#but in my interpretation she does not share in that perception

[carlyraejepsans]

saw your most recent post about really good fics that contain uncomfortable kinks and i immediately thought "ah, biscia must be reading the mpreg soriel fic" and almost left a reply talking about it but i stopped myself because i realized that would be an insane assumption to make. needless to say i felt so vindicated when i saw you link it in an earlier post.

like. HELLO?

HELLO???????

[libellule-ao3]

HC: Ominis, his eyes and his experience as a blind wizard

Picture Credits: @deathlysallows [link]

Hello,

I was talking to someone recently about Ominis' eyes, and it gave me the idea of publishing these HCs. 🙂

Please note that the ideas and interpretations presented in this post are my 'headcanon', some of which are mentioned/explored in my fanfictions, but not all. I respect and appreciate the different opinions and interpretations that others may have.

My intention is to share my thoughts, not impose them... I'd love to see yours btw. 😊

Approximately 1,560 words at present. This could increase with possible future updates.💚

☆ Ominis’ eyes do not have pupils to let light enter his eye and reach the photoreceptors. As a result, he has no light perception and is totally blind. This lack of pupils, a phenomenon unique even among wizards, is the result of the marriage between his family's consanguinity and Dark Arts, which they practise shamelessly. (Quote: Ominis was born blind and no spell could reverse it)

☆ Besides this absence of pupils, his eyes are distinguished by their density of pale blue radial streaks, which start from the centre of the iris and radiate outwards, against a dark blue background. This pattern gives his eyes a fascinating, dynamic look. Ominis’ eyes are not opaque, milky or cloudy. These descriptors are so often associated with cataracts or glaucoma (i.e. Eye diseases Ominis does not have in my HC) that I avoid using them.

☆ Even when taking on the appearance of a sighted person thanks to the Polyjuice Potion or using Legilimency, Ominis remains unable to see, as his brain does not know how to interpret visual stimuli.

☆ If the Polyjuice Potion had worked, Ominis' parents wouldn't have hesitated to kidnap a child of the same age, sequestering him so that Ominis could take on his appearance, proceeding in the same way as Barty Crouch Jr did with Alastor Moody.

☆ Using a Pensieve does not negate his blindness either. He therefore perceives the memories consulted by this means in the same way as he perceives his everyday environment.

☆ Ominis has a well-developed sense of touch and smell, and his hearing is very acute. However, the acuity of these senses is not superhuman. He has only learnt to maximumly use his sensory compensatory means to make up for the visual deficit.

☆ During his childhood, his parents and siblings, who struggled for a long time to cure his blindness did not value his existence. As a result, Ominis tends to see himself as less valuable than a sighted person, despite what his Aunt Noctua says.

☆ Ominis has never let his blindness stop him from doing what he really wanted to do. On the other hand, as a good sneaky snake, he doesn’t mind using his blindness as an excuse not to do what he refuses to do or... to justify getting physically close to his heart’s desire. "I can’t work with my wand today, can you guide me to the Great Hall?" How can you say no to him when you know his wand [HC link] is so fickle?)

☆ When not using his echolocation spell, Ominis relies on his other senses to understand the world around him. As a result, surprise contacts can be disturbing for him as they abruptly disrupt his sensory perception. This generates anxiety, as he cannot anticipate the contact. But when this is done by people with whom he has no emotional bond, Ominis experiences it as an additional violation of his personal space, which can make him angry.

☆ Before she disappeared, his Aunt Noctua used to embroider hangings for him, which she would then hang in his bedroom. Ominis loved to run his fingertips over the raised patterns and different textures. Even without seeing them, Ominis could appreciate their creativity and aesthetics through touch. He still has a strong taste for embroidered fabrics from this period.

☆ Without concrete sensory experience of colours, his perception of colours remains a mental concept for him. At Hogwarts, he used to ask Sebastian if his clothes matched properly until he was familiar enough with fabrics to recognise them by touch.

☆ Before Ominis got his wand, he had to learn to organise his living space so that he could be as independent as possible. As a result, Ominis is very tidy and always puts his things away carefully so that he can find them more easily and navigate safely. Even in the most intimate moments, he folds and tidies his clothes before attending to his lover... firstly out of habit, and secondly because he finds it very exciting to play with their patience.

☆ For the Gaunt, the family’s image and reputation were of crucial importance. Having a blind child was a source of shame, as it could be interpreted as a weakness in their lineage or a sign of failure. When they gave up hope of curing him, they convinced themselves that a Gaunt could not be born deprived of sight without obtaining a compensatory magical ability, such as the gift of clairvoyance... Reality soon caught up with them.

☆ This umpteenth disappointment, combined with Ominis’s repeated refusal to adhere to supremacist ideals, or to practise dark arts, reinforced the hostility of Ominis’s parents towards him. As a result, the abuse escalated until the terrible episode recounted in the game (negative emotions + intolerance + misunderstanding + social pressure formed a detonating cocktail)

☆ His echolocation spell allows him to navigate independently, but it will never replace sight.

☆Capable of taking initiative, his wand has a will of its own that sometimes comes into conflict with Ominis. When this happens, it is very difficult for him to work with his wand and he may sometimes ask someone to guide him to where he wants to go. If he turns to you in this case, it’s a sign that he has a great deal of trust in you, something he doesn’t grant easily.

☆ The fact that people avoid certain words (see, or look for example) in his presence, or are embarrassed when he uses them himself, metaphorically or simply as a linguistic convention, amuses him and he doesn’t hesitate to play them up.

☆ If he’s not serving himself, he discreetly feels his plate to find out where the food is.

☆ Ominis is very concerned about his appearance because he wants to blend in with society to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Also, he feels more confident with having an impeccable appearance. His obsession: getting a stain on his clothes that he can’t detect. He used to ask Anne to check his outfit several times during the day.

☆ Although many classmates have asked him to touch their faces so that Ominis can “see” them, he has always flatly refused, as he finds it too intrusive. Sebastian and Anne are the only ones with whom he has allowed himself this familiarity... until his fiancée.

☆ Aloof and reserved by nature, Sebastian, Anne and his lover are the only people he accepts hugs from. These have enabled him to obtain information about their appearance, height, weight, hairstyle, morphology and much more...

☆ Wizards of their background were often evaluated on their elegance and their ability to fit into the society at the time. In addition to the classic upbringing of a member of the illustrious Gaunt family, Ominis’ parents insisted he acquire good social skills and impeccable manners, which was not always easy for Ominis.

☆ For he had “automatic, stereotyped and repetitive” gestures (blindism). Swaying his body or turning his head, or repeatedly rubbing his eyes were very severely punished, as were the various postural disturbances inherent in his blindness (head in profile because that’s the ideal listening position, shuffling gait to keep his 2 feet anchored to the ground maintain his balance more easily etc...). As a result, Ominis has become very aware of himself and his body language.

☆ Always with the aim of meeting their standards, his parents imposed a strict education on him, ensuring that he was fully educated in the history of Magic, that of his ancestors, that of the great pureblood families, the evolution of the bonds governing them and the dark arts for which the Gaunt are so renowned.

☆ In Victorian times, professional prospects were rather limited for blind people, even in the wizarding world, and even with the best education. What’s more, the family safe at Gringotts was just a leaky basket, so Ominis’s parents forced him to play the piano hoping he would become skilled and renowned enough to bail them out. As a result, he plays the piano very well, but he is not a prodigy. This skill is the result of long efforts and painful constraints. All washed down with tears.

☆ At Hogwarts, potions classes are the hardest for Ominis to grasp. Too much simultaneous olfactory stimulation, a method of learning ill-suited to the blind as the recipe steps rely on the precise colouring of the brew.

☆ When he's not using his echolocation spell, Ominis hates it when people leave him after a conversation without telling him they're leaving.

☆ Braille appeared in England in 1861, and Ominis learned about this Muggle system of reading and writing from his Aunt Noctua, who was much more open to the Muggle world than the rest of the Gaunt family, who refused to hear about it. He learned it on his own, with the help of his aunt and the house-elf who provided him with reference books.

☆ When he has to use a knife for cooking or in potions class, Ominis demands a perfectly sharp blade that offers a more precise cut with less effort, reducing the risk of slippage and injury, unlike a dull knife, which is potentially more dangerous as it requires more force to cut, making control more difficult.

☆ He doesn’t cut his fingernails, he files them to make sure he doesn’t cut himself.

(These last 2 HC are from anecdotes heard about my paternal grandmother, whom I never knew and who became blind because of cataracts that were inoperable at the time because of certain medical history)

Masterlist

[melonteee]

Zoro’s “she’s a woman” is also very funny to me, but after re-reading Skypeia I *think* I understand the vision behind it, even if the execution might’ve been clumsy.

Back in Jaya when Robin and Zoro are searching for the South Bird, there’s a brief scene where Robin criticizes Zoro for indiscriminately cutting down random critters, to which Zoro retorts that it’s the critters’ fault for getting in his way before reiterating his distrust for her. Despite this distrust, however, Zoro does seem to take Robin’s criticisms to heart as he stops uses the bladed end of his sword on critters in Jaya and mostly avoids using his swords on animals in Skypeia.

Which also creates an interesting parallel to Enel, who shares a very similar opinion to the one Zoro held in Jaya. Hell, some translations of Zoro’s response to Robin have it along the lines of “it’s their fault for challenging me” which is almost verbatim what Enel says in the arc about his “lambs.” And despite Enel insisting that he is an Equal Opportunity Vengeful God, there are scenes before the ones with Robin where Enel’s treatment of women is framed as predatory, in a way that also parallels how the Celestial Dragons are portrayed as treating women later, which also colors the way that Enel specifically attacks Robin also being predatory and motivated by misogyny. So I *think* Oda’s intent for Zoro was seeing his past attitude in Jaya reflected back at him and ultimately realizing that just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you *should* while also using the scene to comment on how god complex’s are often used as covers for bigotry.

But, even so, Zoro’s line is a clumsy summary if that’s the case. The Doylist explanation is that Oda has always struggled when it comes to threading the needle that is “how to convey female fighters are as strong and capable as the male fighters without also inadvertently endorsing real life gender-based violence” and sometimes this results in clumsy lines like Zoro’s. But my personal Watsonian head-canon is that the Plinko Horse in Zoro’s brain didn’t fire up fast enough to coherently summarize 45 chapters of character development, which results in him spitting out what sounds like a complete non-sequitur.

I respect this but my interpretation of it was Zoro does have an internalised misogyny, which is proven to us in Punk Hazard. He admits he doesn't like to nor wants to fight women to Tashigi, and Monet backs him against a wall because of it. He thinks it's dishonourable to target women as a man, and considering his dojo dad was from Wano, and he was raised with Wano ideals, AND he was raised in an all male dojo, it makes tons of sense.

