log: "According to him it seems to be a power with little use."

Artifact

Was used to clean Calamari's ink from the floor when wiping it up normally failed.

Was used to boil water faster on the beach

Swim ring - restrains target.

Cannot be removed by the wearer.

Has a rope attached that allows the wearer to be reeled in.

Cannot restrain incorporeal targets.

Taiga Hoshibami

Stigma

Incantation - Malab

Effect - ?

Artifact

Tommy gun - takes anything broken into small enough pieces and fired from it as ammo.

Damage type seems to vary based on what was placed into it. Shards of glass created a swirl of glass shards, whereas bronze from a statue shot heavier rounds.

Doesn't seem to require ammo to fire.

Doesn't seem to work on everything as Taiga says his bullets don't work on anything lately. Possibly limited to hostile entities? (He was able to shoot the Oblivion Dealer, but not able to shoot the Kyklos--which ran away--or the Barong--which was non-threatening.)

Other

Carries a knife and a pistol.

Appears to occasionally be aware of things that he has no way of knowing about, sometimes even seeming to know the future. Haru asks hin when several characters are returning, which suggests Haru is aware of this and occasionally asks him to predict outcomes.

Taiga asks Haru for a coin, saying he'll allow Haru to choose his desired outcome based on heads or tails. However it's uncertain if this means he can actually alter outcomes himself. His losing dialogue suggests that he attempts to, but doesn't always succeed.

Eats anomalies, though not exclusively, and gets hungry whenever he goes on a mission. His hunger for them results in varied behavior from minor irritation to nearly losing control of himself to the hunger. He can eat any physical anomaly thus far, being shown or referenced to eat anomalous animals, plants, objects, and "enzymes", and he finds anomalous plants and enzymes converted into beverages suitable for human consumption to taste unpleasant. He eats normal food and drinks normal alcohol without a problem. It's difficult to tell how he feels about and after eating anomalies, as it varies, although he enthusiastically expresses his desire to eat the Kyklos. It's hard to tell how new this behavior is as Romeo seems disgusted but not surprised by it and Taiga attempts to warns Romeo when he wants to eat the Barong mask(not in speech bubbles but able to be discerned in his audio.)

His hunger may be able to be triggered or increased by smelling or seeing anomalous blood(such as the PC's.)

His memory is very poor, although he can remember things and people with prompting.

Noted that, as he's not Haru, he can't jump up a building.

Romeo Scorpus Lucci

Stigma

Incantation - Tiris

Effect - "turns things into bombs".

Able to turn anything into a bomb, including non-explosive objects. Seems to require that he throws them?

The size of the blast depends on how attached to the target object its owner is. If Romeo truly values something he's blowing up, the explosion is quite destructive.

Hyde has him testing various types of prototype anomalous explosive materials for Darkwick on missions.

"To me, these prototypes are a path to catching anomalies in one piece." which implies most of Hyde's prototypes cause non-lethal explosions. One of his home screen lines mentions, for example, a tear bomb.

Artifact

Sniper rifle - bullets pursue targets until they're struck

Maintains his bullets himself.

Doesn't always carry the same types of rounds. For example, he only had smoke bombs in the prologue.

When used against the Arachne in Episode 9 it blasted a large hole into its head? However when he fired it to gain the attention of the audience and when he shot at the door in Episode 8 the impact didn't seem as great, suggesting the impact/size of his bullets varies as needed.

Other

Has the trust of Darkwick(or at least has Hyde's favor?) allowing him to carry around common artifacts as though he owns them(hammerspace briefcase which he added a custom case for; fox robe)

Implied to be missing his right leg or foot (likely having been replaced by a prosthetic like Haru's.) Kaito mentions that Romeo cannot run fast. He also shows noticeable pain and discomfort after being run into by Kaito.

Ritsu Shinjo

Stigma

Incantation - Acimo

Effect - hardens his body. Increases his weight.

The increased weight causes him to move more slowly while it's active.

Prevents damage from concussive attacks such as kicks and bullets. If you kick him while it's active it'll hurt you.

Doesn't seem to experience pain in this state.

Can survive explosions and escape from collapsed buildings unharmed, even to the point that his clothing isn't damaged or dirtied, suggesting that his stigma extends to his clothes.

Artifact

Compendium of Laws - ?

Has the contents memorized?

Taiga taught him to use it as a blunt weapon, although he forgot he did this.

Appears to glow somewhat when held, although what this suggests is unknown.

Subaru Kagami

Stigma

Incantation - Talnandio

Effects - psychometry.

Experiences memory fragments through almost anything he touches or that touches him.

Passive, activates on contact with people, animals, anomalies, and objects without incantation.

Using it exhausts him to the point of needing a significant amount of rest, possibly even passing out shortly after usage.

Wears gloves and avoids crowded places to try and avoid accidentally setting it off. Feels bad about being able to learn people's secrets.

Artifact

Parasol - ?

Sturdy enough to destroy a possessed doll.

Haku Kusanagi

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - ?

Implied he prefers not using it?

Artifact

Flute - ?

Used flute to remove himself and the PC from Kisaragi Station, knocking them out with some sort of ethereal water and causing them to wake up back on the empty train car.

Other

Able to see and communicate with spirits.

Able to perform various rituals such as laying spirits to rest and making talismans that allow people close to a spirit to see and hear them.

"Cordoned off the area" of the train and station the PC was on, which should have prevented interference from civilians. May be part of his Artifact or Stigma, or part of his capabilities as a Shinto priest.

Performs the stigma test for Darkwick.

According to Taiga he's able to remove curses if the anomaly that caused the curse is in front of him. It's uncertain if this is his stigma, part of his artifact, or another power.

Haku has the trust of Darkwick, allowing him to easily get access to powerful common artifacts such as the skeleton key

Zenji Kotodama (Taro Kirisaki)

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - ?

Artifact

Doll - ?

Heavily resembles his brother as a child, according to Zenji. When Zenji and the doll protected Jiro, Zenji said "You've always been there for him when he needed it most." suggesting that there may have been a third Kirisaki brother.

Won't let anyone but Zenji and Jiro touch it. Protects Zenji and Jiro.

Appearance slightly changes to that of an oni when angered.

Has a mind of its own, or is perhaps possessed. Wanders around campus without Zenji, much to his concern.

Able to damage and destroy ghosts?

Joined Zenji in protecting Jiro from being eaten by the Arachne and seemed to be fine after the Arachne was destroyed while it and Zenji were inside it. Attacked the Arachne from within (with Zenji?) to distract it with pain so Jiro could attack it.

Other

As a ghost, Zenji cannot be touched, meaning he can't be damaged or killed. However he covers his ears when Haku performs a ritual to lay spirits to rest and covers his face in Subaru's warding card with incense, suggesting that he would be laid to rest under the right circumstances.

Zenji is not bound to Darkwick despite being a ghost who died on campus, and can come and go as he pleases.

Darkwick is unaware Zenji is present as only Haku and Towa(and eventually Subaru and the PC) are aware Zenji's spirit lingers. If Darkwick were to become aware of Zenji's presence they would want him laid to rest.

Due to Obon, people in Japan are more sensitive to spirits and anomalies are more frequent, causing Zenji to sometimes be visible or audible during the summer.

Zenji brings his doll with him most everywhere, however people can only see the doll and not him. The same happens with his biwa. If he carries them, they appear to float.

Zenji is able to fly, although he normally sticks to walking.

Zenji can touch physical objects with sufficient practice(his doll, his biwa, and his phone) and his footsteps are audible if he doesn't silence them. When attempting to touch or even sit on something that he isn't accustomed to touching he simply goes through it. He can ride the Galaxy Express as well. Because one has to show their phone to the conductor cat to take the Galaxy Express, it's possible that the cats can see or hear him, but nonetheless they don't seem to report him.

Afraid of ghosts, possibly the dark, and maybe dead bodies. Seems to be afraid of 'scary' things in general.

Able to spawn clothes onto himself at will.

Edward Hart

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - ?

Artifact

Other

Cane - ?

Ed mentions that their artifacts are frequently "inconvenient" during a discussion about whether or not Jin could use his sword to warp out of an anomalously affected location was possible, suggesting his own may have some sort of limitation. He implies this is deliberate on Darkwick's part.

Edward is, or was historically, the world's strongest vampire, implying a great deal of hidden power. As he is 400+ years old, he knows a great deal about anomalies that Darkwick doesn't listen to for some reason. However being old has also made his body and mind much weaker. . .allegedly.

Ed has immense power, which we've only heard of him using on the singular mission he participated in. Using it he obliterated an anomaly and a building in such a way that Darkwick struggled to cover up(unlike Tohma's destruction which was able to be explained as poor maintenance and age) suggesting he more or less vaporized it. It's unknown if this is a vampire power or his stigma.

Ed is able to produce a purple mist that seems to be able to enthrall humans when inhaled(Rui and Lyca didn't need to hold their breaths when he used it but the PC did, suggesting it doesn't work on ghouls.) The PC mentions feeling "good", comfort, euphoria, her mind slowing down, light on her feet, and she began to think thoughts that aligned with what Ed wanted of her made and her body feel weaker. When she managed to fight against it and speak for herself Ed stopped producing the mist and she was able to recover quickly. When Ed used it on the humans in the mansion they experienced similar symptoms(feeling good and beginning to think they didn't need to call the police for help) but fell into sleep quickly unlike the PC. It is unclear whether or not this is his stigma or simply a vampire power.

