#impulsivity is the biggest flaw of this aspect

[your-astro-mami]

The best personal example of what it's like to have a natal Moon-Uranus square is that I impulsively got 4 tattoos in a month and I regret 3 of them 💀

[bloodywankers]

tw; yandere, psychopath vs sociopath yandere, not proofread, 445 words | navigation

We often describe yanderes as psychopaths but i'm here to argue that a sociopath yandere would be a lot worse. 

Psychopaths are a lot more cold, maybe because of their lack of understanding of human emotion but they have no trouble following concrete rules. A psychopath can easily pass as a functional member of society. Sure, the way they love (if even at all) will be very different from the average person but you could spend your entire life not knowing your partner is one. They may not understand why you’re upset, but at least they know you are upset. 

In contrast, a sociopath is a lot more irrational, impulsive and all. You could say their biggest flaw is their emotions, they know right from wrong. Unlike a psychopath who may follow rules despite not understanding the purpose behind them, sociopaths just dont care for them. They cannot live a normal life and they will make it your problem. They know hurting you is wrong, but, does it really matter? Especially when it brings them so much joy to see you beg at their feet? They’ll rationalise it one way or another. 

Psychopaths would be a lot more delusional but easier to manage because they are straightforward, do as they want and you should be fine, unless they benefit more from you being dead then alive. Maybe you’re about to reveal their true nature, that would be troublesome so they’re left with no other choice. It’s your own fault, really. They may come off as cruel but it's not intentional, their course of action is just the most rational thing to do in order to ensure their self preservation. 

Whereas, a sociopath would be more lucid in my opinion. They simply don’t care, as long as they have what they want but that in and of itself is impossible when you can’t figure out what it is that they want. Things are never so straightforward with them, not when one moment they are as kind as an angel and the next they look at you as if they’ll kill you any moment now. Their constant fits of anger and inconsistent behaviour make them hard to predict and that leads to your downfall. Behaviour that was perfectly fine to them before might suddenly become the root cause of an outburst and you’re the only one who comes out hurt from that.

Of course, I’m not saying these are the only two personality aspects possible, there are a lot more nuances to this but this is the impression I got from my minimal research into this topic. 

[spock-smokes-weed]

Thinking about how uncomfortable people are with confronting sanji’s misogyny as part of his character and something he needs to work through, and opt for just pretending like it never existed in the first place.

And I think that’s a shame because sanji’s relationship with his masculinity is such an interesting aspect of his character, and his insecurities around what it means to be a good man are what motivate him to act like a white knight for all women. I also think there’s something about how he wants to be desired when he has these fantasies about women fawning over him.

There is more to sanji that just how cringey he is, and I understand he impulse to highlight how cool he can be, and how he’s incredibly kind and a caretaker at heart. But the fact that all of that gets overshadowed by him being an embarrassing pervert is the whole point of him as a comedic character. 

Oda has said so himself!!!

So like could we please acknowledge this part of sanji as one of his biggest character flaws instead of trying to backpedal and say he was never like this to begin with. 

[snakesinsocks2005]

Very normal and calm about how others perceive my favourite character

Hmmkay so:

Devineaux is Not dumb. Well, he's not *dumb* dumb.

Hes loud, dense, arrogant, stubborn, impulsive, egotistical and obnoxious, yes. But he's not dumb.

He believes things based in hard fact, physical and literal evidence and stone cold logic (atleast in his perspective). A huge factor why it took him so long to understand how carmen wasn't the evil doer she was assumed to be, is because of his very thick brick wall sort of thought process:

'This elusive smug woman is stealing. Stealing is bad. I must stop her from stealing. At the end of the day, any sort of motive or excuse you could make up for her Does Not matter because. She's Stealing. And as previously stated- Stealing=Bad.'

Whereas Julia is alot more curious and spares more thought in the 'why' aspect of things, and following reasonable yet sorta hard to straight up prove theories- Why is Carmen Sandiego stealing precious artifacts, only to then soon after, slip them back to the authorities? Might she be stealing from other thieves? The only logical motive for that would be to protect the said precious artifacts from the other thieves. And on and on.

Devineaux, truth be told, doesn't care. He's very much stuck on the "stealing things only to return them makes Absolutely no sense" (given the default assumption she's taking them for monetary value, why would she willingly give them back?? Boom, theory busted, cry about it.)

Other than the observation that two people can veiw one thing very differently (with both looking and focusing on different parts, individual interactions with carmen, with devineaux it's her strictly making smug small talk, and evading him- but with Julia she's *Alot* more friendly, passive and semi-includes her in the caper)

There are more factors to keep in mind.

General knowledge:

A note that we tend to forget quite frequently is that- Carmen sandiego I an internationally known figure. Dare i say a myth- cryptid even! All the common knowledge about her is her signature colour, hat and coat. So like, imagine your tasked yourself as the one to catch the woman the myth the legend, while your partner keeps trying to suggest there's more to the very simple picture. "Maybe she's doing it for a good cause"! Uh. Not sure about that bucko.

Incredibly unlikely, from all her rare moments of talkativeness, she seems to fit rather nicely in the 'stereotypical criminal who thinks their better than the law' type behaviour.

It's alot like trying to psychoanalyise DB Cooper. Who cares??? I'm just trying to find and capture her first! We can deal with the explanation and 'why' part after.

And another point:

Its a clearly made point, that Devineaux is a flawed individual. Very heavily implied and shown, with the little of the pov we see of him.

But! Thats just it! The entire show, as is its namesake, is 90% Carmen Sandiegos own personal view. We, the audience, see things from her perspective, as we have been spoon fed the basic information about the basic premise of the plot that surrounds and personally entails her. And with this pov, we see others the way she does. Julia is the unlikely ally, vile the biggest threat, acme the main antagonists and- well, devineaux isnt really all that relevent, compared to everything and everyone else carmen and team red have to face off against.

Because of this, he's painted as an inconvenient, and brutish obstacle. Purely in the way for reasons we and carmen know to be false- so it's very easy to just think thats How he is in his entirety! But he's not. Let's not forget:

Not Only is this guy a full blown Inspector, But, it's explicitly shown that he has the deductive reasoning, and skill with the process of elimination to (ONLY USING INTERPOL RESOURCES. NO ACME NEEDED!) Find viles home based!! Sure, by then it's Formerly home base as they blew up a whole 60% of it quite recently, but!!! Dude!!! Chief, the literal head and founder of acme, who's been looking for any trace of vile for twenty years couldn't even dream of managing such a feat!

Tldr: devineaux isn't stupid, he's just plauged by ego brain fog, extremely unlucky timing and lack of impulse control.

[biblioflyer]

Rediscovering Discovery: just what was that show?

Once upon a time I set myself a task. A task that was actually kind of the original inspiration of this blog. Namely to rewatch and analyze Star Trek Picard in pursuit of an answer to the question: Did Picard turn the Federation into a Dystopia? A series of essays I intend to revisit now with the benefit of season three pointing the way to where the show was headed.

I didn't fully succeed at the rewatch. Its still a "bucket list" item but I got 6/10ths of the way through the first season and I felt comfortable saying "no." Its a darker show and one that emphasizes character arcs, character experiences, and the performance of emotion over the stoic, proceduralist, "competency porn" that marked the TNG era. There has definitely been a pulling back from some of the conceits of TNG: that 24th century humanity was radically altered in some core way, almost genetically from us (at the time) 20th century brutes, and that the Federation was almost supernaturally wise and virtuous.

Empirically speaking, both of these concepts were always memes. Oh to be sure, we were seeing a civilization that avowed a particular set of values that resonated very strongly with a particular sort of 1990s secular humanist and generally behaves relatively virtuously if your preferences are wired towards amiability over conflict. Yet it wasn't without its blindspots. My Roman Empire is that the Federation's superpower is not that it is perfectly just and wise at all times and places, its that it is a society whose acculturation process creates people who are somewhat less egotistical, more curious, and less impulsive under stress with the end result being that as a civilization, its superpower is responding to new information with openness and alacrity.

Thus, while there are judicious complaints about Picard: I am not a fan of using the Federation abdicating responsibility for a fellow sentient species, even one it has been hostile with for centuries, as a metaphor for disowning the victims of far flung conflicts and cataclysms in the real world. I'm okay with a flawed Federation that needs to confront its own failings, but this was pretty extreme. Well mostly extreme. There are at least two times Picard had to be talked into saving a prewarp civilization from certain doom because something something Prime Directive even though the Enterprise could do it with trivial effort and with minimal chance of overtly disrupting the society in question. Data's penpal and Worf's brother's preindustrial people.

