#either his arrogance or his ambition gets the better of him

[vladdyissues]

I'm glad you liked the concept of Vlad fleeing to the Ghost Zone. Thanks for answering about him having friends abd that analysis. However, I think Vlad could play his cards right even in canon. He has just tired of waiting love, plus, his emotional nature, and he lost it.

As addition to this concept, I want to share a hc that in first years in the Ghost Realm while Vlad was too weak as a ghost to do some evil plans, between training and attempts to cook blobs (c'mon he has to eat something; I don't think normal human can metabolise ectoplasm but who knows about halfa?) he could travel over the Ghost Zone and paint landscapes. That art therapy wouldn't be enough for Plasmius but it still can help to abstract his mind from his trauma.

Or perhaps he uses art as a way of expressing his trauma instead of trying to distract from it.

Tortured Artist Vlad is something that has been living in my head for almost a full year—ever since I heard Motionless in White's Masterpiece. It just struck me as such a "Vlad" song.

It's such a provocative image, this man possessed of such incredible power, helpless and suffering. Picture him: furious, weeping, clothes rumpled from sleeping in them, his long hair loose and unkempt, fanning from his shoulders as he slings bloody gouts of paint onto a canvas and then attacks it with brushes, feverishly trying to translate his agony into something he can see, that can be speared and dragged to the surface and then stabbed to death with a palette knife like some kind of Melvillian allegory. It's the only way he can excise his pain and heartache. It's a spell, really, binding his negative emotions. But each time he completes a work, the sooner he has to start a new one. It's as if the magical power of his expression is gradually weakening. What happens when it fails altogether? Will his demons finally consume him? Will he destroy himself trying to keep them at bay? Or will someone special step into the frame of his doomed portrait and help him paint a new picture?

[mumms-the-word]

My friend/fountain of knowledge,

I wanted to post about a Mystra theory I had, but thought it may be best to explore it here with you instead! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. 

It’s probably been discussed before, but the idea is that Mystra’s chosen are selected by her because she sees them as potential threats.

She is an omniscient being, and the Goddess of Divination, so surely she has some kind of prophetic ability or sense of the future? 

It’s mentioned many times that Gale’s ambition mirrors that of Karsus in certain ways, and maybe she was able to see the potential for the repetition of history. (Especially as he displayed an impressive control of the weave at such a young age, and has a tendency to slip into arrogance and hubris.)

I know Gods don’t share the same emotions as mortals, but she must fear succumbing to the same fate as Mystryl - The Goddess who was destroyed by a wizard. 

Maybe this is why she did not remove the orb when Gale proved her right in her fears? She was hoping he would obey her command and destroy himself before he could get his hands on the crown.

The future is never set in stone, even when puppeted by the Gods, and Gale says pretty early on he doesn’t believe in fate. It seems to me the potential to ‘be a moon unto yourself’ was there for him all along, but he was Mystra’s lover because she knew of the threat he could become.

Ironic, that she played a part in his drive for the crown, but I think he would always have been tempted by Godly power whether he was her chosen or not.

I’m gonna answer this on public and you can let me know if you want it taken down!

A caveat: I think that we’ll never know what Mystra was thinking/feeling/knowing before and during the events of the game because I think the game intentionally keeps her motivations hidden. We can dive into the devnotes all we want, and we can advocate for better treatment of Gale as fans of Gale but in terms of what Mystra was planning? We’ll never know for sure.

So with that said, I have a couple of thoughts/theories below the cut! Looong post ahead.

Does Mystra have foresight/divination powers?

Many gods have foresight, although not all of them are gods of divination. Technically Savras, a god not in BG3, is the god of divination, but he is like...part of Mystra's team (wizards who worship Mystra might also invoke him, for example). So like, divination is still sort of part of her domain, but her main focus is the preservation of the Weave and she's given dominion over matters of divination to Savras.

I honestly can’t remember if her having foresight is expressly mentioned in the game (it’s part of her dnd lore more broadly) but regardless, there’s a lot to suggest that her foresight isn’t perfect. Specifically in the context of the game (not full lore). She commands Gale to sacrifice himself in Act 2, not realizing that if he does so, it doesn't actually stop the scourge of illithids. If you sacrifice Gale in Act 2, everyone with a tadpole immediately becomes illithid and you get a game over. It's not the best time for Gale to sacrifice himself. So we know that Mystra's foresight is imperfect, because if she wanted a more surefire win that also means she doesn't lose out on thousands of souls, she would have waited to ask him, knowing there would be a better opportunity later.

There's also the "be a moon unto yourself" and "even the tides of fate can break upon the shores of will" language Elminster uses. Elminster, who has arguably known Mystra longer than anyone else on the planet, who is the closest thing to a mortal-immortal ambassador that can bridge the gap between Mystra in the godly realms and mortals in the Material Plane, even HE doesn't have much faith in Mystra's command to sacrifice Gale in Act 2. What Mystra offers is a potential solution. It's not the best solution. Not even for her. So in terms of foresight...I think she has either a limited view, or she sees potential futures, but nothing is set in stone thanks to the free will of mortals.

(and also maybe illithids are outside her purview of knowledge since they mostly cast magic with psionics and not the Weave and don't have souls that she can recognize?? unclear)

Does Mystra fear destruction or death?

I'm not sure how much Mystra fears death. I mean, I'm sure dying as a god is traumatic in its own right, but she's died multiple times. First as Mystryl, which was kind of a self-sacrifice thing (what Karsus did was cast a spell that would funnel her powers into him, so she basically killed herself to stop the process halfway and everything went to chaos "for a spell"). Even Gale calls it a self-sacrifice. Then she died during the Time of Troubles, was reborn as Midnight, who ALSO died, and then she was silent (but probably not dead dead) for about a hundred years until a few years before the game takes place.

(If BG3 follows dnd lore which, in my opinion, it mostly does, but I know that not all Gale fans agree and Larian is changing up timelines in other respects too so...take everything with a grain of salt)

So killing Mystra is...it just doesn't work. Somehow she's always around, in part perhaps because her Weave is everywhere. Fragments of her will always exist. Which is why Gale's ambitious goal, should you choose to encourage him, is to steal her power. Not to kill her. Even an Origin!Gale says "I'm here for your godhood" if you choose to confront her, not that he's there to kill her.

Which is what makes him like Karsus. Karsus sought to steal Mystryl's powers. Gale is mirroring him in every way if he is persuaded down that path. Now that part...I think Mystra does slightly fear that. Because Karsus almost succeeded...

Almost.

But he didn't and a god-path Gale doesn't fare much better. If you play Origin!Gale and you choose to confront Mystra and steal her godhood? You also fail. Gale dies. Mystra wins.

I don't know how much she fears destruction and death, because I think she has failsafes in place. But it would be very inconvenient to die again so soon after finally regaining her full powers, so I'm sure she's eager to avoid it.

Did Mystra know the orb would be useful?

I think this again speaks to the idea that she has a limited foresight ability. Gale may say that she is omniscient, but I don't think that necessarily means she sees all of time forwards and backwards. I think she can sense everything about the Weave all at once and knows everything all previous iterations of Mystra know (and all that her Chosens know; that's stated in the Elminster novels). But her foresight is imperfect.

So, conjecture time. We're full-on in theory/maybes/who knows territory now.

She knew Gale was going after dangerous Netherese magic when he was looking for the piece of Weave that was locked away because I imagine he used a great deal of magic on his journey and investigation. Her not knowing that Gale was looking for this locked-away piece of Weave is ludicrous. He probably told her his plan and she said no and he went anyway. And she didn't stop him. Why?

My personal theory is she wanted to see what would happen if Gale succeeded. She doesn't babysit her Chosen, though she does occasionally guide them (or command them, rather). As the Lady of Mysterious, she's remarkably (and frustratingly) hands-off. The whole problem with her and Gale's relationship breaking down is because Gale was a) ambitious enough to try and covet a piece of knowledge/Weave that not even Mystra herself could get to (he says it was "sealed beyond her reach") and b) that Mystra never actually talked to him to explain why that's probably a bad idea. Why not? Did she want to see him fail?

I don't know for sure. But I think she was curious. I think she wanted to see if he could even unlock the thing. I think she knew, on some level, that it would go disastrously bad for him, but I don't think she knew that the Karsite Weave would mix with Gale's own dark hunger for power and knowledge and create something that would literally threaten to consume her entire Weave. Why do I think that?

Because that is when she got angry. Not that he was searching. Not when he was deliberately disobeying her by searching (though she was likely mad then too, but she didn't punish or stop him). She didn't seem to care then. She got angry when he failed to do anything productive with the Karsite Weave and the resulting crisis threatened her.

I don't think she would have let him pursue the book with the Karsite Weave had she known the details of what it would do once it entered Gale's body. She does intervene, mind you. She's the one that stabilized the orb enough to "allow it to feed on the true Weave." The question is, why didn't she cure it immediately? It was threatening her Weave, literally consuming bits of her Weave. Did she lack the power? the knowledge? Or was she simply keeping Gale around as insurance, a bomb in her back pocket that she could direct at anything she wanted?

I suspect it's mostly the latter (though I suspect she was also angry that Gale's reaction to his actions threatening her Weave wasn't "Sorry I'll try too fix this" but instead it was "I need you to fix this"). Maybe she knew about the mind flayer crisis on the horizon. By the time Gale is suffering the early effects of the orb, Gortash and Durge have likely already stolen the Crown of Karsus from Mephistopheles (some people theorize it happened in 1490 or 1491, and the game starts midway through 1492). Now there are two Karsite problems on the Material Plane. She likely bided her time to see when she could send Gale out to destroy both in one fell swoop while also being personally angry that Gale didn't act/react the way she wanted him to.

It gets REALLY interesting if you believe that Gortash and Durge pulled the crown out of the hells and into the Material Plane in 1490 because then Mystra KNOWS there's a powerful Karsite item in play. If she knew that, and knew that Gale was pursuing the Karsite Weave...well. In that case, it seems much more likely that she was playing him like a pawn on a chessboard, waiting for him to get in position so she could command him to eliminate both threats.

Because again...she didn't stop him.

Honestly, there are multiple theories about why she didn't stop him or cure him immediately or so forth. it all just depends on how much you want to villainize Mystra and her actions, or if you prefer taking a more neutral path.

So to your theory: Does Mystra choose her Chosen based on whether they will be potential threats?

