#it also clearly doesn't fit in especially with the vibe this edit has

[alcorianight]

I did not realize this got so long, so rambly word vomit under the cut

I do think more attention should be paid to the absolute horror Jason must have felt after coming out of the Lazarus pit like a foot taller and built like a damn fridge.

Like he died at 15, tiny, still small due to malnutrition and then the leading theory is that the Lazarus pit cures that and beefed him up. For one, that's gotta mess with his motor control a ton, especially when you consider that normal growth spurts cause a period of clumsiness (think jarring steps, toe stubbing, knocking your elbow on doorknobs or whatever), so a total body overhaul -Lazarus Edition™ - might be enough to keep him from even walking properly, let alone fight skillfully and gracefully.

Even if you say he got his coordination back from training or comic book science meant the pits didn't fuck that up, being small was probably a major part of his identity. Consider Jason before Bruce. He was tiny, but still resourceful and strong enough to jack tires. But being tiny was useful. Being tiny meant more hiding spaces were available. It meant he was unassuming. It meant people's eyes skipped over him. It meant avoiding attention. It meant safety.

And sure, Jason probably complained about being small when he was Robin. Probably even dreamed of being big as a street kid because being big meant having power, but being big on the streets meant being noticed and he knew that. It was something to dream about when he was older but not what he needed then.

I've also seen people headcanon that Jason is claustrophobic from the coffin, and I kinda vibe with that, and being bigger also screws with that because things feel so much bigger when you're small. If you think about it, elevators and the like probably felt a lot more spacious when you were a kid. So not only has his body been drastically changed without his consent (and I haven't really touched on that here, but also consider how it has to affect Jason Todd (who champions consent and autonomy and personal safety of the little guy) to have experienced nonconsensual body modification first hand like that) but it can actively cause him more mental distress.

And I think, coming out of the pit, the memory of his death still fresh in his mind, and stuck in the League of Assassins, maybe being small would have been comforting. He could still access all the same hiding places he would immediately clock. And while the image of a big man hiding somewhere clearly too small for him might be funny, it's also heart wrenching because he's lost so many safe places in a single moment.

Of course when Jason does go back to Gotham he's learned to use his new body and the fact that it makes him intimidating as hell, but I think there's another negative there as well. Because as Robin he comforted people. No Robin is ever soft but they are all almost definitely better at comforting victims than Batman (maybe not Damian, but he's a baby which is simultaneously more and less comforting) and a big part of that is because they're kids. Kids just aren't as intimidating as giant ass adults and I can imagine that this probably messed with Jason when he first got back to Gotham and tried to talk to the street kids or the working girls because those are groups of people who are going to be suspicious of men built like a goddamn fridge. He can't come up to them like he did as Robin, and I'm sure over time he's won their trust and they find him a symbol of safety, but the first few interactions have to hit hard because it feels like he doesn't belong in a place that's been his first home. That somehow he no longer fits right where he always did before.

I also can't imagine how disconcerting it must be to not recognize your reflection for like every part of yourself. Like, this one time I had makeup done for an event (not my idea) and it was so heavy that I didn't recognize myself and I felt so uncomfortable with that and that was just my face. My hair, my height, my build - all of that was still familiar, comfortable, but can you imagine being unable to recognize even that? And if he avoids mirrors to avoid seeing his reflection, he might not even be able to recognize himself in pictures and videos. (There's a fanfic with this idea and it definitely inspires this post because I honestly never considered this before and I thought it was so well written and such a good point that we don't pay enough attention to. You should totally check it out if you got this far.)

The last point I have for this post has to do with his relationship with Bruce. So typical timeline (I think) for Jason is he dies at 15, crawls out of his grave about 6 months later, is catatonic for 3 years, and then spends a year mentally present training with the League of Assassins on his world tour or whatever. I am fuzzy on the details here but basically from his birthday, Jason can't be older than 19-20 when he comes back to Gotham (I think 19 is the accepted age) but mentally he's 16 and for some fucking reason DC artists like to draw him like he's over 30. THIS IS A PROBLEM! Like this is an extremely fucked up 16 year old kid that should be trapped in a 19 year old's body but instead it's so much worse because (and I've seen someone describe him like this before) he's actually trapped inside the body of a 35 year old divorcee AND THAT IS NOT OKAY! Like even if we're gonna say that the Lazarus pit alters the body to peak physical health that would be like 22 or some shit. Past 30 is not a physical prime. You can be fit for sure at 30 but that doesn't change the fact that your ability to build muscle and heal and whatever else are probably better in your early to mid 20s and hey guess what that's still younger than Dick's accepted age (or maybe about the same (I have stayed up too late writing this to keep proper track of numbers)). But Jason looks older than Dick more often than not (the Gotham Knights game will never be forgiven for whatever the fuck happened to Jay's character design).

