#and thus my joy has vanished

[baborange]

I just found out Lily, one of the worst people on Social Media to exist likes Hazbin Hotel

My happiness has left me

[neptune-knows]

school LI yan headcanons <3

focusing on m! whitney, sydney, and robin specifically -- also by no means exhaustive just some stuff off the top of my head feel free to share yours as well id love to hear them!!!

WHITNEY

#1 most likely to straight up kill someone for looking at you funny (or at all tbqh)

always marking you in one way or another, whether biting you or leaving hickeys or cumming inside you whenever you do it

not much changes from how he is in game to be honest, still wanting to tattoo you to show his property, or making you wear a collar with his name on it

when its just the two of you, he shows his soft side a lot more frequently

his hands pretty much never leave your person. hes always playing with your hair, holding your hand, groping your chest, playing with your genitals

his cute little stress ball <3

really really likes seeing you wear his clothes because its another way to show that your his

also loves seeing you in his bed, even non sexually (shocking, i know) because you are surrounded by his scent

i saw someone say it before and they were 100% right he has a scent kink and he will mark you with his scent if its the last thing he does

you get messed with a LOT less because word travels fast about the rabid dog that attacks anyone who looks at you funny

scary boyfriend privileges? scary boyfriend privileges.

gets conflicted because he loves fucking you in public and showing everyone that your his slut, he also wants to gauge the eyes out of anyone who sees you naked

SYDNEY

you are his everything, his love, his angel

devotion levels that border on worship

sydney will do whatever he can to prevent you from being tainted by the sinners of this town

i think he'd spread rumors about people who get to close to you, and do everything he could to ruin their reputations by abusing his positions at the school and temple

someone bullying you in the halls? it would be a shame if the teachers heard about their delinquency (which may or may not be exaggerated)

he overhears a classmate talk about a crush they have on you? sydney "accidently" mentions all the nasty things he overheard that person say while renewing their friend's books at the library

sydney sees an initiate getting a little too close to you at the temple? he might bring up his concerns about their purity and dedication to the faith to jordan the next time he sees them

only god can save anyone that messes with you at the temple when he's also there

"Belief won't matter, because I'll attack you for real."

he's also very aware of how kylar feels about you, even if he doesn't tell you he does

loves to rub it in and kiss you in front of him

showing kylar who you actually belong to

this is probably an unpopular opinion, but i think hes also not above resorting to violence when it comes to the people around you

definitely not on the level that whitney is willing to go to, and also not as obvious about it, but is more than willing to hurt anyone that touches you

seriously, the library rescue scene? when someone tries to harass you at the church? sydney is by no means passive about his devotion to protecting you

ROBIN

probably the most covert his yandere tendencies

your cute childhood friend who wants nothing but the best for you

he's so so sweet about it, he's just looking out for you, after all!!!

robin is very patient and willing to play the long game because he knows that you will always come back to him at the end of things

to him, its the two of you against the entire world

also sabotaging your relationships and happiness outside of him behind the scenes

always offering a shoulder to cry on when you get ghosted "out of nowhere" or when your school project vanishes mysteriously and you fail because of it

robin hates seeing you upset, but you shouldnt be getting joy from anything but him

he is also not above hurting himself so that you will take care of him and thus stay with him

on cloud nine when you dote on him and take care of his wounds

adding on to that, wants to take care of you more than anything else

his dream is one day being able to make enough to support the both of you so you can stay inside all day and be safe from the outside world <3

robin loves to do stuff for you, loves cooking and making you treats

he definitely isn't putting his bodily fluids into any of it!!!

... okay, maybe in some of it...

most of it

also steals your (dirty and clean) laundry like kylar

whoops!! he mustve gotten your laundry messed up!! sorry!! it will happen again

i might make a part 2 with either more hcs of these guys or of the other love interests if you guys liked this one <3

[ideas-4-stories]

Apologies for the mistakes and the bother. I just have some ideas, but no one to ask opinions about it. Since the Cross Guild first appeared it took charge of my mind. Every idea is revolving around these three dysfunctional and improbable "allies." Some days ago a fan-made illustration popped up, possibly inspired by the film Red, in which Buggy's daughter was pictured. And something clicked. An idea. (I know that inserting OC is an annoyance to some, sorry, it amuses me instead.) In the trail of parallelisms and similarities, I thought: what if Buggy, like Shanks, raised and adopted a little girl? From there, a whole story unfolded.

When Buggy was still fairly young, with no large crew, not yet the crew he later made, was all the more fixated on treasures and instant riches. Still too afraid to venture out, insecure of what he could be, anchored in the East Blue, he looked for treasure maps and he found the map for the legendary Gold Island. He figured he could become the wealthiest man in East Blue and sailed there. Except he found nothing, save for a silent child.

Nearly subconsciously, mindful of what Gol D. Roger did long ago, he took her with him. Giving her a name, a name the foundling without any memory of herself hadn't. (Pierroy, after a doll found in a store on a different island, days later, stolen during a hurried escape) Years pass and Buggy's crew changes, he becomes the Genius Jester, the Flashy Clown. And Pierroy emulates him a bit, in admiration. Trusting him blindly. Adoring him, as only a daughter would. But Pierroy, Buggy realized, for he was never a fool, has something unusual. Something of value. Lots of value. Thus Buggy lets her cover an eye. Helps her dye the hair a deepest blue. Helps her disguise herself. Meanwhile, he discovers. And he holds all the research in a secret file in his cabin. On his notes he underlines "government" and "experiments" and little else painstakingly discovered.

At the same time, Pierroy grows up. Among acrobatics and circus tricks. Amid chemistry lessons and basic physics. With joy, mostly. Misfortune though always comes, and for Pierroy it's called Luffy. And his father's defeat. And the exposure of all the research he did. And odd notes. Almost as to study her (use her, Nami suggests her) and insecurity, doubt, assaults Pierroy. And when Buggy comes back it's confrontation the first thing she seeks. Misunderstandings and lack of communication, like a rebellious teenager against her parents, Pierroy abruptly vanishes overnight without even a goodbye note.

But life goes on and Buggy carries on. He occasionally search information, finds some from time to time, but ultimately convinces himself that it was for the best. A pirate ship is no place to grow up, least of all his own. And time passes and so much happens. And then, one day, news, rumor almost, of a secret execution that occurred in utter silence. The Marine, rumor says, killed a young woman with a red star eyepatch over her eye. And everything changes.

Buggy erupts into fits of rage first and grave silence later. He disappears from view. No more public appearances. No more meetings. And no threats have any effect anymore. Nothing Crocodile can do has any effect. Nothing Mihawk can say has any effect. Buggy is deaf to all. In a guilty state, he rambles at the moon. Drinking too much, eating too little. (Refusing to admit it, Mihawk and Crocodile become increasingly concerned) And with Buggy's past exposed (from the insecurities he felt as a child, what life was like before he was found, what it was after, about Shanks and Pierroy and a sea of confessions) undesirable feelings of empathy arise in Crocodile, memories that no longer want to be removed, not now they resurface. (Nightmares, he calls it. A stubborn woman died alone. A man who thought he had all the solutions for every evil, all the time. Child's eyes) And memories arise in Mihawk, too. (A large family. A kindly foolish father. A monastery and a silver sword soiled with tragedy. Devil's eye) Past and present mingle. Unspoken truths and others to be silenced again. And more that have always been lies. (Spoiler: while Buggy is mourning, there's a ship with a crew of frauds that fishes out a redheaded and gives him to the care of a weird woman, who talks to a closet from which pink feathers slide out, now and then in a fit of laughter; on their way to a circus, so they say)

I sincerely apologize for the length of the ask. I know it's not an original or outstanding idea, but could it be of any interest at least slightly? If you want, I would be very happy to receive feedback. But anyhow, I thank you so much.