I know a lot of people are confused about this because of Kuina, but his mentor said TO HIS FACE "I am a woman, you are a man. You will be stronger than me." How in the world would Zoro, at his baby age, not internalise that in some twisted way? Especially coming from the person he looked up to. It feels like it's commentary on the fact misogyny is taught, it's not just a natural born thing, and it ruins ones own perception of self and lives around them.

Zoro was quite literally raised in a male dominated space, where ONLY men were trained and told they were the strongest - it has been programmed into him. The thing is, this is written to be a NEGATIVE thing. This isn't me pointing at Zoro and calling him a piece of shit, this is me saying it's a FLAW Zoro has, and it's clearly one he must get over. The strongest swordsman in the world can literally not afford to look down on women as weaker, because I HIGHLY doubt Mihawk does that. Tashigi calls him out for it, and it's very obvious this is an internalised issue Zoro doesn't LIKE that he has.

Why in the world would Oda make Wano openly sexist towards its women, refusing to let them fight, and THEN reveal Kuina's family is quite literally FROM this country - hence WHY Kuina's dad was so insanely sexist. Of course this is going to become commentary on Zoro having to overcome taught beliefs, especially considering Zoro is one of the few Strawhats who has never actually fought a woman. Not only did he not actually touch nor fight Monet (he just scared the shit out of her), but he also took zero shots at Big Mum on the rooftop lmao. He fought her homies but not her, physically - not even once. There's clearly something going on there, and it's Zoro (and Sanji) specific, cause literally NO other male strawhat has a problem fighting women or seeing women on the battlefield (once again, apart from Sanji, and that's possibly a parallel).

I say that last part because yes Oda has sexism in his writing, but every time I hear Zoro's 'woman' line is just Oda being Oda, I want to tear my hair out. Otherwise EVERY male character would act like Zoro towards women, and they quite literally do not LMAO

I don't know why this is the hot take it seems to be, because I LOVE Zoro, but it's clear there's something going on with him in regards to internal prejudice. I think it's because, as a Sanji fan, there's an irony to saying all this lmao. But of course, I do not mean for any of this to be negative, because I am excited to see if this side of Zoro actually gets explored. Ie Zoro defeats misogyny and sexism HAHA

[silliest-heartaches]

Ohh my god DRINKKK!! Dude I love them sooo muchhh. I just love imagining them being head over heels for each other yet constantly denying their feelings, because of how they view themselves, yet still finding comfort and solace with each other. They are so. YES. PERFECT. AUGH.

SHARE MORE ABOUT THEM PLEASE!!!

And I love how you use they/them for Ink and she/her for Dream!!

GOD YEAH I LIKE THEM SO INCREDIBLY MUCH... tbh the main reason i started liking them was bc i was thinking abt them and how doomed yuri coded they were and. The worms Wormed in from there,,,,

I actually use he/they and she/they for ink and dream respectively but!!!!!! I love all hcs and interpretations of them for REAL. nonbinary people who are gay as fuck for real,, very inherrently queer ship regardless of how u see either of them i think...heart seeing them as t4t transmasc and transfem forever personally though so thats what i see em as hehe,, also in my head theyre both aroacespec (though the specifc kind varies from au to au though i do consistently see ink as ace and dream as demiaro :>>)

Im not sure how long these will be so...hcs under the cut lol

- okay well while in my mind while error is technically the First Entity ink sees that isnt just a normal entity, dream is like their First. Friend. you know. Like when error first saw him he was screaming and crying for the hills bc it was also his first time seeing another outcode so. that reaction BUT with dream she was more filled with gentle confusion... this is a bit after she unstoned in the apple incident but still was new to au hopping and naive to most danger so they became friends!!! Questionably so.

-to elaborate, when they first meet dream is still stuck on the ideals of toxic positivity and pushing through hardship no matter what... i think this is something they eventually grow out of and dream will eventually learn to see the need for balance eventually but one of their first disputes happens when ink is running low on ink and most of whats left are the Negative Emotions within him alongside the especially strong panic that he usually feels when they get like this... dream would try to comfort him and try to say that itll work out in the end no matter what and that they just need to push through and that itll be okay like normal comforting words because dream is an empath and can sense feelings right,,i feel like its comforting in some cases but when things get Really Bad and especially when the main reserves of feelings that ink has are Negative, they heavily override his normal sense of self and i imagine they get a lot more. Snappy.... theres also the additional hc thingy of ink also really overexaggerating his feelings and overplaying them a lot for the sake of trying to feel more intensely (doesnt work, just drains him faster and will never truly feel natural to him...personally think that ink feels a lot of disconnect from his feelings) which could be considerably offputting to dream (though before adding swap to the group she thought it wass normal because she had only seen the fake pretend nice joy of the village influenced by her aura and not Genuine Feelings)

I think eventually through the years they would learn a lot from eachother...like with ink learning to be more naturally charismatic and dream learning to see past toxic positivity and have his perception on emotions change for the better (ie in learning that having different emotions are okay, so long as there is a balance)

id do alot more hcs but tbh what it boils down to is: toxic codependent yuri. intensely up and down relationship where theres an insane amount of love and attachment but also a lack of self from the both of them because they are only able to see themselves as a Thing to the other. Also exes who turned out to be besties. Thry got together and broke up wayyy before blue (they casually tell him stories about it and for the parts that he does know about he is horrified for.) Oh and they share hobbies and do parallel play alot. dream is more music oriented and can play the cello and flute. ink can play the ukelele but hes more familiar with drawing and painting duh. Also they have a garden. they love growing flowers but their favourites are sunflowers. Also have writing sessions together. Also may/may not also have beautiful princess disorder. (The both of them)

im so sorry this is so incoherrent but erm. yeah im very normal abt them (half of this stuff comes from oc projection the other half is like. Mental illness while in the shower tbh)

[seawing-vibes]

HI THAT WAS ME IM SORRY TUMBLR ATE UR ASK. PERIL IS TRANS I KNOW HER ALSO INTEGRAL TO HER CHARACTER AND IM THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES IT(THATS BASICALLY THE ASK)

HII NO NEED TO BE SORRY TUMBLRS SYSTEM IS ASS!! THANK YOU SM FOR RESENDING THE ASK A <33 OKAY PERIL POST DO-OVER!!

SPECTRUM USED FROM THIS POST!!!!!!!!!

OKAY SO I JUST DECIDED TO FILL THE WHOLE THING OUT! I headcanon Peril as Intersex and nonbinary!! AND SAME FOR ME, they fall fight between “I know them” and “their lore is literally impacted by their transsexualism”!! Peril is a very Nonbinary character to me, the way she was raised to view things as very “black & white” and hosting a sense of little self autonomy— makes them finding a comfortable identity in a very “”in the middle”” gender compelling! Especially within the understanding of how Peril was raised and brought up in someone else’s vision, being able to find self-identity in that nature of breaking down the “black & white” structure that was forced on them through the act of finding identity in neutrality. I find the development of self-love extended through gender expression in that nature something that works well in-unison with Peril’s pre-existing themes! Especially in regards to the layered metaphors of the Necklace. As a nonbinary person myself - I found that to be a pinnacle moment of forced suppression of identity into something more “palatable” to the public perception - in this analysis that being the forcing of femininity onto a gnc aligning identity - speaking to the way many nonbinary identity’s are expected to lean “one direction or the other”. So that moment being involved in Perils story - and her breaking free of it and having a self-realization/control moment - very reflective of nonbinary/gender non conforming experiences !!

With that though - thats just my own interpretation and connection to those aspects of Peril’s characterization! I find her lore and themes within her character to speak to many universal experiences of identity that can be interpreted in a fluid way. Like I personally read it as a very compelling arc about non-conformity and applied my own experiences with gender expression onto it, but other interpretations/analyses are just as strong! Thats why I put this headcanon in the middle, because I find it connects heavily to their lore, but is similarly just an extension of it and not necessarily interwoven in-full. Its a lot of personal interpretation which is why the personable “I know them” also 100% fits my perception of transgenderism onto Peril <33

Also the Intersex headcanon is purely a me thing, I always thought Peril was intersex just like. Factually lmao (one of those “I somehow convinced myself this was canon and was surprised to learn it was not” moments lmao). The reason I included it as well is because within my headcanon I think Peril would similarly absorb her being intersex to a further extension of gender identity! Again, breaking down those “black & white” views that were forced on them through themself - literally! Notably being intersex does not inherently mean gender identity is going to be impacted as well, just for this headcanon I feel Peril’s relationship to their gender identity would be strongly impacted by them being intersex <3 !!

OKAY SORRY THIS GOT LONG BUT THIS WAS FUN TO WRITE! TWICE ! LMAO! I have lots of thoughts on these guys so feel free to ask any questions about the other characters if ya want!!! I have many thoughts lmao…

Also I love analyzing these dragons so if anyone has a different interpretation of the characters & wanna share PLEASE DO!!!! I love hearing other perspectives, especially if they contrast my own interpretations, it’s all so cool!!!! <333

[musashi]

You think the brand of people who hate MVK and call him neglectful also hate Misty or does she get a free pass as a Girlboss(TM)

no, they're just as bad to misty (but weirdly fine with morgan?)

honestly the person i compare misty to isn't mvk, it's miles. miles and misty both did the same thing (jouhatsu) but miles is forgiven, rarely held accountable, lauded as morally complex or untouchable because he's twaumatiiiiized but misty is demonized always and forever as a neglectful, absent mother whose love is worthless because of the choice she made.

i've never met a single person in this fandom with a favourable opinion on misty, it's fucking depressing as all hell. meanwhile no one gives a shit about morgan who canonically beats her fucking daughter (amongst many, MANY other things)

how the aa fandom chooses to declare parents abusive has nothing to do with the parents and everything to do with how easy it is to project onto their "victims." case in point:

misty fey: morally complex in canon. maya, while not super popular, is growing as projectionbait due to her self-worth issues & the fact that she's often shipped with franziska who everyone is inexplicably horny for. VERDICT: ABUSER.

morgan fey: abusive in canon. beats her youngest daughter & controls her access to the outside world. manipulated all three of her children into committing attempted murder for her. iris is not projectionbait because she is viewed primarily as a threat to narumitsu and thus despised. dahlia is not projectionbait because she is not mentally ill in a sympathetic way, instead exhibiting severe cluster b tendencies and being "one of the bad ones." no sympathy is given to dahlia despite the fact that she was clearly a severely mentally ill child in need of support. pearl is not projectionbait because people's only perception of her personality is "child" and nothing more. VERDICT: NOT ABUSIVE, SIMPLY A CHARISMATIC VILLAIN.

blaise debeste-winner: abusive in canon. berates his son every single opportunity he gets. i am almost certain he does worse by the end of the game but have not yet finished it. eustace is not projectionbait because he is a narcissist and that is not one of the acceptable mental illnesses, see dahlia. VERDICT: NOT ABUSIVE.

manfred von karma: not abusive in canon, I AM INVITING EVERYONE READING THIS MESSAGE TO COME INTO MY INBOX AND DEBATE ME ON THAT POINT RIGHT NOW. DO IT, COWARD. cartoonishly evil. ridiculously so. so evil that it loops back around into being hilarious. morally complex in that we are rarely allowed to know what he is thinking, and so many interpretations of it arise, rightfully so. miles was made to be projectionbait. punitive view on justice that all the fucking catholics on this website share. canonical post-traumatic stress disorder. attractive young gentleman. shippable with the protagonist. severe guilt complex. deep-seated self loathing. would identify as an "anti" if he were on fandom twitter. depending on your interpretations of canon, suicidal. franziska is debatable projectionbait--being like dahlia in that she is the 'wrong' kind of mentally ill--but she inches ahead into a firm yes because she is a burning-out gifted kid and, again, annoying lesbians on this website want to have sex with her. VERDICT: MANFRED VON KARMA INVENTED CHILD ABUSE AND IF YOU COME AWAY FROM THE TEXT WITH ANY KINDER INTERPRETATION ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS KIDS WE WILL UNPERSON YOU ON TWITTER.

i could go on, but i love myself, so i won't.