Overall, I land that Picard doesn't alter the setting beyond recognition, beyond being a setting where justice ultimately prevails, or beyond being fairly labeled "Star Trek."

So what about Discovery?

Now that its over, its as good a time as any for a retrospective. My intent is to watch the first season over again, because its been a loooong time. I've always tried to watch the show in a charitable spirit, much as I have Picard. I try to be radically self aware in that I know my opinions are subjective, that my preferences are rooted in my own values and experiences, and that other people could read the same situation in different ways.

In addition, there are always at least two ways to analyze Star Trek. There's the literal way: which is what is happening and what that tells us about the people and the universe (sometimes called Watsonian) and the Doylist: the "meta" aspects. What is the show actually trying to do from a storytelling standpoint? What symbols is it invoking? What storytelling shorthands is it using? What messages or themes is it trying to convey and, if these really are the correct messages, how well is it actually selling those themes?

To be frank, I've often not been the biggest fan of Discovery from a technical standpoint. I've often felt that its internal logic is sloppy and that, like Picard, it frequently undercuts the messaging I believe it is trying to convey with that very same poor internal logic or by relying heavily on "telling" rather than "showing" us what to think.

Star Trek as a franchise loves to look straight at the camera and lecture us primitive 20th/21st century apes on our failures. Maybe its the nostalgia, but Discovery and Picard have generally both felt like they are less trusting of their audience to interpret the correct moral of the story. Of course I could be parroting a popular complaint about modern fiction that emphasizes "progressive" themes that is itself very likely a perpetual complaint about fiction that emphasizes "progressive" themes, and of course grandpa TOS was the victim of "OG cancel culture" in the form of various networks in various localities threatening to or even outright refusing to air the episode with the Kirk/Uhura kiss.

So in no particular order what I want to investigate is:

Is Discovery "pedantic"? Pedantic being highly subjective. One quirk about me is that it makes me irritable to feel like I'm being lectured on appropriate conduct and beliefs by someone who I share beliefs with, but is articulating those beliefs in a way that makes me feel pandered to (as in I'm not sure the source is as committed as I am) or feels superficial, flattening, or essentializing.

Is Discovery a deconstruction of Star Trek? As in it subverts core ideas in a way that would irk people who are committed to those themes. If so, which themes and is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Are the augmentations, contradictions, and retcons from "established canon" interesting and worthwhile story devices? I'm not anti-retcon and I'm not a canon purist, Star Trek by virtue of having many, many, many contributors is better interpreted as a mythology than a wholly coherent setting; but retcons can and should be judged on their merits.

Is Burnham a "Mary Sue?" This is an almost useless question because of its subjectivity. Its extra useless because in Star Trek, almost every Starfleet character is a polymath capable of inventing entire new fields of science on the spot out of rocks and vibes. There's also a layer of sexism and colorism to it. To the fullest extent possible, I want to frame this question in terms of what are the consequences to the story and worldbuilding from having a main character and less on whether or not that main character has merit.

To some extent this will also address whether Burnham's narrative arcs have robust narrative logic or if there are "too many cooks in the kitchen" resulting in a character who presents as incoherent from episode to episode and successful by fiat. This is definitely something that I think was smoothed over in seasons 4 and 5, starting with what I think was an intentional shift in her characterization as early as season 3.

Its possible my own preference for the more measured tone of network TV era Trek may lead me into the same minefields as the trolls in comment sections across the internet, but I'm hoping to keep my self awareness vivid.

My intent is to go for the full first season. I'm looking forward to it because my memories are extremely fuzzy and I authentically would be delighted to find delights that I had forgotten about.

[lilliths-httyd-blog]

So I just watched Princess and the Popstar as part of my mega Barbie movie watch/rewatch. For reference, here's where it sits on my current personal tier list (I've seen more of them I promise, just not in a very long time). I feel that it's placement on my tier list is justified considering I feel the same way about it as I do Island Princess: two very good movies with just a few aspects which make me apprehensive about watching it twice (Tika. If Tika wasn't in Island Princess it would've been in yellow tier at least). I also didn't enjoy it as much as Diamond Castle or Three Musketeers, which are both films that came out in a similar timeframe to Princess and the Popstar. So, cyan-soon-to-be-green-tier-why-the-fuck-is-it-not-green-hold-on seems fitting.

I think y'all can tell that I like the Barbie movies.

Princess and the Popstar started off a banger (despite Princesses Wanna Have Fun being the bad kind of earworm - I hadn't watched the film in well over five years until today but that song was still getting stuck in my head every other week up until as of literally a few days ago probably). A nice little homage to Princess and the Pauper without totally ripping it off. Nice throwback to To Be a Princess there too, as a kid I hadn't seen Princess and the Pauper so I had no idea where the song came from or anything (literally I used to forget that the song was even in the movie) but as of today the original is literally my favourite Barbie movie ever so when I heard the opening lyrics I got... way too excited over this Barbie movie than I really should've. But yeah no the music in this damn movie is fantastic aside from the one song.

Tori and Keira were absolutely fantastic characters. They were VERY flawed but like can you blame them??? They're not even eighteen yet, they've both grown up in heavily restrictive environments (Keira having been performing since she was six and Tori acting out all the time as a result of the way she was brought up), have had such limited social interaction and have been taught to "never act your age" (act older than you really are) so it's totally reasonable that these girls are gonna fuck up and make mistakes and do stupid things (and hey they might be faking their identities but at least they're not committing identity theft pfffft). They don't have the wisdom of an average 17 year old yet but they're treated by everyone around them like they're so much older ESPECIALLY KEIRA (and yet she's the least impulsive one out of the two). Overall, I support womens wrongs. Genuinely listen to this movie's version of To Be a Princess, you'll absolutely get what I mean.

I still think that Serafina is superior to Vanessa but... Vanessa my beloved <3 Riff was not as fun but I love his name referring to a guitar riff while also being. Ya know. Dog.

My biggest complained about this movie is Crider's whole thing with the Diamond Gardenia like. If that whole plot hadn't been in the movie then it would've been so much better. Keep the whole drought thing for Tori's character development and whatnot, and make Amelia's whole thing about keeping Tori in line be about Amelia's Material Girl lifestyle and her not wanting Tori to find out about what kinda state the kingdom is in because "Vanessa, I'm a Material Girl" (make her an homage to best Barbie villain the Original Material Girl Preminger). Like girl does not want to give up her riches in order to help the populace. Do that instead of having an unrealistic magical diamond-growing plant and Basically Uncle Ian from Alvin and the Chipmunks having an unhealthy obsession with it... (the way he broke into the castle too like- those guards DESERVED to have their heads bonked with vases if that's how shit they are at their job).

To sum my thoughts up, I reckon this movie started off really strong but as soon as the Gardenia and Crider became a thing it began to very slowly fall off. A few changes could've made it so much better. Anyway it's nice to see that it wasn't as shit as I thought it would be, considering it was my childhood favourite :D

Also I stan Prince Liam. Dude was barely present, asked next to no questions and rolled with whatever out-of-left-field shenanigans were thrown at him and I support that. Also no forced romance or hinted feelings or anything, as far as I'm concerned he and Keira were just bros causing chaos together. Good for them.

[splashink-games]

Potion Economics!

okay so I bought Potionomics on release. an impulse purchase. but I knew I was going to love it.

(screenshots are probably spoilers, I'll probably talk about spoilers, so here's your spoiler warning)

so again, I bought the game on a whim. my wallet cries in agony.

I love games like these where you take care of a store and some of my favourites from this genre are Moonlighter and Recettear. super fun times.