Please never apologize for the length, I love reading asks and don’t worry about grammer mistakes because I ain’t the best at it either. Anyway, HOLY STARS ABOVE AND BEYOND! I do not care if it’s not original or outstanding idea, it’s definitely very interesting, don’t you worry (I have some OCs that are basically Buggy’s children all but blood, it’s not so weird)

This is so heartbreaking, noooooooooooooooooooo, I want to feel like Buggy did it so he could find away to help her with it and it goes all wrong. I don’t know, this sounds so depressing. Pierroy! Poor girl, Buggy going away from public view becuase of mourning, the marines didn’t want things to go down the same way as Ace’s execution did.

The spoiler, hopefully Pierroy is okay… right?

[oplusplus]

I've been using Tumblr for many years, a platform that holds memories of numerous fandom creations I've been a part of.

Now, as a backend software engineer, I understand the challenges of running such a platform. Even with a reduced active users, storing and serving legacy user data for over a decade remains a huge cost.

Commercial success is fragile.

A website with a successful business model of more than a decade could easily crumble due to legal, controversial technological updates like AI art and the spread of rumors.

In today that every new shorts platform dominated by streaming services and recommendation algorithm, community relying on tags gradually fade as their business models struggle for monetization, diminishing users own creational content.

Our memories are equally fragile. I don't want these cherished memories to vanish in the corners of the internet.

Thus, I just supported $50 to Tumblr, expressing gratitude for the server and image storage services I've used for over a decade. Despite starting to post my art on Twitter last year, I'll continue post my creations here as long as Tumblr exists.

If Tumblr decides to run *on a fan supported based fundraising model* like AO3 in the future, I'm willing to donate annually, as I did for AO3.

Personally, I'm immensely thankful to Tumblr for bringing me joy and memories. This platform has documented many happy moments in my life, and I'm grateful for the friends I've meet here, the people who inspired me, and those who enjoyed my work.

[lavendertales]

devil’s advocate—Matt Murdock x f!reader**

summary: you sure know how to get under Matt’s skin—and surprisingly, into his pants, too.

word count: 2.4k

WARNINGS: work enemies to fuck buddies, lots of teasing, doggy, spanking, public action, female masturbation, cum play.

AGELESS/EMPTY BLOGS & MINORS WILL BE BLOCKED!

gif: @mattmurdeaux 

He’s good at his job, you’ll give him that. Shit, he might even be great at it.

But this case was far more important to let rivalry get in the way. You needed a win.

And fortunately, you got it.

Beating Matt Murdock at law turned out to be more than satisfactory. The thrill of victory sent shivers down your spine, activating pleasure centers in your brain that you only ever felt when the competition was between you and him. And you definitely didn’t hold back in when it came to showing Matt exactly how you felt about winning that case.

“Wipe that smile off your face,” he warns, hands on his hips as you meet in the hallway.

“Would if I could,” you keep smiling. “But I can’t, so I shan’t.”

Matt makes a sound that only makes you happier to flaunt your win. Truth be told—to yourself and strictly to yourself—you’ve always been rather impressed by Matt’s skills and abilities that stretched far beyond the courtroom. He somehow managed to sense more than the normal man, and it wasn’t easy to do. While you’d never tell him, you’ve always found a sense of appreciation when it came to his private life.

Perhaps even a little envy on the side as well.

“Come on, Murdock! You live for the competition! Admit it, you’d be bored out of your mind without me spicing up your life.”

Matt inches closer to you, his warm breath hitting your smug face.

“I live to help others,” he coos. “Not to give in to whatever sick and twisted fantasies you got.”

“My fantasy is putting you to shame, so you could say I’m living it.”

Matt snickers, the sound ringing in your ears well after its passing. You know he’s displeased with the outcome of the trial, you know you’re getting on his every last nerve, but the thrill of it all makes your spine shiver in utter delight.

“A bit of a sick and twisted one, wouldn’t you agree?” he cheekily replies.

You huff, as mocking as you possibly can sound. “I’d rather choke than agree with you.”

Matt smirks—wide, obvious and obnoxious, afterwards releasing a chuckle that’s meant to be derogatory and mysterious at best.

Only you take it a different way.

“What’s so funny?” you can’t help but ask.

But Matt continues to laugh albeit your question, thus managing to anger you on what is supposed to be one of the best days of your career.

“We’ve all got our fantasies, don’t we,” he concludes, tone muffled as if talking strictly to himself.

You frown. Though the more you stare at the man in front of you with his cheeky smile and hands on his hips, the man who supposedly lost quite a big case today, you can’t help but think his reaction comes from an entirely different place. It’s not bitterness; it’s more, cleverly concealed under a thick layer of mild arrogance and confidence.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go grab a cup of coffee,” he adds, finally simmering down. “You can stay here and play with yourself while the next case arrives or you can snatch it right up.”

You smirk too this time. Now you’re catching onto his drift and frankly, it surprises you.

But definitely not in an unpleasant way.

After all, it has been a long day. Why should the joy be cut short?

“Is that your fantasy?” you ask, causing Matt to stop dead in his tracks and presumably stare at you, as if trying to hear you better.

“What did you say?”

Suddenly, Matt’s voice is coarser, lower and oddly enough, more unstable. His words do not reflect nearly half of the confidence he previously had, and it has you questioning his very being, as well as this moment in itself.

There’s not a single soul around. Somehow, the place has gone quiet, the people have vanished, and the only sounds to be heard are your and Matt’s breaths, heavier with each passing second.

“I think your hearing is good enough,” you retort. “So answer me, Murdock. Is that your fantasy? To—hear me play with myself?”

You were this close to saying something perhaps regrettable and insensitive, but you were glad you stopped yourself at the very last second. You don’t want anything ruining this moment, as confusing and pestering it might be.

However, Matt doesn’t respond. Not immediately, at least; he feels his temples break into tiny beads of sweat, his tie suddenly strangling him and his body burning up.

“Is that something you’d enjoy, Matthew? Hearing me moan while my hand traces between my legs, two fingers in and out of—“

“Stop.”

Matt gulps, his voice completely shaky and husky, filled with rage and lust alike. It infuriates him that you have this effect on him. You, of all people. His professional nemesis, his worst nightmare—and his most forbidden desire.

And you know you are way past skipping rope with the line between cordial and professional. You are way past the line, toying with his emotions like it’s nothing, and it wears the same impact on you. It’s undeniable and unrestrained, filthy in its simplicity and sinful in its anticipation.

“You’re a public menace,” Matt says between gritted teeth, visibly tense.

He moves closer to you, his hot breath now tickling your jaw, but you don’t push him away. You’re sadistically curious as to where this is headed.

“So I’ve been told,” you smile.

“You shouldn’t be doing the things you do.”

“Could say the same about you.”

“God, you’re so—aggravating.”

“So what are you gonna do about it, Matthew?”

You’re teasing him relentlessly and you have to admit, you’re fuckin’ loving this. It’s exciting and maddening, maybe because it happens with him, of all people.

“I could tell you,” he murmurs, one hand boldly grazing your cheek. “Or you could turn around and keep your mouth shut.”