[fmet]

This moment is sooooooo. Like even with the way she treated him, he’s compassionate enough to know that she suffers the same that he does at the hand of his father, her husband, and he sees her hands and sees how hard she has to work and he loves her and he wants to take care of her the way she never took care of him, so he asks about her. This isn’t something he can really help. She’s still his mother, they still share a victimhood, Eunyung is still a good kid. So of course he’s going to ask.

But then she turns this sincere effort to reconnect on its head and accuses him of not caring, and he then spins her redirection as an overreaction, and we can kind of see where Eunyung gets a lot of his speech patterns from. Any affection Eunyung receives is interpreted in the worst way in order for him to remain the “winner” of a conversation, and when called out on caring about anything he refuses to admit such. “It’s not that he actually cares, it’s just that the other speaker cares so much that they’ve projected onto him.” This is the way he usually confronts affectionate, vulnerable topics such as where his mom works now, how Haejoon wanted to spend Chuseok with him, etc. By feigning nonchalance and by making everyone else out to be the bad guy, he’s able to protect himself both emotionally and self-perceptively. And clearly his mom shares the same evasive, cruel habit. Just looking back on his argument during Chuseok with Haejoon and comparing it to his mother’s dialogue makes me want to pull my hair out like 🫠🫠

[violetasteracademic]

Hi , I'd like to ask you what you think Mor's power actually does ? . I'm honestly so confused

Hello my darling!!! Okay, I am going to be honest, I have no heckin clue what Mor's powers are 🤣 BUT there are some theories that I like, and a couple of key moments that I think indicate where we might be headed, and I think it is multiverse related, so spoilers ahead!

My general sense is that Morrigan has the power to see the truth of things in the moment, and it isn't necessarily about whether or not people are telling the truth, but deeper truths about the universe. Let me explain:

In these two moments, we see Mor physically reacting to what is going on. She isn't reacting to the dialogue, but rather it's as if she can see something beneath the surface. She is staring at the space Azriel was standing long after he was gone, as if she can see some truth there in the physical space. She has a physical reaction to Azriel approaching Elain, though she has no problem with Elain and at this point we know she is not interested in Azriel romantically. I think she can see some truth, perhaps the Mother mating bond, or some sense of the interference occurring between Azriel and Elain.

She also refers to Azriel being willing to give Elain Truth-Teller earlier. However, there is something that differentiates her from being an Oracle or a Seer. I believe that for whatever reason, she is also limited in expressing the truths of the universe (thus the value of the Veritas orb) and prevented from interfering, which is why she might express it in unique ways (such as her drawings on the cabin wall or her conversation telling Feyre to stay out of it and let Elain and Lucien decide who they want to be.) Which is why she is developing this sort of dichotomous perception of being both the holder of truth and a liar. Whereas Elain as a seer can quite literally see things that are going to happen and work to prevent them, I believe Mor possesses or can see and bear witness to deep layers of truth about threads of the universe that cannot be freely shared.

There are a few indicators that lead me to believe this. One is the moment she sees a shadow from her POV and stares at it:

She feels she is told not to interact with that patch of darkness, and gets the sense it is watching, and she obeys. She later ponders what she will witness as she ventures beyond the Night Court. I believe that if others were present, they would not have been able to see that patch of darkness. Only Mor.

This reminds me of Hunt seeing darkness watching him in HOFAS, and we discover it is Prince Aidas. There are also descriptions in the lower levels of the library of feeling like a cat is watching in the darkness, which is a form Adidas has taken to reveal himself to powerful players on Midgard.

Both Azriel and Dorian possess weapons that determine whether or not someone is telling the truth. So the best way I can describe what Mor can do is simply seeing deeper truths of the world. Beneath magics and moments. I believe she sees things others cannot, and understands more than most about the world and it's magics and the moments at play.

That's me doing my scouts honor best to interpret everything.

I also think it could be equally true that Sarah has no clue, and we're all gonna find out together 😅

[archetypesanalysis]

The 3 Seasons: The Myth of Persephone

For the overall series analysis, I will be referring to “Goddesses in Everywoman” and “Gods in Everyman” by Jean Shinoda Bolen. I will be talking about the Bad Batch Season 3 Celebration Europe trailer and the official Season 3 trailer. I will also refer to the titles of Season 3 episodes for this analysis. I will make some predictions for Season 3, so if you do not want to read into it, you can just scroll away.

I view the overall theme of the series from the Persephone archetype. Persephone is the innate archetype of Omega, and we mostly view this series from her perceptive. In my character analysis of Omega, I have stated that the Persephone archetype is an “anima woman”. The anima is described by Carl Jung as “the unconscious feminine side of a man”. With that, I interpret that Omega is the “anima” to all clones. Since all clones (except the unaltered clones Boba Fett and Omega) are genetically modified to be more docile and compliant to ensure that they follow orders without questioning, this means that their Persephone archetype resembles the Kore (“nameless maiden”). Though, after going through traumatic experiences, their Persephone can transition to Queen of the Underworld, becoming more mature and assertive. This is what happens to Echo as stated in my character analysis of him. What Omega goes through can be a shared experience for the clones.

After looking from a wider perspective, I interpret each season as a transition period taken by the Persephone archetype. Season 1 is about life-changing choices. According to Jean Shinoda Bolen, the Persephone woman is “a good girl” that wants to please her Demeter mother. She is obedient, compliant, cautious and often sheltered. She is too attached to her mother that she lacks assertiveness and independence. She often waits for someone or something to transform her life. When the Persephone woman falls in love with a man, she may go through the stage of being Persephone “the pawn”, in which she becomes the object to be possessed in a power struggle between a man and her mother. This man usually has a typical “bad boy” personality, or he may come from a different social class or culture. He may be the first person who has not treated the Persephone woman as a pampered princess, and will not put up with her “princess” act.

The Demeter mother will view this man as Hades, the god of the Underworld that kidnaps Persephone in the Greek myth. He is different from “the nice young man” she has envisioned. Since the Persephone woman is a usually compliant daughter, her mother may feel confident of attacking her choice of men. Her mother may strongly disapprove the man’s personality, character or background. She may occasionally question her daughter’s judgment, competence and morals. However, the man’s ability to resist her mother is one reason why the Persephone daughter is attracted to him.

The Persephone woman may be, for the first time, at odds with her mother and her standards of good girl behaviour. Her mother or family may forbid her to see the man she loves. She may agree to their decision, but later sneaks off to meet him. Alternatively, she may try to convince her mother of his good qualities. Soon, the man usually demands that she confronts her mother or give up trying to get her mother’s approval. He may propose her to live with him, marry him, leave the area with him, or cut off contact with her mother. In this struggle, the Persephone woman has two choices: she goes back to her mother and becomes the restored compliant daughter, or she takes her chance and runs away with him.

If the Persephone woman chooses to rebel and run away, she may begin her journey towards becoming a separate, self-determining human being. She may be exposed to new experiences that shapes her identity. However, she does so at the risk of trading a dominating mother for a dominating man. If she chooses to return to her mother, she will continue to be “the good girl” but she risks losing her sense of identity. Regardless of her choices, there are no easy outcomes, and her decision will lead to life-changing consequences. By defying her mother, the Persephone woman has changed and is no longer the compliant person she once was. She cannot ever go back to the old ways. Fortunately, reconciliation with her mother can come later, after she has gained emotional independence.

Order 66 and the rise of the Empire put the clones in this struggle faced by the Persephone archetype. They can choose to be loyal to the Empire, or run away from the Empire. Omega chooses to leave Nala Se and run away with the Bad Batch. Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo choose to run away from the Empire. Rex, Gregor, Howzer and some of his men also choose to rebel. However, their rebellion comes with a downside: they are branded as traitors to the Empire. Rex has to be careful in building up his resistance network. Gregor tries to escape but he gets recaptured, and the Bad Batch has to come to save him. Howzer and some of his men are thrown into prison. The Bad Batch becomes mercenaries that work for Cid, who is unreliable and has questionable morals. On the other hand, Crosshair and the majority of the clones choose to stay with the Empire and be “good soldiers”. Though, Crosshair is secretly rebelling the Empire as he never plans to kill the Bad Batch. Instead, he tries to convince the Bad Batch to join the Empire so they can have a purpose. When the Bad Batch still refuses to join the Empire, Crosshair lies to the Empire that they have perished during the bombardment of Tipoca City as he tries to protect them.

Regardless of their decisions, there are life-changing consequences with no good outcomes. Project War-Mantle is actively carried out to replace the Clone Troopers with Stormtroopers. Nala Se is taken to Mount Tantiss as the Empire needs her skills and expertise for nefarious purposes. Tipoca City, which serves as the home for the clones, is destroyed by the Empire. The Clone Wars have truly ended. The clones cannot go back to their old ways. Moreover, the Bad Batch is not the same anymore as Crosshair refuses to rejoin the squad. Although they cannot go back to what they were once before, reconciliation is possible in the future, just like Omega believing that Crosshair will return because he is still their brother and her brother.

Season 2 is about the slow descent to the Underworld. Throughout Season 2, the Kiners have made cryptic tweets by inserting tiny texts underneath the sentence “made by mematic”. These texts form this poem:

“Can you hear me?

I’m down here at the bottom.

My words cannot reach you.

And you can’t reach me.