Ed mentions on the home screen that there's a miasma in the garden of Obscuary that humans are susceptible to. He also mentions a miasma in the breeze during summer. It's uncertain if he's referencing the mist he produces, although it's unlikely in the second case as he mentions no desire to go outside.

If Rui touches him, the touched part will break off(at which point it can be reattached simply by pushing it back into place,) ache intensely for a time, or he will die temporarily.

As a vampire, Ed is immune to curses and is immortal. He claims that sunlight will eventually reduce him to ash and in the pre-prologue before jumping off of the balcony he implies that whatever is waiting for him at the bottom will be the death of him as well. One can become a vampire by drinking the blood of a vampire, and this will overwrite curses such as the Kyklos' curse. It's uncertain if this would overwrite Rui's reaper curse.

Ed is physically and mentally weaker during summer months, but stronger during autumn and winter.

As a vampire, Ed is rapidly exhausted by sunlight. Sunlight won't kill him instantly, but it will cause him to collapse. He claims sunlight will turn him to ash eventually, and he cannot be outside in the sun without a parasol. If it's cloudy enough or he's in enough shade, Ed is able to be outside during the day. He's usually tired during the daytime, but still seems to sleep during the night. Despite these claims Ed was able to spend over a day exposed to the sun in Episode 17, although he was able to be in shade or inside of a building frequently, which suggests that his exhaustion by sunlight is somewhat exaggerated.

Ed seems to be weak to garlic, and he finds that it smells "unusual" when cooked.

Ed primarily drinks tears, although he mentions that he does drink blood in his character story and on the home screen. He finds that human food doesn't taste like much of anything, and he doesn't need to eat it.

Ed is able to transform into a bat and fly around in that form. He doesn't seem to be able to speak in this form, only screeching and squeaking. Based on the campus chibis he may have bats as 'familiars' too.

Ed mentions that Lyca's soul is misshapen, however it's unclear if he can actually see his soul or if he was merely teasing him.

Rui Mizuki

Ed cannot see the tree on the hill that Towa speaks to, but seems to be aware that something is there.

Ed has an enhanced sense of awareness, even to the point of slightly breaking the fourth wall on at least one occasion(referring to the PC's thoughts as "captions above her head".) He's aware of things like the presence of a forcefield around the island they were on in Episode 17 without any personal interaction with it as well.

Says he's saving his life force for Rui and won't easily give his life up to anything else.

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - temporary relief of pain and discomfort

Incantation has only been said in his head.

It's unclear if blowing a kiss is required to activate it or if that's just for flair, but it did produce a gold smoke that applied to the hurt area.

Artifact

Scythe - allows Rui to conceal himself in darkness.

Other

Rui admits to using his artifact to keep an eye on others on campus.

As long as there's shadows for Rui to hide in he's able to obscure himself, however the minimal shadows from the midday sun prevent him from having sufficient cover.

Suffers from a 'Reaper Curse' which effectively makes him a reaper.

Cannot make skin contact with most living things without them instantly dying. This includes humans, animals, plants, and even mold! Sufficiently strong living things(such as Ed, a vampire) will not die instantly when touched, but most things are too weak to survive. On contact, the touched thing's life force is absorbed into Rui's body through his mouth as a sort of green smoke that emerges from them.

Absorbed life energy goes straight to his body, extending his life filling him with so much energy that it prevents him from sleeping. He keeps himself as busy as possible as a result of having so much energy to spare.

In the case of Ed the reaction we've seen in-game when he was touched was the touched limb popping off(resulting in a spray of blood.) On the home screen he mentions Ed simply dying temporarily on contact and Ed mentions places they accidentally touched aching nonstop. It's uncertain what other creatures are strong enough not to die right away and how they would be affected by contact.

Lyca Colt

Wears gloves, a turtleneck, and avoids crowded places to avoid committing manslaughter and killing anything he touches.

Has repeatedly told Ed that his "vessel isn't worth it" when Ed brings up giving him his life force.

Stigma

Incantation - Ramsochisa

Effect - allows him to follow any scent he's smelled before.

Artifact

Claws - ?

Other

Half werewolf. Able to show or hide his wolf tail and ears at will, but they pop up when he's sufficiently aggravated.

Transforms with exposure to the full moon. "The speed of his transformation is affected by how much he's exposed to moonlight and his mental state." Sometimes feels his skin crawling when the full moon is near?

Covering his head when he's outside under the full moon prevents or regresses his transformation. Collapses after his transformation regresses from half wolf and doesn't transform while unconscious. Nothing happens to him if he's not exposed to the full moon on a full moon night. Obscuary is always a crescent moon, allowing him to be there safely during a full moon.

Werewolves have four stages: Human, partial wolf, half wolf, and full wolf. At 'half wolf' Lyca is an anthropomorphic wolf. However, he loses control of himself after he's been transformed for a while, and may attack indiscriminately.

He doesn't remember much when he transforms. He might remember less if he fully transforms?

Yuri Isami

Stigma

Incantation - Agnihaet

Effect - "hyperstimulates his braincells"

"allows him to logically process information and solve complex equations almost instantaneously."

when enhanced seemed to make the information processing instantaneous and extremely accurate?

Artifact

Syringe - ?

Was used on Jiro before he fought the Immortal Inpatient. However because the reflected damage is because of Jiro's stigma it's hard to say what exactly the effect of Yuri's syringe is.

Other

Immune to Jiro's stigma for unknown reasons, allowing him to treat Jiro without taking damage.

Jiro Kirisaki

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - Reflects any damage sustained back onto the one who dealt the damage

Activates automatically and involuntarily in response to sustained damage, without use of an incantation.

Anything that is injected into him will also be injected into the person who injected it into him. The same with someone trying to poison him. If someone tries to open him with a scalpel they'll also be cut open.

Does not work on Yuri for some reason, which is why Yuri is the only one who can treat him.

Artifact

Chainsaw - ?

Blunt, making it a bad match for webs(which simply got stuck in it) and things that need sharpness for effective cutting, but able to 'cut' through more solid things that don't require sharpness or precision, presumably by just crushing them with the rapidly spinning dull blades.

Other

Jiro is noted to be especially strong.

Jiro was in a coma from Eternal Slumber Syndrome until an undisclosed time ago, when Yuri was able to awaken him from it. When he was comatose and for how long and why hasn't been relayed yet, however he was said to be particularly violent during The Clash, meaning he was likely awakened before or during it, or fell into a coma during/shortly after it.

As a side effect of his condition and mysterious illness, Jiro has a poor memory, immunodeficiency, and his wounds reopen very easily. He occasionally has focal seizures.

Jiro doesn't react much to his wounds and being in pain, but he will eventually collapse from overexertion or illness if he misses a treatment or has taken too much damage.

Jiro normally needs four treatments a day, and they take around an hour to complete. Yuri is the only one who can administer them, and Jiro isn't able to do so himself. Even with his treatments he's forgetful and prone to being sick and has a bit of a fragile constitution. Abrupt changes in temperature, for example, make him choke.

As of Episode 9 and Episode 17, Yuri has worked on medication for Jiro that is able to be taken once every three and five days respectively while suppressing his illness and episodes to a minimum. Jiro is thus able to go on missions without Yuri, although he still intends to return in the event of emergency illness that his medication can't prevent

Jiro has experienced sudden attacks of his illness in the presence of the ghost of a young boy, mentions of his having a family, and at the sight of Zenji's birthday(June 19th.) In the latter case he reacted to the sight by ripping down the balloons that spelt out the date, which provided him relief. Hearing the PC say Zenji's name didn't result in the same response, however he did respond with an expression like hurt and a suspicious tone when the PC quoted Zenji.

#tokyo debunker #i was gonna tag everyone but i got too tired lol #danie yells at tokyo debunker #tdb ref #maybe someday i'll edit it to include sources for everything and maybe screenshots #but probably not because that's a lot #okay it's past my bedtime and i have dailies to do so #good night lmao #i'm sure i've missed stuff because i didn't do a lot of going back to double check lol #but this should be everything we know so far from the english translation and maybe some of the japanese #we didn't really get an explanation for how the pc's enhancement worked on yuri because the guy just kinda got brainblasted and figured out #what to do immediately so i just kinda guessed #take note of question marks because that's where i'm not certain i guess lol #okay time for dailies and bedtime #hope we learn more about the missing info soon

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thehealthyfearofeverything · 1 month ago

Text

The Kitchen Sink

SYNOPSIS: a change in perspective.

Or because the batfam hasn’t been introduced yet have this.

Interlude || Beast of Burden.

Warnings: mentions of death, implied child abuse, the reader is described looking like martha wayn but appearance is still vague. The reader is described as having her mother’s “coloring” sill no skin color is specified.

Barbara had seen a lot in her life. And unfortunately ‘ a lot’ includes what most couldn’t even fathom. Evil is spread thick through the streets of Gotham, tainting the air, water and dirt. It seeps through the cracks of the pavement overcrowding what could have been a beautiful place.

But a kid?

That Kid?

She had worked cases where children were involved, used as drug mules, or even as the product themselves. She has seen some things that the majority of people could even stomach.

But that kid. That girl was Bruce’s daughter, the child he didn’t even know he had, not only that but she looked like Martha Wayen, not in skin color, eye or hair color but in facial features. It was how Damian looked like Bruce, because Bruce looked like his father Thomas. But nobody looked like Martha, until that girl did. The girl was soaking wet, shaking from the cold and visibly bruised.