Potionomics is a fabulous game with a lot of personality, a simple, well-executed story, and an immensely fun game loop.

to start with the bad (which are few and far between).

my biggest negative for the game is that there is zero voice acting. which was really depressing. for how animated and unique these characters are, I was surprised there were no voices at all. and not like voiced dialogue. there aren't any vocal sfx. no quips. no barks. I would've loved something to make some of the visual novel aspects more entertaining

secondly, this was not a kick back, chill game where you can endlessly make potions for whatever witch, hero, merchant, cat, bird, dog, dragon that comes into your humble little store. no sir ma'am. it was a game with a time limit (which I hate btw) and stress (quite literally). 10 days to get ready and go. and then do that 4-5 times. not the potion I wanted, but not enough to turn me away.

next, we've just got a few release bugs, 80% of which I avoided by waiting like a week to play the game. but I did encounter stuff not showing up, but nothing game breaking.

so for all the lovely positives for the game.

all the characters are so great! they're sometimes cringe, but in a good kind of way. they're all kind of self-aware of their flaws, which makes them a less annoying to be around, but it also made them stronger characters because it was obvious what they needed in order to grow.

their little scenes were all very nice too! I focused on my favourites until about 70% through the game where I decided I could get all the achievements. some of them were lacklustre, maybe because of burnout or because I was hunting achievements, but I think they were all strong in their own rights. and also my favourites did not disappoint. I will always be Salt and Pepper's blood brother <3

even for the characters who I thought I wasn't going to like (cough Roxanne and Baptiste cough) I found that I couldn't hate any of the characters and the rivals are no exception. I think that's a sign of good character design, if I may be so bold.

the story is simple—uncle died, Sylvia inherited debt and needs to manage the store to win competition money. its simplicity allows the game to breathe and you can get so much more from adding details to this story like they did (rather than making a complicated story).

for example, each of the rivals. they're made to each have a main strength and an antagonistic personality. for example, Roxanne (the first rival) is a fraud who uses charm to win. we see what she needs to grow as a character, we see her strengths, and we see her goal.

I'm also extremely happy that the story is complete! which is a little counter to my "this is not endless chill game" problem. the ending wrapped everything up

and now for the absolutely delicious gameplay loop

making potions in Potionomics is a blast. all you do is put ingredients in a cauldron and try to get the right ratio, but holy moly was it fun for me. for a meticulous person like me, I loved it. spent hours on it. but getting higher tiers is kinda frustrating when you've only got crappy ingredients. the gating was real (either I had to wait for harder areas or better equipment).

accepting the requests were also fun little challenges! they weren't really required, I imagine you could essentially beat the game without them, but having to make potions with certain good traits inevitably made me actually good at making potions.

the card battling aspect was also really nice! this was one of the first times I've seen this kind (where you're not out to kill) and I loved that it enhanced the narrative aspect of the game.

one little gripe I have about the deck-building is that you always needs 20 cards. seems balanced enough. it was clearly more than enough to win me the game. but I did want to change up my tactics sometimes, which included wanting less cards. in the end, I pretty much kept the same strategy until the late game where 1. I had too much stress and needed to get some stress reducing cards and 2. I got the really good cards from maxing out relationships.

I haven't even gotten to talking about the art and the music!

the art and music was phenomenal. loved the character designs. loved the places. the animations were smooth and believable, flashy and unique to each character's personality. the art was one of the things that drew me to the game in the first place, because the cute characters and handsome characters dragged me in. I'm a sucker for them.

the music... was pretty good, all things considering. I liked the music. I liked the sound effects. but I found the audio to be the weakest aspect of the game. that doesn't mean it was weak. it was damn good. just everything else was so high quality, I couldn't pay all too much attention to it. having no voice acting also affected that, though.

Potionomics has a great story, amazing characters, and fun gameplay. there's no doubt in my mind that it's one of my favourite games of the year.

as always, enjoy gaming!

[xxdungeon-stuckxx]

Hope

Opposite-

Rage

Neighboring:

Breath

Mind

Presides Over-

Belief, imagination, hope, confidence, ideals, positivity, construction, holiness, reality

Themes-

Religion, or general beliefs, are a common theme that follows hope players through their lives

Hope is the strongest aspect. This is due to the fact that “hope” can mean many different things for different people.

Personality-

Hope players like to maintain a persona of their “perfect self”. This persona consists of traits and other attributes that the hope player finds to be appealing. They like to mimic their role models in any way they can. Their goal is to embody this role model. The only problem with this mindset is that it hinders their true self. They base things on what their persona would want and how their personas would feel rather than how they may want or feel. This clouds the hope-bound’s mind and causes them to have a difficult time coming to terms with their needs.

Hope players are likely to hold a sort of personal belief or moral within themselves. Their lives revolve around this belief, it shapes who they are. It may seem silly or outlandish to others, especially when this belief may preside in the land of fantasy or myth, but hope players don’t see it the same. They feel a sense of happiness from this belief, and it brings them joy. Why would they stop believing in something that others find silly just to make others happy? Hope players believe that if everyone had the same beliefs that they do, everyone else may be happy too.

If a hope player loses hope in their belief, they can plummet mentally. They have relied on this belief their whole lives, and it can be hard for them to find something else to latch onto. They can become distant, overbearing, and even angry when they lose this belief. They will constantly seek to find a new belief, no matter the cost or how hard the task may seem. They do this with more than just their beliefs though, as anything that a hope player holds onto for dear life can be lost. They tend to revolve around certain people, duties, and even hobbies. When they lose these things, one way or another, they often fall into the same despair that happens when they lose their belief. When they are caught in this mindset, they can make mistakes easily. They make decisions on impulse, not logic when they lose what they care about most.

A hope player is someone open to new ideas, so long as it doesn’t contradict their stronger beliefs. They are generally open-minded about certain topics, especially when it comes to societal norms and gender roles. 

Hope players can be ignorant of certain topics, especially if said topics cause them to lose any sort of self-confidence or any sense of authority over others. It can be hard to knock a hope player off of their pedestal, as their ego is their biggest flaw. Being confident is not a bad thing, but too much confidence can make them appear arrogant.

The hope-bound are great at making a name for themselves and coming up with their identity. They know what makes them happy, and they are proud of who they are. They might use multiple different labels on themselves, but they simply like having words that can be used to define them as who they are. They enjoy using titles on themselves, it makes them feel more fleshed out as people. But because they typically use their persona as a way to express themselves, they can often confuse their traits for their persona’s. Labels can become meaningless for them if this happens, despite the hope player finding them to be important factors in their being.

Hope players, because of their strong bellies, can fall into delusions easily. When tied into their self-confident persona, they can often become disillusioned in a way that causes them to think that they are on top of the world. They don’t have much of a sense of mortality, as they may not believe that they are killable. They see all the positive aspects about themselves, and this causes them to not realize that they aren't as great and powerful as they perceive themselves to be.

Hope players do what they think is right. They never back down from a fight and they are honest individuals. When a hope player does something, it's according to their sense of “for the greater good”. They have strong morals and they want to be seen as good people. They blend in with the idea of “perfect” in their minds, and they stand out in a crowd. They may not always do what society thinks is the right thing to do though, as they aren’t tied back by the damaging systems that are in place within said society. What is ethical to them is based on many differing factors. They take inspiration from the citizens of their society and their peers. But above all else, they do what they want when they want to do it. They aren’t rebellious by any means, but they won’t hesitate to appear to be one if they think they need to do what is right.

Hope players have an idea of where they want to take their society. They have an image in their heads, and they seek to make it a reality. They certainly don’t mind if they are the driving force behind this image, and they also wouldn’t mind being praised for it either. They want to be seen as heroes by their people and they seek to be the cause behind the change in the society they seek.

Hope-bound players are typically caring individuals, even when their persona says otherwise. They value the well-being of others, despite their arrogance. They like having people they can depend on and they want to be there for those they love.

A hope player is an individual who needs to have room to vent about their problems. They can get worked up in their emotions, and they aren’t capable of bottling them up. They have to release them, and they need to tell people about their struggles. Without room to complain and vent, they often can become restless. It makes a negative impact on the hope player when they can’t vent their frustrations to others. It goes without saying that hope players are quite emotional beings, which isn’t necessarily a negative trait about them.

When a hope player is stuck in a rigid mindset, they can become selfish. They often think that their ways are always the best options. It can be hard to convince a hope player of the opposite when they are so sure of themselves.

Hope players struggle to change themselves for the greater good. They don’t see their flaws as much as they see their positive traits, and this can cause them to not understand when or if they need to change. A hope player wants to grow into a better person, but they don’t always know how. They can become overwhelmed when people bring up their mistakes or flawed logic, causing a hope player to draw back from the situation and dismiss what they have told them. It takes effort for a hope player to come to terms with their flaws, and it takes them time to learn to change themselves.

Hope players are social, they thrive off of other people. They typically welcome others with open arms and seek to befriend as many people as possible. They don’t particularly like it when other people don’t enjoy their company. They find it to be a bit rude that someone would dismiss their pursuits in friendship when all they’ve done is given them opportunities to expand their social circle.