But you are with me.

Here at the bottom.

At the end.”

I interpret this poem as “the descent to the Underworld”. In Greek mythology, Persephone is gathering flowers in a meadow with her companions. She leaves them as she is drawn to a beautiful narcissus. When she picks the flower, the ground splits open before her, and Hades comes in with his gold chariot pulled by black horses. He seizes the terrified maiden, who screams for her father Zeus. However, Zeus ignores her cries because he has given Hades the approval to abduct her and make her his unwilling bride. Hades plunges down to the abyss, carrying Persephone deep into the Underworld. Then the earth closes over, as if nothing has happened.

The Underworld is separated from all the realms. Hence, nobody can hear Persephone crying for help. She is “down here at the bottom” – in the Underworld. Her words cannot reach anyone above the Underworld, and nobody from other realms can reach her. I interpret the words “But you are with me. Here at the bottom” as Hades telling Persephone that he is with her in the Underworld – he is telling her to accept her fate of becoming his wife, and that she would never see her mother Demeter and the sunlight again. The words “At the end” may be a depiction of the Underworld as the realm of the dead and as the archetypal image of depression.

In the myths, most enter the Underworld or meet Hades involuntarily. The most common method is through death, or more specifically physical death. Facing probable or certain death can lead a person to experience the descent to the Underworld. In “Ruins of War”, Rampart shoots Captain Wilco, causing him to fall off a cliff as if he has descended to the Underworld. We have also seen the clones being sent to die in heroic deaths or unnecessary deaths. In “The Outpost”, Mayday breathes his last when he gives up living due to the realization that the clones are nothing more than expendables to the Empire despite their loyalty and sacrifice, and that Lieutenant Nolan refuses to give him medical treatment.

The other involuntarily descent is caused by victimization – being abused, feeling helpless or experiencing terror. This causes the person to be “abducted” to the Underworld, just like Persephone’s fate. In “Tipping Point”, Howzer and two of his men are being shuttled off-world by the Imperials. Thankfully, Echo, Gregor, Nemec and Fireball manage to intercept the shuttle and rescue them. Howzer does not know where they are being sent to, but he does recall that several clone troopers were transferred off-world in rotations, and they never came back. It is later revealed that these clones are sent to Mount Tantiss for Dr. Hemlock.

Mount Tantiss is created by Timothy Zahn for the novel “Heir to the Empire”. The name “Tantiss” is intended by Zahn as a reference to Tantalus, a figure in Greek mythology who cooks up his son Pelops in a stew and serves it to the gods to test their omniscience. The gods immediately know something is amiss, but Demeter, who is grief-stricken by the loss of her daughter Persephone, absentmindedly eats part of the boy’s shoulder. The gods then put Pelops back together and resurrect him. He gets an ivory prosthetic shoulder made by Hephaestus to replace the missing part of his shoulder. As for Tantalus, he is thrown into Tartarus, and made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever he reaches for the fruit, the branches raise from his grasp. Whenever he bends down to drink, the water recedes below his level.

Tartarus is the darkest, deepest part of the Underworld where the Titans are imprisoned after the Olympians successfully overthrow them. In the later myths, mortals who go against the gods are sent to Tartarus for punishment. Using this analogy, the clones who disobey and question Imperial orders are sent to Mount Tantiss (their version of Tartarus) for Dr. Hemlock to carry out inhumane experiments on them. Furthermore, Crosshair also ends up on Mount Tantiss for killing Lieutenant Nolan. On the other hand, Omega is kidnapped by Dr. Hemlock and is trapped on Mount Tantiss, mirroring the abduction of Persephone. Emerie Karr, who is Hemlock’s medical assistant, believes that it is futile to escape from Mount Tantiss.

Hades and Dionysus, the God of Wine and Ecstasy, are connected to the Underworld. The Underworld is “the Shadow world” where anything that is unacceptable or too painful are dismembered and thrown here. Dionysus, being the dismembered archetype, knows this feeling of descending into the Underworld all too well. In “The Clone Conspiracy”, Rex manages to save Senator Riyo Chuchi from an assassin, who is revealed to be a clone trooper. The identity of Clone X is unknown as his identifying markings have been removed. It is widely believed that Dr. Hemlock has been brainwashing clone prisoners and turning them into Clone X. It is as if these clones have their identities “dismembered” and “thrown into the Underworld” – they have become mere shadows of their true identities. This is similar to the dead inhabitants of the Underworld that exist as ghostly shades forever. They are required to drink from the river of forgetfulness (Lethe) to forget their earthly life. Once they forget their earthly life, they may be reincarnated with no memory of their previous existence.

In psychological terms, the descent to the Underworld is a sign of depression. Incidents such as losing a loved one, being abused, losing the way of being, surviving a traumatic accident, losing a job, or going through a breakup or divorce can cause a person to lose meaning, purpose or hope in life. They feel cut off from everything that used to give them meaning and joy. They become Hades the recluse as they shut themselves off and may withdraw from reality. After losing Tech, Hunter, Echo and Wrecker involuntarily descend into the Underworld. Wrecker loses his joyful personality and weeps. Hunter gives up the possibility that Tech may be alive. He gives up continuing the mission to find Crosshair and decides to settle down on Pabu with Omega. Echo grieves by himself on the Marauder. Coincidentally, if you take the first letter of the last four tracks of Season 2, which are “Plan 99”, “The Sacrifice”, “Standoff” and “Don’t Stop Searching”, you get “PTSD”, which is the short form for post-traumatic stress disorder. The Bad Batch (and the audience) suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after losing Tech – an involuntary descent into the Underworld.

Hunter, who has the Demeter anima, is taking on the negative aspect of this archetype after losing Crosshair to the Empire. He is determined to keep his remaining teammates together. He wants all of them to keep a low profile and find a place far away from the Empire. He refuses to get involved with Rex’s resistance network because he feels that it is futile to fight back the Empire. From his perspective, the Empire is a powerful monster who has snatched Crosshair away from him, and he blames himself for the loss. After they lose Tech in a failed mission to locate Crosshair, Hunter becomes more depressed and he blames himself for the loss. He gives up the mission to find Crosshair and decides that they should settle down on Pabu since he believes that Tech has made the sacrifice so they can live. I believe that Hunter would become overprotective and overcontrolling if they managed to settle down on Pabu. He probably would not let Omega out of his sight, and he probably would not allow Wrecker to try anything new. He would probably try to convince Echo to abandon his fight against the Empire. Of course, his plan is ruined when Omega is kidnapped by Hemlock.

In various myths, some people enter the Underworld or meet Hades voluntarily. Examples of notable figures like Orpheus, Psyche, Odysseus, Aeneas, Heracles and Dionysus descend into the Underworld as their heroic tasks. However, voluntary descents are done at great risks as there is no guarantee of a safe return. By enacting Plan 99, Tech is the only one who descends into the Underworld voluntarily, and his fate is uncertain for now.

People have complained about the pacing and shifting tone of Season 2. One side we are in a colourful world of Riot Racing or going on a treasure hunt, while on the other side we are looking into the evils of the Empire and their cruelty towards the clones. I think the drastically opposing tones have something to do with fantasy and nightmares. The Underworld is the realm of the unconscious, in which we enter through imagination, dreams and nightmares.

When Persephone becomes depressed (possibly being dominated and limited by people who keep her bound to them), she bottles up her negative feelings and withdraws into the shadowy world of an imagined life. She may spend too much time by herself or retreat to her imaginary world to get away from people who are abusive or intrusive towards her.  She cuts herself off from people with her imaginary world, turning it into a safe haven when the real world seems too difficult or too demanding. However, this sanctuary may become a prison. By constantly withdrawing from reality, Persephone people may slip into psychosis. Some choose to avoid the harsh reality by staying psychotic. Some may use their mental illness as a metamorphosis, as they become more aware of themselves and break free from constrictions.

Many clones are confining themselves with their fantasies. After spending 6 months of laying low since “Kamino Lost”, Hunter thinks he and the rest of the Bad Batch are free. Cid warns him that the Empire is expanding their control and they will soon turn their attention to her operations on Ord Mantell and the Bad Batch will be in trouble. Cid sends them on a mission to retrieve one of Dooku's war chest so they can pay off their debt and be truly free. Hunter wants to give Omega a safe place to live, so he agrees to the mission, with the intention of using the fortune to buy their freedom and move somewhere far from the Empire. However, Echo wants to use the fortune to help Rex's resistance network because the Empire is growing in power, and they should be doing more. Hunter keeps trying to run away from reality and holds onto the belief that they all can be safe from the Empire. He does not want to get involved with the clone rebellion because he does not want that kind of life for Omega. His fantasy almost comes true when Phee introduces him to Pabu, and he wants to settle down there with Omega. However, his fantasy turns into a nightmare when Omega gets kidnapped, and he now faces the harsh reality.

The clones who are loyal to the Empire keep holding onto their purpose as soldiers. They are willing to follow orders and make sacrifices for the Empire. However, their fantasy is shattered when the Empire passes the Bill to force the clones into retirement and replace them with Stormtroopers. Crosshair keeps trying to ignore all the warning signs, believing that his loyalty and superiority will keep him around for the Empire. His mindset is completely shattered in “The Outpost”. On the other hand, Riyo Chuchi thinks that she can prevent the Bill from being passed, and actively does everything to expose Rampart's involvement in the bombardment of Tipoca City. She is successful with the help of Rex and the Bad Batch, but Palpatine manages to twist their efforts for his benefit, and the Bill is passed, which shatters her fantasy.

The events of “Plan 99” have sent the Bad Batch into the Underworld. I believe that season 3 would show the Bad Batch in the Underworld and how they would get out of there. This would mirror the myth of Demeter and Persephone, which is used to describe seasonal changes, specifically from winter to spring. Coincidentally, the Bad Batch Season 3 will start at February 21 (winter) and will end at May 1 (spring), and this was once a possibility that I have thought about after the announcement of Season 3 last year (and it came true!). I have only seen the low-quality Bad Batch Season 3 Celebration Europe trailer, but based on the scenes, I can see that the Bad Batch is suffering in their own versions of the Underworld. Even their clothing only consists of black, white, grey or fading colours. The official Season 3 trailer seems to confirm my findings further.

Omega now wears the uniform of the medical assistant, like her sister Emerie Karr. She is shown in two hairstyles: one is her Season 2 hairstyle, and the other is a longer hair that resembles Emerie’s hairstyle. The change in hairstyle indicates the passing of time. Initially, she has a hopeful and innocent glint in her eyes. However, as time passes, Omega becomes tired and depressed – she is losing hope. She is also shown to be experimented on. Hemlock has warned Nala Se that her failure and defiance will lead Omega to be tortured since Nala Se cares about her. Moreover, troopers are seen to escort her wherever she goes and she is locked in a tight cell – she is bound and limited by Hemlock’s orders. Omega’s Underworld resembles what Persephone has experienced when she is abducted by Hades – she does nothing but sit, and thinks that she will never see the light of day, pick a flower, or see her mother Demeter again. She does not eat, drink or smile at all.