I think...I disagree, but it's a soft disagree. I think Mystra has no qualms about sending her Chosen to eliminate anything that is a threat to her. Elminster is constantly sent to destroy people who are mishandling the Weave, for example, in the Elminster novels.

However, I do think she is careful to select Chosen who will be powerful and to shower them in affection and attention so they don't think about threatening her. Grooming them to love and devote themselves to her so that if they were ever to think about becoming a threat to her, she can frame it as a personal betrayal.

It's what she does with Gale. I don't think she's threatened by Gale. I think she sees talent and power in him. And I think on some level she probably did find Gale pleasant, and that not every interaction between them was her pulling strings to make sure that he would die in X years in a cataclysmic explosion. That, to me, seems counterintuitive, when she could have just as easily withheld the power he needed to even begin pursuing the Karsite Weave in the first place. But I think it's her modus operandi to love bomb her Chosens so that as she grants them more and more power, betrayal is the last thing on their minds. Because they know that losing her favor, losing her love, means losing power.

Elminster didn't live to be 1300+ years old and the most powerful wizard in existence (allegedly) because he pissed off Mystra. It's because he loves Mystra and she rewards devotion and affection. It's why Gale pursued the fractured Weave in the first place: to prove his love.

It's all very complicated. But she can decide whether or not someone is going to be a threat to her. And the fact that Gale, the most likely candidate to be a threat to her given his connections with the Karsite Weave, fails in the attempt is...telling. Even a Godof Ambition Gale who is still eager to dethrone Mystra isn't going to do so quickly. He's going to wait for another millennium or so before he tries. And whether he's successful depends entirely on what happens over the course of that next 1000 years.

So I suppose it's more likely for her to choose Chosens that she can manipulate or at least groom into a cult of love and devotion. It's the rogue people who don't love her that are the threats, which is why I think she's invested in the illithid plot in particular. Illithids couldn't give two shits about Mystra. And that clearly bothers her.

Anyways, long story long, Mystra is an imperfect goddess who, depending on your reading of her and her actions, either set up Gale to fail or cunningly used his failure to her advantage (or both). And despite what a lot of people say, I don't actually think she has a lot of foresight power, because I feel like Gale's actions keep somewhat surprising her. So there's that.

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 28: Unnoticed

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

Enough with socializing. Enough with fighting. Thomas can have his kill but I’m through with watching grown men fight like children. Can we ever go to a single event without someone being shot? As I pass by the groups of men the trait that relates them all is their unbelievable arrogance- Wait. 

I stop walking and stare straight ahead. Those men in that truck- Those are Irish men. A volunteer force. What could they possibly-?

I gasp and push through the rest of the crowd. “Thomas-!”

A large man in a flat cap blocks my way. “Sorry, lass. Private business.”

An Irish accent if I ever heard one. “I know who you are. You should know who my uncle is! Ever heard of Edmond Colon?”

His eyes slightly widen at the mention of the name. “Aye.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Then you would know that if he hears that you’ve killed his niece’s boss you could run into some trouble in the future.”

The man begins to stutter an answer but another giant man turns me away. “Walk along, Ms. Steenstra.” He leans in and his voice changes to an English one. “No harm will come to Mr. Shelby, orders of Churchill. He will not die today.”

I protest further but it’s too late. I’m pushed back into the stadium and lose sight of the truck. What does he mean? Where’s Thomas now?!

“Fucking kings of the world!” I hear John’s voice over the noise and see him beckoning me over. “C’mon, Verena! There’s a celebration in order!”

“Lizzie’s alright?” I ask immediately.

John puts an arm around me and walks me to a table. “I talked with her. She’s better.”

So goes another wild game. It’s what I get for tagging along with the Peaky Blinders.

Back at the office Arthur shouts for everyone to quiet down. Thomas is still missing. It’s rather odd that his absence is labeled off as normal now. I can’t stop the worry pooling in my stomach no matter how many drinks John offers. One drink is all I take.

“Right! Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to make a toast!” Arthur announces. “To the Small Heath Rifles! To the Lee boys! And to the Peaky fucking Blinders!” Glasses are raised and cheers are shouted. “Who’s gonna stop us, eh?”

This is all fine and dandy but I have no part here. My ambition is for a partnership contract, not expansion. If only Thomas were here then a contract could be accomplished as he promised. 

“You’re turning in?” Finn asks before I reach the door.

“Yes.”

He doesn’t argue. Only nods his head. “I understand. I’m not a fan of our big parties either. I’ll meet you back in the kitchen.”

“Alright. I’m going to Thomas’ office to file a few papers.”

Glad to know I’m not the only skeptic of wild parties. Even back home they never appealed to me. All those drunken souls flailing about-

“Oh!”

When I open the door the sight of red is too alarming to go unnoticed. In the shadows I make out Thomas’ blood-splattered face. 

“You’re back,” I gasp.

“You look relieved,” he replies from his desk chair.

I walk to him slowly, almost like approaching a ghost. “I recognized those men. Before they drove off. I tried to…” I trail off, still staring at his unreadable face. “The red right hand never kids around, Thomas. It’s a miracle the Crown stepped in. I’m guessing that’s not your blood?”

“No.” Thomas shifts in the chair and looks up again, this time with devoted eyes. “Are you still up for another therapy session?”

Faith. Sympathy. Loyalty. Shards of emotions running through me all at once. Am I still staring? I need to answer. Thomas needs this. And he’s asking me. Not May, not Lizzie. Me. I need to help.

I take a seat on his desk and open my arms, surrendering to his words. “You know I’m always here to listen.” 

Those eyes. Eyes that seem to melt when he hears me. Thomas takes a quick breath and looks to be thinking over what to say.

“There’s change coming, love. I’ve got ideas I’m gonna pitch to Michael, since he’s staying. For you too. I’ve drawn up a contract for your family. Shelby Company Limited would love to partner with you.” He reaches over to take my hand. “Your loyalty to my family deserves proper benefits, Verena.”

My breath hitches. “Thomas, this isn’t all about money. The contract is to help us, yes. But it’s also proof.”

Thomas frowns. “Proof?”

“Yes. To show that I’m making a proper living for myself. Why do you think I’ve gone this long without my family disapproving? I’m here to help with the bigger picture instead of having my mother train me to be a meaningless housekeeper.” I squeeze his hand. “And I am here to help you face whatever demons haunt you.”

Thomas just stares at me. Then leans in closer. His smell of cologne and cigarettes makes my heart race even faster. 

“You are one of the most peculiar people I know. Even when you have your own ambitions they hold a deeper meaning for someone else.”

“I know I play a small part-”

“No,” he cuts me off. “Not small. Not to us. You help us remember to stay a family, Verena. And I promise these changes will make good profits for your own family. And…” He pauses and licks his lips, looking down to the floor. “We’ll need help with business overseas while I’m taking time off. I’m getting married.”

Crack.

Another piece of my heart is ripped away. You knew this was coming, Steenstra. He knocked her up, I’m sure of it. Now he will have his blushing bride and forget all about us. About me. Instead of looking to me to listen he will rely on her. Did I not just say I’m dedicated to helping him?

“That’s wonderful,” I whisper with a forced smile. “Matrimony in the eyes of God is always something to marvel at. Congratulations, Thomas.”

I pull my shaking hand away before he can ask what’s wrong and excuse myself for the evening. I shouldn’t be upset. He’ll be happy to have her as his wife. She should be happy as his bride. And little old me will keep to the side, unsatisfied. Is this what they call irony? I reach out and give my heart to him, only for him to discard it unnoticed. 

Let it go. Grace is… nice. Even after she lied. And hinted at threatening to expose my family ties. Could she still have hidden means for Thomas?

You’re concerned for him? Well, yes. He’s my boss. But you think of him as more than that? More than platonic? No! I wouldn’t… Oh God. Am I in love with Thomas Shelby? Ding ding! We have a winner!

@meadows5

[nova-they-exist-yup]

HMS: Needs and Wants

Now, I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly HMS are to whole. Sure, they’re the emotions, logic, and aspirations, but how do they work?

I figured something out, so if you’re having a similar problem (or just like seeing hms being metaphorically dissected), you can keep reading.

(Also, if anything doesn’t make sense or if someone has a comment to add on this, reblog! I love to brainstorm and theorize with others :] )

Let’s dum them down to their basic concepts. Feelings, reason, and ambition.

Heart, as the feelings, decides based on feelings. He feels hungry. He feels tired. He feels sad. He feels empty. He tells you what the problem is.

Mind, as the reason, decides based on reason. He should eat. He should sleep. He should cry. He should get help. He tells you how to help him, or better yet avoid the problem.

Together, Mind and Heart create Whole’s needs. He feels hungry so he should eat. He feels tired so he should sleep. He feels sad so he should cry. He feels empty so he should get help.

Now that just covers the basics, what’s required to survive. What makes one sentient?

Soul, as the ambition, decides based on ambition. He wants to eat cereal. He wants to stay up. He wants to make music. He wants to deal with it on his own.

Soul is Whole’s want. His driving force. He feels hungry so he should eat; but he wants cereal. He feels tired so he should sleep; but he wants to stay up. He feels sad so he should cry; but he wants to make music. He feels empty so he should get help; but he wants to deal with it on his own.

Now whether or not his wants are telling him to be healthy or not doesn’t matter. What does matter is what Soul wants and therefore what Whole wants. Soul, as ambition, can push past feelings and reason and do what he wants. Sure, he typically acts based on what’s being felt or what’s most logical, but it’s not required.

Yet, this shouldn’t make sense. Heart says what Whole needs, Mind says how to get that need. That should be how it works.

And yet is ISNT.

Have there been times where you wanted to do something, knowing full well it’d impact your health? Your body and brain are screaming at you to sleep, and yet you keep your eyes glued to the screen?

That’s a want.

That would be Soul.

Soul has the most control over Whole, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

But what if you want this control?

To… let’s say get one over on your nemesis? Become the true sovereign?

Well, that can’t happen. Of course it can’t.

Wants will never equal Needs, no matter how hard Heart and Mind claim to have Soul as their own. Especially when one claims they’re better than the other.

