#code name Starling

[hellothisisangle]

[gingersnaptaff]

Welsh Law, Women, and The Mab - Mab March Madness 3

Sorry I have been gone for like what a week? Two? Idk. Anyways, I'm super sorry but I bring a TASTY TREAT TO APOLOGISE.

I'm gonna talk about The Mabinogion, Welsh law, and women's rights because boi howdy is a tasty af text. Quick note: I'm gonna be focusing like on every lady BUT I want you to know that they're all great. Another quick note: I'm not an academic but I am SICK AS FUCK OF SEEING PEOPLE USE ONE FUCKIN SOURCE FOR WELSH DIVORCE AND THINKING THAT EQUATES TO THE WHOLE FUCKIN THING. BAM. DONE. FUCK OFF. READ A GODDAMN BOOK. It's so much more complex and, by God, I'm going to tell u about women's rights, OKAY?!

‘Welsh myth,’ writes Peter Berresford Ellis, ‘is not short on determined women.’ Seriously, the Four Branches give us Arawn's wife (who in her only conversation with her husband gets the upper hand, TWICE!) Rhiannon (resourceful af, a fuckin QUEEN,), Branwen (a dignified figure, SENDS A MESSAGE TO HER BROTHER WITH A STARLING, brokenhearted for the destruction done in her name), Cigfa (owner of the only brain cell within the third branch), Aranrhod (actually needs to kill her brother and I support her), Goewin (what she goes through is horrific and she needs a SWORD), and Blodeuwedd (her whole vibe is IMMACULATE). The Three Romances give us Luned (Best girl, not afraid to give Owain a piece of her mind), Angharad (who could be seen as a thingy for colonialism but also generous if her ‘golden-handed’ epithet is anything to go by), and Enid (one of the Three Splendid Maidens of Arthur's court in the Triads! Eat shit, Geraint!)

Furthermore, you have Gwenhwyfar, who would later ‘get the short end of the stick’ within the Anglo-Norman Christian retelling of Arthuriana. Both Arthur - who had three mistresses in Welsh myth - and Gwen herself were having ‘adulterous intrigues’ in Welsh myth. She, particularly in Geraint ac Enid, is a fascinating look at a queen’s role within the Welsh court.

But lemme focus on the Four Branches real quick! They are, I'd argue, an enmeshment of Welsh Law and Welsh myth, in regards to women. Andrew Breeze says the Mab, ‘reads convincingly’ as being written by a woman. Its main thrust is to do with women and how they're treated by the men and the small but significant ways they break out of their patriarchal cycles.

Now, not every branch has laws in it but what they do have is fascinating. This can be most clearly seen in Branch 1 and Rhiannon's whole affair. It is she who holds the command within the first half of the text after she makes herself known to Pwyll. She is the one who makes the first move, as Breeze writes: ‘the shots are called by the woman not the man.’ It is she who rides past him in her ‘shining, golden garment,’ ‘sitting astride a pale-white horse,’ and imitates the chase that ultimately results in Pwyll chasing after her (and exhausted his horse.) Furthermore, she is presented as being the main instigator of the whole affair for she did not wish to be given to Gwawl ap Clud in marriage. This is true to Welsh texts for, as the Venedotian (North Walian) code states, ‘every woman is to go the way she willeth, freely.’ Try as her father might - and he doesn't thankfully, good ol’ Hyfaidd - he cannot force Rhiannon to marry Gwawl, even if he might try. But all this results in him being whacked in a bag and smacked about. ‘And that was the first time that Badger in the Bag was played,’ so the text proclaims.

Now, this personal bestowal or ‘lladrut’ (stolen, secretive, furtive) wasn't looked down upon as you might think. If it was then why did a literal fuckin princess do it in the 1100's? (*Blows kiss to the sky* for as Geraint H. Jenkins writes, ‘a beautiful princess so terrifyingly androgynous that she was liked by Gerald of Wales to the Queen of the Amazons:’ Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd ap Cynan!) This was just as legally binding as a ‘rod o cenedl’ (gift of kindred) marriage, and all children were accepted.

After that though, it Rhiannon she who is on the back foot and regarded suspiciously by Pwyll's court. Her aforementioned white and gold colours would've let the reader/listener of these tales know that she was Otherworldly, something to be feared as much as admired, and so she is by both the men who counsel her husband, and the women her son’s care is entrusted to.

The primary suspicion is cast upon her after she and Pwyll have been married for three years. ‘The nobleman of the land began to worry at seeing a man whom they loved as much as their lord as foster-brother without an heir, and they summoned him to them.

“Lord,” they said, “we know that you are not as old as some of the men of this land, but we are afraid that you will not get an heir from the wife you have. And because of that, take another wife from whom you may have an heir.”’

Now, The Mab brings up an excellent point that the Laws themselves remain silent on - a woman could be divorced if she did not give her husband an heir. Other reasons for a husband to divorce his wife were ‘dependant on her unchastity either before or after a marriage,’ loose conduct in her marriage so like if she had an affair or smth, or ‘failure to observe the terms of the marriage contract.’ Women too could divorce their wives - which is great, sure! - except that they could only do so ‘on the grounds of impotency, leprosy, or fetid breath,’ as well as if she found him committing adultery but only after the third time. There is an inherent imbalance there as well when you take into account that men could have - and raise! - their bastards without scorn. Notable fucker (as in the sexual sense) Owain Gwynedd is perhaps the shining example of this. Man had many kids! His second wife, Cristina, had to give up her legitimate child she'd had with her first husband before she married Owain, and it doesn't seem like she made efforts to contact him after that.

Rhiannon, too, is then further unjustly punished for her loss of the child. ‘Pwyll punishes her,’ writes Berresford Ellis, ‘by ostracising her’ and as The Mab states: ‘there was a mounting block outside the gate,’ and she was, ‘to sit by that every day and tell the whole story to anyone whom she thought might not know it, and offer to carry guests and strangers on her back to the court if they permitted it.’ Luckily nobody does, but it alludes to the ostracisation women had to deal with if they could not give their husband a child, as well as, perhaps, the punishment applies to a woman if it was discovered after she'd married that she was unchaste before said marriage. ‘The woman's clothes were cut to the level of her hips, she was made to hold the tail, well greased, of a year-old steer, which was thrust through a hole in the house door. Two men prodded the steer, and, if the woman could hold the animal, she could keep it as her agweddi [her dowry that was payable by a husband once a marriage was consummated] and that only if she could not, she had to be content with the grease that clung to her fingers.’