Crosshair looks absolutely defeated. He knows Omega is with him now, and he probably has heard about what happened to Tech. In “Tipping Point”, Crosshair sends Plan 88 to warn the Bad Batch to hide because the Empire is after Omega. He expects them to do what he says. Instead, they try to find him, which leads to them losing Tech and Omega being kidnapped by Hemlock. Crosshair is devastated and disappointed at his brothers. He becomes hopeless that they would come to rescue him and Omega. After all, they have disappointed him for disobeying his orders, and he can no longer see what is ahead of him accurately. After his prediction has been proven wrong, Crosshair probably starts questioning whether he knows himself and his brothers well enough. His identity and ego have been damaged by the harsh realization of the Empire’s cruelty towards the clones in “The Outpost”, and now, his identity and ego are further damaged by this incident. It is worth noting that the Underworld being the realm of the unconscious is where the ego dissolves and a person may be overcome by irrational fears. With his ego damaged, Crosshair may be overwhelmed by anxiety and depression. This would explain why Crosshair angrily yells “I am not them!” to Omega when she tells him that she is not giving up on him because he is her brother. Crosshair no longer identifies himself as part of the Bad Batch. He is no longer confident with his abilities and his teammates’ abilities. He is also consumed by rage and grief, and he lashes out at Omega. His Underworld resembles a broken Apollo and Artemis, an enraged Poseidon, and a depressed Hera.

Hunter and Echo are seen on a snowy planet. The wintery environment represents Hunter’s grief and rage at his loss. He is determined to find Omega and he is not going to let her wait for another day. His Underworld resembles a grieving Demeter, who sits in her temple and refuses to function as the Goddess of Grain. The earth is plunged into an eternal winter, and famine threatens to wipe out the human race. No gifts and honours can appease her as she refuses to allow anything to grow until her daughter Persephone is returned to her. In the official Season 3 trailer, Hunter’s bandana no longer has the skull symbol that represents Clone Force 99. He probably covers up the symbol because the family is fractured, and he feels that he has failed as their leader. Right now, he resembles a broken Zeus. Moreover, Hunter’s pessimism has consumed him and has affected others. Although they do not go back to find Tech, Hunter just assumes that Tech did not make it, and weeps for him. Echo and Wrecker are convinced by Hunter that Tech is gone, though Omega takes a while to be convinced. His pessimism gets stronger when Hemlock throws Tech’s broken goggles at him, and psychologically attacks him about the crushing weight of the leader upon losing a teammate. He now resembles Dionysus being trapped in the Underworld, consumed by grief and rage, and he does not know a way out. The Season 3 poster shows Hunter’s battle-worn helmet in a position that resembles the helmet-marked graves of clone troopers from “Victory and Death”. I interpret it as Hunter has been “buried in his grave” and he is currently in the Underworld, which matches his Dionysus archetype because Dionysus has a grave in Apollo’s sanctuary at Delphi.

Echo is barely present in both trailers. I interpret it as Echo withdrawing from his teammates and investing all his energy into his work for the rebellion. In “Truth and Consequences”, Echo does not like the loneliness due to his traumatic experiences back on Skako Minor. However, we see him grieving by himself on the Marauder, looking sadly at the empty seat where Tech once sat on. Losing Tech has caused Echo to experience loneliness once more, which is his Underworld. Echo is like a depressed Persephone, who fades away and withdraws from everyone because she feels (often inappropriately) guilty, blameworthy and powerless. This makes sense because Echo is the one who introduces the Bad Batch to Cid, who ends up betraying them to the Empire and causing Omega to be kidnapped by Hemlock. Moreover, Echo is also the one who gives Tech the data to be decrypted, leading them to discover that Crosshair has turned on the Empire and is now being held captive by Dr. Hemlock. He proposes the team to travel to Eriadu so they can plant a homing beacon on Hemlock’s ship, which will help them to find Hemlock’s base and Crosshair’s location. However, their plan goes awry and they lose Tech. Echo probably feels guilty about everything that has happened. He probably blames himself for introducing Cid to the team and for proposing the plan to Eriadu despite none of these are his fault. He feels powerless to prevent these tragedies from happening. His loneliness, self-criticism and feelings of inadequacy cause him to withdraw from Hunter and Wrecker. Since Echo struggles to express his feelings with words, he ends up channelling his grief and rage through work, like what Hephaestus does. However, this will cause Echo to withdraw further and risk suffering from a burnout – like his inner “fire” may be put out as he becomes unbalanced and risks losing connection with his Hestia anima.

As for Wrecker, without Crosshair, Tech and Omega as his Apollo, Hermes and Athena (“the voices of reason”), he may become more reckless and impulsive. This may explain why he complains about encountering and taking down monsters repeatedly in the Celebration Europe trailer – perhaps he accidentally wakes them up. It is possible that his recklessness and his tendency to act before he thinks have gotten him into many troubles that almost cost his life. His Underworld resembles a disgraced and broken Ares, like a hero, whose ego and worth are identified with success, experiences death through a major defeat on a competitive battlefield. Wrecker is once a hero who always has everyone’s backs, but after losing Tech, he probably blames himself for failing to hold onto the falling cart long enough for Tech to get back up (even though he is not his fault at all). This major loss probably damages Wrecker’s heroic attitude and sense of immortality, dragging him to the Underworld. Monsters are usually the manifestations of our fears in our unconscious, and using this analogy, Wrecker is facing his fears as he fights the monsters.

What about Tech? Tech is currently in the Underworld with an uncertain fate. According to Hemlock, his broken goggles are the only thing he manages to salvage from the wreckage. The goggles (and his eyes) are part of Tech’s identity, which is evident with Cid calling him “Goggles” and Phee calling him “Brown Eyes”. Now that Tech has lost his goggles, he has lost part of his identity. He is also now all alone, separated from his squad. This is called psychological dismemberment, where anything being “cut off” is thrown deep into the unconscious (or the Underworld).

Each member of the Bad Batch is in their Underworlds. I view the Bad Batch as the complete psyche (or mind) as they complement each other perfectly. The loss of a member means they lose something important – as if the mind is going through a breakdown. Losing Crosshair means they lose the ability to see the bigger picture that the Empire is going to expand their control to the point that they have nowhere to run (Apollo), the willingness to fight for what is right (Artemis), and the importance of loyalty and brotherhood (Hera and Poseidon). Losing Echo means they lose their sense of Self (Hestia), the ability to channel their emotions through creative means (Hephaestus), and the ability to make sense of their loss and guide others through difficult times (Persephone Queen of the Underworld). Losing Tech means they lose hope (Hermes) and wisdom (Athena), and they end up in the Underworld without the ability to make sense of their suffering (Hades). Losing Omega means they lose compassion, optimism and receptiveness (Persephone). If they lose Wrecker, they would lose the ability to express their emotions (Ares), and the fun and vitality (Aphrodite). If they lose Hunter, they would lose valuable leadership (Zeus), unconditional love (Demeter), and the ability to embrace their uniqueness (Dionysus).

Based on the scenes shown in the Celebration Europe trailer, I believe that they are from episodes 1 to 4 because their productions were done or almost done before April 2023, where the Star Wars Celebration Europe took place. I believe episode 5 did not make it to the trailer due to incomplete production before April 2023 (and possibly being a spoiler-filled episode) or they only included very few scenes of episode 5 for the trailer. Joel Aaron (or joelaron on twitter), who is the Director of Cinematography Lighting & FX for Star Wars animation, including the Bad Batch, made a tweet on April 2023 saying that he is “sitting here after reviewing dailies just now, for a mid-season 3 episode”. Dailies are the prints of film scenes before editing. It is now confirmed that episodes 6 and 7 are the mid-season 3 episodes. He also said that the fans “will be very, very fulfilled” and “if you only knew who is on my screen as I type this”. This made me believe that mid-season 3 is when Crosshair and Omega get rescued because this would be very fulfilling for the fans. Since the official Season 3 trailer shows scenes of Omega riding a ship to escape with Crosshair, and scenes of Crosshair wearing his old armour (the Clone Wars era), this means that their return to the Bad Batch is not considered a spoiler. Many fans, including me, suspected that Joel Aaron was referring to Tech being on his screen because the Bad Batch reuniting as six members would indeed be very fulfilling for the fans.

Three episodes will be released for the Season 3 premiere, and their titles are “Confined”, “Paths Unknown” and “Shadows of Tantiss”. I believe these episodes would show the Bad Batch in the Underworld, so they will be depressing. Their decision to release these episodes in one day is a good idea because it will spare us from three weeks of depressive episodes. I think “Confined” would take place shortly after Season 2 finale, and this would be when Nala Se begins working on the project Emperor Palpatine has given to her, while Omega becomes a medical assistant. “Paths Unknown” would likely have a time jump, and it would show Hunter and Wrecker have been spending a long time trying to find any information about Omega’s whereabouts. Echo may or may not be with them. Hunter and Wrecker may seek out Fennec and Cad Bane since they used to hunt down Omega in Season 1. However, their search would come out empty-handed and they would feel lost. “Shadows of Tantiss” would show Omega’s hair has grown long, and she is now tired and depressed. She is also being experimented on. She is unwilling to give up on Crosshair but he lashes out at her.

Episode 4 is “A Different Approach”, and I believe this is when Rex tells Hunter “That kid (Omega) may be the key to whatever is happening on Mount Tantiss” (as revealed in the Celebration Europe trailer). It seems that they have gotten information about Mount Tantiss, which is supposed to be confidential. The clones may set off to gather more information, or to sought out the person who has provided the information. Episode 5 is “The Return”, and I believe this is when Tech reveals to the Bad Batch that he is alive, and he has figured out the precise location of Crosshair and Omega. Tech would lead the Bad Batch on a rescue mission in episodes 6 and 7, which are “Infiltration” and “Extraction”. In Greek mythology, Hermes is the one who brings Persephone out of the Underworld to be reunited with her mother Demeter. In my character analysis of Tech, I find Tech to have a strong Hermes archetype, which means he is crucial to the rescue mission.