Soul recognizes this too. He even says in TSE “You must be so arrogant to / think that either of you can / control the Soul so wholly”, “Here in my kingdom, I am your lord”. Sure, he’s going a bit off the rails, but the message is still there: {You can’t control me. Neither of you.}

It’s why Soul has his power: he is Whole’s wants. Heart and Mind are Whole’s needs. Wants > Needs

Switching gears here: Now how does Heart and Mind’s fighting make sense? Or lack thereof?

Well, the reason why they hate each other is more about the characters and less about what they are: They both believe they are more important than the other. (How can you be healthy when you don’t know what’s wrong?) [How can you heal when you don’t know how to?]

The reason it doesn’t make sense ties into what they are though, the problem and the answer.

Heart is the problem finder. He finds the problem. He notices what’s wrong and wants it fixed. Problem is, he doesn’t know how.

Mind is the answer finder. He can find the solution. He can fix what is wrong. Problem is, he needs to know what’s wrong, and he doesn’t know what is.

They need each other to be efficient, and that’s what they realize in the end. After many, many arguments and fights, that is.

idk how to end this properly so insert jazzy ending here

[howfarethestars]

Thor was shown all arrogant in the beginning of Thor 1 and people always talk about it but none of them mention how Thor humbled down the very moment and looked like a kicked puppy when Odin yelled at him that he has betrayed his loved ones.

Thor's arrogance was mostly bc of him trying to live up to all the expectations that was put upon him from the start, crown prince Thor, heir to the throne, protector of all the realms, big brother Thor. Thor can't be weak, Thor can't be nervous, Thor has to set an example before everyone.

I don't even think that Thor considered loki lesser than him, for him Loki was his equal.

Loki thought Thor was getting more attention from Odin when his brother was getting burdened with more responsibilities and duties while Loki either studies or engaged in mischief for most of the time. Sad

YES!!!! “kicked puppy” is how i always describe thor in that scene 😭 the thing about thor, even when he is being arrogant and impulsive, is that he never acts with any real malice. he was pissed at the jotuns for interrupting his coronation, and it was petty, yes, but like…enemies of the throne attacked their weapons vault in broad daylight? thor was not wrong in saying that it was an act of war. it was. and you’re RIGHT. as soon as odin starts yelling thor realizes that his actions were rash and fueled by anger and confusion and he literally starts crying when odin tells him that he had betrayed his loved ones and friends. “you cannot even protect your friends, how can you hope to protect a kingdom?”

and YEAH !!! every single time thor expresses any kind of ambition or rage, he immediately turns to odin for reassurance. “just as you did father” when he’s a kid to “just as they feared you” to “let‘s finish them together!!” right in the heat of battle. thor literally just wants odin’s approval

and no, thor definitely does not see loki as lesser than himself. loki is quite literally the only one who is ever actually able to talk sense into thor. thor seeks council from loki and loves him so fucking much

yeah :/ it’s kind of a classic miscommunication. loki wants what thor has (odin’s attention) and thor wants what loki has (odin’s lack of attention) and neither of them realize they’d be better off without their father anywhere near them

[dmagedgoods]

RANDOM OC ASKS.

Which of the seven deadly sins best represents your OC? Which virtue? Would you consider them a "good person" or is their morality flexible based on their company?

Ohh thank you so, so much! 💗 That was such a great surprise to find. I’ll answer it for my 4 main OCs, because it’s very hard to decide. CIAN, Dark Urge in BG3, Drow, Sorcerer, in love with Raphael: His deadly sin is Greed. When he wants something, he wants it fully and doesn’t accept any less, no matter the price. His main virtues are Consideration - in most cases, he thinks carefully and analyses all facts before making a decision -, Creativity - his imagination is strong and he loves storytelling in all forms - and Passion. Flexible morale based on the company nails it for him. He doesn’t view himself as a good person, but he isn’t out there intending to actively harm others either and he fights the dark impulse to do so when it hits or when rage or helplessness almost drives him there. Sometimes, Cian even protects (to a degree and in case the cost isn’t too high) when he sees strong injustice, despite his haughtiness. He has a few principles he sticks with. When someone gets his loyalty, they have it forever, to name an example. At the same time, he can be very selfish with the things he wants and needs. He longs for knowledge and power – he collects it to place himself above others, not to rule them but out of a self-driven arrogance and a strong need for independence. On the other hand, he has quite an obsessive streak when something – or someone – captures his interest or even wins his love. Now the flexibility of his morals truly is showing, because he’ll do (almost) anything to win their interest and bind them to him, manipulative in his methods but disarmingly genuine in the devotion and adoration behind. He will not fully give up his beloved independence, though, deeply afraid of becoming uninteresting or worthless when he gives up too much of what makes him appealing in his own eyes. ~ SALVADORE, Knight Commander in Pathfinder: Wotr, Dhampir, Cavalier/Duelist: His deadly sin is Pride. His prideful conceit may destroy him one day. He always stays true to his own principles and personal expectations of himself, highly arrogant in it, and highly demanding, but it also gives him a lot of strength. His main virtues are Courage and Determination, he works hard for his goals and swallows his fears (in most cases), no matter the resistance, and also Dignity and Self-Discipline, being reliable and controlled. Salvadore is a born leader and a determined politician, aware that lies and other slightly questionable methods are necessary sometimes. But he has a set of strong principles he lives by and harshly punishes himself if he fails to fulfill them. He views himself as a radiant savior, he wants to rule but not only for the power (though he definitely is very power hungry), he actually wants to change the world for the better. In the best of cases, he will succeed with his high ambitions and despite his god complex, in the worst of cases his own arrogance may be his undoing or he could slip too much into a “the end justifies the means” mindset. ~ ROWLEY, Tav in BG3, Half-Elf (with a bit of fae blood in his line), Rogue/Assassin: The deadly sin that fits him best is Sloth, probably. For those knowing him, this sounds weird at first. Of course, he likes to sleep long and to relax, nonetheless, he’s very active. - But only because it’s fun for him. He refuses to follow rules and do something productive he doesn’t absolutely want to do.

(Lust might be a close second for him.) His major virtues …: Confidence - he knows his strengths and loves to debate and to provoke -, Courage - he rarely ever is afraid -, and Loyalty - protecting those important to him with all he got no matter the price. Rowley is an assassin, so being a good person seems to be off the table for him. He has a trickster mentality, loves to challenge people, to shock and offend them, and to paint himself in the worst possible light – much worse than he actually is. He makes it terribly easy (deliberately so) to overlook the good things he does. While Salvadore, who absolutely views himself as a good person, often thinks strategically before he acts and considers the best course and consequences in the long run and may decide to hold back with open help for this reason or that, Rowley goes in and does what feels right to him. He’s not especially empathetic or moral at all, but if he sees unnecessary suffering, he usually ends it (unless the situation is very funny). He has little love for those in positions of power and mocks them (they also are the main targets in his job), but he’s not out there being altruistic. He’s selfish, but those under his protection? – There is nothing he wouldn’t do for them. Unfortunately, he can develop into a very cruel and destructive direction when he loses someone dear to him and is in strong emotional pain. He becomes very dangerous in case his nihilistic tendencies win the upper hand entirely. ~ ENEAS, Salvadore’s mentor, maybe Tav in BG3 one day, Tiefling, Sorcerer/Bard or (depending on the universe) Warlock/Bard: His favorite sin is Greed and he believes it’s this one people are controlled by most. He is a collector of interesting, powerful, and beautiful items and a hedonist through and through who made it a philosophy to indulge in the pleasures of life. He also wants me to mention that he is fond of all seven deadly sins. His virtues: Patience, Generosity, Modesty (in a special way), Enthusiasm, and Creativity. Eneas doesn’t believe in good or evil or in the importance of those principles. Each being carries both. The worst deed can create something new and beautiful; the best intention can destroy it again. No, he is not a good person but his morals are not flexible either. He has his codex, his philosophy. He plays his games, some of them small and intimate, some immense, influencing families or whole cities/nations. He did as much good as he did evil in his long life. Some deeds he regrets, but he neither tends to be ridden by guilt nor is he especially prideful when he changes lives for the better. His attention is on the people he guides, ruins, advises, entertains, deceives. That’s what holds his interest and attention, a good story, an exciting reaction, a well-planned result, or a little surprise.

[futureplayboibunnie]

‘‘WICKED GAME’’ PT.1

Dr Strange x fem!reader

- i’m finally doing a multiple chapter fic and damn the ideas i have for this one is simply unpalatable. i’m so inspired by the songs ‘wicked game’ by chris isaak and ‘lover you should’ve come over’ by jeff buckley for this fic. it completely captures the smokey, moody, neo-noir atmosphere i’m trying to get across.

i’m basically going for enforced proximity, two cold and heartless people falling for each other, SO MUCH TENSION, SO MUCH ANGST. the ‘touch her and i’ll kill you’ type or dynamic that you WILL have in the forseeable. i don’t want to give too much away, but i love u sm <3

There was never really a job description for this kind of thing.

Drills were expected, training was a necessity but when push came to shove, you would have to save the fucking world from evil or entities no one really knew how to deal with.

But what no one truly could grasp was the evil lurking underground, the corruption and illegalities were strenious and massively interconnected to the point where everyone in the Avengers had special training when it came to undercover work. And once every few years, the rings of corruption bore its ugly head again; everyone had to take turns undercover, it was almost never the people whose true strengths relied upon the sorts but it was simply the rules. It was the equivilent of jury duty: unmissable and boring as fuck.

What made it more interesting is that it was coupled up in pairs, and no one had a say in the matter. It was a mission and it had to be done, for the greater good. This year it was you and Doctor Strange which was actually very strange considering he had more experience in the exact opposite. Seeing him take down a ring would be interesting as his strengths and ambitions lie upon the cosmos and time itself not just a bunch of goons with hard drugs. You and Natasha were far more qualified for this than anyone else.

You never really interacted with Strange that much, you'd hardly uttered a word to him and he you. It was different. Stephen was quiet, he wasn't that hard and arrogant sorcerer people believed him to be anymore- he didn't have time to be in over his head.

From what you could survey, Stephen was cold and calculating, he would rather die than get his hands bloody or dirty- and that's where you came in. The fists of it all. You knew that Stephen's brains would be useful in all of this, it would definitely get this chore done quicker...

Though Tony did have one rule, no fraternizing with your opposite partner. It would sidetrack the mission and he didn't have time for it.