Furthermore, as can be seen in ‘Culhwch ac Olwen,’ if a woman was given in marriage - so if she did not elope herself - then only her father and brothers could do so, with the proviso that it was done so in concert with the other generations of the family. Ysbaddaden Pencawr (big giant lad, Olwen's father, winner of the longest beard award for the nth year running) states: ‘��Her four great-grandmothers and four great-grandsires are alive; it is needful that I should take counsel with them.”’ This lines up with Welsh law, where the son of a Welsh woman given in marriage claimed a ‘mamwys’ if they were given in marriage to an alltud (foreigner) then he claimed it from those who were related to him in four degrees.

You can also see this within the Second Branch. Branwen, ‘a sensitive and intelligent young woman,’ the sister of Bendigeidfran and Manawydan and the half-sister of Nisien and Efnisien, is bestowed in marriage to Matholwch, King of Ireland. Efnisien's whole dealio is rage. He's literally named HOSTILE. When he is not consulted on the matter of his sister’s marriage - ‘“Is that what they have done with such a fine maiden,’ he says in The Mab, ‘and my sister at that, given her away without my permission? They could not have insulted me more.”’ - he flies into a rage and ‘went for [Matholwch's] horses, and cut their lips to the teeth and their ears down to their heads, and their tails to their backs, and where he could get a grip on the eyelids he cut them to the bone.’ This act of violence causes Matholwch to abuse Branwen once the couple returns to Ireland, even though an attempted redress upon the insult has been made through Bendigeidfran bestowing the Cauldron of Rebirth (or Pair Dadeni) to his brother-in-law, and results in Branwen rearing a starling to send a message to her brother Or GET HER OUTTA THERE. The ‘sorrows’ that Branwen subsequently endured are traceable to the unjustified revenge of the ‘quarrelsome’ Efnisien for he, being only her half-brother, was not entitled to consultation in the matter of his half-sister's marriage. As Andrew Breeze writes in his book ‘The Origins of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi,’ the starling escapade ‘shows the narrator’s awareness of how a woman might use literacy to escape from bindsge and male violence.’ It is this letter that brings about her liberation, as well as the fleet from Britain. This stratagem also achieves the redress for Branwen that Bendigeidfran’s attempt. Personally, for me, this shows why divorce would be fuckin pointless for her. She is hidden. She is being abused. She gets given ‘a box on the ear’ every day. Do you think she can escape from that?

Likewise, with Enid ‘a patient’ young woman, she could NOT divorce Geraint. She is the daughter of Ynwyl, ‘chieftain who has fallen on evil days,’ and is fuckin dirt poor. She could keep her gowyn, cowyll, and argyfreu - payments made payable to the woman by the man after they were married - ‘although the Venedotian code deprived her of the latter if the separation were caused by the woman’s own immortality,’ but, unless you were a King's daughter, it wouldn't amount to much. Enid’s predicament within the text is made that much more brutal when you realise it's Gwenhwyfar who has given her and Geraint leave to marry. It is she who is ‘entrusted with the Maiden [Enid]’ once she arrives at court along with Geraint. Arthur is the one to give Enid to Geraint. If she fled then she would be insulting both the King and the Queen.

Furthermore, it is not a divorce within the modern-day sense. The Laws speak of ‘ysgar,’ or separation. A distinction was drawn between separation before or after seven years - for, unlike with say the Normanic church marriage wasn't seen as being for life as such, but was merely a contract that could be broken but only by mutual consent. This distinction only affected the woman's rights the woman had in property. Enid, Branwen, and also Blodeuwedd could only divorce if their husbands agreed to it. Neither Geraint, Matholwch, nor Lleu Llaw Gyffes would want to divorce their wives for 1) he's a dick and would rather she ‘constantly prove her love and loyalty to him,’ 2) she’s Queen of Ireland - although she says herself she wryly says, “though I am no ‘lady'” when she is questioned about the mysterious 'forest on the sea’ - and, chiefly, has given him a son, and 3) Blodeuwedd, 'the most beautiful maiden that anyone had ever seen’ was ‘conjured’ for Lleu. He owns her entirely. For as Sauders Lewis has her say in his play ‘The Woman Made of Flowers: Blodeuwedd,’ ‘I bear Llew's collar.’

Plus, if you don't possess land by yourself - which I think neither lady I've mentioned does, really - then she could not enter into ‘any bargains or surety’ in regards to Sarhâd - blood-price - and so her husband must do it for her. You could say, if you wanted to get really out there, that the war between Wales and Ireland is Branwen's Sarhâd, although that's speculative and I'm hesitant to give it a complete YES.

Now, to THE QUEEN. The laws give an look at what exactly an insult towards the queen would entail - as does the Mab - when Gwenhwyfar is assaulted by a knight in Peredur: ‘And the knight grabbed the goblet from Gwenhwyfar's hand and poured the drink that was in it over her face and breast, and gave Gwenhwyfar a great clout of the ear.’ This punishment echoes Branwen's, as well as the one she receives from Mordred in The Triads where he ‘dragged [her] from her royal chair and struck a blow upon her.’ No surprise, would be seen as Bad Fuckin News.

The Laws are clear on this: striking the Queen was seen as an insult. In Arthuriana, Mordred - or, in some cases, Gwenhwyfach's - striking of Gwenhwyfar leads to the Battle of Camlann. In the Mab, this clout on Branwen’s ear also leads to war. I’d also say you could take this further and suggest that Rhiannon’s treatment - being a horse - is an insult as - I’m assuming - you're not gonna be nice to the woman you're using as a LITERAL STEED. Anyways, like I've mentioned beforehand it was the Queen’s job to take care of the ladies of her court, and, also, fun fact, the amobyr (a fee payable for the maidenhead of the woman), was payable to the queen instead of the King after their daughter married. Not much is said about the queen in regard to her position within the laws, but we have to be grateful for what we do have.