Gosh, the girl couldn’t have been no older than ten, seven if she had to guess, It was one thing when she noticed a stranger shuffling through the pamphlets— she had the card holder that come to her library memorized, and considering that hardly anyone ever comes to Gotham Public Library, that girl was easy to spot. But when Barbara finally saw her face, her heart broke.

She looked tired, too tired for a girl her age and she was scared. Maybe of her or just in general, or that she’d contact someone. The girl was jumpy, about to take flight at any second. She was standing with her weight leaning forward— one wrong word and the kid would be out the door.

Barbara had tried to get the girl to stay because she knew that form of trust would help her when she inevitably had to ask why the girl was at the library and not at a hospital or in some emergency housing. Did she run away? Did she feel unwelcome at the place she was at? Barbara’s blood boiled at the thought.

But she ran before she even said anything. And now she had to do things the hard way.

Because there is no way she’s just going to let this go. She knew that Bruce was going to do things the legal way– or close to legal, because as soon as the girl was put in the system he was going to pull strings to get her in the manor. But that girl, if her hunch was correct, was going to the Wayne funded youth’s shelter, and that was going to make things complicated. Barbara took a minute to regain her composer before sending a message in the group chat

BAT CHAT

Babs: hey guys, i met the girl, she looks around seven years old, and carrying two bags.

Timbers: what girl and how is this relevant to this chat?

Babs: because she’s B’s DAUGHTER the one he just found out about after finding the body of his former hook up? Not only that but she was at the library and not in a hospital.

Timbers: Yeah, that sounds important.

Babs: i noticed that she was looking through the pamphlets after I helped Hood earlier, she was lingering on the Martha Wayne Youth Center so she might be there.

Babs: at first i didn’t recognize her, idk i thought that she was with a parent or something then i checked the cameras and she was the only one there. She had a couple of bags with her so then i thought that she was a runaway. Then she said that she was on a field trip.

Babs: i recognized her then, but when i gave her my name she looked terrified and ran, so she’s either on the streets or at the youth center i mentioned before.

Dickie: in this weather? Sounds bad.like what if she gets sick?

Babs: At the very least i'm more worried about why she looked so jumpy when we talked. She sounded like a sweet kid, if not a little awkward. But what if her mother was abusive?

Timbers: that or she survived a joker attack and her mother died all in the same day, not only that but to her she’s an orphan, idk but im sure tha can fuck up any kid.

Babs: that is most likely, however we don't know what her home life was like.

Dickie: guess we just have to keep an eye out 4 her and take her somewhere safe if we do find on the streets

Barbara sighed in relief despite knowing that Dick wouldn’t even think about hesitating to help out. After all, once the shock and teasing died down ( cause really bruce another kid?) He was the most excited to have another younger sibling. She is also aware that Jayson was paying attention to the chat, even though he deynes it. He and the others would keep an eye out.

A shiver ran down your spine. You're sure that you weren't sick, but you felt a shift in the universe. Something happened, or is happening or is going to happen and it’s going to involve you.

That or this is the remnants of the hectic — for a lack of a better word— day. But you were too tired to linger on the day’s events, so instead you hugged the backpack that had your money to your chest and tried to go to sleep.

Tag List:

@jsprien213 @vxsire @sick2mystmch @not-aya @seemeee3 @wendee-go @mileskisser @cynniee

A/n: ask box and tag list is open!

A/n: I hate how Barbara's name is spelled it fuck with my dyslexic brain

PART 3—HERE— PART 4

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doctorhomo · 1 year ago

Text

OKAY OKAY. OKAY.

OKAY.

IM GONNA LIST THEORIES/THINGS I THINK

the constant mentions of susan returning and the red herring of susan triad is not just a red herring. it would be weird to have her brought up that much and not actually do anything. sutekh was luring the doctor in - why? and what’s his leverage? why lure him in with promises of his granddaughter unless he actually has susan? what if susan is his leverage over the doctor? sutekh gains control of the universe or susan dies

the toymaker, maestro, the mara and the trickster were all mentioned - but only the trickster hasnt showed up recently, in the main show or in extras. toymaker in the giggle, maestro in TDC, the mara in the S20 minisode - why mention the trickster at all if he’s not relevant? ruby’s “mother” is the trickster. it wasnt pointing at the doctor, but rather at the tardis - or sutekh. the trickster is bending reality by sutekh’s side, bc i dont remember sutekh being too fussed about bending reality, whereas it was the tricksters whole thing in sja

whenever the trickster pulls someone from reality in sja, they were in an entirely white void. whenever something significant/emotional happens to ruby, it snows.

sutekh’s last minions were just robots dressed as mummies - not humans slotting themselves into peoples lives, and certainly not children (henry arbinger). but the trickster did use a child to his advantage in TToSJS

susan triad said she gets her ideas from her dreams - what should we expect to see from her? self driving ambulances? bubbles? space stations?

we saw both susan and harriet turn into the creepy skeleton minions after sutekh revealed himself, but not mrs flood, who clearly also works for sutekh. is she the trickster? is she ruby’s “mum’”? she’s been planted there for sutekh’s plan, but she’s clearly more important than h arbinger and s triad

i feel like it was glossed over far too quickly that carla was like “that’s the beast!” ?????? excuse me ma’am??????? not one single person acknowledged that and i feel INSANE

why was susan triad appearing in all those episodes?? was it just sutekh trying to taunt the doctor?? i think she was under something like a chameleon arch, and she’d have sworn she was human until her dying breath. she feels more like a sleeper agent than an undercover one

in conclusion (for now) i feel absolutely insane. i have been vibrating all day and i dont think i breathed during that episode. im going to sleep for 46 hours and hopefully ill wake up normal

#i have not felt this insane in a long time #i genuinely need a cork board and yarn that’s where im at rn #doctor who #the legend of ruby sunday

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ruby-red-inky-blue · 14 days ago

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Writing lessons from Tony Gilroy

Oh yes, you heard me.

In many ways, it is much easier to tell what makes a story work for you when you're engaging with a story that is not working. Because with a thing you like, your brain just goes "goooood" and that is far more difficult to parse than "this one thing is bothering me every time it comes up, why is that?".

So. Let's turn this mess into something productive.

Worldbuilding

Chekov's Open Pit Mine

The complete lack of follow-up on what happened on Kenari, or what became of the other children there, or what, if anything, is currently happening there, frustrated me throughout the entire show. They spent quite a lot of time and production value on the planet - several long flashbacks complete with several sets, a gaggle of child actors in tribal make-up (maybe an iffy backstory detail for a white character in this day and age!) with very interesting, clearly scavenged costuming, a whole language someone got paid to construct and teach these young actors... And then the show never paid that off. I am extremely receptive to Chekov's Gun, I'm aware that this may not be the norm. The moment the camera lingers on anything, I expect for that thing to either be an explanation about something we have already seen (oh, this character is acting weird because there's a half-empty bottle of vokda on the kitchen counter. oh, this person is more sentimental than we thought because they clearly cherish this item the camera/prose is showing us etc.) or I expect it to come back later. But on a subconscious level, most people do this at least a little!

The writers said they felt Kenari worked well as an open-ended plot thread. There are good ways to do an open ending: For example, Casablanca doesn't end with a shot of Ilsa and her husband safely arriving in the States. We only see their plane leave, because the point of the movie isn't whether they make it. The point is that Blaine and others tried to do the right thing, and it would almost cheapen the ending to know whether they succeed or not. Kenari... doesn't feel like that. It feels like the writers forgot about it, or at least decided it would be fine if they never went back to it. The reason for that is that Casablanca at no point is pretending to be a movie about whether or not Ilsa and László make it to America. The film doesn't prime us to expect info on Ilsa after she leaves, and so it doesn't annoy us when we never get that info. Meanwhile, what happened on Kenari is set up to be plot-relevant. Cassian seems intensely invested in the question, and the narrative piles on about this by adding to the mystery: What happened to all the adults on Kenari? How long had they been gone? What were they mining for on the planet? Is that what poisoned the air so much that foreigners appear to die from it? If so, why do Maarva and Clem not also die from it? Are they exposed to a similar toxin on Ferrix? What were Maarva and Clem coming to Kenari for? What happened there that seems to make the Imperials so nervous to hear that Cassian was asking about Kenari? The story sets this up as a mystery and then loses interest in the plot. That is very different from the open ending of Ilsa and László in Casablanca, which really only leaves the viewer with two questions: Will they make it? And: Would it change anything if we knew? And crucially, the answer to the second question is: No. The Lesson: Open endings need to be set up just as well as closed ones. There is no way to decide halfway through a story to not resolve something that you had previously planned to solve and have it still feel satisfying, because the way you would tell a story with a resolution is very different than how you would set up an open ending.

Stone and Sky

The Funeral march is one of the examples of worldbuilding on the show that really got people excited. And personally I still think Ferrix cremating their dead into bricks is an extremely powerful metaphor about a community that prioritises being useful to others so much that you will still protect your people from the elements after you are gone - and it is extremely poignant that the Imperials don't understand the tradition at all. It's also striking (pun intended) that metal forms no part of this chant even though it is so omnipresent, suggesting that this community predates when they started scrapping and working with metal so much.