Now you were both here, in a crappy motel stuck for a year with each other; you barely knew him. You didn't really build an impression of him but you wanted to understand what made him tick, what made him so distant, so cold. It intruiged you to see that nothing ever affected him, it was is if everything was surface level and you couldn't help but want to dig deeper into his psyche- even though it wasn't in your right to pry, you were just colleagues after all. This was all just a professional courtesy. Just two people doing their jobs.

Did you really need to get to know him either? It would probably be difficult to live off the land by only exchanging a curt 'hello', 'I have a plan' or 'are we getting food or cooking?' You'd have to stick it out.

Stephen watched you as you lugged your bags into the room, he wondered if this was some sort of cruel joke Tony was playing- he could obviouslv pay for just about any type of infrastructure in the city, something a lot better than this. But with a little bit of deliberation he came to the conclusion that this undercover shit had to be believable and spending a year in the most expensive studio apartment in the city would be highly suspicious.

The room wasn't too small actually, it was unexpectedly clean. It had a kitchenette with an island and a small dining table and thankfully: two bedrooms. Crisp, snowy sheets and a plumped up pillow was all he needed, he was grateful for the two seperate rooms for at least a slight modicum of privacy; though he expected he wouldn't be getting much of that.

Although Stephen didn't have a choice in the matter, he had no idea how he would be useful in an undercover mission- his powers were quite literally unmissable and there were plenty of other people more qualified for this but rules were rules. He could just take out the entire drug ring by conjuring a portal to the literal depths of hell but no, Tony insisted that this be handled delicately. They had connections from all over the city and the mayor insisted that this be completely covert not a public spectacle for prying eyes to criticise.

Believe it or not, Stephen wanted to get his fists bloody. So bad. He was aching for it.

It wasn't even about powers and his ability anymore, he wanted to watch his knuckles bleed and turn white with every punch and every hit. What made it hilarious is that people believed the opposite. Stephen was just so angry and irate all of the time, it was like the testosterone was building inside of his body cemented by his own primal nature. He just wanted to be messy, maybe this was what he needed: to watch himself completely lose it and spiral into oblivion but then again...you would be the one with his mess on your hands.

Then again...it was you that was working with him.

The recluse. The moody. The cryptic.

Stephen was too busy watching your wild eyes dart to every corner of the room, giving nothing away in the process as usual when you percieved your surroundings. When he closed the door and dropped off his bags, he took the split second to survey you at your most candid. You were still acting like a hardass, completely unpleased with this outcome but your face seemed lighter...probably due to the unexpectedness of the room actually being clean. Stephen wondered if he could break through this exterior, it would make his life a hell of a lot easier and he needed that right now.

You darted to one of the bedrooms and scanned it eagerly, letting out a flat ‘’This one's mine. Unpack and then we'll pull some files on these goons.’’ You sounded so fucking done already and he was onlv mirroring that reaction silently as he retreated to the room you so kindly left him.

Stephen let out a sigh as he closed the door. The window offered a pleasant view of the concrete jungle outside, the neon signs gleaming ruby and lagoon as the argon lit up his room dimly. The blackening sky outside seemed to blacken his thoughts, he was straying already- attempting to grasp the broken thoughts of a damaged man working with a woman he barely knew and trying to understand how he could stick this out for a year.

It was just a mission after all. A fucking year long mission without any outside communication except for each other. A year to dismantle the drug ring that just keeps coming back and now you both had to end it once and for all.

You seemed to get unpacked fairly quickly, your mind was running rampant which only transferred to your physical movements. You still couldn't wrap your head around Stephen but right now you had to focus on your first moves by going through the files Tony gave you. It'll be a banal and tedious task indeed and you were simply keening at the idea.

Ugh. How was any of this going to work if you barely even talk to each other? All you knew is that he would rather die than get his fists bloody, that's the only type of impression you got from him already.

Stephen finally creaked open his bedroom door and through the small slit he viewed you wandering and pacing up and down the kitchenette absolved in your own thoughts. You looked panicked...worried, yet Stephen wasn't concerned about it. He finally got out of his room and the noise of the door closing behind him made you whip your head around. He looked...for a lack of better words, like hell. It was so fucking late, neither of you should be up at this unholy hour.

"Oh, hey.’' You sounded breathless but stephen noticed your eyes slightly softening at the sight of him.

'’Hey. It's late.’’ Stephen said in response and it made him internally cringe a little at the incessant need for small talk.

‘’Yeah, I'm hungry.’’ You said coldly and it made him raise a brow at how quickly you could change your tone, is this something he needed to be concerned about? Hmm, he'd sleep on it. ‘’I can’t be bothered to make anything.’’

Thank God for Tony stocking up on supplies and actually allowing you to use your weapons.

‘’Could order something. I'm hungry too.’’ Stephen suggested as he sat on the small dining table, he was just as impassive as you were and he didn't know if it was a good thing or not. Your breath halted a little. Eating? With Stephen? As if you were friends? Was this something you could handle? You paused for a second, using the fleeting moment you had to look at him in the eyes.

‘’You like Thai?’’ You asked placidly and he nodded.

Jesus Christ. If it was going to be this boring you needed to do something about it.

The food came just in time for the silence to border on incredibly awkward. But now you were both just sat on the dining table, cursed with dim lights and a palpable silence but blessed with delicious food in your lap. Stephen knew you wanted to brief him on these idiots with a boatload full of heroin and he wasn't dreading it but he wasn't thrilled about it either.

The silence was lingering and big. You stole glances at him. He stole glances at you. As if you were trying to assess who would utter the next word, it made you...nervous. A word you would never associate with yourself with. You tried to focus on the food, the pad thai was soul replenishing but all of this felt so clandestine, your mind was straying to the man in front of you. It was becoming an annoying problem to the point where you were staring at your fingers.

‘’Were you given the files?’’ Stephen asked you, cruelly dragging you out of your thoughts and catching you out of your daydream. He was trying to talk about work rather than address what was going on here.

‘’Yeah, it's a big operation and they just seem to be coming back after every bust- Tony's expecting us to be done cleanly and quietly.’’ You retained your sentient composure enough to say that.

‘’It's a big sting, we're going to have to-‘’

You cut Stephen off before he could finish, your lips were moving faster than your brain.

‘’Speaking of us and 'we'…’’ Stephen gave you a puzzled look at your interference. ‘'Who are you?'’

You cocked your head and stared at him intently opposite you, his hard exterior was still in full motion. Stephen was searching for the unexpected words, tripping up at any type of answer at all to such a question.

Stephen leaned forward and lowly asked '’Who are you?’’

‘’I know nothing about you.’’ You stated it in a way that wasn't destitute or insulting, it was just a matter of fact. ‘’We work in the same organisation and yet I can't recall a single conversation we've ever had. How am I supposed to work with you now?’’

Stephen stared at you blankly, not revealing a single thought to you when his eyes bore into yours. When you blinked at him so sure of yourself, Stephen felt as though you were stripping away at his soul, like you could see every dark secret, every lonely feeling and the anger that coursed through his very veins. He questioned if you saw it. If you saw the true version of himself he's trying to hide from everyone. The arrogance that was actually acrimony and animosity.

Was this the path he was destined to lead? Could he be able to decieve you of his true identity for an entire year? Spending a few hours with you already had him asking questions he wasn't ready to face. Stephen wondered if this was how you talked to everyone you haven't conversed with, just calling them out on it without a sprinkle of shame. He admired your forwardness…but he could be like that too.

‘’I like music.’’ Stephen said simply, his voice softening at the sentiment- he was thawing. Stephen never thawed.

‘’You act as if your emotions don't exist, yet you love music.’’ You crossed your arms, a little taken aback by his honesty.

‘’That's not a question.’’

‘’It's a statement.’’ You quickfired.

‘’A question then.’’ Stephen gave you leniency but his voice was stern; he didn't know for what reason, you left him a little stunned but he would rather die than show that.

You paused for a beat, eyes still interconnected as if to throw down a challenge. You were up for it to say the least.

‘’Favourite song?’’

Your lips tugged up to a crooked smile and Stephen felt as though the world halted underneath him, the world must be spinning on it's axis the wrong way, the equator must be diagnal at this point. His eyes flitted to your lips, the white of your teeth were just peeking through and stephen had never seen you smile before. His gaze was lingering a lot longer than it should but he felt special for seeing you loosen even if it was just a little bit. A little bit was better than nothing.

Your lips were plump, they looked...soft. Stephen wanted to see you smile like that again.

He was dragged out of his looming when he registered your question. Does he want to reveal such an intimate part of himself? He did open this floodgate up though, it was all on him and now he was dealing with the ramifications of it: being seen.

‘’Wicked Game.’’ Stephen mumbled.

‘’Wicked Game.’’ You repeated so obviously fascinated, your face darkening at such an admission.

‘’If the world was on fire no-one could save me but you.’’ Reciting the words made you ponder upon what else this conspiracy of a man could be hiding. ‘’'Isn't that too...emotional for you?’’ You weren't insulting him, you were genuinely curious and Stephen was uncertain if he wanted to entertain it or not.

‘’Your turn.’’ He demanded.

‘’Lover, You Should've Come Over.’’ You replied bashfully, a little sense of whist pulled at the pricks of your ears at the sentiment. It's the most incredible love song of all time, you couldn't be a hardass and act like it didn't affect you at all because it did. Love songs were a weakness within you. Poetic love songs not that platic poppy crap.

‘’Jeff Buckley. 1994.’’ Stephen remarked trying to feign his surprise at such a song.

Speaking of emotional. Damn.

‘’My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder.’’ You bit your lip at the words attempting to imagine and unable to fathom how one could risk and sacrifice everything for a carefree exchange.

Imagine being loved that deeply. Scorchingly. It made your heart wilt a little knowing you'll never have it.

‘’She is the tear that hangs inside my soul forever.’’ Stephen's eyes dialated against yours as he continued the saga of lyrics.

Your lips parted as your pupils decided to have a mind of their own, your gazes daren't oscillate- it felt like he saw you raw. He saw you real. Delicate. Desperate to be loved and missed so uncontrollably. It made you feel pathetic but you couldn't deny what your heart was yearning for under all this hardness and resentment. You were a hopeless romantic.

Could you keep this charade up forever? Was it in you?

Love is silly stupid thing and your responsibilities rely elsewhere, you didn't have time for it and it would only hold you back. This was the only constant you had with love: that it wasn't worth your time and it would make you weak.