The queen had no political power - except maybe through her personal influence of the King, like, say, Joan, Princess of Wales. This ‘soft power,’ as it were, could be used when you became Queen Dowager, as evidenced by the way Queen Angharad, the wife of Gruffudd ap Cynan used the lands she'd been granted on her becoming queen to aid her wayward third-born son, Cadwaladr - although she had a ‘wide power of protection, a considerable special entourage of servants,’ and possessed certain privileges like ‘the right to circuit the land.’ Furthermore, there was never a ruling queen throughout Welsh history when the Laws of Hywel Dda were in operation, and certainly no Queen Regnant. (Strange considering the laws were drawing on Celtic sources where there were defo women leaders like Boudicca (Buddug) and Cartimandua. ‘This ambivalence of gender,’ writes Alice Roberts in The Celts, ‘[provided] women the possibility to achieve the highest status in society’ so it is curious as to why the later Welsh have dropped this. Surely, on account of that, they would not be opposed to it? However, Barry Cunliffe writes ‘it must be readily admitted that any consideration of Celtic social systems is likely to be biased, not only by the prejudices and preconceptions of the Graeco-Roman sources but by the narrow time span and geographical area over which they range.’ As well as this, ‘women clearly occupied a more significant position in Celtic society than they did in the Graeco-Roman world’ and this can be seen within Welsh law, I'd just caution anybody who thinks it was a noted feminist utopia.

Yet the queen's high status can be evidenced in there being both the ‘transmission of royal dignity through the female’ as well as ‘devolution of land through females,’ thus allowing the matrilineal descent to hold the same reverence as male which was very v handy for Owain Glyndŵr cuz his mam was descended from the house of Gwynedd. As well as that, the Queen had her own privy purse and ‘it was a universal rule - so in ALL codes - that one-third of the income derived from the king went to the queen for her personal use.’ Plus, all officers of the household were ‘under her socially’ and received their linens from her, while the Judge of the Court received his insignia of office, that being a gold ring, from her too once he was invested. Furthermore, she was second to the king in status - including to the Etifedd or Edling, that being the king's first bastard or legitimate son!

(Look, all my essay stuff is interconnected. It's the Marvel Universe of Wales. The Cymru-verse. 🤷)

The ‘dominant role of women within the Mabinogion’ does reflect in some ways the power women had within Welsh society. It is, perhaps, our finest link to showing what rights women had within the time period. Certainly, it's a valuable text in both a feminist sense AND a mythological one. Certainly as Miranda Aldhouse-Green writes in ‘Enchanted Wales’ ‘it is my belief that … some medieval mythic narratives may have drawn inspiration … from Iron Age and Roman Welsh culture.’ This bridging is evident within both mythology and the Laws of Hywel Dda, or Cyfraith Hywel. Whether it be in Pwyll Pen Annwfn, or Peredur, Owain, or The Dream of Macsen Wledig these tales serve as a bridge to both the medieval and the ancient, and, with them, so to do we get a view on Medieval Wales’ attitudes to women.

Women are front and centre across pretty much all eleven - twelve if you count The Tale of Taliesin - tales. As Bendigeidfran says in The Mab, ‘I will be a bridge,’ so too are these vitally important texts. Both they and the laws are heavily Christianised, yes, but their outer trapping of Celticism remains.

You gotta remember these laws were codified by Hywel Dda, but they're drawing on earlier Celtic laws. Hywel Dda was Christian (he wrote the laws in about the mid-tenth century although the earliest manuscripts we have are later, from the 13th, a bit like the Mab!) but - much like whoever the writer of the Mab was, be they an anonymous monk, or, as Andrew Breeze postulates, Gwenllian ap Gruffudd ap Cynan - drew on earlier Celtic sources. Furthermore, Cyfraith Hywel is a bloody wonderful text! Do you know that it has a law relating to intersex people?! No? Well here we are: ‘If a person be born with the members of a man and those of a woman, and it be doubtful of which it may make use; some say, that according to such as it principally may use, its privilege is to rank; but, if it make use of each, the law says, that it is to rank with the highest privilege, and that is the privilege of a man: and, if it should become pregnant, the offspring is to have the patrimony of the man who caused the pregnancy; but, if it should make a woman pregnant, the son is then to obtain its patrimony.’

*Blows a kiss to the sky* For Cyfraith Hywel. There's a reason he's known as ‘The Good.’ There's a reason why The Senedd (Welsh Parliamenus's building that houses the members of the Senedd and their staff is called Tŷ Hywel or Hywel's House. He's a big dealio.

Anyways, Welsh law is great. Read a fuckin book. If anybody makes a half-baked assumption about Welsh law again, I'm killing you and taking all your teeth.

Sources

Peter Berresford Ellis - Celtic Women

Sioned Davies - The Mabinogion

Miranda Aldhouse-Green - Enchanted Wales

Barry Cunliffe - The Celtic World & Ancient Celts (Second Edition)

Andrew Breeze - The Origins of The Four Branches of The Mabinogi

Alice Roberts - The Celts

Thomas Peter Ellis - Welsh Tribal Law (DM for a link if you want it!)

[venusianbarbiedoll]

—MY SUPERHERO ORIGIN STORY

I am the daughter of Aphrodite and a mortal man named Eduardo Valencia. I was raised by my father since my mother couldn’t take care of me, seeing that she’s a goddess and all. We lived in Starling City and I went to school there. He wasn’t the best dad considering he was always at work. But he was all I had.

We used to live in Central City where my best friends were Wally and his cousin, Jack, also lived up until I was eight years old and then we moved to Starling City. The reason why we left was because my Dad got a job offer in a construction company. It paid a bit more so we moved.

I lived with him until I was twelve years old. That was when Count Vertigo murdered him by injecting him with his drug. Following this, I stayed with my Mom on Mount Olympus for the next few years. I was shocked to hear that Zeus was allowing her to take me in, but incredibly grateful as well. During that time, she taught me more about my powers and magic. It also gave me the opportunity to learn more about my celestial heritage and family. I bonded with my relatives like Apollo, Hestia, Artemis, Aphrodite (of course), etc. It was amazing but eventually I had to go back to Earth.