But... what's the "sky" part of this chant? Nothing about their community suggests they have any special connection to the sky - sure, they fly ships sometimes, but clearly not everyone can, or does, since the community seems to share a fairly small ship yard amongst themselves. And yeah, they have a sky... but why is it so important to them that it's fifty percent of their funeral chant? The Lesson: Not every worldbuilding choice needs to connect down several layers, but at least one connection is needed so it doesn't feel inorganic. You don't have to think about why your characters would say "Goodbye" if their God isn't called God or something - but if you're going to have a ritualistic phrase that gets repeated across your story for emotional impact... you should know what that phrase means, and an attentive viewer/reader should get some idea of it, too.

(Also, make sure your characters act like they know what the phrase means - nothing irked me more than Cassian and Wilmon's little goodbye ritual being "Ferrix. Stone and Sky" instead of just one saying "Stone" and one saying "Sky". They know this is about Ferrix. Either have them both say "Ferrix" and reinforce the idea that they don't want the name to go unspoken, or have them harken back to their culture without being afraid that your audience won't get it.)

Cultural building blocks (get it?)

We are introduced to Ferrix as a culture with intricate rituals about honouring their dead. It has cultural weight - we see this in the elaborate funeral, but also in the fact that Maarva stresses her death in her posthumous speech, clearly expecting this to lend strength to her message.

We are meant to read Bix as profoundly connected to Ferrix (at least according to the writers, I didn't necessarily see this in the character except for her being a good mechanic). So... why would she employ Gorst's torture device on him? Does this respect for the dead only extend to humans of Ferrix, and she would not see an issue in replaying the dying gasps of a foreign culture? The Lesson: Have your character's morals grow out of their culture, or create their culture around those morals, and then keep the character consistent to these core morals - or at least show that it takes something out of them to go against them.

How are they living (Settings and set dressing)

The immersiveness of the sets on this show was a pretty linear downward trajectory for me. The homes on Ferrix make sense - they imply strong winds, relative poverty, a focus on metal work and a culture of repairing and reusing, and Maarva, who is elderly, influential and semi-well off, is the one home where we see a lot of plants, which makes sense. She has time to care for these plants, has seen more of the universe than most others probably have, and is not shown to have any compunction about plucking living things from their native environment. Their clutter mostly makes sense in context - the have stuff lying around that people would reasonably use, in places where they would reasonably have put them down. What's more, you can look at things in Maarva's home and think "oh, this is probably hers" or "oh, this is probably Cassian's".

Mothma's apartment, on the other hand, is wildly devoid of any such clutter. In one sense, that makes extreme narrative sense. It's sanitised by the Imperial culture to a t, and also, it's a front for Mothma. It isn't supposed to feel lived-in, and it doesn't. It feels like an atrium to a swanky company sitting area. It looks a little fake, but again, that plays into the narrative! But the effect of that is somewhat dampened by the fact that the Chandrilla estate, while gorgeously designed, feels just as empty. If you told me this was an event location modeled after the motto "spacious marriage of Rivendell and Bag End with vaguely Asian overtones", I'd immediately believe you. I completely missed that this was supposed to be an estate that belonged to the Mothmas (I think??) because it seemed so aggressively impersonal.

By far the worst offender is the Yurt. We are supposed to believe that most of the Alliance on Yavin lives inside the old pyramids or right by them, including Mothma and Draven. But Cassian, who does not outrank either of them and at the midpoint of the season isn't even a captain yet, lives in a private dwelling in the thick, inhospitable jungle around the pyramids. A dwelling which is best described as "chic expensive glamping tent home rented out as an Air BnB in an esoteric themed desert resort in, at a guess, New Mexico, USA". Mothma shares a breakfast table with fifteen enlisted men and her cousin, while Cassian and his girlfriend, who appears to do no work for the rebellion, have a kitchenette. They have no clutter or personal items at all in this very swanky private space except for Cassian's plants, but they do have a bazillion lamps and no less than three nice seating areas! Their yurt also doesn't have a door, which seems like an insane choice given what we know of this jungle. You could probably fit a whole one of those dinosaur creatures through that door, not to mention a billion space mosquitoes at a time. The Lesson: A character's home is an extension of them, and if it isn't, you are making a point with that. Keep the life they lead in mind when designing a space, and also the situation and culture where it is located.

Are you afraid of your genre?

Andor doesn't really feel like Star Wars, even though it has a handful of previously established Star Wars characters in it and features some very well-known Star Wars planets like Coruscant very prominently. The main reason for that is that it refuses to lean onto the core Star Wars things like the Force (although Rogue One was also largely Jedi-less), planet-hopping (we do switch planets a bunch, but the camera does, instead of the characters), and, notably, aliens. Where are the aliens? The only time we see one is the lone black Ferrixian's buddy, who never turns up again, and then all the Senators who are caving under the Empire's pressure. There is neither alien nor droid in the main ensemble. Even the food looks distinctly less alien than it does in other Star Wars media - we get noodles, but blue! Goat milk, but gross! Literal existing cereal - in blue milk! Tea from a pot that looks like I could buy it in a store right now! A space Bialetti! (The champagne with the worm in it was a much more fun touch, although even that is really close to an existing custom (look up Mezcal worms)).

The tech, too, looks un-Star-Wars-ian. There are almost no holoprojectors - there's Space Skype on Space iPads! The comm units look literally like the Beats in-ear headphones I used to have! Most tech in Star Wars looks run-down and cobbled together, not the sleek Apple look - I get the idea changing that for Imperial tech, but then, even that didn't look this weirdly glossy in the old films. (That said, I LOVED Kleya's switchboard, and I loved the Imperial tech person interacting with it. That was great! I also loved Nemik's commentary on how the old, more reliable tech trumps the glossy new stuff! ... shame that never came back again...).

The music isn't at all like Star Wars either. I get some people liked that because they didn't vibe with the operatic tone of it all! But it serves to distance the show even further from the rest of the franchise. You could play that track over Succession or Severance no problem. John Williams's iconic score and Michael Giacchino's gorgeous Rogue One score both lean hard into individual themes that get melded and developed over the course of the films, and it really helps to both strengthen the impact of character arcs and give cohesion across the movies. The typical Star Wars theme doesn't play over Rogue One's title, but it pays close reference to it and the instrumentation is pretty close throughout, and several other themes like Leia's theme, the Imperial march, the dark side motif etc. are threaded throughout (And also the goddamn dies irae, for all those people who want to act like "Andor's theme is a funeral march actually 🤓" is new and revolutionary. Large parts of the Rogue One score are direct references to the most infamous musical shorthand for death and divine retribution in classical music and score, so jot that down. Watch Sideways's Rogue One score video if you haven't, it's great!). The show, meanwhile, completely refuses to communicate on that level - or at least does it so much more subtly that you can’t pick up on it without extensive composition knowledge. And again, because Star Wars usually telegraphs its story so heavily via the music, it is distracting when you come in expecting Star Wars. It’s like watching a show where some of the audio is just static - I’m tuned to a frequency where the show isn’t transmitting.

Also, some of the settings just felt too close to our world conceptually and visually, which could be immersion-breaking. Coruscant just looked like the worst 70s apartment blocks you can find around the world all on one planet in season two, and yeah, I'll say it - I thought making Ghorman into a fun pastiche of French fashion hubs was a fun idea initially, but when it turned into full "Wes Anderson does the Résistance, but without the substance"... this is not the post to get into it, but. No. Bad messaging. But also - giving us such strong visual cues that this is Europe in the 20th century, actually (the fashion giving 1940s France, the houses giving quaint Western Europe towns, the cafés looking like pre-war France and Prague and Vienna thrown into a blender with some added glass panels) pulled you out of the immersion that this is a Sci-Fi setting. The thing about movies like Star Wars is that yes, a lot of the tech is goofy and impractical if you think about it too long - but you don't, because it immerses you in the alien-ness of the setting. But when you try so hard to remove it and then shove parts of the setting back in when you have to, suddenly the droids and the space tech start to look silly or fake, because the whiplash is too great.

The Lesson: Write for the genre you are in - or pick the right genre for your story. If you have derision for your setting or are afraid to earnestly engage with its tropes, the audience can tell. In a fantastical setting, leaning too hard into realism can break immersion and make the story feel less real instead.

Characterisation

I-want songs

You know how in almost every musical ever written, the main character (and sometimes the antagonist, too!) gets a song laying out what their goals and dreams are, effectively making a mission statement for the plot? Think "Part of Your World", or "My Shot", or "Hellfire". (You can do this both grittier and for communities, by the way - the glorious "Not in Nottingham" from Disney's Robin Hood speaks very eloquently for an oppressed populace).

Don't worry, I'm not saying every main character on Andor should have burst into song (although that would be funny). The thing is, it's a helpful measure to check for characterisation - if this were turned into a musical, what would this character sing about? Now for Andor, I could write a song for Mothma. Maybe Luthen, although he got very confusing in season two. Other characters were extremely one-dimensional, so they could get a few lines for sure - Draven wants his operative to stay in line, but doesn't seem to know a better method than to look at him with disappointment and hope to eventually be respected. Dedra wants power and control. Syril wants to be important and respected. Kleya wants everyone to lock the fuck in (good for her). But everyone else... what would they sing about? Cassian should sing about wanting to go home, because that's all he ever professes to want (except at the beginning, when he really wants to find his sister, whom he then forgets completely for the rest of the show). He can't go home, though, because his homes are gone. That is tragic, and there's a beautiful story here that also existed in R1's Cassian... but it's not the core of his character in the show, either. The plot isn't at all interested in that conflict, and it's also insisting that he's really committed - he keeps getting jobs and promotions and we keep finding him in key positions even though all he ever does is tell us how much he doesn't fucking want to be there. Giving this man an "I Want" song about going home would set up expectations the show doesn't fulfill. What the fuck would Bix sing about? When we meet her, she's clearly over her ex, so it wouldn't be Cassian. Again, this could work if the show put in the legwork to see what changes her mind - but it doesn't. He frees her from capture, like any decent person would do if given the chance, and that's it, she's all in, though we never see it happen. Oh, apparently she also really wanted a baby, according to the fans. She never said so or anything, but I guess she must have, since she has one at the end, and she seems somehow content with that even though her situation is objectively horrifying.