Stephen was afraid he caught you out and overstepped, you were quiet and still and he could practically hear your soft intakes of breath. You looked at him as if you saw him in a new light, not the version of himself he'd been trying to portray. Stephen was worried. He didn't know what of but he was and it rattled him.

It was 1:42 in the morning and the rain was beating heavy against the windows. At this rate, you would spend all night just getting to know one another- you could not have that.

You suddenly went to your feet and stood up from your chair.

‘’I'm tired.’’ You said hastily, your voice cracking a hair. ‘’Goodnight.’’

And with that, you walked away into your room closing the door. You left him in the wind, completely dazed at your sudden exit and at this moment he knew it'll be a difficult entrance into getting to know you. Right now he had a crumb of you but for some reason, he wanted to know more. He was mystified.

Now he only had you for the year. You needed to get used to the company.

[piperjistic]

Tear to Shreds: Kenji Kon

Okay so since it’s on my mind, Jurassic Park: Camp Cretaceous, I’m making it everyone’s problem.

Aight so Sammy, Darius, Yasmin, and Ben are the best characters. Fuck Kenji and Brooklyn. Brooklyn gets an excuse because she’s useful on occasion (If we ignore the sequel series but I digress). Kenji? Hell nah. But Kenji is deadass the worst character in the entire show. I want to box this man, I want him to shut the fuck up.

Okay rant part over. Logic now. Kengi comes from a very privileged background, rich (crime) dad with no mom. So daddy issues. I… Personally I’m over characters having daddy issues with how frequent it is but Darius sorta has them (Dad dies directly before the show but he moves forward), so I can let it slide. But Kenji is just the standard privilege lazy rich kid that learns humility, stops being a complete asshole, touch grass, and get actual friends.

However, over the course of the show… He only develops one of those. Can you guess which one it is that’s desperately needed in a survival situation?

If you guessed touch literal grass, you are correct and obtuse. If you guess developed friends, you are correct and no obtuse. Good job superstar- Anyway, through trauma-bonding and stuck on the island for months, they all become BFFs. Yet that doesn’t change him from being an asshole that doesn’t humble himself or touch grass.

He’s meant to be close Darius and be an deuteragonist with Brooklyn but… it just doesn’t work with his character. Fine, your father is a super blackmarket business boss, even having assets on said island or the nearby one. Fine, he left his son to die on that island. Fine, Kenji was probably raised by maids, left with no ambition except for attention starved and approval of his father. Fine. But this isn’t anything new or creative. This is old and literally every scenario of rich kid stereotype getting a reality check.

You know who was this type of character but better? Amity Blight. And yet she’s cute and goofy and loving and develop her own ambitions (winning the tournament like her father). Kenji isn’t and doesn’t. Shit, she doesn’t try to take control or pretend to be a leader when she’s out of her league. Kenji does.

He infuriates me whenever he’s on screen. Yeah, he chills out with the arrogance to an extent as time goes on, but he constantly tries to one up Darius or is portrayed better than him without doing the work. He does rightfully get mad when its either a laptop or his friend (crush), but said laptop contained important info on dinos that should be kept out of the mercenaries grasp. He gets mad at Darius, specifically saying “friends don’t trade friends for things”, as if Darius needed to learn that lesson and everyone else was on board with it. He does this the most with Darius but he acted as if he knew better with Yas when she had her injured foot which keeps her from running and walking. This would be a good way to deepen her character and give us more of her background- nope Kenji is assigned to her to remove rubble to rebuild camp. Oh, he doesn’t do what was asked of him, and forces Yas to rest. Yes, Yas needs to rest but she would feel a lot better if you did your portion of the work or something. But no, you’re lazy and “right” in the scenario.

It doesn’t help that the group is more pro-dino that everyone else and you just go along with it yet act pro-dino. It makes sense why Darius, Sammy, and Ben are super pro dino and actively help them, Yas and Brooklyn just so happen to help out of a indirect reason, while Kenji hangs in the back. Darius loves dinos to begin with and his dad love them to. Sammy is a sweet girl and apart of a family farm with animals. Ben has a pet dino so best way to keep Bumpy safe. Yas? She likes Sammy so cool, but also she’s the one throughout the show that has the least amount of scenes helping dinos I believe, I get it. She’s only there because of a sponsorship for her track career. Brooklyn loves conspiracy theories and discovering the truth, dinos are simply the surface of it and find them cool so will help out. Kenji…. Kenji just goes along with it. Not a single interest and only tie is crime father. You can’t be for dinos while not actually for them. I can excuse Bumpy for being the group pet but outside of that, nothing.

The only progress besides chilling out and the plot with his father coming to the island is Brooklyn becoming his girlfriend. Yet that almost withers away expeditiously because his father is trying to separate him from his friends. Cool manipulation tactic bro but it undermines the relationship building they just got finished with. It’s fine if the relationship doesn’t work in the future, like the sequel series (Kenji tried tho I’ll give him that), but it literally just started at that point. Muhahaha I will sabotage their date so he can hang with me and my investors. Smh. This is why I stick with Sammy & Yas together, only lesbians can get it right.

Oh, and I hate his design, from clothes to body. His shoulders are too broad and look un-proportional to his body. He doesn’t do sports or anything, there’s no reason for them to look pronounced. I think they were trying to go for a jock look yet it wasn’t fitting at all. His clothes are generic for a rich kid and the only “personal touch” are two white lines at where the sleeves start which brings even more attention to how he’s built wrong. Ew.

The more I write, the more I think Kenji was their favorite character that had to have plot relevance about crime dad. It continues in the sequel series as Brooklyn before being presumed dead ended up linking money from his dad to get dino info. They go to the dad to figure out what’s going on, one last manipulation attempt then “oh I cared about you, I’ll sacrifice for you” moment. They get a lead and move on. Kenji then proceeds to get on Darius’ case about how “if you loved her so much why we’re you there”, like what the fuck??? Using that against him when you know he still isn’t over it. Darius sent hundreds of voicemails to her phone after her death as a way to be in denial and connect with her. And you say that shit afterwards, guilt tripping him further???? I, I want him to get fed to those raptors chasing them. Fucking hell.

Sorry if this is incoherent but I need to grip my teeth into paper and tear that shit up into shreds. It gives me the satisfaction that this will be the closest I get to do in real life. 😌 There’s another season to go so please let him get his ass beat and actual humility. 👏🏼

[i-willstealyourtoes]

can i get some headcanons for jacket , hoxton , sokol , and bain with an s/o who is an over-achiever ? for example , s/o would secure as much loot as possible , regardless of how long it takes or the risk of injury being higher the longer they stay . i might just request some more later , but i'll do my best not to bombard you with a bunch . thank you !

Hi! Hopefully the wait was worth 😭

I LITERALLY KEPT FORGETTING TO SAVE THE DRAFT SO I KID YOU NOT I KEPT LEAVING WITH LIKE 70% FINISHED THEN COMING BACK TO HAVE ONLY 40% 😭😭😭😭😭

Jacket, Hoxton, Sokol + Bain with s/o who's an overachiever

Jacket

- I'm sure he definitely admires your determination fr

- I mean ambition is kind of required in a job like this so he gets it too ofc

- But even he knows you go a little too far

- 'Vamos!' is what he would spam as he saw you staying behind

- No but fr he is stern when you take it too far

- Like he gets ambitious too ofc

- He does kind of match you too

- I feel like you guys both match each other and also balance/keep each other in check

- Like when he pushes it too far you're there for him

- 'Okay, that's enough bags... about 8. Let's go Jacket!'

- '10.'

- 'No-'

- (As he's being shot) 'Diez.'

- '....JACKET....!!'

- You literally have to drag him by the ear

- Eventually you just hold his hand and move so he doesn't suddenly leave again

- (He may or may not stay behind on purpose so you'll hold his hand)

- Okay but anyway if YOU'RE the one who stays behind my guy will waste NO time getting you back fr

- 'Just let me get just one more-'

- 'NO.'

- Yes, he will hold your hand and drag you

- If you're not budging? HE WILL LITERALLY THROW YOU OVER HIS SHOULDER AND GO

- 'Just 5 more min-WOAH WAIT-'

- The last thing the cops see is Jacket just carrying you while you flail about 💀

- (Dw cops idk what's happening either)

- I'm ngl he kind of likes doing this anyway bc yay holding hands and holding each other

- The others do tease/make comments

- If you're already together he doesn't mind

- If you aren't they get death glares (don't out the man of his crush oml)

- OH also y'all be the kinda cuties to like... heal each others wounds after oml

Hoxton

- Like Jacket he also matches this energy

- But better bc you both get hyped at the same time

- If you're rlly ambitious, he's not far from it too

- 'We can get more guys, come on!'

- 'You heard them lads, move it!'

- Dallas/Bain likes to bring you two together especially on loud heist's bc uhm

- POWER DUO???

- But the only difference between you two is that he knows when it's time to go and you don't

- But this is sort of good bc at least he knows when it's too much

- 'Alright (Y/n), you'll be full of lead if you don't leave this time. Come on.'

- That's his calmer request if you usually follow him

- If you're stubborn tho?

- 'I SWEAR TO SHIT, IF YOU DON'T MOVE NOW, I WILL DRAG YOU TO THE VAN. MOVE.'

- He probably would grab your arm or drag you fr

- It's rare for him to actually pick you up bc idk I guess he isn't that kinda guy???

- Unless you're injured ofc

- 'What'd I tell you? I swear to god you're such a dumbass.'

- 'Yeah, but I'm your dumbass.'

- You're right

- Y'all are each others dumbies

- You always stick by each other tho so it's ok :)

- You guys are like the power couple that argues (in a lighthearted way usually)

- A couple that fights together stays together ig

- OH also if it ends up he's the one that gets hurt bc of his arrogance?

- TEASING TIME TEASING TIME

- 'What'd I tell you Hox? One day you're gonna have to listen to me!'

- You'd tell him while patching up

- 'Shut up.' (/lh)

- He'd let out a dry chuckle as you'd mock him more

- Y'all are so cute oml

Sokol

- OKAY YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE OVERAMBITIOUS???

- BRO HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?????

- Y'ALL..... HE'S LIKE THE DEFINITION OF AM OVER-ACHIEVER OH MY DAYS BRO

- Y'all are like the frickin chaotic combat gremlins

- Bc y'all actually both go too far oml

- See, you and Hox match each other in energy

- BUT YOU AND SOKOL?