In Canon-

Jake English (Page of Hope), Eridan Ampora (Prince of Hope), Cronus Ampora/Orphaner Dualscar (Bard of Hope), Daraya Jonjet (Player of Hope), Chahut Maenad (Player of Hope), Diemen Xicali (Player of Hope), Kuprum Maxlol (Player of Hope), Elwurd (Player of Hope), Cirava Hermod (Player of Hope)

[blissfulalchemist]

🖊🖊🖊 + anyverse!stasia, 🖊🖊🖊+ anyverse!carly xx

I had a feeling you would inquire about them!

🖊 I don't remember if I discussed this on here at one point but the biggest flaw that Stasia has in her og universe is that she's very traditionalist when it comes to magic. She hardly every took from other regions that weren’t European or the very least Western society as she felt that she knew everything and no one else really had anything else to offer her that she didn’t already have. This even translated into how she was with her bloodline. Men were never taught magic in her family traditionally, only the oldest and youngest female, as they didn’t see men as caring enough to fully grasp magic and the heart of it as they were a line of healers. While the art was lost to many those that were her direct descendents still kept up with teaching their children and primarily their daughters....until Conner’s mom kept with her rebel aesthetic and taught him from the get go and had no other children. Not only was this male being taught their family’s traditions he also had the gall to have a warlock as a father! The last bit of rubbing salt in the wound is that Conner’s mom was named after her twin but simply said a Z is cooler than an S, but still Stasia hates it. It took her so long to find him and his mom due to the fact that they weren’t as traditional and took magic from everywhere getting creative in combining different aspects to suit their needs. So this woman would much rather see her bloodline end than have it suffer any more scandal.

Spoiler warning potential under the cut

🖊 While FF!Stasia has a power that no one has really seen in a long long time she still took the route of learning magic the hard way to supplement the natural affinity, though it still has its source as creation magics like her father and mentor. This woman though also likes to plan for various worst cases and also took lessons in the blade, it just wasn't the sword. She will have a dagger upon her for the close combat and ending lives very personally, but her weapon of choice when having to go into battle is a lance. This becomes pretty vital in the Final Days as her magic now is a high risk situation. It is in no one's best interest for her help to also make the problem worse by just a simple protective wall spell turning into the very monster you wanted to sheild away from. Yes there becomes a silent competition between her and Estinien on who's better and who ends the most monsters.

🖊 In the FF universe Stasia doesn’t actually know if she’s truly immortal or incapable of aging past a certain point and she doesn’t really want to put it to the test out of fear that she’ll die before she wants to. To combat this fear she partakes in the darker side of magic and every decade or so she sacrifices a few people to keep herself looking young and adding years to her life. In all reality she can manipulate her body to look however she wants, but she cannot transfer herself into a new one. Stasia is immortal but will age and can still be killed much easier than other Ascians. She is though able to travel between reflections without having to switch to a whole new body unlike her counter parts, a big reason as to why her father was very adament to strengthening her power before she was even double digits in age. 

🖊 In og verse Carly is about late 30′s to early 40′s when she finally kills her mother, however FF!Carly is about 15 when she commits matricide and runs away. However, given the ages of when this even occured there is a distinct difference in just how these acts looked. In the og it was much slower, much more tortureous, and you can tell she made that woman suffer every second of it, in FF it was a much more impulsive looking kill despite the planning she put into it. The dancer blades helped in making the cuts clean, but there was much more blood and a very hasty clean up/presentation of the body for others to find.

🖊 FF!Carly is a few years older than Zenos but looks younger due to the fact that she took up Stasia’s offer to give a little extra life. This is something that does surprise those that find out as many like to assume she’s younger than Zenos by about 5 years when its the oppisite. 

🖊 In the same vein as OG!Carly in that almost everyone is Jack, FF!Carly gives everyone a nickname and the farther it is from your actual name the less respect she has for you. The current list is as follows:

Thancred - Boy Toy

Urianger - Shade

Y’shtola - Miss Sassy

Alisaie - Sassy Jr.

Alphinaud - Not Sassy Jr or Shortie

Estinien - Scowly or Dragon Boy (Toy)

G’raha - Crystalline or Fluffy

Emet-Selch - Emmie

Tataru - Who? and then Secretary

[faerune]

3, 9, 12, 24, 33, 46 for canach x mhae!

the biggest clowns in tyria

What was their first impression of each other? Bad. I mean...she beat his ass and helped throw him in jail. What a meet cute....Their first impressions of each other after that, in terms of actually being able to talk were still bad. Canach thought she was uppity and too serious while Mhae thought he was untrustworthy and a nuisance.

What do they dislike most about the other? Why? This has just turned into a roasting Canach and Mhae ask meme and I love it. Canach hates that Mhae can never ask for help. She's secretive its annoying and she bulldozes people in the name of 'doing what's best for them'. Mhae hates that Canach is so impulsive and has done so many shitty things in the name of his own freedom. They both resent each other for the things they possess: Mhae hates Canach for his freedom and Canach hates Mhae for her loyalty to her duty.

Do they have a difficult time when separated from each other, or are they fairly independent? They both are very independent! The first few years of their 'relationship' is pretty much just frenemies with benefits though admittedly they start to enjoy each other's company. Mhae said she missed him once and she never heard the end of it so...(Canach missed her too).

How do their personalities affect their relationship? Do their characteristics compliment each other, or clash often? The two of them are very similar to Logan and Ginny in that once they learn each others tics and things their personalities surprisingly fit very well together. Their morals crash quite a bit as Mhae starts as a more lawful good person while Canach is chaotic neutral incarnate but the pair of them swing a little bit more towards each other currently. They kind of come away from the extremes of the spectrum in that aspect. They balance each other, it's good for them even if it takes forever for them to see it.

How do they flirt? Who’s the worse flirt? Mhae is AWKWARD WITH FLIRTING! Usually, the pair of them is Canach poking and trying to get her riled up by flirting and Mhae going (disgusted noise) and then kissing him. It's actually really sweet and cute when Mhae tries to be flirtatious with him at first and Canach teases her but more good-naturedly and tells her that he likes it.

Do they consider their relationship casual or serious? Is the answer different depending on who you ask? Why?

Casual, for a long long time even if Canach has been in love with Mhae forever. He just kind of...accepts what he can get out of life kinda? He doesn't push and besides she has enough people begging something of her and he knows he's not exactly the person who should be with THE commander who has done so much and helped so many people. Mhae loves being with him and enjoys his company but her love for him is different than her love for Trahearne which is kind of her marker for how that's supposed to feel given he was her first love. Mhae's love for Canach is....oddly stable and comforting?She can be herself because originally she doesn't really care what he thinks of her and then he's just a nonjudgemental person and allows her to be herself. Mhae and Trahearne were the typical exciting racing heartbeats first love. Mhae and Canach are more gritty and real. They see each other's flaws and fight and fuck and there's no....fluff? If that makes sense. Either way, I can see them developing further with this current storyline given that Mhae's gunna be tormented by her traumas. I can see Canach being there for her.

[silverslipstream]

what are your characters' biggest flaws? do they see them as flaws?

Hello Churchofcrows, and thank you for the ask!

Kat - similar to Yuri, has a superiority complex regarding her intelligence/engineering prowess. is under a lot of pressure as a wanted fugitive and thus is needlessly combative/distrustful in conversation

Harry - impulsive and rash, often does or says things without thinking of the long-term consequences. often offends others by continually minimizing issues into jokes and disrespecting their opinions/wishes.

Jack - intensely stubborn, refuses to listen to consensus when her negative aspects are pointed out (e.g continually rebuffs crew members when they offer to help her with her alcoholism) and is emotionally distant as a result.

Sora - kinda the exact opposite of Jack: has very little self-confidence to the point of barely even speaking, can't deal with pressure at all and struggles to stand up for herself

Stan - has an immense superiority complex regarding his intelligence (which, to be fair, is sorta justified - he's smart as fuck) and a tendency to take things way too seriously, whether it's a passing remark or a simple game - comes off very standoffish/rude.

I haven't thought of anything for Kaz or Jetta yet, but I'll work it out as I go along. As you can see, the Dowager Caroline is a vessel of misfits and arseholes (well, they're nicer than they sound...most of the time, anyway...)