Okay sorry for the sidetrack, but Jason looking older is gonna fuck with Bruce because Bruce is gonna have a real hard time seeing his tiny, malnourished, never gonna top 5'4 Jaylad in this giant hulk of a figure, especially when the age is so off. Like imagine you have a kid who goes to college and does a ton of internships or research so you don't really see them for 4 years, you're still gonna expect your kid to look like they're 22-23. If they look like they're 35 you sure as hell are not gonna pinpoint that as your kid. So Bruce sees Jason and it makes sense that he doesn't think that's his kid BECAUSE THAT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HIS KID! (I'm ignoring the moral differences in this post) So Bruce doesn't see a kid when he looks at Jason but Jason is mentally 16 and, despite everything he says to the contrary, he sees his dad when he looks at Bruce. Jason doesn't see an equal, someone who is just another adult. This is his dad, an authority figure in his life, someone whos opinions and words hold power over him whether he wants them to or not. But Bruce can't see that. Because Bruce doesn't see a kid. He doesn't see his son. He sees an equal and that's tragic because you're always supposed to be your parents' baby. Even when you're 50 with your own family and nearly adult kids, you're still gonna be your parents little baby. Because parents see their kids at all the ages they've ever been and it's the fact that Jason doesn't have someone who looks at him and sees him how he was when he was 2 and 7 and 10 and 13 and 15 when he still feels 16 that makes this so sad. Because no one's been his parent for long enough to really build that and Bruce can't see Robin!Jason in the Jason that came back.

Wow, uh, I'm really sorry to anyone who reads this. This really got away from me and it's super unorganized and I just kinda word vomitted all over this. This was just supposed to be about how his body was different. How did Bruce end up in this?

[saintsenara]

what are ur thoughts on all the young dudes man i gotta know

i've never read it, and i can't really see any situation in which i will. not only am i wolfstar-ambivalent, i'm also wizards-knowing-loads-about-muggle-pop-culture-ambivalent - so i'm very much not the target audience.

[although i'm not "what's going on in the 1970s"-ambivalent by any means, so there's that.]

but i suspect anyone who reads this blog regularly knew that - and so i also suspect [even though i wouldn't dare to assume this of you and your intentions in asking this, anon] that it might be presumed that i'm going to pop off about several of the phenomena all the young dudes has set into motion...

and sure, the contemporary marauders subfandom is not a space i'm interested in spending any time in - which is why i don't - but i think it's nonetheless worth saying something in defence of it.

all the young dudes deserves more credit than i think it gets in the fandom more widely - especially in those bits of the fandom which are more interested in canon compliance and canon coherence - for being a genuine pop-culture phenomenon. all corners of the fandom have benefitted from this - i guarantee that huge numbers of people who have returned to the harry potter fandom since 2020 have done so because they've read it [or, at the very least, heard of it], and i also guarantee that many of those people have gone on to make a home for themselves in spaces which seem to have very little in common with the marauders subfandom [such as canon-compliant jily or pro-snape spaces]. many of the things it does - especially the integration of muggle pop-culture into its worldbuilding - have clearly influenced how plenty of authors approach their own work, even if that work is otherwise removed from it in vibe. and its aesthetic is all over the non-fic aspects of fandom too - every "canon-compliant" moodboard or edit or playlist i've ever seen would fit well into the atyd universe. i think it doesn't hurt to acknowledge its influence - it doesn't mean that an author can't disagree with its approach.

[or: my view on all the young dudes is very similar to my view on taylor swift. i've never listened to a single one of her albums, i'm not sure i could name more than about five of her songs - and i don't think the five i can name are any good, i sometimes see flashes of the inter-swiftie discourse and it's like reading a text in a language i can only half speak - but i would be a fool to dismiss her broader pop-culture influence, including on musicians i do follow more closely, or the fact that the fandom which surrounds her is both sincerely interesting, not least from an anthropological perspective, and something in which people i like and respect participate.]

i also don't think the divisions between the marauders subfandom and other spaces are as clear-cut as is often made out. and i think that all the young dudes often gets used as a stick with which to beat this point - particularly because people in the marauders subfandom are frequently accused of not having read the books, and elevating atyd's interpretation of characters [especially sirius and remus] and events over the seven-book series.

that the subfandom elevates fanon and headcanon over canon is a legitimate point. but i think we should all get a fucking grip and recognise that this can disinterest us - or even annoy us - and still not be something any of us should think is that deep.

after all, like anyone, i've encountered people in fandom who write unrecognisable versions of characters, are completely resistant to the idea that their interpretation isn't correct, and believe that it's evidence of deep-seated prejudice to pair their faves with different people... and every single one is someone who believes that their approach is meticulously canon-compliant.

or - as the old adage goes - "people who live in glass subfandoms shouldn't throw stones at roadman remus".

[harringrovsonsworld]

Jason Carver SFW Alphabet

I was struggling with my kas eddie thing so i decided to take a break and do something for Carver. i know hes an asshole but i do have a soft spot for him. his death was bs and he was clearly in need of help that he didnt get. a terrible waste that he went from the pep rally high to dead in a serial killers attic in less than a week.

anyways long post under the cut

Edit : I forgot j like an idiot fool.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

I've gotta be honest. Jason comes across as a shallow air head. The basketball equivalent of sharpee from highschool musical. BUT if any of yall have seen sharpee’s stand alone show/movie thing you'll know she's not quite as shallow as people make her out to be. Jason's affection is like that. He seems at first blush to be a cool guy but you can't think of anyone who’d put them as their emergency contact. Their first call when shit hits the fan. Then you get to know him away from his meat head friends, he can be quite genuine. I don't think he has the forethought to do this on purpose, but he can be very unintentionally sweet and soft with his words. 