- Y'ALL FUEL EACH OTHER

- 'Come on, Sokol! We can get one more!!'

- 'One more? I THINK WE COULD GET 5!'

- Y'all be running into straight death bc you missed a deposit box oml

- Calm down omd

- If Dallas or one of the older heisters are with you two I stg they just turn into tired parents LMAO

- I may have exaggerated a little

- Bc while Sokol is overambitious, he is also quite mature and aware so he does know when to stop (sometimes)

- Though sometimes it does become a little difficult in the heat of the moment

- Especially when you're there to encourage him

- But if one of you gets hurt bc of it? The fun stops

- 'Блять, (Y/n), you- Don't worry, I'm coming!'

- It's like a wake up call when one of you gets hurt or something else really bad happens

- He always feels a little guilty when you get hurt

- He feels like he's sort of the undeclared third in command (Bain at first and Dallas at second) so he feels like he caused this

- Even if you coerced him into doing it, he still feels a little bad

- 'Next time, stay closer to me..!'

Bain

- Ofc he likes your ambition, it's kind of what made him like you fr

- But he can tell when it's too much, since he has an overview of the mission overall

- 'Alright gang, let's get going. You too (Y/n), get to the van!'

- 'Hold on, just one more-'

- 'No! Get in the van now, (Y/n)!' (bro you got candy in there or something)

- He's definitely stern about you going too far, but it's bc he worries ok

- He literally does get grey hairs when you go out like that

- OH and if you do get hurt? AAAAAA-

- 'Shit, (Y/n), get out of there!!'

- Obviously he can't get you himself, but he can help you with directions, whether if it's to the escape, or just to somewhere to hide

- 'What'd I say, (Y/n)? You're being too reckless again. The loot isn't worth more than your life.'

- He's like a worried/stern parent fr

- (bro unrelated but I just got reminded of that voiceline where Bain calls himself 'daddy' and I'm going to cry)

- Anyways, he really does get worried for you, because he knows that if you get injured he can't even go get you himself :(

- 'Please, (Y/n), try to have sense of mind this time, or I'll pull you out of the fight.'

- He does make sure that if you are always gonna be stubborn about it, Dallas or someone from the og gang is working with you so they can keep an eye on you or pull you out

- He does love you he just acts a little strict sometimes <33

- He doesn't like to be too public though so that's why he sort of doesn't treat you as different???

- Though everyone can usually tell with the tone in his voice

- If you're on a solo mission (more specifically stealth) he's more affectionate though !!

- Calls you love and is more... tired sounding??

- NOT THAT HE'S TIRED OF YOU-

- It's just that when he's with you he feels more comfortable to let go a little and hide his emotions less

- He trusts the others ofc, but when it's a team he feels like he needs to pump them up

- (I headcanon he's like this with the ogs as well)

- He's more affectionate when you try be stubborn and stuff

- 'Love, you're going to get caught if you go back. Please get back in the van.'

- This is as affectionate as he rlly gets tbh

- OH also please thank him for his concerns, if you do it correctly he might be a little flustered >:D

- 'Thanks Bain. I know you're just worried. You know I love you.'

- He'll probably turn off his mic for a second to just process what you said (got the whole °/-/°)

- It only lasts for a second but its worth

- 'I.... love you too. Now come on, let's get back to the safehouse.'

- Y'all are cute oml I love y'all :)

[james-vi-stan-blog]

This is how Sky tv describes James and George‘s characters:

George:

George begins the series as a naïve romantic, largely protected from the true horrors of the world by his formidable mother. Mary holds a tense but uneasy hold over George as she masterminds his pursuit of the King. But as George grows in power, his relationship with Mary will be pushed to the very limits. George must prove to himself that he can be defined by more than just his beauty. He must make his mark on history, no matter the consequences.

James:

Capricious and unpredictable, James is never happier than when he's either drinking, hunting, feasting, or fucking. Being King is a burden for James. Though, when he cares to show it, he can be a shrewd political operator. But James’ desire to be loved makes him happy to put himself in the power of ambitious and beautiful young men, where he risks the danger of being exploited by tyrannical lovers.

———

So here’s my take on this. From what I gather from these vague descriptions is that George is more the victim of his mother than anyone else’s. He‘s described to be this naive romantic boy in the beginning who does basically everything his mother tells him to do. I think it’s going to be very interesting to see his reaction when his mother tells him of her plans to make him seduce the king. Will he agree to the plan immediately? Will he have doubts and concerns? I think that’s where we determine how much of a victim he really is.

As for James it seems like they’re going for the wanting to be loved scenario instead of just having uncontrollable lust, which I‘m really happy about. This explains why he let his favorites and especially George get away with so much. It also humanises his character and makes him much more sympathetic knowing his hard childhood. I hope we get a scene of him telling George about his past. But yeah I have a hard time believing he‘ll be abusive towards George. At least not physically.

I‘m sorry this turned out to be so long, but I love discussing these people so much.

———

This is Mary Villier‘s character description if you’re interested:

Julianne will be stepping into the shoes of the ambitious Mary Villers, Countess of Buckingham - the woman who would rise to great prominence through her son’s relationship with King James I. Having spent years of her life shackled to her cruel and abusive husband, Mary sees her long-awaited opportunity by pinning the family’s hopes on her second son, George, as she begins to mastermind their ascendency to becoming the most powerful family in England.

Always the smartest person in the room, Mary has never been able to realise her full potential. She is prepared to crush all opposition. She is not easily frightened or threatened by the English establishment who think they can get the better of her.

Thank you for this! (but also wow, so many questions and concerns I had could be addressed by just getting off my ass and readin' the darned website😂)

I think these depictions all sound reasonable. I think starting George as naive works for the story (I wouldn't necessarily assume he was, after finishing in France, but his engagement to Ann Aston could be read that way). It will be entertaining to watch "wide-eyed innocent corrupted by the decadent court" in a reverse of the typical gender assignments. However, I would find it more interesting if George's own ambitions come into play early, and he has more autonomy than simply being his mother's pawn. He is, after all, a man!

Also George "wanting to leave his mark on history" -- pre-emptive oof because when he was tested, he was proven horribly incompetent. (Some failures were not his fault, and he did have some successes. However, I would hate for the show to try to shift fault off George entirely. He was wildly arrogant, a megalomanical fool, and that doesn't need sugarcoating.)

Love-driven James is IMO more historically correct and more entertaining, more potential for tragedy and also showing the genius of George's approach to him. So I'm glad they'll go with that.

overly cautious tw for age difference/csa, etc.

One can guess from this text that Robert Carr is gonna get painted as a "tyrannical lover", which is certainly what James felt him to be at the end. But, I hope that Robert doesn't get too harsh a villain treatment in order to make George more sympathetic. Robert was somewhere 17-21 when he first gained James's attention, younger than George. He also was not nobly born (though he came from more influence than George). It is likely Robert and his friend Thomas Overbury had been trying to rise in position and favor when Robert had his lucky break (ha) in 1607, but still, this is another young man pushed and pulled by factional currents. Robert's downfall is partially his own fault (my impression of him is, uh, that he was not very bright) but also due to the manipulation of the Howard family.

So I mean, who's the victim, who's the abuser? It's all fucked up! There are degrees of gray, and some people are less awful than others. Like, Katherine, George's wife, is believed largely innocent of the scheming of Mary, etc. But anyone who held and exerted power in this period used it to push down and exploit others to get what they wanted. That's how these people got the significance that put them in the history books.

And Mary is doing all this shameless backdoor scheming because... she's a woman! She can't get a job! She can't hold a political position in her own right! What she has at her disposal is a handsome and charming son, and she uses that to benefit not just herself, but her other sons (who were terrible) and her daughter (reasonably not-terrible). She's doing fucked-up stuff, but that stuff is produced by the conditions of patriarchy and social stratification in the period.

Grading each individual character's victimness versus abuserness is just not that interesting to me, compared to exploring how their circumstances affect their psychology, their desires and suffering, and how they try to cope. As well as exploring our real-life queer history which, like all our history, is ugly and soaked in blood, and yet also is the story of real people trying to find fulfillment given their circumstances.

[calico-heart]

Because I have no chill, also for the kiss meme: X'rhun and Lyrha with #30 "as comfort"

For the exact opposite reason of my last request.

Thank you for the request! :3 Hope you enjoy!

(Ask me for a kiss! Help me get all 50!)

---

There were not many old adventurers. For much the same reason there weren’t many old pirates, heroes, foot-soldiers, or smugglers.

Violence begat death, and age only brought wisdom to those who had nourished it from the outset.

Many died young. Others tired of the life, saw the black waiting beyond, and chose a path of lesser glory – or realized there was no glory to be found at all in the road they walked. The arrogant who persisted fell to foolishness. They made enemies, or grew so jaded as to forsake friends, which was as good as the same. Survival on the edge of a blade belonged to the ruthless and the clever.

It was why grey-haired travelers with steel at their hips and in eyes alike were to be respected, if not outright feared. Conquerors and generals, admirals and nunhs – even these were not entirely the same. They commanded from high up. Few could hope to challenge them from such a position of strength. Even if well-earned, it was no longer the perilous life of a salt-booted wanderer.

It was why Lyrha had taken so long to believe that X’rhun was all he claimed to be. 

Forty was not old for a layman. But it was very old for a Duelist, who had not had a home in twenty years. 

And she hadn’t understood. How could a man who’d seen so much of the world lack the ambition to rule, yet retain the courage to fight?

Blinking, she took in a slow, deep breath, and nuzzled closer to his familiar warmth. Linen bandages across his torso rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Though rough to the touch, beneath them his heart still beat strong. Slow. It’d been honed to martial prowess like the rest of him, and what wounds he’d sustained in their last caper would mend soon enough.

A nightmare had woken her, regardless. In the dream she’d laid beside silence and cold, and no amount of shouting would rouse either. Her hands had been covered in blood not her own, spilled recklessly.

Because unlike X’rhun, all Lyrha had was what she pretended to be. 

Tremors left over from the malignant dream ran through her, and her claws curled faintly against his wrappings. She purred, more to soothe herself than anything. Eventually scattered thoughts would settle, and sleep would return – her usual preference for fresh air was unthinkable now with his injury to look over. 