In episodes 6 and 7, I believe that Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo would infiltrate Mount Tantiss, and then extract Crosshair and Omega. Based on the official Season 3 trailer, there is a scene of a shuttle leaving Mount Tantiss at night and it is being chased by TIE fighters. The atmosphere seems rather peaceful and lacks commotion. This makes me believe that the rescue mission is a covert mission, and not an all-out war as we have hoped for. The Bad Batch only goes to rescue Crosshair and Omega, but they leave the other clones behind. Since the trailer only shows one shuttle leaving Mount Tantiss and it seems to be flown by Omega with Crosshair (and a hound?) in the ship, I believe that Tech, believing in all of their abilities, has proposed all of them to take different escape routes in order to increase their chances of a successful escape. As the Empire’s forces chase down the shuttle where Omega and Crosshair are on (because they are the most important), Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo probably go around to distract and take down the Empire’s forces. This would help them to buy more time for Omega and Crosshair to leave the planet and enter hyperspace. Once they manage to enter hyperspace, Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo would take alternative routes to escape. They would probably be reunited by the next episode.

With the Bad Batch whole again, Hunter is happy once more and vitality returns. This resembles the myth where Demeter finally reunites with her daughter Persephone, and she restores fertility and growth to the earth. I believe that Hunter only joins Rex’s resistance network to find Omega, and now that she has returned to him, he would probably decide to leave the resistance. He would want the Bad Batch to go back to a life they once had and could have – working as mercenaries, teaming up with Phee, and settling down on Pabu. He would want that kind of life to be completely restored to the Bad Batch. However, there is a saying that nobody comes out of the Underworld unscathed. In the myth of Demeter and Persephone, since Persephone has eaten the pomegranate seeds offered by Hades, she will spend half a year or two-thirds of the year with Demeter, and the remainder of the year in the Underworld with Hades. In the myth of Dionysus, he successfully goes into the Underworld and resurrects his dead mother Semele, turning him, as what Jean Shinoda Bolen describes, “from an eternal adolescent into a hero”. The journey to the Underworld is an important part of a hero’s or a heroine’s journey. When one comes out of the Underworld, they will undergo change and transformation.

I suspect that episode 10 titled “Identity Crisis” may focus on the Bad Batch struggling with this change after coming out of the Underworld, most evidently Crosshair and Omega. Crosshair may try to enjoy the comfortable life that he deserves to experience at least once in his life, but he may be tormented by Mayday’s death, which gives him the need to fight the Empire so Mayday would not die in vain. Omega, after experiencing the horrors during her captivity on Mount Tantiss, may want to fight the Empire as well. As the team struggles with conflicting interests, Hunter may try to convince them to settle down and enjoy a comfortable life.

With Omega escaping from Mount Tantiss and now safe with the Bad Batch, Nala Se would stop working on Emperor Palpatine’s project, and she would not be moved by any threats made by Hemlock. With the project being halted with failed results, Emperor Palpatine would be disappointed. Moreover, the fact that the Bad Batch is able to find out Mount Tantiss, infiltrate the base and successfully escape with Omega and Crosshair (who are prisoners there) is highly concerning. In “Tipping Point”, Tarkin is concerned that the loss of the ship that is supposed to transport Howzer and two of his men to Mount Tantiss will compromise the Weyland facility. He is also worried that the data inside the ship may be accessed by the rogue clone troopers who have hijacked the ship. Hemlock tries to reassure Tarkin that the facility will not be compromised because the clone prisoners do not know where they are taken to, and that the data is heavily encrypted. Yet, Tech is able to decrypt the confidential data. I believe that Hemlock’s overconfidence would be his downfall, and Tech would take full advantage of it. With the security and the secrecy of Mount Tantiss and the experiments being compromised, Hemlock would be in trouble. He would lose his job, high status, funding (and clones) for his experiments, respect and reputation. There may be a possibility that Hemlock would no longer be in charge of Mount Tantiss, and this position may be granted to Grand Admiral Thrawn (if they want to link it to the adaptation of “Heir to the Empire”). If Emerie is secretly going against Hemlock, and she has helped Omega and Crosshair to escape, it would add insult to injury for Hemlock. With his entire life and work being ruined, Hemlock may go insane and become determined to get revenge on the Bad Batch and all the clones. He may send all of his forces, including multiple Clone X to destroy them. This may explain why the Empire invades Pabu, and why CX-1 says (probably to the Bad Batch) that the Empire is coming for all of them.

I suspect that episode 11 titled “Point of No Return” may be the Empire invading Pabu as seen in the official Season 3 trailer. Pabu may or may not be destroyed. With their only safe haven being taken away, Hunter would come to realize that they cannot return to their supposed comfortable life. The Empire is expanding control to the point that nobody is safe from its oppressing rule and that nowhere is safe to hide. Hunter would finally lead the team back to Rex’s resistance network for their only choice is to fight the Empire. It is possible that the series finale would involve the Bad Batch and the clone rebellion attacking Mount Tantiss and taking down Hemlock once and for all. The series finale is titled “The Cavalry Has Arrived”, which is the first quote said by Wrecker when the Bad Batch is first introduced in the Clone Wars. This makes me believe that the Bad Batch would come to help Rex and his army of clones to face Hemlock and possibly to blow up Mount Tantiss, which mirrors the Clone Wars episodes where the Bad Batch helps Rex and the Republic forces to defeat Admiral Trench and blow up his fleet.

In the Greek myth, Persephone eventually becomes the Queen of the Underworld. Whenever heroes or heroines descend to the Underworld, Persephone is there to receive them and be their guide. Notable figures such as Heracles, Psyche and Odysseus have been guided by Persephone during their journeys to the Underworld. Hecate, the Goddess of the Dark Moon, Crossroads, Witchcraft and Ghosts, becomes the constant companion of Persephone to and from the Underworld each year. According to Jean Shinoda Bolen, once a Persephone woman descends into her unconscious, explores the deep realm of archetypes (which is the collective unconscious), and does not fear returning to reexamine the experience, she can become a mediator between the conscious and the unconscious. People who have been to the Underworld and back can become a therapist-guide who can connect others with their own depths, guiding them to find symbolic meaning and understanding of what they find there.

When I am analysing the Bad Batch arc in the Clone Wars, I find that the Bad Batch act as the guides and therapists to Captain Rex. At the beginning of the arc, Rex is depressed and he has lost his creativity in helping the Republic to win the Battle of Anaxes. The Bad Batch is called in to help Rex. The Bad Batch guides Rex to three different places that represent the unconscious realm: the wilderness of Anaxes (the realm of emotions, instincts and memories), Skako Minor (the Underworld), and Admiral Trench’s fleet (another form of the Underworld). This journey helps Rex to return to who he is, while breaking free from his identity as “just a soldier to the Republic”, which later helps him to survive Order 66. The Bad Batch (and Omega) may guide Rex and his resistance network to Mount Tantiss and defeat Hemlock once and for all. Omega may become an important guide to Mount Tantiss (the Underworld) because she used to work as a medical assistant when she was confined there, and she may no longer be afraid to go back and confront Hemlock.

It is possible that the Bad Batch would survive in the series finale. Season 1 finale titled “Kamino Lost” is described to be similar to “A New Hope”, especially with the scene of Omega watching sadly at the destroyed Tipoca City, which mirrors Luke Skywalker witnessing his home being burned down, and his uncle and aunt killed (this video mentions it from 51:43 to 52:38). Season 2 finale titled “Plan 99” is similar to “The Empire Strikes Back” as the Empire gains victory over the heroes. The team losing Tech, Cid’s betrayal and Emerie being revealed to be Omega’s sister mirror the heroes losing Han Solo (surprisingly Han Solo and Tech share the Hermes archetype), Lando’s betrayal, and Darth Vader revealing to Luke that he is actually Luke’s father. Following this pattern, it is possible that season 3 finale would be similar to “Return of the Jedi” with the heroes reuniting and working together to take down the Empire. Though, it is possible that the clone rebellion would sustain heavy losses even if victory is gained (after all, they probably have to take down the many clones who have been brainwashed by Hemlock), which may cause Rex to give up fighting. There may be more clone survivors by the series finale (this is hinted in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series where a clone trooper is seen begging in the streets), but with Rex disbanding the resistance network, they would be scattered across the galaxy, just like the Mandalorians after the Great Purge. Although it would be a great idea to see the Bad Batch settle down on Pabu and live happily ever after, I think this is not possible with the rise of the Empire and that the official Season 3 trailer shows that the Empire invading Pabu. Since Star Wars is about hope, it is possible that the ending would show the Bad Batch and Omega joining the Rebel Alliance in its early stages. This would contrast Omega and Boba Fett well: Boba Fett is a lone bounty hunter who works for Darth Vader to capture Han Solo, and he ends up in the Sarlacc Pit (but he manages to escape), while Omega works alongside her brothers to fight the Empire, and they probably live long enough to see the Empire fall.

It is said that after a person comes out of the Underworld and heals, they will gain greater wisdom and spiritual understanding. They gain the capacity to grow through suffering and they learn to embrace the human seasonal changes. Just like nature, there will be periods of joy and grief throughout our lives. We must learn to accept changing human experiences and do not lose hope because even spring can emerge from the worst periods of winter. This aligns with the message given by Jennifer Corbett, the Head Writer and an Executive Producer of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which are “even in the darkest times, there is hope” and “trust in family and fight for one another”. The Bad Batch teaching us to embrace human seasonal changes and to remain hopeful even in the darkest times are powerful and important lessons, making the series a modern-day myth added to the Star Wars catalogue.

[amber-jinx]

Me again!

Do you think that Rachel and Max had a spiritual connection with one another? They’re completely different as far as their personalities and outer appearances. Yet, they both have one thing in common:

Their love for Chloe.

Plus, the fact that Rachel appeared as Max’s spirit animal (the doe) somewhat shows me that they were connected to some degree. What do you think?

You always ask great questions! I must admit I'm not as well versed on Max's side of the story as Rachel's, so there definitely are people who can give a more comprehensive answer than me. But imma just try and write what comes to mind :)

For 2 people that have never met, their spiritual connection, chemistry, "fate entanglement" as I liked to call what they have are the strongest across the fandoms I've seen. When Max returned, we as players felt Rachel's presence all over Arcadia bay. In the original there was even a line to the effect of "I feel like everything in this town is connected to Rachel Amber somehow". Max was able to "see" Rachel through different people in Arcadia bay. Everyone had something to say about her, even a random trucker. It can be said that she really had an effect on the people of that town, if we put the fire aside. This town being Max's hometown adds another layer to it, it is so much different due to Rachel's existence.

left pic from a fan made Rachel DLC | Yes, their love for Chloe is the key link that transcends through time & space, allowing them to see each other in some way.

Like the town, Max is also very different from her past self. While she didn't have such a strong presence back when she was growing up in Arcadia, Max eventually became the decider of the town's (including most of its people) fate. Whether Rachel is the root cause to Max's powers is very much a mystery and up to interpretation, just like many things in life is strange.