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

He's a very hands on best friend, especially if it came to a shared hobby like basketball, hiking or swim team. I think he’d have a hard time with stuff he doesn't like, to pick a completely random example, someone who likes DnD. He can be pretty dismissive of ‘that nerd shit’ whatever that might be, it's less out of meanspiritedness and more wanting you to fit in so you can still hang out without damaging his cred. Maybe not the most noble of ideas but it comes from a good place and you have to remember, he is only 18.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

If you were alone or in a more closed off setting, yes I imagine he would like to cuddle. I can see Jason having a pastor dad who probably wasn't the most outwardly loving. He’s maybe a little cuddle starved. He seems like he'd be the type to throw his arm around your shoulder whenever he could, put his head in your lap or hold your hand in church. I don't think he's the type for spooning, probably not allowed to bring anyone home with him, but he might fall asleep against your shoulder while you watch a movie. 

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

I struggled with this one. Jason gives me very white upper class traditional roles sort of vibes. He absolutely wants to get married, in fact i think he’s the type to be planning his dream wedding and dream spouse for years in advance. But I also think he sees himself as the stereotypical man in the relationship. He's expecting to marry someone who’ll be a homemaker while he goes off to work, maybe follow in his fathers footsteps. Bit of internalised misogyny/ toxic masculinity i think. His parents would certainly expect him to do chores when he was younger, but it was on sufferance and it's stopped now he has to focus on college (maybe a basketball scholarship?) He's never learned to cook or clean for himself, even for the pleasure of making food only he wants. If you're into the whole, trad wife/ husband/ spouse thing, maybe this could work out. If not you're going to need to make that clear because jason has a hard time reading sarcasm  

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Say what you will about Carver in season 4, he knows how to be a gentleman to his partners. He’d take you on a date to say goodbye and try his level best to go on good terms. I imagine you'd have to do something pretty egregious to force his hand but I can also see him being told you're not the right partner for him by his parents, then twisting his arm. It's pretty clear that if Chrissy had survived she was going to dump Jason and if Chrissy was an 8 out of 10 on the Jason pain scale, you're an 11. All that to say, oh boy is he going to take that hard. His friends might try to cheer him up with some sort of superficial lads night out but let's be real, there's only so long you can hang around someone miserable who won't cheer up. He's going to go hide in some sort of teenage angst misery pit listening to the 80s equivalent of Linkin park's Numb.  

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Oh hell yes. Jason is so excited about being someone's husband. He loves partying, every teenager does, but he is so excited to settle down with his best friend and build a life with them. He seems the type to give out promise rings, like “we’ll be together when college is done” sort of thing. I imagine he’d want a decent engagement period, mostly so there's enough time to coordinate the wedding and organise it between your two families and pick the right date. I think he’d want a fall wedding, kids soon after so they are born in the spring/summer. 

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

I think what we see of him with a bad temper and even worse intentions is Jason at his absolute lowest. A snapshot of him at his worst possible moment and it shouldn't be taken as normal. He’s kind of jockish, physically rough and emotionally immature and I honestly don't think he’ll get that much better. He might mellow with age, get rid of all that nervous energy that seems to follow him about. And I doubt that boisterous playfulness will last forever too, so he will probably not be as rough and tumble by the time he's finished college.  I'm not saying you have to parent him but he does seem to need an actual adult to point him in the direction of maturity, talking through his problems instead of taking the huff or just letting things fester. 

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

I'd say so, yes he's a fan of hugs. He likes those little dancy swaying hugs you get when someone completely wraps their arms around you. I canon Jason as autistic so he likes the pressure and grounding effect they have. His hugs are wrapped a little too tight and he's just a little too into it. He definitely gets teased by his basketball buddies for how many hugs he gives you. 

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

I imagine Jason has been taught to never say that unless he really means it. Brought up to think if you say you love someone, it means you're going to marry them and we all know how important that is to jason. For that reason I imagine he’d be really really slow to say it. He’ll have been thinking about it for a long time, mentally adding it to the end of his conversations with you. 

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

He's not huffy so much as he is oh woe is me. Spirals a bit into self loathing when he thinks you have something better than him. Sometimes he goes a bit over board trying to prove he deserves you, trying to earn you back even though you're still with him and don't intend to leave.

He needs Therapy and a confidence boost.

Kinda chaste, short and sweet. He's not the makeout type normally, mostly just a quick peck on the cheek in the morning before class, a quick goodbye when he drops you home. He likes to kiss cheeks and hands and shoulders. I think he likes to have his neck and jaw kissed. He seems like he's ticklish, might devolve into a giggling fit if you blew a raspberry on his neck. 

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Hmm judging by his behaviour his parents seem a little absent . I'm betting like most boys in Hawkins he didn't exactly have a good male role model for fatherhood. I imagine he has a sort of idealised version of parenthood in his head that doesn't exactly line up with reality. He likes kids how he sees them in his head, having fun sitting with his daughter having a tea party, and teaching his son how to play ball. I don't think he's thought about all the late night feedings and nappy changing and wiping snotty noses. He's good with calm and fun kids but he has no clue how to deal with a fussy, scared or crying child. 