We rarely find out what motivates the characters. This rarely results in plot holes only because the characters almost never do anything because they want to, the plot just happens to them (see below). But it makes them very hard to relate to. We know what they do, and we often know why they chose to say what they just said or do what they just did... but we do not find out what keeps them going. We don't learn how they live with themselves (except, weirdly, for Syril, where we put a lot of legwork into that which nobody else is really afforded).

It's worse when you examine relationships between characters. They are so underexplored, and it's largely tell and no show. Cassian loves Maarva like a mother, because she raised him - why has he fully accepted her drugging and kidnapping him? And leaving his sister for dead by extension? Why would he? Cassian loves Bix, and always has - why? What does he like about her? What does she like about him? All we know is he was apparently pretty flaky when they were first together, and now he’s controlling and dismissive. What a dreamboat! Why is Luthen so obsessed with Cassian? We’ll never know! Bix and Vel hang out now - to talk exclusively about how great Cassian is, apparently. Do Cassian and K-2 have a special rapport? Not really, they just snark at each other a bit. The show tells us what people are to each other - mother and child, romantic partners, allies, people in a workplace feud - but we never learn why they behave that way with each other. The most glaring example is Dedra and Syril. For most of the first season, she either didn’t know he existed or thought he was a pathetic creep. Then one poorly managed riot later - this complete control freak lets the pathetic little man into her home?? Meeting his mother?? Why? We never find out, because the show doesn’t care. We are given a fact, and then we move on to the next fact.

This intense need to slot characters into single categories killed the potential of most of the relationships on the show - Dedra and Syril could have been a fascinating, fucked-up spy handler/informant dynamic, but Tony Gilroy and company couldn't fathom a woman not wanting to coddle and adore her man, so she was inexplicably actually in love with him, I guess? Bix and Cassian as friendly exes with baggage actually worked well, and could have been built on from there, even with a physical component to it - but they had to revert back to devoted housewife dynamics so it was clear that this is a Good Christian Heteronormative Relationship. Even the deeply interesting revelation that Perrin actually does know Mothma fairly well and does care about her was largely shunted from the story even though seeds were laid for it here and there - because her marriage is bad and she needs to be girlboss. Her daughter rejects her and then we never see Leida again, when a strained thing where they do both love and need each other but disagree fundamentally was so interesting in the brief moment we got it!

The Lesson: a) Know what your character wants at the start of the story. You don't need to clumsily have them state this in the opening act (though if you can make a clever, oblique reference in the first few lines of dialogue or something, that is god-tier work imo). But you need to know it, so that your character can feel like a person with an internal life and hopes and dreams and opinions - and so they have something to go after (see below). This want can change! In fact, it probably should, so your character has a satisfying arc! But throughout the story, at least you the writer should be clear on what your character's number one priority is, and be sure they act accordingly.

b) Instead of approaching a relationship between two characters with "I want them to be in this kind of relationship with each other", try to think about what they would think of each other and what kind of relationship would result from that - and what might have happened to change that opinion. This gives you backstory and weightier relationships in one fell swoop! It's less important that they fall into one definitive category than that we understand what drives them to interact the way they do. In fact, what's more compelling and affecting than a complex relationship that doesn't fall into one single category or people refuse to categorise? (If you don't believe me, your homework is entering "bruce springsteen clarence clemons" into the tumblr search window.) And if you find that you don't know what your characters would think of each other, you'll know which character you haven't got a decent handle on yet. Refer back throughout the writing process as needed.

What is your other thing

A lot of the characters only have one main thing. Mothma is beleaguered. Cassian wants to be left alone. Kleya is competent. Brasso is just so solid. Bix is traumatised (and sexy? Huh, I guess that’s complex 🙃). Maarva is convinced she is always right. Dedra is powerhungry… You see my point. (Listen, of course they exhibit behaviours that aren't that. I mean what is consistent enough in their behaviour to be called a trait.) What other traits do they have? How are those in conflict with this trait? Do they stack? If they interfere with each other, how does the character deal with that? We kind of see this with Luthen - he does have a wish to be recognised, a wish to be liked, but he has decided he has to kill these desires because they are too dangerous to his aim. The trouble here is... idk, "desires human connection" isn't exactly a stand-out thing for a character to experience. It's kind of at the core of the human experience, even.

The Lesson: People contain multitudes. But in an ensemble piece, you can kind of fake that by giving people a second thing that instantly makes them seem more complex: Chirrut is a martial artist, but he’s blind! He can't seem to use the force but he's deeply faithful! The titular character of Barry is a contract killer but he he has a passion for amateur theatre! This is a version of this excellent writing advice: Two Hats! I feel like the more specific the second, contradictory thing is, the better this trick works. Of course, if you mostly leave it at those two facts instead of using them as a jumping-off point for more extensive development, your character will seem richer, but still fairly underdeveloped. We don't learn that much about Chirrut in Rogue One - he's interesting because of the contradictions in his character, but we don't necessarily see these explored. Barry, by contrast (because Barrry is the protagonist), gets deep development out of that core starting point of its character. So this is more a springboard than an instant solution - but if you need an interesting background character, just having two things will make them much more memorable than one thing. This leads us into this point:

Internal conflicts and character development

I've basically ranted enough about this, but in short: Most of the characters are almost exclusively in external conflicts, not internal ones. Brasso is just a guy who wants to help out his friends! Maarva is just a stubborn woman convinced she is correct, and the plot never contradicts it! Dedra wants to find Axis. Syril wants to be respected. Vel rejects her home tradition and wants to be a rebel. This never becomes an issue for her except for one time her girlfriend tries to hurt her with it. Saw sees himself as the only one with clarity of purpose, surrounded by cowards and traitors.

Mothma has internal conflict, and it's what makes her so much more compelling, even though the plot doesn't afford her much exploration of that: She wants to fight the Empire, and she has realised this will require violence. But she doesn't like violence, and eventually, it even demands she do violence to her own child. Cassian and Bix have some extremely vague internal conflict where they both long for settling down and peace but their homes are lost and they (supposedly) feel the need to defeat the Empire to rebuild one (at least this is paid lip-service to - we've never seen Cassian exhibit this behaviour in action. He was a flaky boyfriend and son pre-show and is a bitch to his girlfriend all season, and seems completely disinterested when Bix attempts to turn their Coruscant hideout into more of a home). But this is executed so inconsistently and in such a stilted manner that it doesn't hit.

The Lesson: Main characters should have internal conflict. Revolutionary take, I know. This will allow you to build a complex character and also give them an arc by showing us how they resolve this conflict. Not every character in a story needs to have internal conflict... but all the really good ones do.

Active characters vs. passive characters

Almost nobody in Andor makes active choices on screen. Most plot points are them reacting to situations, dealing with the fallout of either their own actions (which they often took off-screen!) or the actions of their allies or the Empire. Cassian is taken away from his home by Maarva, he isn't even conscious when he leaves. Cassian reacts to cops threatening him, the fallout of which is the catalyst of the plot more than any choice he made out of his own volition. Luthen plans Aldhani off-screen, and recruits Cassian last-minute because something we never learn about told him it wasn't going to work with the crew they had. We don't see Vel and company plan the heist, we see them reacting to the addition of Cassian - this example is a good one! This is the most compelling part of the story (even though I'm still confused about why the fuck Luthen would change plans so last minute, we never find out what changed). But the trouble is... this keeps happening: Cassian is literally pulled into the next step of the plot by complete happenstance (again, excellent political commentary here! ...but from a story perspective, it's getting irritating by now). Mothma's troubles kick into gear by the fallout of Luthen's off-screen decision to steal from Aldhani. Cassian returns to Ferrix because Maarva died off-screen. Bix gets tortured for a decision she made before the show even started. The Ferrixians leave Ferrix because Cassian tells them to. Cassian is held back on Yavin because someone died off-screen and people don't know how to react to it. Brasso dies reacting to random Imperial crackdown. Bix apparently becomes an active Rebellion operative - but in reaction to being chased off Mina Rau, and presumably because of Cassian, we never see her actively choose to dedicate herself to the cause. Cassian chooses to take missions off-screen but refuses them on screen. Dedra is told what to do on Ghorman by Krennic and Partagaz. Bix and Cassian become a couple off-screen. Luthen and Cassian decide to kill Gorst off-screen, and most of the mission also happens off-screen. Cassian joins Yavin Intelligence under Draven off-screen, then refuses to actually work for him whenever we see him. Bix breaks up with Cassian via answerphone. Dedra finds Stardust because someone else made a mistake off-screen. Lonni discovers her passwords on accident off-screen. Luthen kills him off-screen. (Again! Tasteful, cool storytelling choice on its own! As part of a pattern, infuriating!) Even Luthen's suicide attempt to escape Imperial questioning isn't exactly framed like an active decision - he didn't even have this exit route prepared, he had to stab himself poorly aimed with an antique he grabbed off his shop's shelves.