After returning, I decided to avenge my father's death by battling criminals and investigating his killer. I adopted the code name Cupid in honor of my mother, the goddess of love. While I occasionally use a bow and arrow, my primary weapons are daggers.

my weapons:

At the age of fourteen, while thwarting a robbery, Black Canary and Green Arrow found me and offered their assistance. They asked me who my parents were. When I told them that I had none, they took me in.

Through them, I met Roy and, eventually, my future best friend, Artemis. They trained me, and I joined the new team for the “sidekicks” alongside Robin, Kaldur, and Wally. Although Roy didn't join the team, we maintained contact and he was always kind to me, like an older brother.

It wasn’t too long after joining the team that pI found out who my father really was. Before he died, he was a villain known as The Prowler and he worked for horrible people—the same people who were hurting Starling City, the place I called home. I found this out after I met Oliver and Dinah, my adoptive parents.

How did I find out about this? Well, Sportsmaster (Artemis’ dad) let it slip once when I was fighting him. He didn’t know who I was though, not my real identity at least. He was just bringing my father up because he said that I had eyes that resembled his greatly. Well, he said that I had the same eyes as The Prowler technically, not those of Eduardo Valencia as I knew him. But who’s to say that he didn’t know that I was The Prowler’s daughter…?

I haven’t told anyone since finding out. How could anyone trust me if they knew my father was a horrible person who had committed crimes for a living? It shamed me to be related to someone who could do such horrible things. I would just have to keep it to myself in the meantime; but like they say, the truth always comes out, one way or another.

my superhero suits:

my mission suits:

my training suits:

[gengar-pixel-2]

I am writing my fanon lore + post 3rd season plot and subplots on TFA and I'm having a concept on cybertronian naming. Going through name changes with time is a traditionally normal thing for Cybertronians. The usual order is Creation Code -> Sparkling Name -> Adult Name. An adult name is either a nickname given by higher ups or a name that the bot themselves chooses. Sometimes the "baby name" sticks forever for whatever reason. Name changes for simple "I don't like it anymore" or "it doesn't fit" are also not uncommon. Starscream used to be called "Starling". He both misses it and hates it.

Hello.. *tugs at tapestry.* What's this? *It unravels, revealing something.*

..Oh!

Starscream angst!

Peaktackular headcanon btw. I'm making my own s4 and. well. it's much different than the actual season, at least what we had. The more I learn the more I'm adding and taking things away. The additional lore mostly coming from my sona/self ship stuff.

BUT STARLING, YOU SAY?

[hannibals-grahamcracker]

Hannigram Long Fanfic Review List!

I know there are only 2 fics on here right now, but if you've sent any long fics to my ask box, I promise I'm working on them! I have three different notes full of fics from specific blogs if you sent me more than one at a time!

These took forever to get around to, but I finally did it! Anyway, on with the post, please enjoy!

Reviews under the cut! :)

Like A Lucid Dream

Author: DruidGurl

Word count: 75,975

Summary: In the days following Will's fateful fall from the bluff, Molly Graham begins to understand the extent of her ignorance regarding Hannibal and Will's relationship. The discovery of her husband's deceit leads her to seek refuge and escape in their cottage in the mountains. There's only one problem: she's not the only one who is looking for a place to hide. - After the fall, Will and Hannibal rest, recover, and fall in love all over again... under the watchful eye of Will's wife. -

This was an absolute whirlwind to read. It's incredibly good, and I finished it in one day! Lots of emotions, complications, and changing dynamics. It leaves off on Molly getting her happy ending, which I appreciated. Molly gets too much hate sometimes, justice for my girl fr. I've been considering writing a fic featuring Molly, and this fic may have just convinced me to do so!

The Fault In My Code

Author: LiaS0

Word count: 90,434

Summary: Soulmate AU: Soulmates find their other half when they look into their eyes. After the next time they sleep, they wake with one eye the color of their intended. Will Graham avoids eyes. He's never wanted a soulmate, never wanted to be told by the universe who he was supposed to feel a connection to. He already struggles enough with connections, thank you very much. As a psychiatrist, he works with soulmates who have lost their other half through various means, part of a social system that regards the journey to your soulmate as the most important thing a person can do. Coerced by Jack Crawford to consult on a case where the assailant is targeting soulmates, Will finds himself turning to the notorious Dr. Lecter to gain insight on how he's choosing the soulmates to target. Things go horribly awry when he looks into Hannibal's eyes, though. The next morning, he wakes up with one eye blue, the other maroon. He's never wanted a soulmate, least of all one behind bars for murdering dozens of people and eating them. Hannibal thinks it's delightful -it's been dreadfully boring since he was locked up. Romance, thriller, mayhem, mystery, soulmate au with a realistic twist, and a grumpy Will Graham

Okay so I have a lot to say about this one, because it was very long and very detailed! I love details.

I love the allusions to Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon throughout this fic. I noticed it right away in chapter one, and I adored it instantly.

Looooove that Hannibal has maroon eyes like the books! This is one of my favorite things in fics, and I loved that it was included in this one. And the chapter names all having to do with the characters' eyes is brilliant in the context of this soulmate AU! Chapter 2 and 20 having the same title? Incredible.

I liked that many of the characters we know (and some from the books) make an appearance, and some of them even have different appearances from the show, i.e., their book appearances (namely Dolarhyde). This is the first Hannigram fic I've read that mentioned Barney (the orderly from SotL who helped Clarice Starling), and I found it very cool! I've always liked how Barney and Hannibal had a quiet respect for each other, and I wish they had interacted more in this fic.

I also found it interesting that Hobbs gave will the scar across his stomach, which to me has always been a symbol of Hannibal's claim over Will, something he left to mark him and remind him both of what he'd done to earn it and who it belonged to—who he belonged to. I just wanted to note that, because I'm me and I'm obsessive about Will Graham's scars.