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Jason is a fitness nut, not to mention his strict parents. He's up at the crack of dawn for church and a morning run, maybe doing laps in the pool before class. He's perfectly happy to let you lie on until he's done but he's the kind of annoying morning person who wants you to come with him and have fun. He likes to go out for breakfast dates. Actually he likes pancakes and waffles so much he could give el a run for her money. He'd have breakfast for dinner if he thought he could get away with it. 

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Jason isn't failing any classes but that's mostly due to the fact he spends every moment he's not practising basketball and at church doing work. He doesn't really care too much about his grades, he's banking a lot on a free ride to a sporty college, he just doesn't want to incur his parents wrath and complaints of being a disappointment. He usually falls asleep with his nose in a boring book, maybe with you on the opposite sofa waiting for him to finish his work so you can go grab dinner. He's up at the crack of dawn most days so he's an early to bed sort. Doesn't mean he can't pull the occasional all-nighter for exams or victory parties. 

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

I think Jason is a nervous talker. He’ll info-dump about himself to just fill the silence. It’s all true stuff but it's just a constant stream of consciousness, rambling and going too fast for you to really take in. I imagine once he's past that initial awkwardness and the butterflies have calmed down, he’ll let a steady stream of things about himself be slowly revealed. For all his anxieties he's not super shy, does not hide things about himself and always caves when pressed. He’s not super deep, it's what you see is what you get with Jason 99% of the time. 

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He’s pretty average. I think he has a hard time putting himself in other people's shoes a lot of the time, unless it's something he's experienced. Stuff he knows well he’s got a lot of patience for, things he doesn't understand get a lot of “why can't you just do X” or “c'mon Y cant be that hard” he doesn't get angry easily but he does get annoyed, exasperated even. He's a serial problem sorter by which I mean he says the phrase “do you want me to deal with Z for you” rather than just listening or letting you solve the thing on your own time. 

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Jason is a lot like steve. He’s not stupid even if he isnt that book smart. He remembers a lot of little details and nuances and then does something daft like forget your anniversary. He's a little absent minded when he's focused on other things  but he is good at making it up to you. 

R = Remember (What is their favourite moment in your relationship?)

I mentioned above he doesn't remember big things even though youd think theyd be easier to remember. He's a bit of a romantic at heart: maybe something like meeting eyes across the carpark or hearing your cheer over the crowd when he scored the winning point at a game. 

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

After Chrissy left him for someone he thought of as inferior, Jason sort of developed a bit of a complex. He’s a little jealous but more in a sulky passive aggressive way than an outright hostile and accusatory way. When he knows he's upset you he gets pretty melancholic and self pitying “oh woe is me, this is why chrissy left me, i get it now you should leave me too for someone better” that kind of thing. For all his bravado he seems like he has a somewhat low opinion of himself outside of basketball and even that might be taken away from him if he survived the earthquake/upside down of Hawkins with injuries. He doesn't like to be physically protected, he'd rather fight his own battles. But I imagine he might like to have things sugar coated, no harsh truths or telling it like it is. Sometimes you need those harsh truths though so maybe protect him from taking it too hard? Just be gentle with him is what i'm saying.

Assuming he’s still able bodied after the whole, vecna incident, he’d definitely go to bat for you. If not, well he's not particularly cutting, quick or sharp witted. I think he might defend you with somewhat empty threats. But know this, able or not his team still has his back and by extension yours. One dude on crutches isn't much of a threat, but an entire varsity basketball team who wants to kick your ass is a pretty big deterrent to anyone who might mess with you. Less scary dog privilege and more scary wolf pack privilege.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Jason is sort of one note with his effort. He picks stereotypical date ideas, gifts and so on: flowers, chocolates etc. He doesn't do it intentionally, that's just what he assumes girls/guys/nb partners are meant to like. Wining and dining people are really the only string to his bow at the start, it's all he's been taught.  Like I said, he's a romantic so once he finds out more about you he’d try to bring those things into his dates. He loves aquarium dates, one of his special interests is sharks and sea life. I think he’d love it if you took him and just let him ramble for a few hours about jellyfish and deep sea creatures. 

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

He's got a habit of making things quite grandiose. He tends to blow things out of proportion, like good is great and bad is the worst. He's got a habit of giving lectures and speeches and so on. He can be quick tempered but it's usually just as quick to fade. I really put a lot of this down to immaturity. 

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

It's not his top priority, but he likes to look good for you, you know? Always showers in the morning and after practice at night, wears some nice but subtle cologne and keeps his hair

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

I don't think Jason as we know him has enough emotional complexity to put any thought towards the concept of completeness. He doesn't really get the concept of another half to make him whole in anything other than a religious sense. Maybe when he meets you it'll be the catalyst to realise he did feel like he was missing something and just never noticed it until now. 