You contemplate for too long, because the next thing you realize is that Matt’s calloused hands are spinning you around, pressing your body against the wall. What shocks you is that his touch carries a certain tenderness to it: the way he grabs your waist is confident and eager, but not hurtful. It already feels insatiable and maddening and you can only pray to some form of deity that no one walks in right now because you know shit’s about to get messy.

His lips find the back of your neck, peppering hasty and wet kisses on your skin as his hands work against your pants. You decide to give him a hand and, while you purposely back your ass against his crotch, unzip your pants and let them fall to your ankles, followed by your panties. Everything that Matt hears entices him to the fullest, even if he knows that on some fundamental, deep level it’s wrong.

But then it shouldn’t feel this good, this… ideal, wouldn’t it?

“Bit of a slut, are we, Matthew?” you tease through a devilish smirk, breaths shallower with each motion from your nemesis’ side.

“Are you really taking the moral high ground right now when you’re so—“

You gasp brokenly when Matt’s fingers tease your clit, barely rubbing the sensitive bud before moving down to your lips.

“Wet,” he finishes, and though you’re facing backwards, you can tell he’s smirking.

The way he says it, so filthy and cocky, makes you even wetter, and God, you cannot stand that. But you are currently standing with your legs spread, allowing him to rub his fingers against your pussy, so… yeah, who are you to take the moral high ground now?

“Are you gonna keep talking or get it over with?”

“Can’t handle a little competition?”

“For fuck’s sake, Murdock, would you just fuck me already so we can go back to hating each other?”

He bites your earlobe, and you instantly shudder and moan alike. The question is redundant though; you reckon deep, deep down that hate isn’t truly what this is about, otherwise winning the case and teasing Matt Murdock would not have felt this insatiably good.

And he’s barely touched you yet.

That is, until he actually starts fucking you. You’re not necessarily religious, but you suddenly wanna scream to all the deities you can think of.

The moment Matt spreads your legs further, wets his fingers to rub against your clit and pushes his cock past your lips, you throw your head back in ecstasy. It’s too much already: the way he fills you up, stretching past your walls into your heat sends you into a complete frenzy.

“God, you’re—a mess,” Matt grunts, barely pushing in and out of you, testing the waters as it were.

But it did sound like he changed his words at the very last second, perhaps to refrain himself from saying something half decent towards you.

“Yeah, like you’re any better,” you retort.

“I am.”

“Get off your high horse, Murdock.”

“Fine. I will.”

His words are more along the lines of “just for that, here’s what you’re gonna get”, because the next second, Matt picks up the pace. As in, starts to rail you at an almost impossible speed, having you squished against the wall while he uses your body as leverage for himself. He fucks you hard and fast from behind, not giving a damn that he’s breaking into a sweat or that his legs might cramp up. It feels too good, too forbidden and lustful to stop or pretend otherwise.

Suddenly, clever words abandon your mind. You’re reduced to a pile of goo, your hips grabbed harshly by Matt’s hands. Heat radiates from your bodies, lust fueling your every move and every sound, and you feel so dangerously close to coming that it should be alarming, really.

But oddly enough, it doesn’t alarm you. It feels… natural, like you should have been doing this the whole time since you’ve known each other.

Matt’s breaths are so clear in your ear you could swear they belong to you. His are just as ragged as yours, if not more, and you cheekily grunt when you feel one of his hands grabbing your ass cheek and then smacking it, the sound reverberating throughout the room.

“Fuck—I thought we were supposed t-to—keep it down—“you try your best to speak coherently, though there’s no way you can sound unaffected right now.

“You wanna play by the rules now? Hm?”

“Nah. You wouldn’t be such a daredevil then.”

It makes Matt smile in utter bliss upon hearing that statement, but he doesn’t say the reason behind it. He makes it his mission to thrust as deep and as fast as possible inside of you, feeling you squirm under his grip and hopefully turning your ass several shades of red from his prior treatment. He loves it, he absolutely loves it, and the irony is certainly not lost on him.

It must’ve been, what, five minutes since you were in that closet or whatever the hell it was? And it’s a miracle he lasted this long, because next thing he knows, he’s pulling out abruptly and turns your ass into the filthiest canvas ever. He easily imagines, lost in a trance, the way he shoots spurts of his warm seed on your skin, his cock twitching still in his hand.

It takes both of you a while to climb down, and it takes Matt even longer to hear that you’re building your own orgasm as your hand reaches between your legs and you play with yourself. Your breaths get ragged again, your moans turn into soft mewls, and Matt listens in with utmost desire.

“Do it,” he encourages. “Come on your fingers. Make it good.”

You can’t help but do just that; there’s no more rhythm, only messy motions over your clit. Matt helps you by whispering sweet nothings in your ear and kneading the reddened flesh of your ass to get you going, and it works. You come a few seconds later, your body still a mess thanks to your indecent—and only recently discovered—yearning.

“Well,” Matt manages to speak normally again. “That’s one way to solve a conflict.”

“There was no conflict, Murdock. I won today, fair and square.”

Matt smiles as he’s pulling his boxers and pants back up. “No arguments there.”

You search for something to clean yourself with before pulling your clothes up, and luckily you see a wash cloth that’s clean. Once you’re done and you’re back in your professional attire, you suddenly feel dirty. And again, the irony isn’t lost on you, either.

“You know what, you did well,” you say coyly. “My legs are wobbly and my ass is still warm thanks to your spanking and cum, so… let’s call this a win for both of us.”

“So generous of you, thank you.”

You cannot deny that his sass is attractive, and you cannot help but reciprocate each and every time. And there’s something magnetic about him in that post-coital bliss. He looks enchanting, the last thing you’d expect to think of your nemesis, but then again, you did not expect what happened merely moments prior.

You’re not sure where your wobbly legs are taking you, but the moment you look at him, you inch closer and cup his face, momentarily grazing his cheek and then pulling him in. You kiss him tenderly, as a thank you for calming down your high spirits, but there’s a hidden sensuality into it, as if to say… I like you.

And the way he reciprocates the kiss, as sweet as you, you think maybe, just maybe… he likes you, too.

“Oh, and by the way, you’re welcome,” you say when you break it off.

“For what?”

You nearly press your lips onto his earlobe as you lean in to whisper, “For fulfilling your fantasy about touching myself.”

And for the first time in his career and personal life, Matt Murdock is rendered speechless, and oddly parched, too. He hadn’t thought of that image at all, let alone as a potential fantasy, but now, he won’t be able to get it out of his head.

Or your sounds, or the way you felt clenched around his cock.

Fuck. Maybe he’s a little too good at what he does.

tags:

@katronautt @kingsqueensandvagabonds @1800-fight-me @halerune​ @mindidjarin​ @alexxavicry​ @elinedjarin​ @wildmoonflower​ @minxsblog​ @maddieinnit0​ @justanotherkpopstanlol​ @iwantaharrystylesalbum​ @arson-tm​ @fairydxll​ @biggitybird​ @corrodededdie​ @oliviagreenaway​ @spitfire4life​ @bookfrog242​ @barelytolerabled @dnxgma​ @dindjarinswhore​ 

[sanctum-stinker]

Still trying to navigate this site, so sorry for the janky formatting.  This is a post about my Re-write Defender Strange! He is much more integral to the plot, and accompanies Wong for the most part. He serves as an ally against Wanda and also as a window into the way Stephen Strange works, for us the audience as well as for Wong  

Some of these concepts are outdated because I didn’t officially start making my re-write until after I compiled a bunch of disconnected ideas and headcanons, so some of them are very old and irrelevant but I still like them so I’ve attached them anywho.  I have his backstory filled out now, but it isn’t fully fleshed out yet, so I’ll instead write about the changes to his character and involvement in the re-write in chronological order. I’ll upload his backstory later on hopefully! Here we go!