[dear-derek]

2023-06-28

Derek,

I think one of the biggest issues I struggle with is a lack of self accountability.

If I eat a shit-ton of cake, it's because it was right in front of me, and I was feeling bad, and I was brought up with food as my coping mechanism. It was a human moment, I couldn't resist. If I lose a friend, it's because they didn't like me, they ended things. How could it be my fault, when I never actually make any active decisions in relationships? If my life is barelling downhill faster than the speed of light, it's because the universe had it out for me. I was doomed from the start; I have the burden of knowing my own fate.

It feels so much better to be powerless and oppressed, to be allowed to pity oneself and wallow in disgrace like side characters in novels, than to accept the fact that you just fucked up.

I'm a determinist. It's something I love saying because it makes me sound interesting, but I wish it weren't true. To me, it's not something that can or has to be found from experimentation, it's a priori truth: the same way we know 2 + 2 = 4 because that's just how it works. We are experience machines; we indulge in the sensory information around and and internalize them. Instincts were built this way, too, making every aspect of our being fundamentally external and dependant on our environment.

Our own rationalism is further proof of determinism: we do, think, or say something based on what we've come to know, our little thinking minds subconsciously determine the best course of action based on genetics and environmental conditioning Those conclusions appear to the conscious self as desires, maybe impulsiveness, maybe a proper decision. They're still ultimately influenced by what we percieve, not some greater truth we think we've discovered.

Still, I think being a determinist is stupid. Not only does it take all the fun out of life, but it also sets into motion a negative conclusion, because it's based on the principle of innate passivity. Determinism also doesn't take away from the fact that I still experience life. As predetermined as I am, I'm not unthinking. As a determinist, there's nothing I can do to change the fact that I believe what I believe. As a person, with thoughts and feelings that are all completely biased and meaningless but still there nonetheless, I don't want to believe that my life isn't my own.

Still, if something in the world led me to stumble on this piece of knowledge, I don't know if I can reject it. How can you trick yourself into believing in magic when you saw the slit in the magician's rings? How can you believe in santa claus, after noticing your uncle's ring on his finger? I want to suspend my disbelief, but whenever I get close to doing so it occurs to me that that's the fault of my environments, and not a conscious decision. I then cling tighter and tighter to determinism, finding some stubborn solace in the fact that I'm not free, but at least I'm self aware.

But I'm not. People are arrogant, and they're self involved and irrational, and flawed. Logic itself is illogical when processed through their minds, and there's plenty of case studies to prove it. We all think we know the answer; We all think that we're the one to have miraculously solved philosophy. But we're all kind of stupid.

Who am I to decide that this is how the universe is ran? Who am I to accept my flawed perceptions as reality? If determinism states that I am the product of my environment, if it says that my truths are influenced on my subjective experiences, it's impossible for me, or anyone, to objectively understand or concieve of determinism. By its own rules, determinism is an impossible concept.

Why not, then. Why not believe in some sort of agency. A little part of me will always say that this denial is just some kind of coping mechanism, but determinism has filled that role, too. Why not replace it with something that will actually let me live with myself? Reality should not be ignored for the sake of personal comfort, but reality is so malleable and subjective that believing in it inadvertently rejects a big part of it we just can't see.

If I have to be blind, I want to be happy, too. So I'm going to go against my nature and dilute myself in the fantasy that I'm in control. It's probably wrong, but I've got nothing to lose if it is.

talk to you later,

[elysiansparadise]

Astro Observations IX

🟤Mars-Uranus conjunction has gained a reputation for being very impulsive and quick-tempered natives when it comes to acting or arguing, as the natures of the planets are spontaneous. The reality is that there is another facet of this aspect, this is that the natives can overthink the movements they did at some point in their lives or the ones that they plan to do. Despite the instinctive quality of the planets, Uranus is still a very rational and mental planet as well as nervous. These natives can be more deliberate than they are given credit for. This duality being one of the reasons why they are also considered unpredictable.

🟤Those with Neptune in the angles are the classic people that no one is sure they know one hundred percent, as they rarely feel they can genuinely project themselves with other people. On top of that, they always find themselves in situations where people project onto them, especially their problems or flaws. In the same way, they can often be idealized by others with ease, others could put expectations in them from a very young age. 

🟤Ruler of the 5th/7th in the 2nd house or vice versa may notice that they attract people who may have a lot of money or at least be stable in this sector. They attract people who want to provide them with security on many levels, people who, although not very communicative with their feelings, show through caresses, gifts and actions the love or adoration they have for the native. They can attract very persevering people with the idea of ​​attracting the native or drawing their attention.

🟤Many with Mars in the 7th house may have grown up or always been present in tense environments with many arguments or a very angry environment, this placement grants the natives with an incredible ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently. They like a bit of drama, but they will not tolerate the other person making a fuss or things worse/on a larger scale. They will always look for the fastest and most effective solution to a problem. Despite being great at solving other people's problems, they can have trouble solving their own internal problems and can find themselves in tense situations without their meaning or direct involvement.

🟤Moon harshly aspecting Lilith usually symbolizes a female figure in your family who you feel is very different from you, with whom you do not get along or a woman who feels rejection, envy or jealousy towards you. These natives tend to attract women who think they have something they don't and can be seen constantly attracting jealous or negative women with them.

🟤When the ruler of the 6th house is in water houses [4th, 8th or 12th] shows us natives who do not openly talk about what they think with other people. It is very difficult to know what the next step will be or what they are thinking of doing. They are very discreet people with what they want and what they plan to do to get it. They let themselves be guided by what their hearts want or what they feel they need, and they don't stop until they get what they want. These natives know their emotions from head to toe, and this makes it easier for them to know those of the people around them, so as much as you want to know about them you will not be able to, but they will be able to read you like an open book. They are one of the most observant overlays.

🟤One of the biggest differences between the ruler of the 1st and the ruler of the 10th house is that the ruler of the 10th house represents the way you are seen without your intending or wanting it, while the ruler of the 1st house is like you want to be seen Why? The 10th house represents the first impression you make. 1st house represents the way you consciously interact and present yourself with your surroundings and people, it is the facet of you that you want people to see.

🟤Do you want to know what a person secretly wants? Check out the 12th house, planets there, but especially where the ruler is placed. Here some examples:

🟫1st house: that the person would like to be more sure of themselves, to show themselves as they are without fear of being judged, they would like to feel powerful and in control of themselves. A desire for authenticity and courage.

🟫6th house: They want to feel useful, productive, and generally better about themselves. Don't pay so much attention to your flaws, don't focus so much on others. They want to be admired and recognized for their work.

🟫7th house: They want to connect with people, they want to find someone with whom everything goes well, they want a romantic, loving and committed union. They have a desire to find the perfect partner with whom to be the best version of themselves.

🟫2nd house: improve your self-esteem, feel better about yourself, rediscover the feeling of being worth something or deserving of good things. Desire for stability and to have something that gives you security. 

🟫5th house: they want to feel loved, adored and have a self-esteem boost. Remind themselves how important they are, reconnect with love, intense love and have more creativity. Desire to feel attractive and worthy.

🟫8th house: These natives want a degree of intimacy that takes them to another level, to be very intimate with someone, to stop repressing their dark side. A desire for liberation and intimate connection with someone.

🟤Those with ruler of the 12th in the 10th or vice versa can be seen as shy, very reserved and somewhat mysterious. People only know what the native wants them to know, since they are very cautious with whom they open up and what they make public of themselves. These natives have a deep desire to help people through their hard work, they would like the idea of ​​healing or inspiring others through their work. It is not surprising that many of them are writers, musicians or artists in general.

🟤When Venus is in the 2nd house, rules the 2nd house or is conjunct to the 2nd house ruler, the natives have a very melodious and seductive voice. They give you a lot of peace with their voice, which can be very sweet and have a fair intonation, neither too high nor too low. Just like mermaids, listening to them talk makes you vulnerable to their powers of seduction.

🟤Lilith in the 7th house are somewhat disconnected from their dark side, it is difficult for them to see or accept this side of them, but ironically it is something they quickly project to others. Many people see them as interesting, seductive and think that the native is hiding something behind their facade. They tend to attract people addicted to this darkside of theirs and people who are very connected to their shadow self. They love intense romances with a transformative quality, especially if it's with someone they can get to know better. In some cases, their partners may be somewhat jealous, they may want them just for themselves and generate some kind of need to always be with them [which is not healthy]. They can attract people that want more and more from them. 