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

As I mentioned, i canon jason as autistic and absolutely adores sharks. I imagine his room is a mix of basketball trophies, photos from church and sea life stuff. He's got shark posters, ocean themed bedspread, a starfish lamp and maybe some sea world plushies on his bed. Lots of calming blues with a sand coloured carpet. Maybe he has an ocean themed music box from his childhood that he keeps by his bed. I can also see him with one of those jellyfish ceiling light covers. His room is hella childish but it's his and he doesn't want to change it. His dad probably hates it but his mom is just happy he's not trying to grow up too fast. Not like anyone has ever seen his room because he isn't allowed to bring partners back and his friends only want to see his pool and wine fridge. 

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He's kinda squeamish. I imagine if he had a partner with a uterus he’d get squicked out by blood from periods or childbirth. He’s not going to make it your problem but he has absolutely fainted when he saw someone get a nose bleed so maybe be careful around him during that time of the month. I think he might find spitting or smoking a deal breaker too. He's sort of a  “my body is a temple” type. Drinking is fine but he draws the line at drugs, even weed. He doesn't have THAT much of a problem with other people doing it but you aren't just any old person so i can see it being a point of contention. 

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Jason sleeps like a baby, all swaddled up in his blankets. He is a blanket thief and will literally pull you off the bed if it means pulling the covers towards himself. He does snore a little but is absolutely adamant he doesn't. Once he finally has his blankets he sleeps like a corpse: can't be woken by anything except his alarm and doesn't move a muscle for hours at a time, no tossing or turning and if it wasn't for the snoring you might not even think he’s breathing. 

i didnt intend to write for jason a lot but this was fun. if you wana talk more about jason hmu.

ao3 link is here

[lianlong]

Ok so before I delve into drafts, here are my thoughts on all the recent shorts condensed and how that affects / is interpreted in my portrayal.

This is very long, so I may edit / add onto this, but ...

Just a small thing and distinction for myself, Dan Heng appears a lot more free with his outfit, he shows more skin and it seems battle ready compared to the more elegant, modest look that Yinyue wore. It almost looks more tradition bound, whereas Dan Heng added his own flair and touch to it. This even appears to be reflected in their hair, with Yinyue wearing it long and fully black compared to Dan Heng's shorter and also more colorful strands, clearly setting the two apart. It makes Dan Heng look far less poised and more distinct, like something personalized rather than what one would have asked for one in this position as a High Elder. Yinyue also clearly had shorter horns than Dan Heng in this particular scene. However, after going through the other renditions of Yinyue again, especially the one from the revised High Cloud Quintet artwork that was leaked a while ago, it's obvious that he did have bigger horns in the past. He did not have short horns like this by default, meaning that they were likely shorter due to being restrained by the Dracocatena Nails that were staked into his body. For comparison's sake, below is Yinyue in his prime:

This basically just confirms my previous theory of the horns being a direct reflection of power and potency. Even more symbolic given that Bailu's horns look like Yinyue's in that scene — small, budding, not at their full potential. On top of that, Dan Heng's has an idle where his horns sprout like a branch, growing into full antlers. I talked about this before, but that whole idle is likely a direct reference to Yaoshi, the Abundance, and also the revered status that Imbibitor Lunae held. Imbibitor Lunae is, at this point, clearly a full vessel of the Permancene's remaining power, a conduit and inheritor in equal measure, someone who now wields the Aeon's last vestiges of power, and the solemn duty that comes with it.

These overlaps are physically visible as well, which is 100 % intended by design. As stated in a previous post of mine, this position is called lalitasana, a stance or mudra from Indian art / dharmic religions. It is also known as " the royal position " and was commonly used in portraits of people whose kingly characteristics were intended to be emphasized. The person is seated on a throne, often stylized as a lotus, with one leg tucked under and the other hanging down. When it comes to Imbibitor Lunae, I find this even more interesting given the fact that Long was adjacent with the Abundance and potentially even became one with the Abundance later on. Thus sharing these traits speaks volumes about how closely tied he still is to these origins, how much these traits are on full display. It's giving Emanator vibes with how significant and deep they run and that's honestly basically what Imbibitor Lunae ( and likely the other High Elders ) already are on paper — individuals favored and blessed by the Aeon that ruled their path, granted permission to wield their powers. The word " Scion " doesn't fit them or what they represent, that matches all the other Vidyadhara as a race, but they are on a whole other level.

Something else to note is that the Imbibitor Lunae did not start out as an Imbibitor Lunae. They gained this identity as they were taught and came of age, undergoing the necessary rites to take up this position. Meaning that in order to become the High Elder, you had to give up your own identity. You had to push who you were aside to become something else. There are countless mentions of how detached and cold Yinyue was when fulfilling his duty, how many people didn't even know who he was as a person, how Yinyue " was a dragon, a hero, a sinner, but never a person with love, hatred, sorrow, or joy like everyone else in this world. " Becoming a vessel of Long, taking up the Azure Dragon's Legacy, essentially meant erasing yourself. This makes his relationship with the High Cloud Quintet all the more remarkable — and so much more significant why Dan Heng has been undergoing this identity crisis and internal struggle. He is the first High Elder since their conception that broke free from this cycle, who is no longer shackled by duty. When he said it was both a blessing and a curse, he meant it. He is the liberated one, and holding onto this hard.