But her fidgeting disturbed him. Lyrha’s ears pinned at the change in breathing, the sudden thrum of his heart, and knew it before his eyes cracked open. 

“Your wounds–?” He asked through a waking fog, hand lifting to cover hers atop his chest.

Her wounds, as if his held no consequence. She glanced aside, resisting the urge to pull her hand back. “No. Jus… enjoyin’ t’view,” She lied automatically. And camouflaged it with a truth, “Didn’t mean t’wake ye.”

Pale blue eyes narrowed faintly, and he offered back a faint chuff – too quiet for most to hear, but not a Miqo’te. Then reached his other palm up to stroke behind her ear. Lyrha leaned into it, brow scrunching. His kindness nearly hurt worse than all the rest combined.

“I would suggest a diverrsion…” He started to chuckle, winced mutely. “But I fear that will have to be postponed till a later night, when we are better equipped for the task.”

Smiling lopsidedly, Lyrha squinted her eyes open and purred a little louder. “Well, we’rre not entirrely ‘elpless, arre we?” Propping herself up carefully, she leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his bandaged chest. Chaste. For her, anyway. 

“It might be prudent to remind you that complications, should any occur, would be rather difficult to explain discreetly. We were ordered to rest quite emphatically.”

She placed another kiss to his collarbone. 

X’rhun tilted to offer better access with a quiet, “Mmmm. I see your villainy will not be easily dissuaded.”

The next kiss went to his neck. And here her teeth scraped into a gentle pinch. “Ship surrgeon I used’ta know insisted men healed fasterr when they ‘ad access t’pussy.”

“What a romantic notion,” X’rhun grimaced. “Entirely bereft of personal bias on his part, I’m sure.”

“It couldn’t hurrt to trry.” She made her way to his jaw. Here he tilted his lips to meet hers, mouth parting to invite her in. A gentle arm tugged her close.

And for a few easy seconds, Lyrha felt entirely safe. 

X’rhun took a slow breath, head sinking back to the pillow. “It could, actually.” He purred. “As you know very well, Cielo.” 

Her tail gave a twist as she sighed, twisting her body closer against his, “Maybe that’s parrt of te fun, eh?”

“I hope I need not express how tempting you are, Dear. But I would be more gratified to see you well rested and mended come morn.” He countered, but as he was not entirely heartless, he took the opportunity to nip her ear.

Lyrha flicked it and snickered.

“And then, I will be happy to engage you in whatever form of stretching you are so inclined to. You need only wait out the night.”

[f1inl3ey]

SO LIKE HOGWART HOUSES HEADCANONS (I will try my best to ignore all the headcanons that the fandom created, even tho I love them, and stick to canon) Finney- Gryffindor (i swear this would make sense don't eat me up yet) or Ravenclaw. Throughout the whole movie we are lead to believe that Finney just has this fire in him, even when he gets bullied or reprimanded by his abusive father. Gryffindors are brave, stubborn and loyal too, which I think suits Finney just perfect, even tho I hate the "protagonists are always griffindors" stereotypes. We can also compare him to Neville, that was also seen as a 'coward' until he got up there and killed Nagini. He's a Gryffindor I will die on this hill. Griffin- He gives me severe Ravenclaw or Slytherin vibes, I know most people would say slytherin, but I just like him better in Ravenclaw. He was also a loner, wich is normally attributed to Ravenclaw and I like to compare him to Luna (both of them have no friends lmao /j). When he appears to Finney as a way to alert him without using the phone because it can possibly wake up the grabber, big brain. Going for the more fanon side, Ravenclaw have this more unhinged side of them (Luna in the books is such an icon) and I just feels like he loves learning and is very curious towards everything (music, books, bugs/animals).

Robin- Is either gryffindor or hufflepuff, im in doubt. But, I will say hufflepuff, sorry. Always fighting for what he believes right, and protecting people that are important to him (like the bathroom scene), cheering others up and being there for them, always trying his best and not being arrogant/prideful while asking for help (asking Finney to explain mathematics for him). Bruce- Slytherin. It just- he has ambition on him, just look at his reputation 'Golden boy', as public image can be seem as a slytherin characteristic. He also seems very competitive to me ("You almost got me"), and a charmer (that scene where he's smiling at the girls).

Billy- Slytherin, maybe? I'm confused because his canon and fanon personalities are just so distinct lol. He seems calm and collected when he first appear, and while we dind't get to know him much for me he gives me those slytherin vibes. And the thing about him not recognising himself as Billy after death just made me go hmmm. Anyways by some reason he reminds me of Draco when he was all emo about becoming a death eater. His fanon personality is quite dramatic too, slytherin or gryffindor trait haha.

Vance- I. DON'T. KNOW. This man confuses me, and his canon and fanon personalities are just too tangled in my brain for me to know who is who. Weirdly enough, I will say Hufflepuff but not for the normal conventional reasons, just because this house has the motto of "Accepting who doesn't fit/belong tho anywhere else. He seemed quite clever in his short appearance, but sadly his bad temper kinda stole all the attention. Inclining to the more fanon side, I think Ravenclaw is more fit? Don't know

Gwen- Gryffindor. No questions asked. Donna- She gives me slytherin vibes, but who knows? She also reminds me of Cho lol. She seemed quite interested in sports and also didn't seemed to mind Finney's status, however, she only actively talked to him after he escaped the Grabber (for what I recall). Idk Slytherin.

Anyway, sorry for this whole essay. What is your opinion on the matter? Please remember that I tried making these with the little content we got from the movie (the 1 minute screentime Billy, Donna and Griffin got). Just want to know if other people agree <3

SO LIKE HOGWART HOUSES HEADCANONS (I will try my best to ignore all the headcanons that the fandom created, even tho I love them, and stick to canon) Finney- Gryffindor (i swear this would make sense don't eat me up yet) or Ravenclaw. Throughout the whole movie we are lead to believe that Finney just has this fire in him, even when he gets bullied or reprimanded by his abusive father. Gryffindors are brave, stubborn and loyal too, which I think suits Finney just perfect, even tho I hate the "protagonists are always griffindors" stereotypes. We can also compare him to Neville, that was also seen as a 'coward' until he got up there and killed Nagini. He's a Gryffindor I will die on this hill. Griffin- He gives me severe Ravenclaw or Slytherin vibes, I know most people would say slytherin, but I just like him better in Ravenclaw. He was also a loner, wich is normally attributed to Ravenclaw and I like to compare him to Luna (both of them have no friends lmao /j). When he appears to Finney as a way to alert him without using the phone because it can possibly wake up the grabber, big brain. Going for the more fanon side, Ravenclaw have this more unhinged side of them (Luna in the books is such an icon) and I just feels like he loves learning and is very curious towards everything (music, books, bugs/animals).

Robin- Is either gryffindor or hufflepuff, im in doubt. But, I will say hufflepuff, sorry. Always fighting for what he believes right, and protecting people that are important to him (like the bathroom scene), cheering others up and being there for them, always trying his best and not being arrogant/prideful while asking for help (asking Finney to explain mathematics for him). Bruce- Slytherin. It just- he has ambition on him, just look at his reputation 'Golden boy', as public image can be seem as a slytherin characteristic. He also seems very competitive to me ("You almost got me"), and a charmer (that scene where he's smiling at the girls).

Billy- Slytherin, maybe? I'm confused because his canon and fanon personalities are just so distinct lol. He seems calm and collected when he first appear, and while we dind't get to know him much for me he gives me those slytherin vibes. And the thing about him not recognising himself as Billy after death just made me go hmmm. Anyways by some reason he reminds me of Draco when he was all emo about becoming a death eater. His fanon personality is quite dramatic too, slytherin or gryffindor trait haha. 

Vance- I. DON'T. KNOW. This man confuses me, and his canon and fanon personalities are just too tangled in my brain for me to know who is who. Weirdly enough, I will say Hufflepuff but not for the normal conventional reasons, just because this house has the motto of "Accepting who doesn't fit/belong tho anywhere else. He seemed quite clever in his short appearance, but sadly his bad temper kinda stole all the attention. Inclining to the more fanon side, I think Ravenclaw is more fit? Don't know

Gwen- Gryffindor. No questions asked. Donna- She gives me slytherin vibes, but who knows? She also reminds me of Cho lol. She seemed quite interested in sports and also didn't seemed to mind Finney's status, however, she only actively talked to him after he escaped the Grabber (for what I recall). Idk Slytherin.

Anyway, sorry for this whole essay. What is your opinion on the matter? Please remember that I tried making these with the little content we got from the movie (the 1 minute screentime Billy, Donna and Griffin got). Just want to know if other people agree <3

I ABSOLUTELY AGREE. ALSO THE DRACO BEIJG EMO ABT BEING A DEATHEATER 💀💀

[corellianhounds]

Character Revision for Anakin Skywalker

Word Count: 933

Anakin would have been a stronger character within the story if he was the one driving a bigger part of the narrative instead of everything happening to him.

I think I would have found him a lot more compelling if he’d been more like Boromir in Lord of the Rings, someone whose ambition, courage, determination, and love for the people he fought for made him decisive, strategic, driven, stubborn, and cunning. A man with his military career and reasonable justifications for the decisions he’s willing to make on behalf of the greater good is going to be much more inclined toward exploring any and every option he thinks will benefit them in battle, leading him to give into the temptation of a powerful force he thinks he can control that will ultimately consume him and lead to his downfall. Instead of the Ring it’s the Dark side.

In a world where Anakin was driving his own story, the audience would see someone influenced by the sway of the Dark side because he sees the genuine potential and opportunities it provides, and his genuine care for the greater good is exhibited by his swift, ruthless, and decisive military actions during the war that, when examined or criticized by others, he is able to reasonably justify and defend. Everybody around him has a much harder time arguing against the good he does and the perspective he’s coming from. Ruthless does not necessarily mean evil— It means the most efficient route from point A to point B. To Anakin, the end justifies the means. Show us a powerful person with an ambiguous morality who truly had the potential and desire to do so much good, and see what happens when he’s subtly influenced by the wrong ideologies for long enough and has had access to that kind of power/influence from the beginning

This changed characterization means that while Anakin is noble, courageous, and loved by the masses, his flaws are hidden but never fully gone, and his skill and efficiency make him an invaluable asset to the war in ways that naturally get people’s attention. Show more of him not just for civilians but for his men and those in the temple. Add to that his prowess on the battlefield and unparalleled displays of the Force the Jedi council hasn’t seen or heard of in centuries and you’ve shown the audience a truly exceptional Jedi Knight the council will have concerns about in the middle of a war where there’s already so many gray decisions about no-win scenarios being made

Make him someone regular people like. As well-loved as Boromir, a knight of the people, the stalwart defense willing to fight on the very front line, hailed as a hero and truly believed to be the Chosen One who will lead the people to victory. He’s admirable. His bouts of anger or sullen moods or argumentative nature gets overlooked or forgiven because he made up for it in those other areas, and the older he gets the better he is at concealing his flaws. 