I think this is why Kleya resonated so much with fans. She is very reactive when we meet her - she's the designate clean-up crew for everyone else's dumb or reckless moves. But in Season Two, we see her make active decisions: She decides, and executes, the removal of the bug. She decides and executes Luthen's termination. She co-ordinates her own rescue (and then immediately becomes an irrational, rescueable damsel... but I guess we're ignoring that collectively). It's also what made the Narkina arc so good! We see the prisoners, one after the other, actively choose to fight their way out. They break their passivity and become active, and it's so satisfying, and the core message of that season in a nutshell!

Yes, in a story about oppression, people will - and must! - passively react to the actions of their oppressors. But that's a lacklustre story if that's all that happens. And also, in a story about rebellion, which Andor claims to be, it is in fact paramount that the characters break out of this pattern!

The Lesson: Cause and effect is maybe the core component of storytelling. Putting things into a linear order and implying a connection by this chronology is the building block of human thinking. But a good story doesn't just stop there. Are your character making active choices? Do we see them make these choices? Do we know why they make them (see above)? The fact that they chose to do them will give the fallout much more weight - think of how much it could have meant if Cassian had volunteered for Aldhani instead of being effectively forced to help, and then got arrested as a result!

Also: When your characters go after a goal and don't attain it, make that bother them. Have that mean something. Give their active choices at least as much if not more weight than their passive ones. Don't, say, have someone risk their lives to assassinate an important figure they personally resent, completely fail to even give it a good try, flee in a panic, and never have this come up again.

Do your characters match your story?

Ask yourself this, which of these pitches sounds more like prestige, political television: Inspired by the works of Ian Fleming and the Bourne Franchise or Inspired by the works of John Le Carré?

Cassian in Rogue One isn't a Bond type. He isn't working alone; he's not even leading the team in the latter half. His work takes a toll on him; he is in conflict with his orders - so much so this makes him fail a critical assignment. He's not cool, he's not suave, he doesn't talk back to his superiors. And he's not supernaturally gifted at his work, though he's clearly good at it to have survived this long (discounting perhaps his "I'll make [the calculations] for you [the droid and ship's computer]" comment). He's closer to a Le Carré spy - hard-working, long-suffering, full of doubts and resentments overridden by some larger conviction of the righteousness of his cause. Competent through experience rather than natural talent; understated and discreet instead of cool and dramatic.

I've gone on at length about this here and here, but the main point is... Tony Gilroy clearly thought this type of spy was lame, and Cassian should be a Bond or a Bourne type - a cool, sexy, hypercompetent, violent power fantasy. (He somehow gave him those traits and then we only ever see them in action during Narkina 5 and then never again, but that's separate issue). The problem is... Andor wants to be a prestige drama, and James Bond, for all its appeals, is not that. It never was that. The two don't mix. Bond types are static, and a little of a blank slate by design - they're supposed to be a power fantasy! They're supposed to be a bit of a canvas to project yourself on! Prestige drama isn't the place for such characters. It makes him feel out of place. And they tried to fix it by bringing the Force back in as an explanation why Cassian is just so innately badass even though he had no plausible opportunity to learn to do these things... which made the incongruity worse. Because now, your nitty-gritty grimdark show that wanted to be serious, political Star Wars for adults is giving us Chosen One light. Congratulations, you found one of the goofiest things in Star Wars (midichlorians and immaculate Force conception) and... tried to use it to plaster over a glaring tonal incongruity! Unsurprisingly, this feels terribly out of keeping. You're telling us that not only did you get some Bond into the Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy of it all, but now we're bringing magic into it? (Yes, it's never confirmed and could be read as a religious belief Bix is holding, but when you never set her up as at all spiritual before and also the plot is bending over backwards to confirm that must be what's happening... idk.)

The Lesson: Again, write for the genre you are in, or pick a fitting genre for the story you want to tell. Do your characters work for this story? Do they complement the themes? James Bond in space could have worked in a Star Wars project! But Andor so desperately didn't want to be Star Wars, and rejected all the blockbuster tropes and the action film logic so vehemently that a Bond-like character has no place in it and is actively at odds with the themes.

Plot and Pacing

Kill your darlings

I've yapped about this enough, so we can cut this short: Too much of the plot and character development is happening off-screen. For the "they wanted to do more seasons but couldn't" excuse, refer to this post. In return, we see a lot of characters do banal shit that doesn't do much - Cassian gambling with Melshi. Cassian drinking tea. Cassian being a captive for several episodes. Syril skyping his mother. B2EMO playing catch. Yes, all that is worldbuilding and yes, some of that conveyed information, but there were more efficient ways to do it and it doesn't make up for the fact that everything important is shunted off screen.

The Lesson: Things happening off-screen can help build suspense or make a point of how the POV character views the world and what they choose not to examine. It's an excellent stylistic tool within measure. That said: The core moments of your plot should happen in the story, not between the lines (again, revolutionary take here, Carrie). If you have to kill a few darlings to make room for the plot of your story, so be it. If you find that you have a rigid framework and your story is too large for it and you have to cut pivotal scenes to cut it down, this is not the story for this framework. And if you can't get a different frame for the story you have, you have to get a different story for the frame you have.

Tyranny requires constant effort (or does it)

One thing that Season 1 of Andor did brilliantly was to show how omnipresent the Empire is, and how easy it is for the characters to bump into the borders of their freedom in every aspect of their lives - and how much administrative effort this took. This was the thesis statement of the first season - but it should have been the thesis statement of the whole show.

The Empire's pressure goes from a steadily tightening grip (with more and more slipping through their fingers, someone has seen the original Star Wars at least once!) to a pressure that fluctuates wildly. Sometimes, they just appear and do stuff without almost any hitch or issue in the execution on ground level (Mina Rau, Ghorman), other times, they completely flounder and the Rebels can suddenly do wildly dangerous things with full eye contact (blowing up Gorst, escaping Coruscant with Mothma's own ship while the ISB is locking down the whole planet looking for her, shooting her driver in full view of ca. 20 civilians, entering and leaving Coruscant with no pre-planning or subterfuge to rescue Kleya, taking out a fucking batallion of Imps in the process). Is the Empire omnipresent and cracking down possibly too hard in a desperate attempt to keep power? Or are the Imperials supremely powerful but short-sighted and lazy? Both works, but these are two different things that can't be combined - at least not unless you make it a point to say, they've changed tactics and it's made them both more violent and less vigilant somehow.

The Lesson: Make your rules. Then stick to them. Rogue One got away with certain hijinks because it was still very much a fairy-tale-esque structure in the tradition of the old movies - they threaded the theme of the Force guiding actions throughout the movie, so it is easier to accept convenient accidents. Characters can defy logic when it serves their character archetype - Chirrut can walk through fire and not get hit because he has kept faith in the Force all his life, and in this moment, it is flowing through him. Cassian can climb up a tower with a broken back (or else call down and ride an elevator in record time) because otherwise he would not have the redemption to reward his actions, and because love and hope are supposed to triumph over evil in the end. Andor rejected that vibe, choosing to kill off characters "randomly" (in descending order of melanin count) and hammering down the point that the world isn't fair and that bad things happen to good people. That's fine. But once that plot includes convenient accidents, we are not primed to accept or forgive it. Write for the genre you are in. Write for the setting you have.

Metatextual

"I sincerely apologise to all the people who have been writing Rebelcaptain fanfic for all these years, but you gotta do what you gotta do and I feel so bad but also this man probably never loved her because they met a few days ago and this is canon now. But I do feel so bad." (paraphrased)

This is annoying as fuck. This is far worse than presenting a story and saying, this is my story, I think it works very well and I hope you get something out of it.

The Lesson: Don't be defensive about your writing, especially not preemptively. At best, you come off as a condescending prick. At worst, you may end up dismissing valid criticism out of hand by implying it was about the minor nitpick you chose to highlight.

"A lot can happen in a year! One must imagine..."

The Lesson: Not everything needs to be spelled out on the page (in fact, that is a hallmark of irritating writing). But if you feel the need to give additional explanation to your audience, you have submitted a first draft instead of a finished product. If you think that the information is needed to understand the story, then this information should have been in the story.

This is so long, good God. I hope someone finds it helpful. Feel free to add, there are never enough writing advice posts!

#you ever get so mad at bad writing being lauded as good that you write 7k essays about what lessons to take from it #meta #andor critical #writing advice #long post

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dinarosie · 20 days ago

Note

hello! As a Snape fan, what do you think of this comment about his home life? It's a part of a larger discussion about Harry's abuse under the Dursleys, someone said there's a double standard with how characters like Sirius and Snape are treated for their past abuse while Harry's is minimized. This is one of the responses and tbh idk what to feel about it.

"Yeah it's weird because people talk about how canonically Snape had an awful abusive childhood, when the canon scenes we have are his dad shouting at his mums while he cowered in a corner, him being dressed in odd clothes and poorly kept (though this is something he maintains throughout his life) and a scene where he says his dad "doesn't like anything much." And often these same people claim Harry didn't have an abusive childhood even though he was beaten, starved and locked in a cupboard. Make it make sense."

Thank you for bringing this up—it's a really important conversation, and I'm happy to address it.

I’ve honestly never seen Snape fans deny the abuse Harry went through. This is not a competition, Unlike some Marauders fans, we don’t need to steal someone else’s backstory to validate our favorite character We’re not here to “steal” Harry’s suffering. But it’s often Snaters who turn the pain and trauma of both Harry and Snape into some kind of contest, asking: “Well, Harry also had a hard life—so why didn’t he turn out like Snape?” That’s when we’re forced to point out the key differences between them.