I have very few complaints, the main one that comes to mind being that even in the end, Will doesn't accept the cannibalism (example: there's a comment about him being grateful that his meal is cow and not "pig"). We see Will (in the show) being momentarily shocked by it and somewhat repulsed, but then he goes right back to eating dinners with Hannibal and even providing human meat for him. At this point in the show, they've known each other for an estimated 10 ish months. In this fic, he also never fully accepts his Becoming and is still repulsed by his darkness and doesn't embrace who he is, even in light of who his soulmate is, and of having taken lives. This is obviously me being nitpicky, but I love to see a Will Graham who's sure of himself and who he is with Hannibal, and doesn't shy away from his cruelty and darkness. No hate to the author obviously, it's just my preference.

This was an incredibly well written fic, and I did very much enjoy it. I was less satisfied with the character development than I hoped to be, so I likely won't read it again, but I definitely will be recommending it to others! If you're looking for a Soulmate AU and you like the I Feel Your Pain/Your Emotions + the Hurting You Hurts Me Trope, this one is for you!

[from-stars-to-shadows]

Old Republic Self-Insert.

{Picrew}{I lacked energy to draw so picrew it is. I do like the belty kinda design so that will prob be like my si outfit.}

[General]

Character’s full name: Kaden Reese

Character’s nickname: Starling

Reason for nickname: Given by Revan after noticing the freckles on Kaden’s cheeks and shoulders, comparing them to stars.

Birth date: May 27th

[Physical Appearance]

Height: 5’5”

Eye color: Green

Skin tone: Fair

Distinguishing marks: Freckles on their cheeks and shoulders

Predominant features: Sharp cheekbones, an intense, piercing gaze

Hair color: Purple with a fuchsia underlayer

Type of hair: Thick

Hairstyle: Medium-length, slightly tousled

Voice: Low and calm, with a hint of gravel; measured and deliberate in tone

[Personality]

Good personality traits: Loyal, intelligent, strong-willed, and compassionate toward those they trust

Bad personality traits: Stubborn, emotionally guarded, prone to sarcasm, and overly self-critical

Mood character is most often in: Stoic but observant

Sense of humor: Dry and witty, often bordering on sarcastic

Character’s greatest joy in life: Finding genuine connections with others despite their guarded nature

Character’s greatest fear: Losing the people they care about

Why? After losing everything during the fall of Taris, Kaden is terrified of experiencing that kind of devastation again.

What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil? Losing Revan to death or betrayal.

Character is most at ease when: Alone under the stars, or in quiet moments with someone they trust.

Most ill at ease when: Surrounded by strangers or thrust into emotionally vulnerable situations.

Enraged when: Innocents are harmed or manipulated.

Depressed or sad when: Dwelling on their past losses or feeling like they’ve failed those they care about.

Priorities: Protecting loved ones, finding meaning in their actions, and forging their own path.

Life philosophy: “The stars are constant, even in chaos. So must we be.”

If granted one wish, it would be: To undo the destruction of Taris and save their family.

Why? They carry deep guilt for not being able to save those they loved.

Character’s soft spot: Vulnerable moments of kindness from others.

Is this soft spot obvious to others? Not initially, as Kaden guards their emotions closely.

Greatest strength: Emotional resilience and strategic thinking.

Greatest vulnerability or weakness: Struggles to express their emotions, often bottling them up.

Biggest regret: Failing to protect their family during the Mandalorian Wars.

Minor regret: Missing an opportunity to reconcile with an old friend.

Biggest accomplishment: Surviving the fall of Taris and carving out a new life.

Minor accomplishment: Winning a local sparring competition on Taris as a teenager.

Past failures they would be embarrassed to have people know about: Letting someone they cared about down because they were too focused on self-preservation.

Why? They see themselves as someone who should be dependable and hate feeling like a burden.

Character’s darkest secret: They sometimes blame themselves for the destruction of Taris, even though it was beyond their control.

Does anyone else know? Only Revan, after much time and trust.

[Goals]

Drives and motivations: Seeking justice, protecting others, and finding a sense of belonging.

Immediate goals: Help Revan achieve his mission while maintaining their own moral code.

Long-term goals: Build a life where they and Revan can live in peace, free from the chaos of the galaxy.

How the character plans to accomplish these goals: By working strategically, using their skills and forging alliances carefully.

How other characters will be affected: Revan will find stability and emotional support in Kaden, and those around them will be inspired by their loyalty and bravery.

[Past]

Hometown: Taris

Type of childhood: Initially loving and stable, turned traumatic after the Mandalorian Wars.

Pets: None during childhood.

First memory: Watching their mother weave intricate tapestries under the light of a Tarisian sunset.

Most important childhood memory: Helping their family escape a small conflict, feeling a sense of responsibility and pride.

Why? It was the first time Kaden felt they could protect others.

Childhood hero: A local healer who saved many lives during a crisis.

Dream job: A diplomat or explorer.

Education: Informal but well-rounded, with a focus on survival skills after Taris’s fall.

Finances: Grew up modestly, later had to fend for themselves with very little.

[Present]

Current location: Traveling with Revan’s faction.

Currently living with: Primarily alone, though they often stay with Revan.

Pets: Loth-Cat named Zenith.(Male)

Occupation: Freelancer, often acting as a scout or strategist.

Finances: Self-sufficient but modest.

[Favorites]

Color: Purple, orange, red, and yellow

Least favorite color: Dull gray

Music: Instrumental pieces, especially those that feel melancholic yet hopeful.

Food: Spiced stew and flatbread.

Literature: Philosophical writings and tales of adventure.

Form of entertainment: Stargazing and quiet conversations.

Expressions: A wry smirk or a soft chuckle.

Mode of transportation: Speeder bikes or light starships.

Most prized possession: A small, worn necklace that belonged to their mother.

[Habits]

Hobbies: Drawing, stargazing, and practicing combat techniques.

How they would spend a rainy day: Reading or quietly reflecting by a window.

Spending habits: Careful and frugal.

Smokes: Yes.

Drinks: On special occasions.

What do they do too much of? Overthinking and isolating themselves.

What do they do too little of? Allow themselves to relax.

Extremely skilled at: Strategy, stealth, and hand-to-hand combat.

Extremely unskilled at: Cooking and small talk.

Nervous tics: Tapping their fingers or clenching their jaw.

Usual body posture: Relaxed but alert.

Mannerisms: Subtle but deliberate; often tilts their head slightly when listening intently.

Peculiarities: Rarely smiles but does so around those they love.