If we acknowledge that Rachel is the cause of the fire, there could be another parallel: this girl who tried to leave this town nearly destroyed the town; meanwhile another girl who came back actually have the power to do that, or stop it from getting destroyed. Even though both never meant to. (Not expanding on Rachel being the storm here cuz it's really not definitive & personally I think if Rachel's got powers she'd just use them on those who did her wrong, not the entire town)

Personality-wise, especially on the outside, they are almost opposites. But somehow I get the feeling that they'd really understand each other, because on the inside, they may not be that different. I've seen a Tumblr post saying Rachel using her people skills to get on people's good side is mirrored by Max using her rewind powers to fix her responses. (When you've got such an ability, of course you use them! Which is different from being manipulative, might I add.)

Rachel with her sensitive, vulnerable side, which she guarded & masked with so much effort and painted with her smiles & godly social skills, is definitely able to understand & empathise with Max and not judge her. And Max being pretty perceptive herself, having quite an astute understanding of Rachel just from photos she found, is definitely able to see more than Rachel lets on. Both are powerful smartasses and fiercely protective of Chloe. (& both bi x)

Max sees, Rachel shows. The photographer & the muse. Built for an "electric combo", as Love is Strange says, even though they may not hit it off well at the start due to awkwardness or slight jealousy from both sides, eventually they're gonna realise that the other is beneficial for them. Max is able to ground Rachel and give her heartfelt & real advice that she needed; Rachel's able to help build Max's confidence, socialise better (back off V, she's with me), share insights about art & photography.

I'd even say Max & Rachel may complement each other more than Max and Chloe, OR Chloe and Rachel. (If there are more content on these 2, AmberPrice in my heart might be challenged. Yeah. It's scary.)

Some say they share the same spirit animal, which is really possible (bts putting that "doe see doe" photo on Rachel's bed frame), or it could mean that as Max's spirit animal, Max sees all spirits in a doe form. Another possibility is that Rachel have the doe as her spirit animal, and everyone who can see her spirit sees the doe. Nonetheless it's incredible that Max seems to be the only person to be able to see the doe, or that Rachel chose to present herslef to only Max. Definitely a connection there. 🦌

Looking at their personalities through enneagram (Rach 4, Max likely 9) we see that they can be similar but in different ways (9 & 4 can be mistyped):

"The difference is that Nines are detached both from the external world and from their emotions (not keeping in touch w Chloe in Seattle & delay on reaching out to her?), whereas Fours withdraw from whatever has caused them pain (delaying telling Chloe about her messy relationships cuz it causes her pain? + her immediate reaction to finding James making out with another woman). Nines see the world through rose-colored glasses, and their view of it is comforting, whereas Fours see the world from a garret window as outsiders and are not comforted: everyone else seems to be living a happier, more normal life."

Thanks for the question! I've no idea I was gonna write this long. You guys can see a few of my blogs or reblogs that I've mentioned these 2 via the tag "Rachel and Max" or "Amberfield" if interested :) Feel free to reblog/ add on!

[margareth-lv]

Hallucinations and hearing voices.

Yesterday’s (April 17, 2023) sudden twist of opinion of a certain American writer on a certain British author reminded me something that I wanted to share here a long time ago.

[Introduction: in an interview with The Sunday Times on Sunday, April 16, 2023, American writer Judy Blume said that she doesn't believe J.K. Rowling should be subjected to online harassment and threats because of her position on transgender issues. On Monday, April 17, after getting slammed for saying the above, Judy Blume clarified on Twitter that she “wholly supports the trans community” and her comments to the Sunday Times were 'taken out of context'  🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️.]

And it totally reminded me of something I wanted to share here a long time ago (but I’d stopped writing my blog for almost a year).

📢

Maybe (for an unknown reason) I experience some kind of false perception of events.

Maybe I hear voices (when nobody is speaking 🤪).

Maybe there’s nothing profound here and no one, except me, wants to waste their time looking for a deeper meaning.

… but I am a huge fan of Sam discussing on topics not relevant to his status of Solo-living Single, Childless Golden Boy 🤪. Here is another example of his "dad's" priorities. It never gets old for me: “Sam Heughan Spends a Day with His Unexpected New BFF (ft. Caitriona Balfe)"

[Josh Horowitz’s “Comedy Central” on November 19, 2021]

👀👀

I’m deliberately ignoring „Russian creepy dolls” (just thinking about Russian-Blonde-Dolls sends shivers down my spine and I don’t mean Matryoshka 🤪) and I’m heading straight for “Judy Blume novels”.

🙋🏻‍♀️

As I don't know much about American literature, I had to google „Judy Blume” at that time (I ask forgiveness from those who know her well):

🫣🫣🫣 So it is all about this kind of books:

Quite nice, what do you think?

Something quite suitable for a little girl 🤩

——————————

To sum it up, what are your thoughts?

Was Sam speaking about something that did not really match with his official status as a single man with no children or was it just a coincidence? (... and I am hearing voices)

❓

And as for “sandcastles”, well, let’s leave it open to a creative and personal interpretation. 🤪

🏖️

⛱️☀️

———————

About sudden twist of opinion of Judy Blume:

———————

PS. I stand with J.K. Rowling.

[April 18, 2023]

[sweetwolfcupcake]

Heyyyyyyy,

How are you doing?

I was just wondering if you could answer this question : How do you describe or think of BTS members as a yandere character ?

I mean for me Namjoon is the kind of yandere who likes mind games and then Jungkook is yandere with physical strength and Jin is manipulative type .what do you think ?

✨✨✨✨

Hi, this will be a comparatively long answer.

Most of the time, I let my readers decide, analyse and interpret. But I have my own perception and I'm always happy to share that.

See, I try to keep experimenting with my writing because this blog serves a dual purpose for me-- to sharpen my pen and to take a break from my usual life.

(But I have found so many amazing friends here, it is incredible.

Coming to answer your ask, I try to have different character traits in various universes and fics. But there are I guess some aspects that I end up adding.

Jin: Starting with the eldest, I think Jin would be a soft but firm yandere. I have written him like that in my fics. He seems to be the type who is the definition of a gentleman. To the world, and even to his darling. Here is where the master manipulator comes into play. He is the definition of the quote-

"The greatest trick the devil has ever pulled off is convincing us that he does not exist."

I think he would be so awfully good at manipulating, it's an unfair game. Also, he is more on the nurturing side, wanting to take care of his beloved, providing for her, spoiling her rotten.

But that does not mean that he cannot be a walking, talking nightmare. Jin can be merciless to his enemies/rivals or anyone whom he deems as a threat to him or his interest.

He is also the type to demand respect. Being nice and generous does not mean that anyone can just walk over him, not even his beloved. I think he is the kind to be interested in someone who would see him beyond his persona, someone insightful, thoughtful and perhaps challenging.

Yoongi: I see Yoongi oscillating between two sides-- the calm, collected, stoic and subtle lover, and the absolutely unhinged man with a cruel passion.

I see him as a protective yandere and this 'protection' goes beyond logic and is smothering, to say the least. He would be the type of yandere who does not hesitate to show his cruel, unhinged face to his lover, even if it comes at the cost of fear. Most of the time, the Hyung line is more unhinged.

He might also be far more possessive than he lets on. The type to curb his darling's freedom when he feels like she is slipping away from his grasp.

He too would love to spoil his darling, but prefers to be more subtle about it.

Hoseok: Well, Hoseok is one tricky type of yandere to write. He seems like a wildcard. He would be so sweet to his darling but also expect her submission. He would be the type who wants his beloved to trust him and his love for her. Hoseok, as a Yandere would be more of a vigilant type.

Honestly, I struggle with writing his character the most, because he seems so deep, dynamic and mysterious-- a much more complex man than what the surface reflects.

I think he would also be the type who likes to nurture and take care of his darling and control her. He might just fit into the controlling type of yandere.

Namjoon: Hmm, where do I start from? The manipulative type, one that would gaslight the hell out of his love interest, only for 'her own good'. Namjoon would be the overprotective and possessive type of yandere (they all are, actually). The type who is so confident in himself that he would find escape attempts and resistance 'cute'. (Disturbing, I know)

Yandere Namjoon would also be the type to gravitate towards depth and wit. Someone he is unable to read at one glance, or even in one day. Someone who feels too good to be true. He can be the one who would treat his beloved as if she were made of glass and yet enjoy inflicting pain on those he deems as threats. Yandere Namjoon would be the type who loves to be needed. He would enjoy that immensely..

Jimin: The type of yandere who would have their beloved-- body and soul. Perhaps also the one to grow impatient and make rash decisions easily. He did not kidnap his darling, he brought her home because she can't take care of herself, and it is not safe for her out there.

Yes, something like that.

Yandere Jimin might also be underestimated-- he looks soft, sweet, and sometimes delicate even. But one must not get fooled. He knows when and how to use his strength.

The type to not tolerate it if his darling spends too much time away from him. Also perhaps most likely to use sexual manipulation *cough* *cough* his love is expressed best in the bedroom, where one can see his true face.

Taehyung: Again a character I struggle to decipher and write. Yandere Taehyung is another wildcard, in my opinion. Perhaps the most unhinged when pushed to the limit.

Not afraid to show his darling how violent he can get-- no, he won't hurt her, but he can hurt others, right?

hisSeems to me like a stalker, observer type. The type to place hidden cameras everywhere in his darling's home and just...watch her. Even in his home when he kidnaps brings her home. He might be at work but in in is leisure time, he is just...watching. I think Yandere Taehyung would love to watch his beloved sleep, and the fact how vulnerable she is at that moment, under his mercy.

He might also be the type of yandere who loves to toy with his darling. Maybe scare her a bit before pulling her in his safe embrace? Whispering how she is safe only with him.

That being said, Yandere Taehyung can be very soft with his darling. He would be the type who loves to spoil her, whether she likes it or not.

Jungkook: Don't be fooled by his bambi eyes and bunny smile, Yandere Jungkook would be a menace. The type to not hesitate to manhandle is beloved but tries not to hurt her. Perhaps the least self-aware. He loves her, what is wrong in trying to 'save' their relationship( anyhow) and expressing his love? Why can't they get married within a week of dating? Maybe far less subtle once he knows where his interest is-- the tunnel vision kind.

He would be the type of yandere to laugh at the face of a reluctant darling, might be similar to Namjoon but double that, and you have a version worse than Namjoon. Might not be a master manipulator but is a shameless blackmailer and stalker. The s*xtape she did not know existed? Yes, he would make good use of it.

The type who loves to provide for his darling and spend time with her. Also might be irrationally jealous and possessive (rivals yandere jimin in this).

So yes, that was my take on them, my readers a re free to interpret and contest. It's mostly based on how I craft their yandere characters in my stories.