But that animation short made it clear that he doesn't really resent Yinyue or the High Cloud Quintet or what happened in the past. After all, he said it himself : Yinyue is his past, he will always be a part of him in some manner of speaking. But he doesn't want to subject himself to the same fate, he doesn't want his life to be pre-determined, he wants to forge HIS OWN PATH that is not guided by duty or some other higher power. He wants to remain himself and not lose who he has become as a person, or these precious bonds he has found for himself. That is what he stood up and fought for and honestly, it made me so emotional seeing him like this, because facing his past head on was a huge step for him as a character.

This scene and what's being said here screams both deflection, projection and by extension, what Dan Heng almost certainly has been told by others as well. These are the things that stick with him and the past that he must face. That he's seen as a criminal without remorse, that death would be the only suitable punishment — in spite of the fact that he has done nothing himself, he still carried that weight and continues to carry it. Only now does he have the resolve to openly face it, and through it, Yinyue.

I also want to touch onto the Shackling Prison. We already knew that Yinyue was there, we knew that he was kept there mostly in solitary confinement and restrained ... but all these recent artworks really show just how harsh that treatment really was. He wasn't just bound and kept locked away, he was literally impaled by countless nails, suspended and likely in perpetual agony. Which makes it even wilder to me that during this entire time, he never spoke. He never said anything. He legitimately held onto an iron will until the very end, and that in and of itself is also testament to the detachment and dissociation Yinyue had developed to serve his position as Imbibitor Lunae and which he proceeded to utilize in other situations outside of his role. A dutybound tool that bore whatever misfortune happened to him quietly first, not an individual permitted his emotions. They had to be swallowed down and suffocated and it was likely a persistent state of being because you were always Imbibitor Lunae, every hour of the day. I really believe it was the High Cloud Quintet, especially Yingxing, who were the ones who gave him that sense of self back, who humanized Yinyue and gave him back individuality after all that had been methodically ripped away by rites and ascension. Speaking of which ...

The revised artwork and animation short also hammers home once more how close Yingxing and Yinyue really were before everything went to hell. They have now added the matching Passerby's Roaming Dragon Bracers onto them ( it was missing before ) and in the short they now also have distinctly matching earrings. They are not beating the married allegations.

Keeping everything else I just said in mind, this scene hits so different and becomes incredibly bittersweet. Most people never knew who Yinyue was, nor did they bother to see him as a person — but the High Cloud Quintet did. They were what the Astral Express now is to Dan Heng. They were his found family, his closest friends, the people who actually knew who he was beyond titles and decorum. I love that parallel between the two of them and how it was only upon remembering his friends that Dan Heng found the strength to face this inner turmoil head on, and it was only then that Yinyue conceded and told him to live on as he wished ... This was the resolve that broke through to Yinyue, because it resonated with him, because it threw all the projection he was doing back into his face. And I'm really happy they framed it in the way that they did here, because it's hinted that this is what heavily drove both of them forward. Not themselves — not their duty or responsibility or some other higher power, but the loved ones they surrounded themselves with and cherished.

[ruyalarincadisi]

*strolls up several days late to your post about time passing in Milgram* okay, so I believe the birthdays are just a fun-for-fans sort of thing, and that events are happening fairly quickly compared to real time! No one is aging, because if they did it's disrupt a lot of the character Vibes they're going for (aka Amane would be like 18 and Haruka would be 23 and no longer fit the 'innocent child' thing, Mahiru would be 30 and no longer fit the 'young love' trope, even Es would be around 20). Also, some of the injuries the prisoners got during the trial hiatus would have definitely healed already -- Mahiru's arm (broken sometime before last August) should have been healed by November, and there's no way she'd sound that weak for her interrogation end of this May.

Sorry if that disrupts your Haruka theory, though ;--; it sounds really interesting and I'd love to hear more about it!!

hiii beans, thank you for answering it!!! has it been that long?? i thought only 2 years have passed :o but even if that was so, the injuries would heal in 2 years so you must be right either way! it makes more sense! it'll be long so i'll just put this here

regarding the time passing, we were trying to notice differences in character art to see if their hair grew longer with my friend and iirc it was only mahiru's and amane's (?) hair that looked different or longer in some way, excluding the style differences. amane's bangs and mahiru's hair completely! (bonus: the ahoge like thing haruka has ahaha) although it's a little funny to imagine all of them except mappi and amane getting haircuts regularly (from jackalope?!), it seems unlikely so it was probably a drawing mistake in mappi's and it looks that way for amane because her hair is messy...? hypomania can last just several days, google is saying 4 days is the criteria, it can still be true as long as haruka's changes didn't all happen in one day, i guess! we at least know it's not 1 day, right? lol i think they were saying mikoto is being weird at "nights", they must have spent some time there, correct me if i'm wrong!

though some stuff i said in that post could be explained with how comfortable he got there because he was accepted by es and mu, so this is mostly me giving my mental illness to my favorite character (i can't even call it a theory just a hc!!) but but!! especially when es asks if he's a different person because that's how it feels for other people when people around them experience mania or hypomania and it usually doesn't suddenly feel like someone changed their whole personality when they get more comfortable with you, you know? he clearly shows depressive symptoms too but i guess no one is doubting that one :') also the impulsiveness! he says he doesn't want to die both in his song and those questions in twitter, then he says he'll kill himself because he doesn't really think about what he's saying. i actually planned to shut up about this until i saw everything about him. i hate being wrong /lh but i couldn't because twitter is dead to me and my friends are usually busy and i get bored if i don't talk about my hyperfixations enough. and i'm getting so comfortable here lately... ANYWAY until we get new info contradicting this i'll be saying haruka is bipolar but again, i'm not assuming the writer did it intentionally so it's more of a self indulgent hc than a theory :33 EDIT: WAIT I JUST LOOKED AT AMANE'S DOOR PIC AGAIN? HER BANGS ACTUALLY GOT LONGER??? DID JACKALOPE REALLY CUT THEIR HAIR, HELP??