🟤Those with Venus or Moon in the 2nd, 4th or 8th house can last for years with the same romantic interest. Their feelings come and go, but not for that person, once they fall in love with someone they can only think of that person. They are much more intense in love than they are given credit for. It is very difficult for them to connect with someone in a very intimate way, so when they do, it can be difficult for them to let the person go. Don't be surprised to see them with the same crush after years. [This may decrease if Venus or Moon is in a mutable sign, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces, if the ruler of Venus is in the 3rd, 5th or 9th house or tensely aspecting Uranus or Jupiter].

🟤Jupiter in the 10th house or in Capricorn tells us about a person who has many ambitions, someone who wants to achieve many things and longs to be someone in life, however, the natives themselves are the ones who are hard on themselves, they can be in Extremely self-critical and hardly accept that they are doing something right. Ironically, they are not so demanding with other people, only with themselves. They are usually a bit pessimistic about their potential and do not see what they are capable of doing. This is enhanced if Saturn is aspecting Jupiter or if Jupiter is retrograde.

🟤Ruler of the 4th in the 1st or vice versa have a very calming aura, people get very comfortable with them quickly and they come across as very trustworthy people. They are reserved and are in strong contact with their emotions, they take the time to investigate them and find a reason for them. They are very perceptive people with the emotions of others, they understand and care for those they love with great attention and sweetness, they are the type of people who actively protect those they love.

🟤The presence of Saturn and Jupiter in the same house indicates that the issues of the same will be of crucial importance for the native, since they will bring with them many lessons, learning and growth for the native. It is not something negative at all, since their energies complement each other quite a lot, Saturn providing more stability to the expansive or excessive nature of Jupiter and Jupiter providing more luck and light to Saturn. When both are in the same house, success is predicted in the field that governs the house, it may be a little later, but it is a lasting success.

🟤Saturn in the 10th house usually either have a future spouse who has problems with a member of their family or they are very devoted and close to their ​​family. Future spouse may have very marked differences with one of their parents and the native may feel somewhat "in the crosshairs" of this particular in-law. Their future spouse will be a person with very stable feelings who, although they will hardly express them verbally, will show it through constant actions.

🟤Moon in Gemini hardly take compliments, or can respond to them very curtly or skeptically. They tend to overthink the truth behind other people's displays of affection. Another thing that is worth mentioning is that it is very difficult for them to feel that they connect with someone or that someone catches their attention, but they can become quite fixated once they fall in love.

🟤Those with the Ruler of the 7th house conjunct Pluto or Neptune [or Neptune/Pluto being ruler of this house] are people who easily hypnotize other people, either because of their beauty or their way of being, they attract the eyes of the public very quickly and can attract others. people somewhat obsessive over them or addicted to being with them. At the same time they can attract a lot of envy or people who would love to be even half of what they are.

🟤Ruler of the 4th house in the 8th house or vice versa could have a chaotic and problematic home, this leading them to generate mistrust or in some cases resentment towards one of their parents. From children they learned to reserve their feelings, since some did not pay much attention to them or did not take them seriously. The subject of the family can be a tense thing for them and they may prefer not to talk about theirs and even live far away from them. They are people of very intense emotions and very observant/aware of what is happening around them.

🟤Earth Mars are extremely loyal people to their loved ones. I mention this because even though they seem to reason when a problem arises, controlling their instincts and temper, I have noticed that if you hurt someone they love in any way they can generate the most negative emotions around you, it even seems that you hurt them directly. They are somewhat spiteful and do not easily forget the suffering they put them through or those they love the most.

🟤Having Saturn or Pluto in the 7th house makes the karma your enemies get from hurting you very strong and intense. This one may take time to arrive, even years [especially if Pluto or Saturn is retrograde] but it shows no mercy. If someone hurts you deeply, this karma on their way is presented in a loss of reputation, negative or toxic relationships, a feeling of little balance in their lives, streaks of bad luck when wanting to start a business or generate money through other people, divorces, etc.

🟤Those who have a quincunx between Moon-Pluto may have many desires or feel many deep things / strong needs but out of fear they prefer to be closed about it. These natives may want to connect intimately with people, but prefer not to do so for fear of being betrayed, judged or generally hurt, so they block their vulnerable side.

🟤Something similar happens with the quincunx between Saturn-Moon, which causes the native to not seem to want to "settle down" with others, but the reality is that they are someone very capable of committing themselves and giving everything, but for fear that others will take advantage or not commit in the same way, they prefer to be more cautious about it. It is worth mentioning that these do not forget and do not bother trying to forgive.

🟤Ruler of the 5th in the 10th house or vice versa usually have very high standards when it comes to having a partner or even thinking about the possibility of someone calling their attention. They have the need to admire their potential partner, this means that they can only be at their level or higher. They know what they are worth and do not settle for little, they do not lower their standards for anyone or anything.

🟤Pluto in the 4th house is one of the most mysterious placements for Pluto, I dare to say more than a Pluto in the 1st house. Pluto in the 4th IS mysterious and secretive without intending it. They hardly trust people and do not open up to anyone, do not trust anyone with their emotions and are very secretive. They could tell you what they think, but they will never talk to you openly about their past, their discomfort or sadness if they don't trust you enough. Their emotional world is intense and they are more passionate than they show, but that is a facet of them that not everyone knows.

🟤Ruler of the 9th house in the 2nd/4th house or vice versa can find comfort and security in places far from home. They hardly feel that they fit into their place of origin [family, or when they were young and went to school], they feel that it is not easy for them to find that something to call home. So it is very likely that people with this placement change their city, state or country. This overlay favors being able to live in another country or have a better life outside the place of origin.

🟤Those with Venus-Pluto aspects are often described as very appealing and passionate, but the reality is that there is something deeper than that description that we see everywhere. Many of them want a very intense and transformative connection, but still they are afraid of being too intimate with someone, they are afraid of looking too vulnerable or being fooled. Very capable of loving, of making the other feel desired, and of changing the lives of those they love, but it is difficult for them to put aside their fears at times, that fear of being hurt for trusting too much. That is why they are so cautious with their relationships or with the idea of ​​formalizing with someone. This may be due to past experiences or from people close to them (their parents for example).

🟤Ruler of the 6th in the 10th or vice versa can become very successful in their work as well as well known for their sense of duty and responsibility. In the same way, they can stand out for being people who help others, who make others feel comfortable or who advise other people. They tend to have a good reputation for their altruistic nature. It is very likely that they will also attract some envy in their work, but this placement indicates that it is because of how well they work and the rewards they will obtain. People who envy them feel less than them in terms of abilities or talent.

🟤Ruler of the 11th in the 5th or vice versa can have a high level of recognition, since they have a lot of charisma and their personality can make them stand out. They can be really good at some hobby that they have. Many people who see them are inspired by them, whether it's because of their originality, their work, or the way they seem to lead their lives. They have a lot of appeal and have a facility to fall in love and fascinate whoever deals with them. There is a type of conflict in them, since they like to be told that what they do is good, they like recognition, however much can overwhelm them, because as children it is likely that they did not feel it very much.

🟤Ruler of the 7th in the 4th or vice versa usually indicates that you will marry a person from the same city, state or country. This person will be very caring and protective of you, someone who will open the doors to their emotional world, who will be transparent with you and will give you that feeling of being at home again. Future spouse will be someone trustworthy, reliable and at a very stable point in their life (especially if Saturn, Venus or Jupiter are the rulers involved). It will be someone very emotional who will take care of your emotions, will have a lot of tact and will have the intention of making you live the very heaven on earth.

[ramblingguy54]

     It’s seriously interesting these parallels you can draw between Leif & Marcy to a certain extent, regarding the Calamity Box making them impulsively do something that has serious effects on their respective friends. Leif & Marcy only wanted to do what they believed to be right in their hearts. The big difference surrounding these two is Leif took the box to save Amphibia’s reality from being obliterated, while Marcy simply didn’t want Anne, Sasha, & herself to drift away as friends. Leif horrifically realized screwing around in other worlds wasn’t an efficient way of living anymore, which made her determined to keep the vision from coming to fruition. Even if it meant stealing from Andrias, a life long companion she’s known for years, to try keeping the balance in check. Leif wanted to break the cycle of terror they were spreading and Marcy, driven by a sympathetic fear of solitude, wished upon a star because she thought Anne & Sasha would thank her later for going this far to maintain their friendship.