[Traits]

Optimist or pessimist? Realist with pessimistic tendencies.

Introvert or extrovert? Introvert.

Daredevil or cautious? A mix, leaning toward cautious.

Logical or emotional? Logical with underlying emotional depth.

Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat? Methodical.

Prefers working or relaxing? Prefers working.

Confident or unsure of themselves? Confident outwardly but unsure internally.

Animal lover? Yes.

[Self-Perception]

How they feel about themselves: Struggles with self-worth but remains determined to improve.

One word the character would use to describe self: Resilient.

One paragraph description of how the character would describe self: “I’m someone who’s had to adapt to survive. I may not always have the answers, but I don’t give up easily. I’m guarded because life hasn’t given me much reason to trust, but I care deeply about those who break through my walls. I’m not perfect, but I try to do what’s right—even when it feels impossible.”

What does the character consider their best personality trait? Their loyalty.

What does the character consider their worst personality trait? Their tendency to shut others out.

What does the character consider their best physical characteristic? Their eyes, which they’ve been told are striking.

What does the character consider their worst physical characteristic? Their scars, beauty marks, and freckles, though they wouldn’t admit it.

How does the character think others perceive them? As intimidating or cold at first, but dependable once they get to know them.

What would the character most like to change about themselves? Their inability to fully let go of the past.

[Relationships with Others]

Opinion of other people in general: Wary but willing to give people a chance.

Does the character hide their true opinions and emotions from others? Almost always.

Person character most hates: Malak, for his betrayal and destruction.

Best friend(s): Revan, though their relationship grows beyond friendship.

Love interest(s): Revan.

Person character goes to for advice: Revan or an older, wise figure in their group.

Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Any vulnerable or innocent party they encounter.

Person character feels shy or awkward around: People who openly compliment or flirt with them.

Person character openly admires: Revan, for his leadership and determination.

Person character secretly admires: Those who can find joy and laughter even in the darkest times.

Most important person in character’s life before story starts: Their mother.

tag list:

@deepwatersiren || @gailpecks-soulmate || @heatobrienswife

@mahitosoulmate || @mauls-waifu || @little-miss-selfships

@literally-just-there || @gymleaderkylar || @dragonsmooch

[elektricbomb]

Its my Birthday so I can post whatever the HECK I want, like OC STUFF

ORPHEUS BAUX TIME!!!!

Twink death to Goddess rebirth (gender neutral)

First drawing (January 1st 2024) vs Today (March 26th 2025)

Quick info dump

Orpheus Baux - They/Vem/It - 27

Born in France, November 1st 1785

—

• VAMPIRE (I am cringe but I am FREE!)

• Obsessed with Astronomy 🔭 🪐 ✨

• Autism (blink blink blink)

• Purple coded 💜

• Gay af, 4 partners (friends ocs)

• HAS A CHILD?!?!? (Lil bros name is “Corbin Éloite Starling”)

—

ART DUMP

[lynxfrost13]

Haiiiiiiiiiii Lynx!!

Okay, so 1, 3, 16, and 20 on the character asks schmorgasborg for Schrott! My grumpy old lady. Also this wasn’t part of the thingermajigger but what’s her gun? Her starling fetish object?

HI JAY HOLY FUCK YOU SENT THIS A WHILE AGO I'M SO SORRY but I've finally gotten to it!!!

What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?

So Schrott as she is now is very different, but I'd had the idea of a character I'd dubbed "scrapyard star" living in my head since around september/october. The original scrapyard star didn't come to much other than being a bit of a joke character back when an older version of Hollenhund had replaced her leg with a starling's (basically i thought it would be silly if there was a sierpinski star who Wanze had to get her black chestplate from + then ALSO lost a leg + generally looked like a mess). But anyway that was like PROTO protoschrott. She came from a combo of that early idea and a thought I had of giving Holt another old lady friend! Then the last thought that I can definitely point to and go That's Schrott for sure is one I had where originally she was heavily based on a gw2 oc of mine, Nana Ragemittens (shoutout to u Nana ily). That wasn't the original thought tho but it's the first one I had that can clearly tie back to how Schrott is as a character now if that makes sense.

3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

Going off of the proto-Schrott, appearance first! I knew from the start I wanted her to be a very banged up mess of a star, she's literally rusting on certain parts of her body due to her age and neglect. The visible aspects of her age also came in pretty early too, basically right around/before I started determining her personality.

16. Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?

Lmao there's definitely a running thing of people making fun of her age, one of the first things I did when coming up with her character was this stupid thing:

She consistently gets dunked on for her age and I also enjoy calling her gramma and making fun of her I can't help it!!!

20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favorite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

Okay I'll include your fetish item question as part of this!! I'll be honest I barely know anything about guns other than how to use one if I need to meself, so I'm mostly going off of aesthetic and names. That being said I think Schrott would have a Colt Commander of some sort:

I like to think its pretty rough looking and not originally hers, but instead a gun she took off one of the bodies of her cadremates as a way to always keep a part of them with her. It holds more sentimental value than anything, and she always keeps it on her both because of that, and as a last resort to get her mentee to do what she wants (is this good? No but Schrott kinda sucks). Off of THAT thought though I'm thinking about her relationship to Hollenhund. They're both very "dog who was neglected and given a last chance" coded but in very different ways. Schrott is like an old dog who's so angry she can't move. She's a character I really pity in many ways because she's in so much pain, but she'd rather make others hurt instead of confronting her own grief properly. And she's spent years like that and kind of trapped herself in that behavior to the point where no one genuinely wants to be around her. She also knows this and is so damn lonely and wishes she was the suave laidback girl she used to be but she's scared to change and doesn't even think she can anymore. I think a lot about how being transferred to the VDF-5 was her last chance before decommission and how if she keeps acting the way she does there's no more chances. And she doesn't really care about that. It was just a nice alternate way of decommissioning anyways really, since the VDF program is going under anyways. She does get slightly better in that her and Hollenhund do develop a genuine bond and are able to reconcile over some of their issues but Schrott's never going to be fully at peace until she's scrap metal rotting in a junk yard and at the end of the day she's the reason that's her only option now. Sorry that's a little depressing but yeagh I rotate her and her many many issues my wretched old hag <333