[nighttimeebony]

Ranking all the MHA openings from worst to best (part 1, bottom five)

EDIT: Part 2

10. Season 2 second opening: Sora ni Utaeba

Okay, let's just rip the band-aid off: I really don't like this one. The slow pace of the music really doesn't match the more action-y parts of the opening. There's no punch to really grab your attention, and the visuals themselves are honestly kind of dull and uncreative, especially considering the other openings. The guitars sound almost muted, and its just very boring, both to listen to and to watch. The blue tint to the visuals is probably supposed to be cool, but it just comes off as cheap. All it really does is make me think of Twilight.

9. Season 3 first opening: ODD FUTURE

I used to not like this one, but it grew on me the day that I watched a season 3 episode with a kid I was babysitting. The almost tech-y, electronic sound of the music is actually really good, and certainly makes for a very unique song, and it's also a lovely compliment to the visuals. This opening gets a couple points docked, because while the visuals are really cool, they're kind of generic and and have almost nothing to do with basically the entire first half of the season; almost nothing about the summer training camp or Bakugou's kidnapping.

8. Season 4 first opening: Polaris

I like the clearly present theme/motif of growth, since it shows us little clips from previous seasons to demonstrate how far everyone has come. Especially Izuku. The song this go-round is much more chill and relaxed than the music used for previous season, but unlike the second season 2, the visuals actually go with the slower, more peaceful song. There's less punchy vocals and less action moments, but both of those choices suit each other. But towards the end when the song does get a little faster, it completely matches the desperation of Izuku and Eri reaching for each other as they fall. The one drawback, I think, is that it's kinda forgettable, especially when compared to the others, this one kinda doesn't stand out very much.

7. Season 1 opening: The Day

While not my favorite of the MHA openings, I will admit that My Hero Academia starts its show off with a pretty damn good opening. The instrumentals give off awesome rock vibes, and there's a very punchy emphasis to the rhythm that does a good job of getting you psyched up. The singer's voice and cadence is really strong and delivers on the emotion. The visuals and animation are striking and suitably epic for a shounen, but also pretty well grounded and personal; it gives you a good understanding of the emotional drama and personal stakes that'll be involved. MHA is so much more than just a battle shounen, and this opening does a good job at letting us know that. I especially love the way certain visuals (like Izuku's hero analysis journals) are accentuated by drum beats or bass lines.

6. Season 4 second opening: Star Marker

The tonal whiplash this opening first gave me considering that Nighteye fucking died the episode before almost snapped my neck, lol. That aside, this is also a really solid opening. I think we all needed the breath of fresh air that was the school festival arc, and as such the opening is upbeat, lively, and bouncy. The pop-art style visuals with all the stylized lines and bold, saturated colors compliment the boppy music. It's all very fitting considering that the arc it's for is for our collective baby Eri beginning her recovery process. Also this op gets double points because it makes Jirou one of the primary focal points.

[puppy-phum]

Soldier, Poet, King with the main trio of 3 will be Free? 👀? (for the edit prompt)

hello ♥

here is what you asked for!

tbh this request was one of my absolute favorite ones out of all the amazing ones i got. this instantly spoke to me, and i was soooo excited to get to this. so thank you very much. i am in love with this ♥

some more about the process of making this edit plus my own thoughts on it under the cut!

first of all, i am not quite familiar with the whole soldier, poet, king -concept. i have seen it around and know it's somehow related to a quiz but i have never seen anything more about it. so, when i first started thinking about this edit, i only thought of soldier, poet, and king as simply those and nothing else.

like that, my first instinct was to assign poet to shin. that was the easiest choice out of the three. he's the calmest one, a quiet and shy guy who likes arts and soft things. i felt like it was obvious and even once i learned what being a poet was really about, i thought this one was perfect.

bc shin IS the poet of the trio. he is the heart of them, the warmth of them (i included so many hugs bc of this). he is the one who fights with words and his mind rather than with his fists. it's a continuous theme in the series; why shin clashes with his father, why he connects with pp (and saves him), why he works so well with neo and miw. he was easy to place bc he was so loud about where he wanted to be placed.

and then came the problem of the other two. my initial plan was to make miw the king and neo the soldier, probably bc i liked the thought of miw being their leader while neo was the protector. miw is so strong it felt the king's title was something she deserved while i could clearly remember neo putting himself always between the others and any danger. but then i read a bit more about this whole thing and well, here we are.