He is Sorcerer Supreme of his universe (617) because the blip never happened, and therefor the title never got passed onto anyone else. This means he’s also five years older than our MCU 616 Stephen.

He is very independent as Sorcerer Supreme, where MCU 616 Wong is very connected to Kamar-Taj, Defender is not. He operates from his Sanctum and has Defender Wong as his only real constant ally.

He has a guinea pig called Patchwork Quilt, and she is his pride and joy. 

Cyttorak (I assume is it’s name?) is not controlled by Wanda, and instead is just a creature from a different dimension that he managed to piss off. America is also with him, having taken refuge in universe 617 after she fell into it.

Defender gets very badly wounded by Cyttorak, and with no other choice he decides to sacrifice America and absorb her power in hopes that he could control it and banish the creature before it did anymore harm. This causes America to panic.

At the same time that this is occurring, Wanda (616) is trying to dream walk. As a result of the many many multiversal tamperings 616 has been up to (Endgame, Loki, NWH etc etc) mixed with Wanda’s dreamwalking and America’s uncontrollable power going haywire, the Multiversal barrier between 616 and 617 rips open, and Defender, America and Cyttorak fall through into 616.

Cyttorak has a sort of venom or corrosive quality to its tendrils which has begun to infect Defender. Due to his title of supremacy in universe 617 his body could use magic to subconsciously fight off this venom, much like he can with any other disease or illness. Unfortunately, now that he’s in 616, a place where the magic is slightly different and Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme, he doesn’t have this healing factor. If he has any hopes of surviving he needed to get back to 617.

After Stephen and America vanish into the multiverse Defender assists Wong in tracking down Wanda after Kamar-Taj falls, despite his injuries. Wong learns a lot about the way Stephen functions through Defender, and Defender learns a lot about himself through Wong’s perspective on Stephen. Defender also helps Wong with his insecurities and feelings of unworthiness as Sorcerer supreme, giving him advice and encouragement as a fellow man of supremacy.

Stephen (who is in sinister’s universe) uses Defender’s body to dreamwalk and communicate to Wong. He manages to tell him Wanda has America and that he needed to save her before the souls of the damned interfere and Defender’s body goes unconscious.

In the end Defender saves Stephen from the souls by sacrificing his soul, and thus gaining control over them. This allowed Stephen to take control over the body, and fight Wanda while Defender controlled the souls as wings/cloak/sheild.

Defender wants to right the wrong he made in trying to take America’s power and is the first to realize she’s the key to defeating Wanda. He sacrifices his life to save America. 

Defender passes away after Stephen stops dream walking, as his soul and physical body were too weak to continue functioning. He passes his supremacy to Defender Wong (who was summoned into the final battle by America) and he takes his body back to 617 to be prepared for the funeral and following ceremony.  All the parts of the plot are not concrete yet, as I’ve only written out the second draft, but this is what I have so far regarding Defender! It is still very condensed and brief, but I hope it gives y’all a bit of a glimpse into his character. I’ll be uploading concepts of all the other Variants and characters involved in the story and how they interact and add to the plot. I’ll be tagging all my re-write posts under MoMstinkycut which is also what I’ve tagged my Insta posts under.  Thank you for your time, fellas!

[arcplaysgames]

The Persona 5 Post-Mortem, Part One: What I Didn't Like 8C

I have reread my entire P5 liveblog to refresh my memory of everything that happened in the game, and I've been trying to think about how I feel about P5R and, frankly, whether I like the game. Which is a very basic question, I think, but one I am deeply struggling with, so obviously it's not actually that simple, huh.

The answer I am tentatively settling on is: I think the third semester saves P5R from being an Actually Bad game.

I think that Persona 5 Vanilla is actually… a 5 out of 10 at best, and in my heart it's lower than that. But Royal does so much intense heavy lifting, it alone, separate from the rest of the game and the original campaign, is an 8 out of 10.

That is an enormous discrepancy that I've really never dealt with in a video game before. I think the last game I played that I truly disliked to my bones was Fallout 4. FO4 remains the only game I've ever played were I genuinely and truly wanted a refund of not just my money but my time, the hours I spent in that meaningless, vapid fucking world. Even FO3 gave me some joy of exploration, for fuck's sake.

P5R is not as bad as FO4, but the main campaign is to me an enormous disappointment that…. if I had not been in the throes of a depressive slump and thus needing something to hyperfocus on, I don't know if I would have finished the game. My frequent references to Yusuke saving me from turning off the game were not exaggeration in the least.

So, I think there are two major problems with this game. And I understand that when I did my post-mortem on P4G, I started with my likes and then went to dislikes, but I think for P5R it's correct to reverse that, because my negative feelings far outweigh the positive.

I guess point one is obvious: I think the cast of this game is bad.

I refuse to sugar-coat it. The cast of P5 is just bad, with a few mild exceptions. Even the characters that I like, I enjoy them comparatively to the ones I hate. And I have never hated someone in a Persona game before, not even Joker Mode Yosuke.

The entire cast of this game is much, much flatter than you would expect from a game that is trying so desperately to be stylish and loud and garish. P5R is maximalist to its fucking core. The fusions are executions, item creation is an electric chair, the menus are nightmares of high contrast and bouncing shapes, everything is LOUD LOUD LOUD 24/7 in this game to the point that I, a person I think is fairly skilled at video games and played P4G on Normal and breezed through it, had to lower the difficulty of the game to fucking have fun, because I felt so inundated with stimulus, I was struggling to play the fucking game.

That maximalist spirit just vanishes in the characters, and it's so fucking jarring. All style, no substance.

When I was trying to figure out my thoughts on the characters, the thing I kept coming back to was that P5 has too many main characters in the party. And weirdly, I think I'm right! P3 has seven party members (excluding beloved Koromaru, eight if you count Shinjiro who is in the party for a month). P4 only has seven.

Persona 5 Royal has nine, and I think part of the problem is that to fit all of these characters into the party and the story and to keep the MSQ scene moving at a decent pace, everyone suffers for it and gets flattened. Even the vibrancy of Yusuke vanishes from the game in the final third, where all his interesting tics and quirks are phased out until he's just a guy here to say his lines to move things along. Almost everyone suffers from this, where they are focal points during their introduction arc, and then they just lose all their shine as the story moves on.

This didn't happen in P3 and P4. That's not rose-tinted glasses talking; I JUST played both of those games starting in December. P3 is my true love but P4 is a tremendous example of how the characters continued to be themselves in every scene, even after their introductory chapters ended.

So the poison at the heart of P5R is that the characters are both not as three-dimensional to start with (and there are only a few I would even consider three-dimensional), and from the moment their respective Palaces end, they're on a half life.

This literally might be why I like Haru best, because she's introduced so late in the game that she didn't lose her voice yet by the endgame.

This is all of course at odds with the fact that only a few characters are really good. Futaba probably deserves the most accolades for being clear and present in every scene and always maintaining her uniqueness. Morgana as well, seeing as his arc lasts the entire game and is one of the central mysteries. And Akechi, without whom I think the entire game might have actually failed? Without the complexity and unnerving energy from Akechi, this cast could not sustain the runtime of the game.