Another important point: the books are about Harry. There are seven books written for and about him. Everything we know is tied to Harry. Other characters and events are only narrated in relation to his journey. Even the glimpses we get of Tom Riddle’s childhood are because they’re relevant to Harry. That’s why we get such detailed insight into Harry’s childhood pain and trauma.

J.K. Rowling simply can’t—and frankly doesn’t try to—spend the same amount of time exploring the trauma of another character, like Snape. As deep and layered as Snape is, these books are the story of Harry Potter, not Severus Snape. Unless Rowling decides to write another seven books from Snape’s point of view, from childhood to death, we have to accept that what we get are snapshots.

So the author makes do with small but powerful images to convey the reality of abuse. And they’re enough. We are not meant to think young Severus had a bright, cheerful childhood filled with rainbows and unicorns.

As I said, Rowling doesn’t write paragraphs about how Snape’s basic childhood needs weren’t met—instead, she shows it through his thin appearance, his poorly fitted, mismatched clothing. She doesn’t spend entire chapters describing the poverty he endured, but she makes us feel it through the rundown setting of Spinner’s End and his wearing of his mother’s old clothes.

She doesn’t spend chapters exploring Eileen Prince’s background, her toxic marriage, or the domestic violence she and her son faced, nor can she delve into Eileen’s powerlessness, passivity, or possible depression Instead, we get quiet but heavy moments: a broken woman, a screaming man, and a terrified child crying in the shadows.

Likewise, the author can’t extensively explore the tense, neglectful, and harmful relationship Snape’s father inflicted on him, so she embeds it in dialogue—like when Snape tells Lily that his father “doesn’t like anything” (not magic, not his mother, not young Severus). And she conveys it in his body language, such as when he pulls at the grass—subtle but powerful indicators of severe anxiety, shame, and the desperate need to release nervous energy.

And the most important difference? Harry eventually gets to live a normal life. The memories may still haunt him, but he survives. At thirty-eight, Harry is alive, warm, surrounded by friends and the Weasleys, with a loving wife and children, a job he enjoys, and a fortune passed down from his parents. Severus, at thirty-eight, dies in the Shrieking Shack—in the very place where some of his deepest traumas happened. He dies in pain, after years of anxiety, guilt, spying, and isolation. No family. No friends. No love. No life of his own. No chance to recover. No distance from the memories that damaged him.

And to say “Snape can’t have been abused because he dressed weird as an adult, just like as a kid”? That’s one of the most ridiculous takes I’ve ever seen. He lived in survival mode his whole life. And you’re criticizing his fashion choices?

I’m so sorry he didn’t have a childhood stylist. I’m sorry he grew up so deep in poverty and violence that he never learned to care about appearances. I’m sorry that even in adulthood, while dealing with depression, trauma flashbacks, constant fear, and the stress of espionage, he didn’t have time to stroll through Ralph Lauren and figure out what season suits him.

#pro snape #anti snaters #snapedom #snape fandom #snape meta #pro severus snape #young snape #harry james potter #snape family #severus snape #anon #truma #character analysis

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redrain-whiteflower · 20 days ago

Text

I see that Li Haoling is just going to be his diabolical self.

This was posted in April but I not only didn’t see it then but I think it’s relevant now.

I’m pretty sure my theory that Nice isn’t dead is true now. Because Lin Ling wouldn’t do whatever is happening. He’s too chill, and he isn’t pretending to be Nice anymore. Plus, nobody except maybe ten people knew Nice died, everyone else

Probably thought he could never die

Believed he was alive

and if Trust can change one’s appearance, worsen someone’s OCD, and control someone’s movements, how can it not keep Nice alive?

And even if now that everyone believes he’s dead, he probably doesn’t have trust anymore.

but, it’s reasonable to expect that he didn’t get almost to the top ten by sheer luck. Lin Ling could only replicate him with the Trust value, but a lot of that on Nice’s end could’ve been entirely him. And in this image, he looks the same as he used to. So to me, it seems that he built himself up on his own.

I’m feeling like Nice is going to show back up and attempt to kill the top ten at the very least. As we’ve seen, Lin Ling is the best of the top ten in terms of heroism. Yang Cheng killed the old E-Soul, and for what? He completely forgot who saved him when he was a child. E-Soul didn’t want the ranking, he saved people. But then people saw Yang Cheng and how young and talented he seemed, but he didn’t even save his friend. Lucky Cyan still has that secret the dean told Luo that we don’t know yet. And she doesn’t seem very focused on saving people to me? She’s a hero but she doesn’t do much hero stuff.

Nice’s theme song is literally called PARAGON, speaking entirely about how he brought light and showed people the way. It can’t be nothing. He can’t be gone so easily. Li Haoling doesn’t do that.

#tbhx #tbhx nice #tbhx theory #tbhx spoilers #tu bian yingxiong x #tbhx lin ling

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falmerbrook · 2 months ago

Text

Theories for What Darien is

Some folks seem content with "vessel of Meridia" as an answer to "what's Darien's deal" but I'm not, and I think at some point we'll get more answers, so here's a collection of some theories+clues I've thought of or seen others suggest in the meantime.

A Demiprince

A Demiprince is "the Daedric offspring of a Daedric Prince or Daedra Lord and a lesser entity such as a mortal". They aren't really a thing this series puts a lot of focus on (and I like that, personally. We have enough focus on daedra already) but having a focus on a major character being one could be a good opportunity to flesh the concept out perhaps. From what we do know, though, the relationship between Prince and Demiprince seems less like that of a literal parent and child and more like the Prince provides some part of themselves or their power/essence/realm to create a new being with part of the essence of a lesser being. When that other entity is a mortal, I suppose that would just be the other parent. Basically under this theory Darien's father (as a reminder, a character we have met and interacted with in-game) was probably a Meridia cultist, or otherwise connected with her and for whatever reason agreed to make and raise Darien. He probably grew up from a child if this is the case.

Meridia wasn't a part of the Coldharbour Compact, but maybe for whatever reason she felt she needed a mortal with loyalty and a connection to her, as well as a sample of her power to do her bidding on Nirn, and thought a Demiprince would be the best way to go about it? Regardless of motivation, I think it would set up a very interesting relationship or dynamic between Darien and Meridia if they ever return if it turns out she's basically his mom.

Evidence:

Darien mentions that he never met his mother when you talk to him on Summerset. It seems like something pretty specific to bring up unless it had some sort of relevance (although the rest of this dialogue is going to be more relevant to later theories)

He also seems to be under the impression that he has always had whatever power/abilities he has related to Meridia in him his whole life (now, how long that life is depends on the theory).

(me too, Darien)

When he mentions that he had dreamed of the assault on Coldharbour and the light of Meridia before, he says that he's been having these dreams since he was young, implying that 1) he had a childhood (that's relevant I swear) and 2) his connection to Meridia and purpose as her Champion has been present since he was young. In his journal you can find in Camlorn, however, he says he's been having dreams predicting the Planemeld "since winter", implying they are a more recent thing. Perhaps his dreams have just gotten more specific or frequent as he got older?

---

Something of otherwise daedric origin that Meridia plops on Nirn when she needs something done

Basically, my thought with this one is that "Darien" has been Meridia's vessel (whatever that entails) for a long time, that she sends down to Nirn/Mundus whenever she wants to more covertly get something taken care of. For an example, in the context of the Planemeld, a certain amount of time before it started (I'm thinking, say, months) he appeared in Camlorn as a full adult, with him and the people around him having false memories of his past. Perhaps his "dad" is in on it, or perhaps he's just a random guy who has now been assigned an adult son by a god. Once he had fulfilled the task she set out for him, in this case helping to thwart Molag Bal, she would bring him back into the Colored Room for the next time she needed him (in this case, the conflict with the Dark Triad). In this case, he isn't a mortal, he just appears as one and is under the impression he is one. Usually, his memory is reset when he returns to the Colored Rooms, but, according to Meridia something changed in his interactions with the Vestige...

This one certainly has it's own holes in how it actually works, but it's a start.

Evidence:

The biggest evidence for this theory comes from the player's conversation with Meridia during the Summerset main quest.

She claims that he only believes himself to be Darien, and that he is really something else. (also she calls him "it") As well, she also says she sends him to Mundus to execute her will, implying this is not only his purpose, but also that she's done this before.

Additionally, she directly says that something about her intended purpose for him has been altered since he met you (and she specifically cites the Vestige as the problem). Perhaps he was meant to forget about his bonds and life from before he was returned to the Colored Rooms, but something about this time made it so he didn't and now he's invested in that past life.

The way he keeps returning to the Colored Rooms when he "dies" (his first time having not been within the protective shield Meridia set up, the second time being when he sacrificed himself to restore Dawnbreaker) is reminiscent of the way daedra are returned and reformed in their home realms when they are killed elsewhere. Daedra aren't actually "killed" when they die, they are instead just returned to the plane of Oblivion they originate from. Perhaps that is what's going on with him.

(source)

Finally, I mentioned earlier that in his journal, he claims he's only been having his dreams of the Planemeld and Meridia for probably a few months at most. Perhaps that's how long he's actually been on Nirn?

We saw earlier that he also mentions that his childhood was a blur. Maybe that's because he didn't actually have one.