[n3xii]

30-day tarot spread challenge

today's spread is gonna be shadow work based since yesterday's reading suggested I needed to do more of this + dream work.

Day 2/30

Spread:

Reading:

card decks used: les vampires, tarot de la nuit

card one: anti hero | I chose my les vampires oracle deck to do this portion of the spread because I think decks like this are perfect for interpreting personas or archetypes. The card I got was anti-hero, ''maverick, risk taker, and rule breaker.'' I think this is accurate in some instances, to some people I think I do present myself as an antagonist in a comedic/unserious way. I present myself as someone who does not appreciate rules and institutions, and this had gotten me in arguments with family.

card two: ten of cups | ten of cups representing what I conceal or hide is very interesting because its true, i interpret the ten of cups as the family and the sentimental side of life. I've always been someone who doesnt like to be sentimental even in private at the risk of being seen as cheesy, I've always hated movies that are intentionally trying to make the audience cry, Ive always been hyper aware of how people try to invoke emotion, responding emotionally almost feels like im following a script. I cringe when certain people try to be vulnerable or sentimental especially with the intention of forcing a reaction from other people, rather than sharing something without any expectations afterwards. I've been this way since a kid, I do try to conceal being sentimental and emotional because I think I subconsciously want to avoid being someone who uses emotions to manipulate and get a reaction from others.

Card three, the hierophant | the card that represents my feminine self is the hierophant?? at first impressions, the hierophant is about societal norms, tradition, institutions, community, and essentially the archetype of a wise elder or professional. So with this in mind, I think this is possibly saying that the feminine aspect of me is traditional in a sense, shes a woman in the way society defines a woman. The card in the deck im using is depicted using a man, (like most decks) so I think this is saying that this feminine aspect of me is supplied by a male dominated society, shes defined by a very patriarchal view of what a woman should be. I do think this is true as I have written about trying to exile the male gaze from my own self-perception in my own journaling. going back to the first card where I portray myself as disobedient to norms and rules, I think it's important to point out how the actual feminine aspect of me is litterally the oppoiste of that. to some degree, the feminine traits in me are influence by societal norms and expectations, so although I'd like to think of myself as a rule breaker, i conform more than I'd like to admit.

card four: the three of pentacles | the three of pentacles representing the masculine in me makes me want to laugh for some reason. the three of pentacles on surface level is about teamwork, applying skills, planning, strategizing, inspiration, etc. So on first impressions, I wonder if my masculine traits present in a very practical way, perhaps when Im trying to help and work with other people or develop new skills? I think my masculine traits are positive but this makes me sad, because I wish my feminine traits also presented in a way that didn't contradict what I think I present to the world.

card five: death | death representing my whole self is kind of cunt. the culmination of all my traits and complexities is ultimately about transformation and rebirth. Death in this card deck is portrayed as a woman going to a festival to celebrate the dead, so alternately this represents celebration and gratitude, almost as if my whole self honors and celebrates the previous forms of me. my ''whole self'' is a graveyard of who I used to be, and a celebration of all the forms I've had to take to get here-, my whole self is ever evolving and honoring the past. I am a Scorpio rising and Venus so I think this accurately portrays my scorpion traits as well.

[tothepointofinsanity]

I have a similar-ish art style to you in the sense that a lot of my art just by the way I stylize certain features makes my it look creepy. This is a huge problem for me because I do genuinely love drawing cute stuff but I can’t because of my art style. I don’t want to completely change my art style because one that would take forever but two drawing things that are scary and creepy help me cope with my agoraphobia and paranoia. I know this is more of a do you have advice than a proper question but what would you suggest I do?

(side note: I ADORE YOUR ART!!!! I especially love your Sayaka work as a massive pmmm fangirl)

Hello, firstly, thank you for taking your time out to write out a long ask. (/ _ ; ) <- Grateful. I’m not a reliable person to ask things about in terms of art given I’m not a professional or good at it, but as usual I will try my best to answer your question here.

I suppose there is a perspective that what constitutes as “cute” differs from everyone, and often I’ve noticed that things that are cute can also be creepy simultaneously depending on context, not just by changing styles alone. Kyubey is an example of this, if you must. It has all the markers of “cute animal design” - round eyes, large bushy tail, cat-like ears, and in the show it behaves like a cat hopping around and perched on the shoulders of the magical girls. Yet it’s not restricted to the interpretation that it’s just cute, since later on there are different things which make it creepy. The context of what the alien creature represents, for one, or the way shots of it are accompanied by a gloomy, industrial background which contrast its bright, supposedly cheerful colour scheme, or how there’s nothing humanly sentimental in it whenever it focuses on Kyubey’s eyes. These transitional details are what balances something that can be deemed both creepy and cute, although not everyone might share this perception.

You don’t have to change your art style, just the way you want to stylise cuteness in your own way. This could mean cutting down “realistic” details for the subject but still keeping the way the background is coloured or textured, for one. Cute things can be achieved also by being simplified. I think Kyubey would look terrifying and not cute at all had they went with a realistic cat design and not an “anime” styled one. One reference I often think about is the way Gekidan Inu Curry captures the dichotomy of Sayaka.

In this example, the highlight is the “size” or composition of the subject. Sayaka on the left is closer to the audience, so we can see her details clearly (how tall she is, how her eyes look, the shadows coloured over her heart). It makes her seem menacing because she’s so close and doing strange things. Yet it has a retain “moe” charm to it because the way it’s coloured and being sketched that it seems…cute. In its own way. Sayaka on the right is sitting further away and enjoying a drink atop a mountain of fluffy Anthony balls. It’s worth noting as well how her eyes in the second picture are more simplified, being drawn on as dots, but the style does not outright lose its creepiness [the weird, dated shading on the umbrella, her hair being textured darker, the background being a fuzzy red].

What you could do is try thinking about how something that is cute would look like in your style. If that makes sense. It is a sort of attitude that affects the approach of your art. Thus it’s strongly encouraged to experiment with what you can draw in your current art style instead of needing to change it. If a rabbit is cute, can you find a way to make it look cute in your style? What is the core appeal of the thing you like? What elements are making current results unsatisfactory by your standards? What do you have to adjust? — Those are questions you’ll venture the answer yourself, and the more you draw, the more your style changes on its own, organically, so don’t worry about it. You may not be able to draw cute things today or tomorrow, and you will likely struggle to get the process of it, but eventually you’ll certainly be able to draw the diverse things you really enjoy without having to sacrifice the personal components of your art’s identity and what it ultimately means to you. With all that said, I’m not sure how realistically useful my suggestion or advice will be, but I will nevertheless be supportive of your endeavours. Good luck!

And thank you! I love drawing Sayaka, so I’m happy people like seeing her just as much. ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶!

[a-crook-who-was-caught]

Guys Gaylor isn't over just because of the 1989 prologue and no I'm not grasping at straws

I think everybody in the just assumed that Kaylor was some serious monogamous relationship and ran with that Cannon and disregarded any lyrics that implied that that wasn't the case. I came to this conclusion by listening to a few songs again.

First up is August. With lyrics like "August sipped away like a bottle of wine cause you were never mine" and "So much for summer love and saying "us" Cause you weren't mine to lose you weren't mine to lose, no" if this song is meant to be about Karlie it's all about how she was never Taylor's to lose but she fell for her anyways. Which implies Gaylor is still alive and well just that Kaylor was never as serious as to Karlie as we made it it out to be

Next up delicate. I just came up with a new interpretation for the lyric "Echoes of your footsteps on the stairs stay here, honey, I don't want to share" what if "honey" and the "you" coming up the stairs are different people? The person being called honey is Karlie but the you is josh. That would fit in line with the August lyrics about the Muse of the song never truly being Taylor's.

"I snuck through the garden gate every night that summer to seal my fate" and "I love you ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard"

If there was something serious and monogamous why would Taylor loving K being the worst thing she ever heard? Sure you could argue that maybe this lyric takes place during a fight and maybe that's why "I love you" would be a bad thing the hear but that explanation doesn't hit for me. What does though is the idea that Kaylor were hooking up casually and it eventually got to a point where Taylor just couldn't do it anymore because she caught feelings and K never did because Josh was always in the background looking. Looking at the garden gate with this perceptive also makes it have sealing your fate have an awful connotation to it because sealing her fate could be that she was falling in love with a woman who she couldn't have because said woman was never hers to fall for.

[cabeswaterdrowned]

❤️🧡💚💖 trc

❤: Which character do you think is the most egregiously mischaracterized by the fandom?

— Because I’ve been in the fandom a really long time but phased in and out in terms of how active I was in it/how much I payed active attention to fanon I think pretty much each of the core four has gotten the brunt of this at some point. I’m going to hesitantly say Adam just because I think fandom flip flops between extremes when interpreting him the most. Blue and Gansey are definitely both candidates too given that at different times “Blue is a horrible misogynist” and “Gansey is an abusive friend” have been not unpopular fandom takes 💀.

🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with?

— interpretations of the Adam accepting money for the rent from Ronan when he wouldn’t from Gansey as like, because Adam cares about Ronan more / because Ronan was inherently cleverer about how he offered help. I’ve reblogged a couple metas about it I Do agree with this is probably the best to me: https://www.tumblr.com/nimmieamee/140043652516/hi-just-wanted-to-say-your-adam-parrish-meta-is?source=share

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

for Blue, I think people over inflate her “judgmental” streak it’s definitely a flaw she has but not to nearly the extent it’s portrayed as a lot of the time. Blue is one of the most empathetic characters (I keep thinking about that factoid I told you about where in earlier drafts Blue had literal empath powers.. the mirroring is adjacent to that concept still but it’s so a story avenue I’d love to see explored sometime I have some ideas for how I would write it although idk if I’ll get around), once those initial judgements are challenged she’s very quick to start altering her perceptions, not 100% perfectly (she’s a teenager with feelings) but she does try constantly.

for Adam, I’ve talked about this recently but I think he’s often made more cool, collected and perfectly logical in fanon as opposed to canon. Obviously he’s cerebral and a logical thinker, but he values and strives for that perfect cold logic ideal but he is honestly Such an emotional mess throughout trc. He tries so hard to deal with his emotions logically and fails extraordinarily badly and it’s fascinating to watch, so fanon that has him be a lot more sterile and perfect re: emotional control lose a lot of what’s interesting to me about his character.

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series? — I think ultimately the fact I’m p neutral on Kavinsky and Rovinsky counts as quite unpopular, since generally fans are in the camp of either firm hate or firm love and I’m niether + historically am bored by most of that discourse through the years for reasons we’ve discussed previously. I love plenty of chars and dynamics who fit a similar vein to him/them so I roll my eyes at most morality panic about it, but also the Dream pack standom back in the day was deeply insufferable and killed potential for interest.