Add to that that they were in a war— Give him the chance to make the hard military decisions other Jedi won’t and blame him for things politicians need a scapegoat for. Have him take a lot of the heat for things that either weren’t his fault or are being twisted out of proportion and stoke that anger he has smoldering behind the mask. Make him frustrated and calculating with his own actual concrete objectives, and when Palpatine lays the groundwork for Anakin to choose the Dark side himself, the people in Anakin’s life can only see when they look back that there was more evidence of him purposefully testing the waters than they realized

He has that pride. That arrogance. Thinks that a certain power can’t be all that bad if it was used by the “right” person. Used in the “right” hands.

The Dark side is enticing because it offers you what your selfish heart desires: the ability to control what you can’t on your own, the ability to compel others how you see fit, the ability to exact the kind of revenge your enemies deserve. It gives you power to control the unpredictability of life, and death.

He doesn’t delve into it often. Doesn’t explicitly use the darkest side of the Force. Just… dabbles in it. Experiments. Seeks out the information Palpatine lays a trail for. The kinds of powers and techniques that are considered gray areas by the Jedi because the Jedi know how easy it is to succumb to their sway

He’s not evil. Not yet.

But he’s smart, ambitious, strong-willed, tactically-motivated, and now he has access to power that can and inevitably will corrupt.

Have this capable, intelligent, efficient tactician make purposeful decisions towards his own selfish, possessive goals and you have the most dangerous man in the galaxy turned enemy and foot soldier of a Sith. His character would have been stronger, more complex, and more sympathetic, and in the end it would have been much more tragic to see his betrayal because the powerful, evil force that controls and extorts him is a result of his own choice to use it for himself, despite the fact he actually could have risen above it

Instead, this Anakin kills Mace Windu of his own accord. This Anakin helps orchestrate the attack on the temple. This Anakin really does think “If you’re not with me, you’re against me.”

Hubris at its very finest. That is the basis for a truly tragic fall from grace.

[caffeinated-chaos-bean]

Basic Information:

Name: Cassata Magnani (Brando) Name in Katakana: カサタ・マニャーニ (ブランドー) Name in Romaji: Kasāta Mānyāni (Burandō) Nicknames: [TBD] Stand: [TBD] Age: 15 Birthday: April 16, 1985 Zodiac Sign: Aries Chinese Zodiac: Ox Date of Death: N/A Gender: Female Height: 5’6” Weight: Unknown Blood Type: AB Nationally: Genetically British, but raised and identifies as Italian Hair Color: Dark Indigo Eye Color: Gold

.

Personality:

Like her father in his earlier years, Cassata has a manipulative and violently domineering personality, repeatedly showing a lack of conscience and empathy. She displays a boundless ambition and a need for power. Cassata became involved in the mafia in her early teens, being taken in by La Squadra due to her advanced skill set and use of her stand. With this increase in mafioso status, Cassata’s ego would be boosted, resulting in her setting incredibly high standards for herself going forward. Using either manipulation, seduction, or plain violence, Cassata constantly seeks out to become more and more powerful. Like her brother, Giorno, the idea of overthrowing the Boss crosses her mind and becomes a secret goal of her’s. She is easily irritated when someone has the confidence to stand up to her, similarly to her father, and bottles up internal rage whenever this possibility crosses her mind. Like her father, Cassata will always attempt to manipulate those she interacts with, hoping to sway them to her side with the use of feigned veneer and gentleness. Her natural arrogance, however, often leads her to openly insult and belittle her enemies, notably disparaging their insignificant strength before her own Stand power. She will approach any and all obstacles and problems in a number of ways depending on the situation and her mood. Cassata is, essentially, a contrast to her brother, Giorno. While he displays traits that lean far closer to the Joestar ideals, Cassata leans closer to that of the Brando ideals. This sort of behavior from Cassata provides her father, Dio, an insight into his past behavior and serves as a way to further change his ways and personally attempt to get his daughter on a better path, as well. 

.

Quote(s):

1). “Enough whining already, you worthless pig.” --When annoyed at enemies and underlings. 2). “I have no brother. I was an only child who grew up in the mafia, nothing more and nothing less. Do not judge, let alone hold me to, those closed-minded, goody two-shoes standards of your’s.” --Confronting her family upon meeting them for the first time. 3). “Wait, so you’re telling me that you both are vampires? Like, the undead, blood drinking childhood stories? …Well fuck, that would explain why I enjoy the smell of bloodshed, then…” --To her mother and father after joining Passione. 4). “...If you knew that Giorno was out there and put effort into looking for him, then why didn’t you bother looking for me?! To hell with the hospital losing the records, there had to be someone who knew where I had been placed, what family I had been given to!!” --Cassata confronts her mother about how she sought to find Giorno while she was left as an afterthought. 5). "Tch… I guess we think the same, then… Children shouldn’t be sold this trash, whereas an adult is free to throw their life away as they please." --Upon joining Giorno and the rest of Passione in their cause to overthrow the Boss. 6). "...You really were planning such a bullshit event, huh Padre? I guess… I really do lean closer to your side of the family, then… it sounds like something I’d have tried." --To Dio as the Heaven Plan is explained to the family.

[leadflowers]

5, 8 and 11 for the blonde empress!

Oh thank you so much, you picked some interesting ones! :D Sorry if I get wordy, I like to ramble about my characters.

Under the cut because there's a lot of text (and a spoiler, FYI)

5. What was their relationship with Edelthrad? Would your RT have been happy with an advisory role, or had they always wanted something more?

Although she kept her feelings hidden behind a mask of politeness, Niobe was unnerved by Edelthrad to begin with. Like most Imperial citizens, she was raised to be wary of psykers, and even in her previous dealings with the Scarus sector nobility she had only ever met a handful of them (as part of various nobles' retinues). The idea of one becoming a Rogue Trader was...unsettling, and it made her question Theodora's judgement. (Later, she was forced to examine her prejudice as she grew close to Heinrix, also a psyker.) But in the end he proved himself in her eyes by showing himself to be a loyal servant of the Throne (although a foolhardy one.)

As for being in an advisory role - this was a familiar role and not unlike her previous ambassadorial position. She could have handled Edelthrad. That isn't to say she didn't wish for more - the Von Valancius blood is in her veins, along with their ambition. She never chose to become an ambassador for her house - it was a decision made for her in her early teens, when her family decreed that this would be the best use for her talents and trained her for it.

8. How much does your RT buy into the Imperium's dogma? What do they agree or disagree on?

Niobe is quite devout and a firm believer in the Imperial Creed. She genuinely believes the God-Emperor watches over humanity and that His light is the only thing keeping the darkness at bay...that said, she isn't so naïve as to believe that's all it takes. Humanity has to do its part, too.

Nor is she immune from the flaws of nobility - arrogance, classism, a belief in her divine-granted right to rule - but unlike many of her peers, she does care for the lives of her subjects. She doesn't needlessly exploit them and she is of the belief that a ruler who shows benevolence as well as ruthlessness does better than one who falls into either extreme. She is fair, even merciful, in her judgements if she can be convinced of someone's innocence - as long as the crime had nothing to do with the enemies of mankind. A Benevolent Dictator, to use a popular trope.

That said, she takes an extremely hard line with regards to Chaos and Xenos. No mercy is granted to anyone she finds collaborating with either.

11. Any non-companion NPC's that your RT has an interesting dynamic with?

Ahh this is a good one >:)

She enjoyed a close working relationship with Lord Inquisitor Xavier Calcazar until the latter's death, she was even on first name terms with him. He appreciated her willingness to aid his efforts and those of the Inquisition in general as well as her rather uncommon - for a Rogue Trader - adherence to the Lex Imperialis.

For her part, Niobe was uncomfortable with certain revelations of what Calcazar had been doing but - partly due to her instinctive respect for the authority he represented, party because so much had been sacrificed to get there - she decided to throw her lot in with him rather than let it all have been for nothing. After all, great deeds required great sacrifices, and if a powerful weapon could be secured for the Imperium...surely that was worth a few...moral compromises? (I never said she was above hypocrisy, lol)

The fact that I got this ending slide was the icing on the cake!

[chewbokachoi]

Random Rain rambles/head canon-y thoughts

-He grew up in the slums either as a consequence to his father NOT being Argus or some other quirk of the timeline (or Liu Kang hoped it would humble him) -Thus, like any poor person in Outworld/a place full of war, he was conscripted and... -That's where/how General Shao found him--Rain's water magic was already pretty good despite him having no formal training, which is why Shao says in the intro that "if it wasn't" for him, Rain never would have become high mage -He got his curiosity from his mother and ambition from whoever his father ended up being -He had no problem with classmates dying or him just standing by and letting them get hurt if it meant he'd get ahead -Dude did kinda earn his "right"/reasons to be an arrogant bastard/he is in fact incredibly intelligent, skilled, and a hard worker -Going off his old bios, Rain seems very much like a "Go big or go home" type of guy, so when he says he wants to make amends with everyone in one intro...well, go big or go home, Rain.

Let's give him some duct tape and W40 and see what happens.

Though, on that note, I still can't make heads or tails of why Rain was like 'yeah fuck the system burn it all down.' His exchange with Havik refers to him having been a true believer.

In what, Rain, in what?

Then again maybe we can just rationalize that as his go big or go home streak. "I fucked up my first revolution so Imma help out with this next one and it'll be bigger and better." He said he was helping Havik to avoid capture, but again, that line about being a believer...

Anyway, an alternative is maybe Rain, deep down, doesn't know what he truly wants because he keeps chasing that high of new skills and knowledge. He's only now getting a proper idea of what he wants after destroying what he had.

Also his mom feeds stray dogs and kept doing that even after becoming a lady of the court