AND ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT, it does not help that I actively disliked two of my party members. Makoto has by far the worse introduction of any character in any game I have played and the way the game just did not understand or contend with what she did, the stalking and blackmail and endangering everyone, soured her so completely for me that she never once got party time. I never used her.

But even she was a relief next to fucking Ryuji. Ryuji, the token best friend character who turned into The Teammate Everyone Hates for me. He was a mean, emotionally dense, disrespectful and dehumanizing asshole for the entire fucking game. And I am used to the Best Friend Guy who messes up and grows over the course of the game (see: Junpei and Yosuke) but with Ryuji there is no growth, there is barely acknowledgement of how cruel he is. And the fact he never actually apologized to Morgana for his bullshit in the middle of the game lost me completely on him. Ryuji made me as the player on the other side of the screen uncomfortable. That's…. wild, tbh.

So we have a cast where I can barely stand two characters, I'm ambivalent on three, one I regularly forgot she existed, and three I liked a lot.

That's a fucking mess, y'all. For a Persona game, which is a premium Hangout Game, where so much of the point is the characters? That's a huge problem.

The other games in this franchise like Shin Megami Tensei tend to have characters that are flatter and more allegorical in nature, but that's okay because the focus is on the themes and the writing of the world.

Which leads directly to the other problem with Persona 5.

The writing. On several metrics, the writing is Bad.

On the first point, the fact that this game has an 80 hour runtime if you are lucky, and that's just the vanilla MSQ. It feels like an 80 hour runtime. I felt every goddamn minute of how long this game is.

Structure is the problem here, in my opinion, and it goes hand in hand with the character issue. Just as this game has too many characters, it has too many set-pieces and arcs. To justify Makoto's presence in the game, there is a long, superfluous arc with Kaneshiro that should have just been cut entirely. Kaneshiro is about 10 hours that could just be snipped out of the game with nothing lost thematically or narratively.

And even more that P4 and DEFINITELY more than P3, the game will essentially…. repeat scenes.

As someone who did this entire liveblog with screencaps, I cannot tell you how many times I thought I missed capping a specific line or moment only to find out that it was in a nearly-identical scene a little bit earlier. Sometimes there were three different scenes that conveyed no new information, just restated what the characters knew, and that's just ridiculous. That's truly just too much.

On top of that, this game just gives the player way too much time. I didn't fill out every SLink in this game, but that's because I actively chose not to out of disinterest in a few of them. If I wanted to, I think I could have done every one without a guide. I spun my wheels for OVER TWENTY IN-GAME DAYS MULTIPLE TIMES. The pacing is a nightmare.

Another point I mentioned a lot was the technical quality of the writing.

This game is so over-produced, so maximalist, has so many small details, but the actual script as written for the game feels like it was done under crunch. Like, extreme crunch. Original FF7-style crunch.

It's hard to explain what this means, but in P4G, the script was lovingly crafted word by word and everything was incredibly naturalistic and conversational. There was never a moment when I had to refer to the log and reread anything, no point where a conversation lost me.

In P5R, this happened regularly. Awkward phrasings, responses that didn't make sense, repetitive sentence structure, and weird conversational pivots that did actually force me to go back and reread to understand what was being said.

Localizing a game of this scope and budget is a herculean task, and I know the game's English release was delayed. It just was not enough time. I would guess that this game needed at least another month or two to cook, but more than anything, the localization process should have been started a year before it was. The localization needed to be happening concurrently with the final year of development for a text this fucking dense.

It is so weird to see the extreme polish of the presentation of this game and then to just read the text aloud and go "wait, what" numerous times in a single playthrough.

(also this barely feels like its worth mentioning with the other issues but the lack of translation of the textures was unacceptably bad. I had to get a JPN-speaking friend to translate some things for me, and I really genuinely feel like missing out on some of this shit diminished the context of the game. Maruki's place is the most egregious offender but its everywhere.)

And finally, the last writing complaint is that until the Third Semester, this game has nothing to say. The Persona 5 Vanilla version of this game is……. meaningless but masquerading as thoughtful and rebellious.

Which is frankly hugely disappointing because this game does start strong with Joker and the repeated motif of imprisonment and betrayal. In just the first hour, Joker is beat up in an interrogation room, he's falsely accused of assault, his probation officer tells him he deserved it for stepping out of line, and every figure of authority from the principal to the teachers to his fellow students treat him like a murderer. It was a potent start to a game.

And in the end, Yaldaboath is just repeating the same fucking shit that Izanami did in P4G. People? More like SHEEPLE, amiright? People care more about being entertained than the TRUTH, and they want to be shadows/imprisoned.

Blah blah fucking blah. Persona needs to come up with something new to say because this was NOT it, chief, and was just disappointing given the strong start with Joker. I think this game's Big Theme can confidently be boiled down to "phones are like prisons," and its infuriating.

So much superfluous text and so little to say.

Until the Third Semester, anyway.

Next post will be about the things I liked, I promise.

[hiswordsarekisses]

““Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. “And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more. In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely. “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord. “It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer,” says the Lord; “I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth. The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel. Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ”” Hosea‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭23‬

“Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness— Israel, when I went to give him rest.” The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.” Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭2‬-‭4‬

““Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. “Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished. “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, And the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation from generation to generation.” Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, In the generations of old. Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart, And wounded the serpent? Are You not the One who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over? So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day Because of the fury of the oppressor, When he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, That he should not die in the pit, And that his bread should not fail. But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared— The Lord of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”” Isaiah‬ ‭51‬:‭1‬-‭16‬

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Judgment Against Surrounding Nations

1 About Ammon’s children, thus says Adonai: “Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then did Malcam dispossess Gad and his people settled in its towns? 2 Therefore behold, days are coming” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “when I will sound an alarm of war heard against Rabbah of Ammon! It will become a mound of ruins. Her villages will be burned with fire. Then Israel will dispossess those who dispossessed him.” it is a declaration of Adonai. 3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is devastated! Cry, daughters of Rabbah! Wear sackcloth, lament, and run to and fro within the walls, for Malcam will go into captivity together with his priests and princes. 4 Why do you brag about valleys— your flowing valley, faithless daughter? Trusting in your treasures: ‘Who will come against me?’ 5 I am about to bring terror on you” —a declaration of my Lord Adonai-Tzva’ot— “from all those around you. Each of you will be banished headlong, with no one to gather the fugitives. 6 Yet afterward I will restore Ammon’s children from exile.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

7 About Edom, thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Is counsel lost to the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished? 8 Flee! Turn back! Stay low, inhabitants of Dedan, for I will bring Esau’s calamity on him at the time that I punish him. 9 If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? If thieves came at night, would they not destroy only enough for themselves? 10 But I will strip Esau bare. I will uncover his hiding places, so he will not be able to hide himself. His offspring has been destroyed with his kinsmen and neighbors. So he is nothing. 11 Leave your orphans—I will keep them alive, and let your widows trust in Me.” 12 For thus says Adonai: “Behold, if those who do not deserve to drink the cup must surely drink, can you go utterly unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you shall surely drink! 13 For I have sworn by Myself” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “that Bozrah will become a horror, a disgrace, a waste and a curse. All its towns will be ruins forever.” 14 I heard a message from Adonai. An ambassador is sent to the nations: ‘Gather together, come against her, and rise up for war!’ 15 For see, I made you least among nations, despised among men. 16 Your terrorism has deceived you, so that your heart is arrogant. You who live in the clefts of the rock, who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as an eagle’s, I will bring you down from there.” It is a declaration of Adonai. 17 “Edom will become a desolation. Everyone passing by will be appalled and hiss at all its plagues. 18 Like the overthrow of Sodom, Gomorrah and their neighbors,” says Adonai, “no one will live there, nor any son of man dwell there. 19 Look, it is like a lion coming up from the thickets of the Jordan to a secure pasture— for abruptly I will make him run away from it. I appoint over it whomever I choose. For who is like Me? Who will summon me to court? What shepherd stands up to Me?” 20 Therefore hear the plan that Adonai has drawn up against Edom, and His strategies that He designed against the inhabitants of Teman. Surely the least of the flock will be dragged away, Surely He will make their pasture desolate because of them. 21 The earth will tremble at the noise of their downfall. The sound of their outcry will be heard at the Sea of Reeds. 22 Behold, he will mount up and swoop down like an eagle, and spread out his wings against Bozrah. The hearts of Edom’s warriors in that day will be like a woman’s heart in her pangs.