miw is the soldier of this trio bc she's the one who always wants to fight. she has been hurt enough in her life to regard everything and everyone with suspicion. she doesn't trust ppl, doesn't let them close to her, and always tries to survive on her own first. she's prideful and hates to get emotional about things.

she's not afraid to confront others about the things they're doing wrong either. we see her fighting for others as well as for herself so many times in the series. especially fond she is of fighting for other oppressed women; a quality i thought fit the soldier personality very well as that shows how easily she sees everything as a battle. there is always a new fight to get into. there will never be peace.

with these thoughts, i was not sad to eventually give the king position to neo. it is... kind of obvious, now that i think about it. he's the glue that brings the trio together. he's the one who pushes into motion this whole chain of events and he's the one who leads the others through it. this is his crusade - and so he's willing to be the one who gets hurt or even killed during it. as i read from somewhere, the kings are there when no one else wants to be. they ask themselves, "if not me, then who else?" it seemed to be neo's continuous theme too. he was willing to put himself in harm's way just bc he thought it was something he needed to do.

so these are my thoughts! this is how this edit came alive. i tried to show all these sides of them, tried to show them happy and sad and struggling. tried to show miw being the fighter she is, shin the rational one he needs to be, and neo the heroic one he always jokes about being. i hope it shines through as well as the bond between them i adore.

idk if you had similar thoughts about their roles or if you disagree with my choices :'D but i had a blast with this edit! thank you once more for allowing me to do it ♥

(also as a final side note, i have zero knowledge about chess. my choices for those are solely based on vibes and what seemed cool; other than the king of course. also there's a very big difference with the vibes that come off of the english vs the finnish names for the pieces and it made choosing them even more difficult haha)

[anyways-wonderwall]

Album of the Week #6

Blonde comme moi

(2007)

By BB Brunes

Overall Rating: 8/10

TL;DR: A French version of the Strokes in the best way, with songs that make you remember the titles. A must if you like any alt rock.

This week was my AP French test and in an effort to tell myself that I was studying I decided to choose a French album this week. I only know about this because of the single that came from this album, “Dis-moi” which I think I found on a playlist of French indie songs (which I was originally looking up because my French class only plays pop music and it makes me want to cry). It was that perfect mid 2000s rock that I adore so I ended up listening to a ton of other songs from the artist. While I've heard this album before, this was my first time actually paying attention while listening to it. And in the case of “Dis-moi” I almost wish I didn't speak French.

General Thoughts

It's funny that I'm reviewing this after doing a whole unit on globalization because this really is a great example of that. While 95% of the lyrics in this album are in French the inspiration clearly isn't. Listening to this it fit right along with any Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, or Jet from this time period. You could make the argument that all of the songs sound the same and the unoriginality hurts it, but I honestly don't care because what is being repeated sounds really dang good. The Strokes also is on a really fine line of all of the songs blurring together, while this album doesn't fall into that trap quite as much.

This album also falls into that category that would sound probably exactly as good live. This gives the album an immersive quality and boy does it make me miss live music. It brings to mind going to a bar/restaurant to see a live band just goof off and play some covers. Maybe these hit me harder than most because I play guitar and have always dreamed of being in a band, but this is 100% the kind of music I would perform. Down to the fun French accents.

This whole album gets a general thumbs up from me vibe wise, and really just sounds like your standard mid-2000s rock album in the best way possible. A few highlights include "Le gang” which was their debut song (also the fact that they were started that strong at less than 20 years old makes the whole thing even better) and a full groove and a half. I'm a sucker for a nice baseline and this one has me hooked. “Perdu cette nuit” and “Pas comme ça” have similar vibes of the dip in the middle of the concert when you're running off of adrenaline more than actual energy. “Houna” (and “BB baise” a bit) really reminds me of a Disney Channel original movie from 2007. I can picture the main character running across his neighbors' yards trying to get home before his parents wake up every time I listen to this song.

While most of these songs are good, the two bangers are definitely “Dis-moi” and “Wolfman”. The first one is the big hit from this album, one that actually charted in France. It is definitely the catchiest from the album and I have been singing it every day this week. If you listen to one song out of this album I'd recommend this one-- it gives a good preview of what the rest of it is and has a fun music video to go with it.

And now it is the time in the review where I write a love letter to my favorite song. Oh “Wolfman”, where do I start. This song is completely acoustic, and you can hear the rawness in the strumming and switching of chords. It sounds like something you would hear someone sing for just you and a small group of people, an intimate experience. The song is also entirely in English, making it stick out even more from the rest. The accent mixed with the grittiness of the guitar is a beautiful result, one that makes a diamond hidden on the second CD of the deluxe edition.

Final Verdict

Listen, I would love nothing more than to own a physical copy of this album, but it's only available in France and I would have to pay some insane international shipping for it. While I love this album to bits, I don't think it's worth the $30 it would end up costing. I think I'm just going to buy it on iTunes and if I happen to find it while staying in French, I'll just cry tears of joy.

While I can’t recommend someone paying over $10 for shipping on a CD, I can recommend streaming or buying this album digitally. If you like any 2000s rock, especially The Strokes or the movie Scott Pilgrim vs the World, then this is for you.