     Marcy never told Sasha or Anne about her parents’ plans to move out of state, where Leif on the other hand tried to warn Andrias about continually abusing the Calamity Box, but was turned down by him. Marcy presumed she was doing what a true friend would do for anyone, but it backfired greatly. Leif tried to give Andrias a benefit of the doubt and got completely ignored. If Leif had tried to warn him a second time without having a big meeting, would he have listened? I don’t think so in all honesty because there’s always been a consistent aspect of Andrias’ personality, his devotion. The devotion he had to his ancestors’ generations of being world conquerors, as seen with Andrias’ father. Andrias wanted to be so much like him in earning his approval it was seriously clouding his judgement from standing up for himself. You can easily make another comparison with Andrias & his father against Anne & Sasha’s dynamic. Anne, much like Andrias, didn’t have the courage for a period of time to stand up for herself against Sasha’s abuse, but eventually found that spark of courage. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Andrias at all, since he stuck to his guns. Andrias was always going to take his father’s side over friendship.

     Andrias has a vulnerable caring side underneath his dictator facade sure, however he doesn’t want to embrace change. Amphibia’s biggest theme in its story is our world and way of life never stops truly changing, even when we think an apex has been reached. Andrias is the very antithesis against this idea not wanting to stop profiting from invading worlds and imprisoning creatures. He knows on some level what he’s doing is wrong and should stop it at once, but Andrias doesn’t see this as a simple task. Leif was more than ready to stand behind him to break the cycle together, but Andrias’ heart wasn’t in it. All of this was inevitably going to end in catastrophe, considering Andrias’ dedication to pleasing his father. All he wants is to be apart of something grander coming at the cost of people Andrias did cherish getting blinded by bigger aspirations.

     The Core & The King is easily up there in my favorites from this show because it studies Andrias’ background, personality, and most importantly his biggest faults. Andrias’ stubbornness in refusing to break the cycle of invading other worlds caused him to lose everyone who cared about his well being.  Andrias tries to plays it all off like he has thought of nothing else but the invasion, which is all simply bullshit in what he’s really feeling deep down. The consequences of his actions have weighed heavily on him for centuries.

He chose to not heed Leif’s warning and silently obeyed his father.

He sent Barrel off to defend villages, getting him killed afterwards.

He had a hand in creating the flawed racial power dynamic.

In the end, Andrias is getting his chance to “redeem” himself.

     However, all Andrias has is a mountain of regrets he feels can’t be atoned for. I loved this shot so much in it capturing his moment of excruciating sadness. He never grew up from the boy, who had lost two people that were like family to Andrias. It’s a heartbreaking connection to Anne throughout Season 3′s first half. Just as Anne has had Sasha & Marcy on her mind 24/7 trying to return to Amphibia, Andrias always thought about Leif & Barrel in the back of his mind all these passing centuries. 

He really is Anne’s dark opposite of what could’ve been.

[ask-lock-shock-and-barrel]

How does your reboot au differ from the movie, character and storytelling wise?

((So the fun thing about the movie is that it leaves us with so much open ended possibilities with what these characters' pasts and futures are like that honestly anything goes. The only things the movie really establishes as ~unchangable~ are that Jack is growing tired of Halloween, Sally is a creation of Finkelstein who likes Jack, Jack and Oogie don't like each other, and that the Trio work for Oogie up until he Dies In Minecraft.

There's not any set timeframe of how long these circumstances have been. And like I've said before, I do not consider the games canon.

So this 'reboot' still has those circumstances, but it takes place a good couple of years after the movie events. That allows character dynamics to shift and for other events to have happened inbetween the end of the movie and now. And since games are not canon, I can do what I want with past events and dynamics too.

For characters, Jack is more of the same, a charismatic leader who wants what is best for the town, but he is prone to messing up when he is too focused on his aspirations. And there is an aspect of misinterpreting the actions of others when it comes to his character too. Like in the movie where Sally attempts to warn Jack of her visions or he misinterprets the humans' fear of him as joy. This is a flaw of his that I implemented in my own storytelling, such as him not realizing Shock was wanting his help to stop Oogie, which resulted in bigger repurcussions than anything else.

Sally I personally see as someone who acts as the voice of reason like in the movie, but deep down she can be just as unhinged and impulsive as Jack or other townsfolk. The difference between her and them though is she has more than one working braincell and she's a lot craftier. Idk, I think Sally has the right to go nuts sometimes, and smash a chair over someone's head.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel, my three terrible children, get the biggest glowup because they deserve it. I always thought the games sort of mis-used them and didn't put any real consideration into developing them beyond repeating their role in the movie. And sure that can be fun, but I think in a reboot/continuation it would feel repetetive. The childlike villainy they have in the movie is cheeky and endearing, but for it to repeat itself without substance or development like in the games would result in them being in a flat 'evil sidekick' role that could easily make them come across as shrill and unlikable if done too long. And they're fun chaotic characters who deserve to be explored and allow that fun chaos to grow along with them. They're allowed to be nasty sometimes, and cause mayhem, but they're also allowed to be kids, who have feelings and worries and joys. Like if Little My from Moomin lived in Halloween Town? I think she'd be besties with them.

I more or less expanded on their few different traits from the movie so they could act as individual characters AND a trio of friends at the same time. In the movie, Lock is the self proclaimed leader and likes to be in charge but he's not the brightest. I expand on that by allowing him to be an absolute ball of chaos and energy and always big on ideas for nonsensical things, and the epitome of Gen Z shenanigans. To quote the inner 11 year old in my head: Lock is Cringe, like most kids. He's an airhead most of the time but convinced he's the smartest guy in the room, and he's quite the little ham. He's also got some big issues with loneliness as a result of being abandoned by his family and often acts out for attention, not genuine malice. Shock is the most cunning in the movie and a big know it all, and most lore seems to establish her as the oldest, so my incarnation develops those traits in her too. She's genuinely very smart, and whilst she is a bossy know it all, deep down, it comes out of love for her friends and she's their big sister. She's also dealing with serious growing pains as she's starting to process some of the terrible things she was exposed to years before, and realizing how much fear and terror had forced her into keeping her loyalties with Oogie for so long and keeping the other two in line with her. Barrel was always my favorite as a kid because they're so quiet but always seemed happier and more carefree than the other two. I thought that was the perfect grounds to make an emotionally intelligent, nonconformist, free-spirit of a child who could act like the Bugs Bunny to the combined Lock and Shock's Daffy Duck. Nobody expects the quiet weird kid to be a prodigy of sorts, but Barrel is a pint sized well of untapped potential and is much sweeter and empathetic than the other two. I also portray them as nonbinary because nonbinary can be anything!

In a reboot/continuation, these kids are a couple years older than they were in the movie, so their brains are bigger, and they've had a couple years to move on from the Oogie Boogie days. They're still all about causing mayhem, and are at various levels of coping from 'doing great' to 'sweet murgatroyd get this kid a therapist', but they're slowly and unconsciously allowing themselves to integrate into town society, and it's the care and guidance of Jack, Sally, and others who really help out with that.

As for other characters, like the Mayor or Dr. Finkelstein, their characters are more or less the same, but they have more room to live their lives and develop outside of a 70 minute movie. ))

[parachutingkitten]

Y'all suck at dissecting Kai's character, so I guess I have to do it.

And I'm not even a Kai stan. He's a bottom tier ninja for me, which I guess means you can trust me, cuz I'm not biased, but also why am I the one doing this? I don't know about y'all, but recently on my dash, the method by which Kai fans try to make him sound good is... saying the writers hate him, ignore him, and that he isn't written well? Which... I mean there is a little bit of truth to, but like yikes guys, is this the best you got? Kai is a wonderful character with plenty of attention from the writers, a meaningful piece of the cast when put in secondary rolls, fairly consistent character writing with actual progression and valuable qualities that help the team without having to be the smart one- despite what some posts might tell you.

Let's get one thing cleared up: Ninjago isn't the best written show. By high level Hollywood standards, most the character arcs are kinda weak or too heavy handed, character consistency can be iffy, and most things serve the plot rather than the characters. There is no character you can point to and say "wow, this character is written so well! No complaints!" Nya and Jay were butchered by their weird love plot, Cole's one season doesn't actually give him an arc, Zane's been nothing but the robot numbers guy for like 10 seasons now, and Lloyd seems to be incapable of doing anything but relive the same one piece of dad angst for depth. Sorry, it's true. All the characters suck when you look at it from a large scale writing perspective. So when I say Kai is well written, I mean by ninjago kids show standards- cuz that's the scale we're working on. No, you couldn't drop Kai into a well written drama, but as far as ninjago goes... he's got a lot going for him, and by no means is he the biggest victim of poor writing.