23 About Damascus: Hamath and Arpad are ashamed, for they heard bad news, They melt away; in the sea there is trouble that cannot be quiet. 24 Damascus has become feeble. She turns away to flee, panic grips her, anguish and pangs have seized her, like a woman in travail. 25 How is the city of praise deserted— the city of my joy? 26 Therefore her young men will fall in her squares— all the warriors will be silenced in that day. It is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot. 27 “I will set fire to the wall of Damascus— it will devour Ben-hadad’s palaces.”

28 About Kedar and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck. Thus says Adonai:

“Arise, go up against Kedar and devastate the children of the east. 29 They will take away their tents and their flocks. They will carry away their curtains, all their gear and their camels. They will cry out against them, ‘Terror on every side!’ 30 Flee! Scatter far! Stay low, inhabitants of Hazor!” It is a declaration of Adonai. “For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has taken counsel against you, and devised a plan against you. 31 Arise, go up against a nation at ease, dwelling securely,” says Adonai. “They have no gates or bars; they dwell alone. 32 Their camels will become plunder, their many cattle a spoil. I will scatter to all the winds those who shave the edges. I bring their calamity from every side.” It is a declaration of Adonai. 33 “Hazor will be a lair of jackals, a desolation forever— no one will abide there, nor any son of man dwell there.”

34 The word of Adonai that came to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, saying, 35 thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot:

“Behold, I will break Elam’s bow— the source of their might. 36 I will bring upon Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them to all those winds. There will be no nation where the dispersed of Elam will not go. 37 I will shatter Elam before their enemies and before those seeking their soul. I will bring calamity on them— My burning anger!” It is a declaration of Adonai, “I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them. 38 Then I will put My throne in Elam and destroy from it king and princes.” It is a declaration of Adonai. 39 “Yet it will be in the end of days, that I will restore Elam from exile.” It is a declaration of Adonai. — Jeremiah 49 | Tree of Life Version (TLV) Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society. Cross References: Genesis 10:22; Genesis 22:16; Genesis 25:13; Genesis 25:30; Exodus 15:11; Leviticus 19:9; Numbers 1:24; Numbers 10:9; Deuteronomy 28:49; Deuteronomy 29:22; Joshua 7:2; Judges 18:7; 1 Kings 15:18; 2 Kings 14:7; 1 Chronicles 5:21; Psalm 46:9; Psalm 68:5; Isaiah 13:20; Isaiah 14:24; Isaiah 17:14; Isaiah 18:2; Isaiah 21:13; Jeremiah 6:19; Jeremaih 9:26; Jeremiah 11:22; Jeremiah 12:15; Jeremiah 16:16; Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 33:9; Jeremiah 48:47; Jeremiah 50:46; Matthew 20:22; Matthew 24:8; Acts 9:2; Romans 9:29; 1 Timothy 6:17; Revelation 7:1

[cassianus]

Only the Atheist can truly believe in God:

"In one sense, only the atheist (a-theos, without-God) can truly believe in God. Let me explain: it is necessary that the God of our imagination die, the God of our projections and desires (who is none other than our Ego deified); the God who stands alongside the cosmos as some-'thing' else, who stands alongside the neighbor as someone else, in competition with him or her to win my love; the God of whom it suffices to know the general moral rules in order to do his will; the God infinitely above his creatures pains in a transcendence beyond reach; the God-judge, who punishes in accord with a justice conceived along human lines; the God who blocks spontaneity of life and love. Such a God must die to make room for a God strangely close and familiar and nevertheless totally beyond our grasp; a God who bears a human face - that of Christ, that of my brother; who is love in a way that defies all our human notions of justice; who is generosity, overflowing life, gratuitousness, unpredictable liberty; who does nothing 'in general', but who is always the 'You' facing that 'I'. Supreme personality in the total gift of himself, he is in the inmost depths of every person, the source of all personality, never alongside human persons, and yet distinct from them. . . His true greatness is his humility which impelled him to become man. His wealth is the poverty of love. He has suffered - eternally? - even while being infinite Bliss.

I said that only the atheist can truly believe in God, for the atheist has nothing but the human. Thus, he can engage his whole being, if he has assumed it fully and lucidly, in an act of faith and gift of himself which open onto the pure Mystery of a God who is All and Nothing. It is not only God who has vanished . . . : the worshipper has also collapsed under the demoralizing effect of an ever greater lucidity about the complexities and ambiguities of his actions. Little by little, the hidden layers of the psyche are laid bare; the evasions, the detours of egoism and fear, all the wolves in sheep's clothing, the corruption of the heart which is the very source of all our actions and prayers. We have to recognize that the pious lad or lass of former times was only a mask, at least in part; veneration was an instinctive fear before the invisible and the judge; obedience, a calculation and a constraint; love, a subjective emotion produced quite artificially and out of proportion with its meagre results in real life; austerity, the expression of a masochistic desire for self-punishment to allay a neurotic guilt-complex; desire for solitude, the evasion scheme of a crippled personality unable to integrate itself into the life of humankind.

We should not lose courage since, in the last analysis, we do not count on a justice of our own, but on Christ, in faith. . . .To accept ourselves as we are is to situate ourselves in the truth; and in the face of this true self is the love of God which is infinitely rich. Our poverty is the measure of our receptivity, not only with respect to God's gifts, but with respect to God himself in the union of love. We should aspire to this poverty as a crystal might seek to be perfectly transparent, in order to become pure light. In love, this poverty is freedom and joy, like God himself."

(A Carthusian)

[bengiyo]

The Promise Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

Last time, I was unsurprised by how much I enjoyed the first episode after seeing that Khom is directing, and Joy and Taweesak are doing cinematography. Also, the young actors game incredible performances.

Thus far this show feels like an ad set in a second chance romance after a long term unexplained separation. I know Phupha better have a damn good explanation for ghosting Nanfah for a decade.

This sticky note counts as a text message breakup.

I do love the meddling besties. Giegie is going to be a fave.

This feels like adults. Having to rush out of a reunion because of work, but dumping your cat and a kiss on a lost love.

I do really hate back cracking noises.

Good choice to not keep the audience waiting for Nanfah to go after Phupha.

The girl whose third eye opened when they kissed in the icebreaker game is basically every BL fan.

This man really tumble rolled across the floor and thinks he's successfully hiding.

Nanfah is not enthused about the crab fried rice.

I wonder if Nanfah has already rejected Party.

Is it just me, or is Nanfah's apartment the same one they used in My School President?

The nerve of Phupha to leave all these notes about taking better care of himself to Nanfah!