[ark-inkweaving]

Character File R007: Kea

"Yeah yeah, I'm a liar, I'm a criminal, I'm awful, guess what? So is everyone here. You've got to work with me though so shut up, suck it up, and try not to get killed"

Basics

Legal Name ✵ Keareim

Age ✵ 26

Pronouns ✵ He/Him

Orientation ✵ Queer

Skin ✵ Dark Brown

Build ✵ Slim

Height ✵ 1.53 m / 5' 0''

Eye Color ✵ Bright Acquamarine

Hair ✵ Cangiant Indigo, Wavy, Past the Shoulders, Often Pulled in a Low Ponytail

Occupation ✵ Sex Worker | Informant and Assasin

Notable Features ✵ Razor-Thin Scars over Fingertips and Sides, Violet-Backed Starling Wings and Tail, Dappled Feathers near Ears

Work Specific

Species ✵ Shirevi-Avian

Elemental Resonance ✵ Air

Citzenship ✵ Fyma

Base Location ✵ Asglen

Alias ✵ Gailkyane {Windcatcher}

Allegiance ✵ vaguely Lightwatch-adjacent (Idefexi)

Personality

an incredibly confusing man. goes from vain and capricious to serious and almost aggressive in a near-instant. seems incapable of not being teasing and sensual every second, and very much appears to enjoy the attention from it. for as many people call him annoying, many others call him fair and level-headed. even as Gailkyane people are split on whether he is a blood-soaked menace or a caring, if unexpected, savior

Likes ✵ playing music, flying, smoking, knives, cloudy days, warm weather, jewelry and shiny fabrics

Dislikes ✵ loud sounds, straight-laced people, excessive light, being looked down on,

Speaking Style ✵ a thick accent and very low voice, almost in a constant sensual purr. he's no wordsmith, but he's a practiced liar and skilled at leading conversations. varies in formality depending on who he interacts with, constantly using petnames. as Gailkyane, much more formal and doesn't really use pet names. swears only occasionally

Clothing Style ✵ a fan of sheer, shimmering fabrics and light clothes, that more often than not cover very little. quite elegant and tasteful though, with metallic ornaments and body jewelry in spades, includes many piercings. in cold weather, tends to add more layers rather than covering more. however as Gailkyane covers up everything and gives up the sheer colorful fabrics for skin-tight dark clothes. he also colors his hair, wings and tail black

[backstory and taglist under the cut] [TW: Violence, Absue, Cults, Murder, Sexual Themes]

Backstory

Kea knows very little about his biological family beyond the fact that his mother was shirevi and his father was avian. He's not sure who they are or if they're even alive. As far as he' knows's been told they abandoned him, but he doesn't trust it. Either way, he considers it irrelevant, as he still grew up within a "closed community". This community was very reserved with many codes about behavior and a strong belief in a "good ancestry", which Kea as a halfblood didn't have. However it was their belief that he could be saved. He just had to do a lot of favors and jobs, and accept his punishments when he failed. And he "failed" a lot. Kea only really started noticing that what he was doing was a lot of crime when his caretaker, Asteren, began distancing himself from the community. He was ten when both he and Asteren decided that enough was enough. Asteren left, rescuing as many people like Kea as possible, while Kea himself baited patrols into the community, led by Lieutenant General Halievak. Kea got caught up in the stint by his former leader and had to kill the woman to free himself. After that, Kea disappeared into anonimity. However Gailkyane started to surface as an assasin for hire, quite cheap but not taking every job; most of the time he'd go after abusers and kidnappers. Kea instead mostly appeared in pubs and dark alleys, talking to people and slipping things in and out of their pockets, an entertainer. It's here that he met Lukiat, who was fresh off of running away. The two struck up an uncanny alliance that developed into friendship and often pulled each other off the deep end. As Gailkyane, Kea became an idefexi-lai and dived into red-light districts in his civilian identity to dig up information. This is how he found news about an experimentation facility and arena. Within the Idefexi he gathered a force, which included Lukiat, to bust said operation. After that he followed Lukiat to Asglen, where he estabilished himself in the red light district once more. To this day he still gathers information like that, while occasionally taking jobs to spy, pass information along or kill

❊

✵ Revolve Taglist ✵ @corinneglass @aalinaaaaaa @write-with-will

[pi-ying-xi]

Been reading The Marriage of the Di Daughter (because I still have The Double brainrot) and!

We were robbed!

(I see why they robbed us. Cdrama, specifically, codes bird owners as sinister in an uncool way, besides being Wrong; and Xiao Heng can be sinister but he's never uncool and cannot be wrong).

But in the book, when everyone is at the Shen Manor at a banquet given to celebrate the sister's marriage (never mind the details), Ji Heng pretends to crush to death the starling (fully black, remember this point) that Xue Fangfei saved way back, and which loudly and vocally recognises Fangfei in Jiang Li.

So he says there can be no witnesses, and she reluctantly agrees. They each go back to wherever.

Back at the Duke's residence, this happens:

He takes out the bird from his sleeve. It's alive. It flies off, sits on a sword in his room. (Lu Ji is present).

And it takes a look at him and loudly calls Ji Heng "Beauty".

🤣🤣

Lu Ji can't believe a birb is flirting with the Duke but instead of being crushed to death for real, Ji Heng not only says it has a sweet tongue, he also names it!

Lu is having a bad day on account of this.

Because Ji Heng names it Little Red.

Lu Ji is like, but it's a bird that's black?

Ji Heng is all, yeah but it's name is Like Red 😋

*

Later, he invites Jiang Li over, and says she can also meet Little Red.

Jiang Li has no idea what he's talking about but she's like, ok whatever you say, Su guogong.

*

What I'm saying is, WE COULD HAVE HAD THIS!

[its-all-papaya]

Hey, perhaps you've already answered this, but was there a reasoning behind the different bird names for overwinter's chapter titles?