---

A(nother) Vestige™

(or just generally, originally a normal Breton dude, turned into something daedric)

So, from my understanding, a vestige (lowercase v) is basically the daedric version of a soul. Daedra do not have souls in the way mortals do. Instead they have vestiges that are basically the essence of a daedra that its form/body is created around. This is a bit different than what The Vestige (uppercase V) is. When mortal souls are sacrificed to Molag Bal, the soul is replaced by a vestige in Coldharbour, turning the mortal into a Soul Shriven who is compelled/forced to serve as a slave in Coldharbour for eternity since they cannot die permanently (similar to daedra). The bodies of Soul Shriven are weak and decay over time, but rarely, such as with The Vestige, some other Aunic (which I think means relating to Mundus) aspect allows them to maintain their former body, while still have the ability to reform after death like a daedra. (all of this is taken from this book, so if I got it wrong let it know)

With that out of the way, this theory is basically that Darien is like The Vestige, but for Meridia instead of Molag Bal. Alternatively (and more simply) it could be that he was originally born a normal mortal, but at some point had some part of Meridia's power/essence imbued in him to become what he is now (the Ambitions had this sorta thing going on for another example of it).

There isn't really any evidence for this theory that makes it more likely than the others. As a matter of fact I think it's weaker than the previous two. However, it would be thematically interesting to have him parallel with The Vestige, and it would make this line A+ foreshadowing:

---

Other random tidbits I found interesting but don't really apply to any one theory

In his final words to the Vestige in the books he leaves us after the Summerset main quest, he rather definitively says that Meridia is responsible for bringing him into existence. So at the very least she has something to do with his existence. This could apply to any of the theories I've already put forward, but mostly the first two.

His powers or whatever essence of Meridia that he has is implied to be finite. He initially seemed to think that he was transferring the rest of what he had into Dawnbreaker when he sacrificed himself at the end of Summerset, but in his final words it seems more like it took away a part of it, and each time he does something like that or "dies" he loses a bit (and that when he loses all of it he will actually die :( )

Nocturnal seems to recognize him as "Meridia's vessel". This is right after he mentions using Dawnbreaker so the Meridia connection is obvious, but the same use of the word "vessel" makes this seem like a thing the other Princes understand or already know about unquestioningly. Maybe it's a Daedric Prince thing, maybe it indicates Meridia has had this "vessel" in whatever form for awhile.

His dad is definitely a guy that exists given Lady Arabelle mentions having worked with him at some point at least 16 years prior to the events of the game. Make of that what you will for however he fits into all this.

Not really related to what his deal is at all, but still a interesting part I forgot about: Darien and Sotha Sil have had a conversation. I very much wish I was a fly on the wall during that. Maybe Sil could recognize more about what was going on with Darien than we could.

#eso #elder scrols online #darien gautier #wrote most of this at the beginning of this year and it has been sitting in my drafts #but i figure i should post it sooner rather than later in case they ever bring him back lol #mine

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rebelliousneferut · 9 months ago

Text

balancing fame and secrecy | max verstappen x influencer! reader

summary; you and max have been secretly dating for a while and things have been going great... until fans started speculating about your love life.

genre; smau and written.

face claim; cindy kimberly.

note; english is not my first language.

in honor of my birthday boy, whom i love and admire very much.

masterlist!

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀˚ ༘♡ ⋆˚

y/n_updates

liked by judebfans, username and others

y/n_updates y/n via her stories.

she was at the real madrid game today and sources say she was seen leaving the stadium with star footballer jude bellingham.

lately there have been rumors circulating about a possible relationship between the two, what do you think?

view comments

username i think they would be a powerful couple

judefan definitely no 💀

username wdym?

judefan he's so sweet and she seems so mean

username you don't even know her silly

judefan but still...

y/nfan go out and touch grass

bellingham.source who is she?

y/n_updates @y/n_l/n, she became known for her Instagram lives and her makeup and beauty tips videos.

username1 i just stalked her and she's so gorgeous

username2 idk, there's something about her that doesn't fit

username3 right??? it doesn't give me a good feeling

y/nfan2 why is everyone judging my girl for a photo? you guys don't even know her to say if she's mean or not and as far as I know, she's been single for a while.

username4 tx, say it louder

"why is everyone saying you're dating jude bellingham?" was the first thing i saw when i unlocked my phone. it was 10 pm in spain, but in singapore, where max was for this weekend's race, it would be around 4 am.

"you know how the internet is, mijn leeuw (my lion), don't pay attention to it," i replied. a few minutes passed, and there was no response. worry started to creep in. had i upset him too much?

just when i was about to overthink it, his video call lit up the screen. "are you coming to the race?" he asked, his tone flat. there was no trace of the smile i loved so much.

"are you mad at me?"

"no," he mumbled, more like a petulant child.

"baby, you know i can't control what people say online."

"i know. i just wish everyone knew you were mine."

"it was your idea to keep it a secret," i reminded him.

"well, i don't like that idea anymore."

i let out a nervous laugh, but his blue eyes, even through the screen, conveyed tiredness and something more. i was about to respond when jude appeared behind me. max's expression turned cold.

"are you ready?" jude asked me.

"ready for what?" max snapped, his voice filled with venom.

"we're going to celebrate real madrid's victory, is that okay?"

"whatever. i'll call you later," he said, and hung up before i could reply.

"i'm sorry, i didn't mean to cause any trouble," jude said, visibly uncomfortable.

"it's okay, don't worry about it. i'll see you downstairs, alright?"

i left max messages that he didn't answer, and now all my excitement for going out had vanished.

jude and i have been friends for a while now, it's funny how these rumors are popping up now. we've been trying to laugh it off, but now the situation is getting serious and i'm afraid it might affect my relationship with max.

y/n_l/n

liked by landonorris, judebellingham, footballwags and others

y/n_l/n girls just wanna have fun

username so beautiful girl

username is this the rumoured jude's girlfriend?

username supposedly

username why is no one talking about lando in the likes?

username because he is everywhere

username fr

username call me crazy but i think she's trying to tell us something

username why is everyone so delusional?

username as a f1 fan i could only pay attention to that can of red bull

username does the song have any meaning or...?

username she wasn't even that relevant before they started linking her to jude, she's just a gold digger

username fyi, her father has always had money so she doesn't need to hunt for anyone's gold

username she has her own makeup line girl, what are you talking about?

on the other side of the world, max stared at his plate with disinterest. lando, sitting across from him, watched with a sympathetic smile. max hadn't touched his food since they started breakfast.

"everything okay?" lando asked, noticing his friend's tension. max nodded, but it was more of a grimace.

"it's about y/n, isn't it?"

max sighed. "something like that."

lando showed him his phone. "she just posted something new." max felt a knot in his stomach. "everything's alright between you two, right?"

"yeah, it's just..." max ran a hand through his hair. "i wanted to keep things quiet for a while. you know how fans are." an involuntary smile appeared on his face as he thought of y/n. "sometimes i wish i could show her off to the world, have her come to races with me..."

"and what does she think about that?"

"i know she doesn't mind. in fact, she's told me she'd love to. but i wanted to protect her from the media circus."

lando nodded. "i know, and she knows too. just tell her you want to go public."

"i'll wait until she gets here. she's coming on saturday."

"alright, that's it. don't stress about her and jude. you know they're just friends."

max thanked lando and picked up his phone. as he dialed y/n's number, a sense of calm washed over him. he felt lucky to have someone like her and a friend like lando.

y/n_updates

liked by footballwags, y/nfan and others

y/n_updates this friday, during her instagram live, y/n clarified to all her fans that she and jude were not dating, they are just good friends and she would appreciate it if they stopped pairing her with him.

it seems that our girl has been dating someone else since the summer of last year and she doesn't want these rumors to affect her relationship.

view comments

username what do you mean last summer? how the hell did she manage to hide it for so long?

username am i the only sad one here? i really liked them as a couple

judefan omg, thanks god!

username jude is not going to be your boyfriend, you idiot

username what are you doing here if you don't like her???

username do we have any idea who this mysterious boy might be?

username maybe another footballer

username could it be lando?

username you're so funny

y/n_l/n

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris and others

y/n_l/n lately

view comments

username she said a while ago that she preferred dogs over cats 😭

username it must be of her mysterious boyfriend

username did he send you those flowers? i can treat you better

username this is jude from his secret account

username they are just friends 🙄

username call me crazy, but i know that cat

username WHOSE IS IT? TELL US!!!

username i thought i was the only one

username nobody talks about how beautiful she is?

username why doesn't anyone talk about her likes?

username do you think...?

username no, i don't think so...

username but what if...

username no, definitely not

f1gossip

liked by y/n_source, judebfans, username and others

f1gossip new wag alert

this weekend, y/n l/n was seen in the paddock alongside driver max verstappen sharing hugs and smiles very affectionately.

the influencer, who had been paired with footballer jude bellingham, clarified through her instagram that they were nothing more than just good friends.

on the other hand, y/n attended the singapore grand prix and was watching the race from the red bull motor home. but not only that, at the moment of the podium she and max shared a beautiful moment together and the driver, who had started the weekend off, looked happier than ever.

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username i said it and they called me crazy

username i started screaming when i saw her on the screen, she was so beautiful and she and max look so happy

username this was not on my 2024 bingo card

username i already love them both

judefan from a footballer to a driver, such a gold hunter

username let me hold your hand while i tell you this...

username get a life and stop fucking around

username this is so unexpected, but they look so cute

y/n_l/n