I'm very uncomfortable about Nanfah putting his phone in his mouth.

Oh lord this man just demolished his own laptop. RIP.

I liked Phupha's singing voice.

Interesting. They can be high, but we can't show weed or smoke it.

He's not ready to say why he vanished for 10 years only to suddenly reappear? Sir, I do not give a fuck. You don't get to just mosey on in like this. You owe Nanfah and the audience answers.

Nanfah was so relatable this episode. I'd also find ways to keep Phupha around if I was him. Hopefully Phupha explains himself next week, or I'll be annoyed.

[ballad-of-medusa]

2021 Faebruary

PELARGONIUM — BOREDOM

"Sometimes, there is no much to do: fooling around, laughing with the others, hiding in the flowers ... This is so ... boring. Why wouldn't it be possible for a fairy to do something more exciting, more ... daring? Something that would really make them feel alive, and not only a small and fragil magical creature."

Devis is a very old character and I think I don't have to introduce him anymore by this time. He is the typical "i-know-how-to-wear-the-pokerface" character, and he feels bored very quickly if something doesn't seem to be worth his interest. He is also very lazy, but it doesn't make him more difficult when it comes to find something which is 'exciting": playing some games with strategy may sometimes be enough for him.

CROCUS — ELATION

"When the ray of light of the morning sun are barely visible, that is the best time for fairies to wake up and to enjoy their daily life. Morning dew has not vanished already, and yet, here they are already moving, floating, flying, dancing ... Is that the feeling of a new dawn on a beautiful day? There is so much to do today, they may as well start their day with joy and elation!"

Do I really have to introduce you Neoko? I don't think so, by now! I really really enjoy drawing her in a typical classical dancing pose. I think it is the best way I can represent the feeling of elation: having a light body moving without any problem, with delicacy. And thus, Neoko is probably the most fitting for that!

THISTLE FLOWER — VENDETTA

"The problem with feelings like anger, hatred, jealousy is that they quickly turn into a strong and negative envy, which pollutes every inch of kindness in a fairy. Suddenly, the urge for destruction and revenge is stronger than anything else. It is not always like a fairy tale: sometimes, being a villain is so ... satisfying."

Misery is my little devil. Turned into a fairy, she would mess around all the time. She is sort of psychotic, sort of crazy, sort of villainous, sort ... Yet, she is a huge antagonist. One of the best thing she is good at is destruction and murder. A charming hobby for a young lady, isn't?

FRITILLARY — ADMIRATION

"People tend to explain that a fairy's birth happens at dawn, at the perfect moment when dew and flower create the perfect cradle. But in reality, some fairies are born under the cover of the night. From the top of their flower, they watch the whole sky, hoping that one day, they can fly as high as the stars."

Ivan is the twin brother of Katya, and he shares many common traits with his sister. But there is one thing that he is unique for, it is his dedication and admiration towards his father. Ivan really aspires to become like him: proud, confident, trustworthy, strong ... But for now, he is still a bit too shy for that.

✿ Last batch of my 2021 Faebruary with one of my favorites ones! That's also my last fulfilled challenge ... I hope you'll still enjoy my artworks though.

Devis Hayes, Neoko Ailen Shinkiseki, Misery Wellsburth & Ivan von Friedholf (OCs) are mine. Art is mine.

[tempest-toss]

🚢I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEAS YET BUT PLEASE KNOW I WOULD LOVE TO MAKE SHIPS OF ANY KIND (platonic, familial, enemy, romantic, etc) WITH ANY OF MY CHARACTERS

[Hmmm...] [Long answer, also sorry I had a mini info-dump about 5854 here, I tried to keep it brief]

[This is a hard question to answer, mainly because there have been few interactions with Tempest and Ophelia yet.

I think the council as a whole is very indifferent to Ophelia. She is an SCP after all, and they are supposed to (key phrase: supposed to) have distance between themselves and the skips. If they were to have personal interactions with her I'd say that most of them would remain neutral except for O5s 3-5, 8, and 10.

Three's callsign is "The Noble" and it has been established that he's an aristocrat whose family legacy is fashion, and at the start of his character shift, [the family legacy] began to shift to charity work as well. Ophelia is a World War nurse who helps people? Huzzah, they now have two things to talk about and their friendship can start there. Platonic ship!

Four, Five, and Six are the "Big Three" of the Council. Not only do they tend to share the same belief on certain subjects, but they also each have the capacity to end the world and thus each has to wear a Power Inhibitor set to the highest setting. Obviously, this can lead to them feeling a bit alienated from their colleagues and in need of something more calming, maybe something as simple as talking with a calm individual: enter Ophelia. With Ophelia I think they'd be able to be themselves more, and won't have to walk on eggshells around her. Platonic!

Eight and Ten are also similar in their ways. Both of them are the youngest humans on the Council and both are very lenient when it comes to matters involving the SCPs. I honestly think these two would be the closest to Ophelia because they'd go into the friendship viewing Ophelia as a person and not an SCP. In my mind, this trio would get along really well. Platonic!

I would like to take a moment to talk about two SCPs I mentioned in the Monday post.

SCP 414's relationship with Ophelia is kinda dependent on whether or not she can treat her condition. Ophelia is 414's last hope and if Ophelia can't even halt the spread of 414's condition then she's kinda done for. If Ophelia is able to at the very least halt the spread then 414 would be extremely happy and grateful. I feel like 414 is the type to accidentally call Ophelia "Aunty" in her joy. Familial? or Platonic.

Somebody she'd have to put in some effort to befriend is SCP 5854-A. 5854-A, otherwise known as Easel is similar to Ophelia in that he too is made of paint and came from a painting. However, Easel would be TERRIFIED of Ophelia once he learns of their similarities because of his original home, SCP 5854. 5854, known as "Gallery a la Mort" was an art gallery-studio combination created by three siblings, who excelled in every field of art possible in the 80s. They were also well-known to the public for their "living art" where the art would leave the paintings and interact with the guests. But some reporters wrote scathing reviews, mocking the siblings' lack of creative writing in the art descriptions and "exposing the tricks" behind the living art. Soon after the gallery closed and the siblings vanished, but the art never died. The art would leave the studio and kidnap people to become part of the growing gallery, which is what almost happened to 414. Easel was the siblings' first creation and as such he had more qualities similar to humans, which was used against him and allowed the Foundation to acquire him and his base painting. After he was acquired by the Foundation he was effectively freed from the control of the Gallery, and came to understand the true horrors of what went on in there.

Seeing Ophelia and learning she is a painting come to life like him would freak him out. He would immediately come to the (incorrect) conclusion that she was made in 5854 and was there to take him back to the gallery, and he would be very stubborn about this belief too. It's possible for him to open up, but it'd take a while for that to happen. ???]

[hearthsandhistory]

Yeah I’m just gonna share music I like now so too bad. Anyway this rendition has a recorder section in the middle that goes extraordinarily hard so give it a listen.

Can She Excuse My Wrongs - John Dowland (English, 1597)

Can she excuse my wrongs with Virtue’s cloak? Shall I call her good when she proves unkind? Are those clear fires which vanish into smoke? Must I praise the leaves where no fruit I find? No, no; where shadows do for bodies stand, That may’st be abus’d if thy sight be dim. Cold love is like to words written on sand, Or to bubbles which on the water swim. Wilt thou be thus abused still, Seeing that she will right thee never? If thou canst not o’ercome her will, Thy love will be thus fruitless ever. Was I so base, that I might not aspire Unto those high joys which she holds from me? As they are high, so high is my desire, If she this deny, what can granted be? If she will yield to that which reason is, It is reason’s will that love should be just. Dear, make me happy still by granting this, Or cut off delays if that I die must. Better a thousand times to die Than for to love thus still tormented: Dear, but remember it was I Who for thy sake did die contented.