(fair warning, wall of text below)

The title is a bit disingenuous. There are plenty of good Kai character break downs. What I am presenting here is a more positive perspective. On the whole, I will tend to give the writers the benefit of the doubt, and credit for what they do right writing is hard guys. That's what I'm doing here. I don't see much sense in getting mad the writers on behalf of Kai, or any other character. Ninjago is a simplistic ensemble show that works because of the identifiable simplicity of its main characters with some deeper layers hidden underneath if you keep watching. They've given us a damn good show with some damn enjoyable characters, so here are some criticisms I feel are a little flawed:

First, let's get the 'focus' thing out of the way. Apparently there are people saying Kai doesn't have a season yet? Which... what? I mean, I get that the pilots aren't a full season, the first two seasons, though he is the central protagonist, aren't "Kai seasons" as we've come to define ninja focus seasons, season 7, though he gets majority focus, he shares with his sister. But like... did y'all just forget about season 4? You know, the season where he had the title card, was on the box sets, got the love interest, and the majority of the A-plot? not to mention it's the best season don't @ me Like... if season 4 isn't a Kai season, I can make a damn good argument that season 3 isn't a Zane season, and I doubt anyone wants to go down that rabbit hole. I really can't wrap my head around this one. And I get that the fandom hates season 11 for some reason, but like you can't just pretend it doesn't exist. Kai has a consistent arc across 30 episodes in which he takes his powers for granted, loses them, and learns that, not only does he have value within the team without them, but that his element is intrinsically a part of him that he reclaims, bringing them back more powerful than ever, and with new respect for them. That's one of the most solid arcs in the whole series- the location is even thematically connected to his element. That's some good stuff right there! (Quick plug for season 11 if you haven't watched it in a while. Give it a rewatch, you might be pleasantly surprised)

Not to mention the writers give him fun side stuff all the time. Lots of fears of tech and water to overcome, a deep protective streak with Lloyd, becoming a chancellor, having a true potential actually relevant to the plot as a whole, blacksmith responsibilities, befriending dragons, hanging out with his dad. Not to mention actual focus stuff we haven't talked about yet, like his whole "my dad is evil" phase, and his "I might be evil" phase with him and Skylor. And on top of that, even when he doesn't have an explicit side plot, he's always just a fun and dynamic side character to make jokes or give exposition.

Now, into character stuff. Let's start with Kai's hot headed-ness. Some people say he's been loosing this quality, and I will admit, that's true! But those that claim this makes him inconsistent... I strongly disagree. In early seasons, Kai's temper would lead him to snap at his friends or make stupid decisions that set the team back (see episode 2 Zane freak out)- these are bad things. These are character flaws, yes? Now, in newer seasons, people say that he's inconsistent, cuz sometimes he'll be hot headed, and sometimes he won't. I'd say, this is exactly how being hot headed... works? It flares up without warning, and as an individual gets control of it, it'll pop up less and less often because they're channeling it into productive things - like say directing the anger towards an enemy (see season 11 end freak out). Kai has gained control of a character flaw, and though it still pops up on occasion, the fact that it's a once in a while kind of thing speaks to his growth. I have a little brother who has this exact personality, and watching him grow up, I can tell you, this is how it is. He used to snap all the time, and he still does sometimes, but much less frequently, because he's a more mature person with better control of his emotions. This is a good thing. This is overcoming personal flaws. This is progression we're seeing.

And while you're hyper focused on this one aspect of him, things like his cocky confidence haven't changed a bit. I mean, that season 3 bit between him and Pixal, and his season 11 "fire maker" streak have the exact same energy. You can not convince me otherwise.

Another adjacent quality that hasn't been dampened is Kai's impulsiveness. This can be a good quality of his, he'll get into a fight without thinking, getting the jump on the enemy. Good stuff. But, this has become such a well defined trait of Kai's that it has been used in a comedic capacity. This is what happens when a character is extremely consistent to the extent that both the audience and the characters in universe would be able to predict their actions. Kai's impulsivity used to be a more serious quality that put himself and others at risk, and was a big power move whenever he did something rash, but it's become such a staple of the show that it's now being used for comedy. That isn't Kai's impulsivity going away, that's Kai's impulsivity being recontextualized for the sake of the show. The season 9 "Who's stupid enough to jump on that thing" isn't a joke at the expense of Kai just for being dumb, it's a joke at Kai's being so predictably impulsive that everyone already knows he'll be the one to put himself in an insane amount of danger without thinking twice (you know, something stupid that might get him killed). But because in this instance, the danger is warranted, this is bravery. It's a complement to his character- it's what ends up defeating the colossus. Why are some people so bothered by this joke?

Oh right, cuz for some reason people want to peg Kai as the smart one? Look, Kai isn't stupid, none of the ninja are. All of them have smart moments (all of them have dumb ones too) and Kai can certainly handle himself, but "smart" is definitely not one of his defining characteristics- I think some people are confusing smart for his actual strength. Connected to his impulsivity, Kai has very good simplistic instincts. He sees the big picture and looks at the most surface level solution- which when the situation calls for it, that does indeed make him smart. But the same logic that led him to think "This snake has a glowing target on its head, lets hit it" also led him to think "I'm in a video game, therefore I am immortal." Are you really going to look at me and say he figured out Lloyd was the green ninja through logical deduction and a careful consideration of the facts? No. He had a gut feeling, and he trusted it. Instincts- instincts paired with his impulsive following of said instincts is what leads him to solve problems- and sometimes, that can be extremely effective. This goes for other ninja too. Jay isn't the smartest ninja- I would really only classify Zane and Nya as having intelligence define them (hence their ship name). But Jay is extremely creative and crafty. He also knows his was around mechanics, and as such, this will lead him to come up with creative tech based solutions which are smart. But, idk about you, if I had to point to another ninja as being 'dumb' it would 100% be Jay. Kai is a lot of things. He's passionate and determined and confident and persistent. He's a good improvisor, he's powerful and he's charming! These are all wonderful qualities, he doesn't also have to be the smart one. I am the worlds biggest Pixal stan, and she's a smart, sassy, powerful character, but I'm not gonna sit here and tell you she's also hilarious and adaptable and strong willed. She's a straight man to all the ninja's antics, extremely tied to her samurai x suit, and lets people push her around all the time. That doesn't mean she can't be funny, or self interested, but when she does act these ways, it stems from her other more prominent qualities. That make sense?

And while we're clearing up what Kai isn't, please stop characterizing Kai as an overly protective brother - especially romantically. The only two times he's been romantically protective to Nya are in Wu's Teas which I mean, come on and in the pilots when Jay is literally a stranger. For crying out loud, by the end of the pilot, he's smiling when Jay and Nya hug. That's not overly protective, that's just normal, any reasonable person would react this way, protective. And it's such a great stereotype break for a kids show like ninjago, having an older brother who actually trusts his younger sister to be her own independent person who can make her own decisions. I mean, I guess it's fine if you HC differently but like... idk, I don't buy it.

Now, is there still room to criticize the writers? Yes. Hell yes. But not to an extent greater than any other character. Could he have had more of a defined reaction to events of the most recent season that I won't name for the sake of spoilers? Yes. But could Zane have reacted for more than .5 seconds at being an evil war lord for apparently 60 years? Yeah. Has Kai taken a back seat in the past 4 seasons? Yeah. But so has Lloyd- and he's literally the main character of the show. Not to mention two of those seasons have gone to people who had to wait over ten seasons to get one to themselves, and one of them is a 40 minute special. Kai's doing just fine.

Anyway. Kai is great. He's a fun, stereotype breaking, impulsively driven, ball of energy and confidence who gets a good amount of screen time and some fun side plots.

One last thing to clear up: no hate to anyone. This isn't targeted at anyone specific, this post has been a long time coming, I've just seen some weird overblown claims on various platforms over the past few months and I finally sat down to write about it.

I like the Kai content we have. After all, if the writers were really that bad at writing him, then no one would like him.

Wow this was so much longer than I thought it would be. Um... if you have other long winded rants you'd like to see from me... let me know I guess?