I've really enjoyed reading along over the last few weeks 💛

hello!

i've said in various answers spread over time that overwinter has been bird-coded to me since almost the beginning, and it is bc i was yapping to @peargcsly in september about what would eventually become the epilogue, and she came up with "a little birdie told me-" thing and i was like. what if i made that this fic's entire personality.

there's an ask somewhere in my dad lando fic tag where i talked about the title and how it came to be, but the bird name chapters are just because it felt right to me. i tried to match each bird name to the vibe of the chapter, so like black-and-white warbler for ch 5 was because lando's defense/reasoning with max about oscar was very black and white - he didn't want to see any nuance. rose-coloured starling for the first kiss chapter was because it felt like that matched the giddy, butterflies-in-stomach energy of the last scene. i have reasoning for all of them, but i'm not going to list all 18 unless people explicitly ask me to LOL.

thank you for asking! glad you enjoyed the fic, appreciate all your words even though i haven't responded to most of them yet 😭

[trih-hearteater]

Hannibal Lecter canonical fursona is this fucking ass ugly cat — A Ted Talk;

hi guys welcome to my ted talk, today we're going to talk about the Cats & Dogs franchise, which is obviously inspired by the Hannibal films... for some reason.

I could write about how the film's plots are similar, or about references and metaphors but I'll do much better and just compare Mister Tinkles with Hannibal Lecter, bc i think that we as a community need to talk about how the fandom ALWAYS draw Hannibal as a elegant sphynx when he is obviously this devil-looking creature

• Similarities;

1 - He lives in a fucking gothic vitorian castle and belongs to a rich dead guy name MASON??? Like, Mason Verger???😭😭

2 - He's a dramatic bitch like he's trying to dominate the world and murder a entire family just because he doesn't like dogs??? HE DOESNT EVEN LIVE WITH ONE😭 he was just feeling silly 😜 and also crime reunions on fancy dinners parties like u are fooling no one we know what u are

3 - Hes has a autistic crime partner look at this cat i swear to god — THEY LISTENING RADIO ABOVE MASON DEAD BODY LIKE😭😭😭😭 they are manhunter coded

4 - Hannigram cat toxic yaoi angst mizumono ending 💔💔💔 I've been laughing at this scene for hours now help

5 - this whole scene of him being interrogated by “Catherine” Starling and psychologically bullying the other dogs everything here is self explanatory

6 - As someone who has a fat furry white cat, this fucking type of cat are fugitive criminals it is their nature, my cat once set fire to my neighbor's house and came home with his two front paws covered in dark ash as if nothing had happened 🥰 soyeah anakin if u are reading this i love u

7 - In the end they run away too together but I don't even want to talk about it bc willcat did cultural appropriation out of nowhere and I got jumpscared

Anyway, It's fucking hilarious for the reason that some writer just said "Huh, what if we put a cannibal cat in a children's franchise??" And everyone thought it was a great idea, I would have loved to have been there when that decision was made bc it was iconic.

[spacetimesally]

Gaining inside-access to a Malignant Security Center gives Sally the chance to upload a bad case of glitch disease into their system, but when her cover is blown, it's an all-out fistfight, kick-up, drag-down brawl to the upload port in, 'Code Name: Spacetime Starling'

[krackerkendra]

Hello ^^

I'm Dot! but you can call me literally anything

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꩜ im 18 e/infp

★ I have many hobbies including animating + drawing + sculpting + sewing + costume making + singing :33

my bf actually^

꩜ I'm pretty spontaneous as I like to pick up random hobbies such as coding or roller/ice skating but they're definitely my weaker ones but still fun ^^ oh and I also love doing my nails specifically press ons bc they make sculpting on my right hand easier ;p + perler beads

★ my special media interests ; fnaf, silent hill, resident evil, outlast (indie horror games in general), lollipop chainsaw, evil dead, halloween 1978, american psycho, arcane, Minecraft, Fortnite (sadly), and errhhh thats all I can think of off the top of my head

fun activities I like to do !

꩜ rollerskating, weightlifting, ROLLERCOASTERSS, cosplaying ( I need cosplay friends so badly), CONVENTIONS!!! esp horror conventions id love to have my own booth one day^^

my music ;p

my music taste is all over the place so unfortunately I dont think you can gather anything about me from it but here are some of my favorite bands/artists ; melanie martinez, the smiths, crystal castles, pastel ghost, Duran Duran, Oingo Boingo and there's probably more. I love 80s music and electronic dark wave music? if thats what its called.

here's my art of William afton for an assignment lol^

꩜⊹⋆ fun fact my account is actually named after my childhood pets and it always stuck with me no matter how many times I attempted to change my handle!

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I LOVE ANIMATION MEMES I STILL PARTAKE IN SUCH ACTIVITIES

me as Juliet starling form lollipop chainsaw ^^ anyways thx for reading Ive been wanting to get back into journaling and blogging seems like another silly thing I can do in my spare time to organize my mind a little bit, talk 2 me I'd love to make new friends :33 okai bai

[celerifleuri]

coming in with a little update but it's mostly an excuse for me to recommend games and buy myself time before playing a certain ending!

starting with a couple things you can expect then ill share some lines straight from the draft

more or less spoilery, feel free to avoid if you'd rather play the whole thing blind

- more eric content! it truly takes some effort to get that voice to shut up and to no one's surprise he'll be getting more lines

- maelyn repeatedly stepping on her finger

- a certain unfinished family painting

elements that will probably be in bonus episodes

- starling's mother! her name starts with an A

- mentions of starling's father. if he became a creature he'd have something for dicks, make of that what you will

couple lines i was working on today

vague outline (in between days, after that one time starling calls her name and she hears eric)

and now for some recommendations no one asked for!

i will draw some connections to not make them seem completely out of nowhere i swear

the silent kingdom (demo)

young woman stuck in a loop/her mind, very nice differences to be found between the before and the after

nier replicant

the replay value!!!! so many differences to be found and so many details to be noticed!!! and with the remake, you get an incredible character/fight/quest inspired by the little mermaid

sorry we're closed

i can't shut up about this one! all i can reasonably mention here is the second area being an abandoned aquarium and the woman you follow here turning into a 🫶

if you too suffer from a serious sorry we're closed brainrot, feel free to dm me/ask for my steam friend code 🙏

[sylaurin]

While well versed in many forms of spycraft, Thiago [Code Name: Coyote], was brought onto Operation: Starling for his marksmanship and survival skills to provide overwatch and exfiltration support.