[hugthepanda12]

Remember when we all thought Alador and Odalia are toxic parents, but as the couple they kinda are okayish to each other? Because of how Odalia intoduces him to their customers or how she keeps him focused (even if it was brutal in several instances). And especially when it was revealed they were childhood friends at hexside, then we got that photo:

With that picture alone, people were gushing over Darius booing Alador and Raeda in the distant background. Of course, there was a discussion concerning Odalia, looking at her future husband with praise. It is no surprise because, in fact, Odalia refers to Alador as ‘The greatest abomination creator of the era’ in public. 

However, we were all fooled by these slight examples of affection. In the light of info from ‘clouds on the horizon’, Odalia not only takes an active role in abusing Emira, Edric and Amity, but her husband as well! Alador tells King he hasn’t had a day off in 5 years and Odalia can’t even excuse the fact the man fell ill. Well, it was obvious from the first episode where she featured in she is business-oriented. Aand puts the profit above her loved ones (their safety and happiness too) on her ‘what’s important- list’

There was a time I thought Odalia is reedemable mostly due to her ‘that’s all for the family’ talk. My assumption was grounded on that fact because in previous episodes I interpreted her character in the following way: 

a) despite her ‘i want money and fame’ attitude and toxic traits, she wanted the same for her family, only her priorities were fucked-up. She couldn’t see that  through constant control ehem and child labour of Amity and the twins, her kids hate her more and more.

b) maybe because of her love to Alador she could finally understand her actions were in fact hurting their family. After that little bond time Alador had with Amity, Alador promised to be less neglectful and talk to Odalia about how she treats their kids, after all!!! I imagined a big quarrel between Odalia and Alador and, heck, even threatening with divorce. Odalia, on the other hand, in order to not to lose her family would eventually agree to join the rebellion and change her consumptive mindset into ‘i have to protect my family from Belos’ way of thinking. 

Unfortunately, love was never there. She doesn’t know what love is. She never knew. In the last episode we discover she 1) kept secret from Alador Belos’ plan 2) overwork him down to the bone 3) is okay with mass killing and 4) ‘Was looking for the other partner in business anyway’, thus she never regarded Alador as her love interest, only ‘BuSinEsS pArtNer’.

That is why this look on her face on the photo is now re-contextualized and we can learn the sad truth - she never. ever. loved. Alador. 

It is not the ‘Gosh I love him so much’ face. 

It’s more like: ‘Haha, I’ll exploit that man until there’s nothing left of him’ sneer.

And she almost succeeded. Just look atthis man in "Escaping Expulsion". That smile from the photo has vanished, bags under his eyes indicating he’s sleep-deprived, in dirty clothes. RAT not a man (although I personally like his design, looks friendly and dad-shaped)

In her mind, he is not a husband/father. He’s her worker/slave and what is worse, she regards her children as such. As means to make her succesfull. SICK AND CRUEL, I SAY.

Knowing that Odalia favours PERFECTION, Alador is far away from her idealistic view on the significat other. She married him only for his skills, knowledge, recognisability (dude owing to that competition was famous) and resources. I bet she hated all his quirks, that’s why she’s so eager to take that little joys from him too. 

For the conclusion, I’ll say it again. Odalia never truly loved anyone. All she knows is how to coldly calculate what ‘pays off’. And being Alador’s friend, then girlfriend and ultimately wife really payed off at this point of her life. Once she got what she wanted, that is status, big company, money, fame, REPUTATION and potential heirs (Emira, Edric and Amity), she didn’t have to pretend anymore. She kept on withdrawing Alador from the ‘family life’ by giving him more workload so she can easily brainwash their kids and she could have her ‘break from him’.

On another note, there is a theory going viral recently.... that Odalia has no sigil, so she would survive the Day of Unity while Alador would not. And she would let the father of her kids die. Huh, it really gives extra flavour to that line I came up with for the sake of this post: ‘ I’ll exploit that man until there’s nothing left of him’. Yeah, that’s her plan. To kill him but not with her hands. Because she doesn’t need him anymore. Belos promised her to provide ‘the life she deserves - as the some kind of queen in the new world’, right? And her kids would live like prince and princesses. :) 

Well, even if I’m angry at Odalia I’m glad the owl house crew presented her character that way. After all, not everyone deserve to be reedemed and It was cool to see Alador standing up to her even though he was scared. Really looking up to the finale of toh where she and Belos will be punished. 

[lucellion]

I can not express how much your gratitude and experienced insight is helpful and I am so greatly appreciative of you sharing it with me. I do believe some of the fear from my fellow alters stems from, how shall I put it, not knowing what will become of them once the traumatic memories they are attached to, or the trauma that formed them, is addressed and ‘dealt with’, so-to-speak. A sort of unknowing who they are outside the pain they carry, or if they are anyone at all. If therapy is teaching us to adapt, what will happen to those who have helped us to adapt thus far? I suppose many trauma survivors deal with a version of this. It is not so much that we want to be a system, so much as no wants to ‘die’ or ‘disappear’ for lack of better terms. A lot of our current inner turmoil comes from this; one protector has convinced others that they need to ‘prove’ themselves at being able to adapt to and survive through the therapeutic process while deciding which alters are ‘too traumatic’ for healing and need to be ‘let go’. This of course has caused fear, anger, anxiety and pushback. Those who have been deemed as weighing our system down want to get rid of the protector who has made such accusations. Essentially we have two protectors at odds with one another. Needless to say it has been a joy talking with you and imagining a better time and place in the future where this is all settled and behind us, where we are stable, happy and loved and finally living a life free of all this pain.

-🐾⭐️

(Oh goodness, my apologies, I have been using the incorrect emojis for my sign off. They changed around without me noticing. I suppose having inconsistent ‘recently used emojis’ is part of being a system, though).

It sounds like a really rough situation, anon.

I think something important to share with your alters who are worried about therapy, is that systems are always constantly changing. Alters split, go dormant and fuse constantly even without therapy intervening. Even if you were to get a therapist who advocates for final fusion, and you are successful in doing so, there is always a chance to split apart again. A therapist is supposed to gently guide the ebb and flow of your system towards healing and emotional closure. So even if you "deal with" trauma that certain alters hold, it doesn't mean they'll immediately vanish. Not to mention that it doesn't erase your trauma, and even after going through a rigorous healing process, you are still allowed to feel emotions tied to trauma. Even if it's "processed". Processing trauma just means you've spent time to take the power away from the memory so you can function day-to-day without it impacting you severely. It doesn't make it go away.

Over the years of being aware of my own system, my frequent fronters have constantly changed, alters change jobs and people come in and out of dormancy often. So, holding onto exactly how your system is functioning right this very moment will ultimately lead to disappointment anyways. People grow and change all the time, so do systems. I think your protector needs to be able to look at the bigger picture, and see how the alters that "weigh you down" do have potential to grow and change, just like the rest of you. Therapy will just bring more coping skills to the table, not get rid of your old ones. You can have both options.

Also, alters always split for a reason. Even if it doesn't seem "helpful". If they were "weighing down" your system, and went dormant / fused / etc, someone else would just split to do their same job anyways. Even if it's just an alter who fronts to fold laundry or take phone calls. They're important.