#their designs aren't -that- strongly gendered

[canisalbus]

for the longest while i thought your dogs were lesbians for some reason

something something anthro-androgeny

.

[katakaluptastrophy]

@greatandquestionablecontent noted that my discussion of Paul and St Paul didn't touch on the latter's awful views on women and sexuality.

And while I very much hope those aren't relevant for our new Lyctor-ish buddy Paul, they very much do haunt the narrative of The Locked Tomb.

We get one in-world bit of theology in Gideon the Ninth: the Sermon on Necromancers and Cavaliers, which talks about how the Houses understand the relationship between necromancer and cavalier and god. And it's pretty much St Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, ctrl + F'd for necromancy, with a few other infamous Pauline verses thrown in for good measure, especially from 1 Corinthians:

A necromancer who must leave her House and fight requires a swordswoman./For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh. - Ephesians 5:31

Our necromantic characteristics make us more like the Emperor...the necromancer and the cavalier are no different./[A man] is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man. - 1 Cor 11:7

As [the Emperor] was once man, and became God...so were we dead and became alive./And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. - 1 Cor 15:22

Their love is the love that fears only for the other: the love of service on both sides. Some have tried to characterise this relationship as the cavalier’s obedience to the necromancer, but the necromancer must be in turn obedient to the needs of the cavalier without being asked or prompted: theirs is arguably the heavier burden./Loving one another with the charity of brotherhood, with honour preventing [anticipating] one another. - Romans 12:10 (I suspect this one is also meant to call to mind Ephesians 5's instructions for wives to submit to their husbands, while husbands are asked to love their wives like Christ loves the church - an instruction proponents of so-called Biblical gender roles will often describe in language similar to the Sermon as being the bigger ask.)

The love of the cavalier for the necromancer, and the necromancer for the cavalier...cannot be libidinous./But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity...because these are improper for God’s holy people. - Ephesians 5:3

So cavaliership very much reproduces the gendered asymmetries of power found in many traditional Pauline-flavoured interpretations of Christian marriage.

But when you look at some of the invective around a romantic or sexual necromancer/cavalier relationship, it's coded rather more as homophobia.

The Sermon on Necromancers and Cavaliers hedges around explicitly condemning necro/cav relationships as specifically against the will of god, but makes it clear that's very much a view held within the Houses:

"after a myriad of thought about the matter, marrying your cavalier remains taboo at best. There have been those who have argued eloquently that it is traitorous to the ideals of the Necrolord Prime."

While St Paul isn't the only source of egregiously homophobic Bible verses, he's responsible for a good chunk of them, and the idea of this specifically defying the designs of God is a recurring theme...

It's worth noting that not all of what's generally described as St Paul's writing likely actually is. And Ephesians, which features so strongly here, is one of those "pseudo-Pauline" letters - a sort of Pauline fanfiction written to fill in perceived gaps or deal with issues as they arose.

But it feels oddly appropriate that the Houses' theology of gender cavaliership, itself an imitation of St Paul, is so strongly inspired by an imitation of St Paul...

[soekmatthew]

Proposing a reform on Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics!

An essay on why we should reformulate the often misguided interpretations on each secondary gender.

In this essay I will debate the absence of personality often assigned to Beta's secondary gender, the inherent nature of violence that shouldn't exclusively be attributed to Alphas, and how deeply we can explore the aspects of Omega's biology in fiction, furthering its visions from the deep rotted misogyny implicated in these matters.

(remember this is a joke, you can create your ficverse and works however you'd like)

1.0 THE BETA ISSUE

The beta role in an a/b/o society is pushed towards the sense of "normality", betas normally aren't that phased by their nature. This is fitting, although the lack of complexity deposited onto its concepts led a creator to create variations of betas that aren't really necessary.

I propose that betas have pheromones that emit a scent genetically structured to be smelled by a specific type of group, regardless of their secondary gender, people who are able to scent betas pheromones have a variation in their olfactory-receptor genes and allow them to strongly perceive their scents. (this happens irl, with cilantro tasting like soap or some people being able to smell cockroaches)

It would solve the beta complex and wouldn't necessarily affect the whole structural alpha/omega naturally based relationship.

2.0 THE ALPHA MATTER

It is easy to antagonize alphas, and I do believe it is crucial for it to be antagonized, given how the discourse towards alpha aggression can create well built debates approximated to human reality. But it also can spice up some debates on a lot of more interesting matters other than hierarchy and dominance.

"Soft-alphas" was a term designed to fit in the alphas that are able to somehow "contain" their inner wolf, on contrary to "normal alphas" that are aggressive and excessively dominant.

Of course, as fun as it is to explore this concept, it's not necessary to give them this title, it thins the discussions that can be made upon this type of characteristics on alphas.

It is easy to explore the topics around an alpha considered "defective", and give them the capacity to have more and more deepness, an alpha who doesn't feel protective despite their love towards their omegas and needs to learn how to stimulate its natural instincts, an alpha who was forced to submit and therefore had their alpha contained to a point it needs healing and an exercise in dominance!! Fun aspects of an inverted container of the morality based alpha corrections often seen around the fic community.

I propose more and more diversity and complexity around alphas, seeing them fight their instincts is fun, but it would also be fun to see them fight for their need to have the same instincts that antagonizes them.

3.0 THE OMEGA DEBATE

There is a lot of discourse around omegas, especially when people simplify them as "the woman of a/b/o society".

Although understandably fitting for the time it was developed, it is still a conception most people have and has grown outdated.

It also created a movement to fight against this idea, that has empowered omegas, but the lack of consistency fails to impress. For example, in this case, it doesn't matter how much of a rebel omega the character is, they will still "fail" their morals and submit to an alpha.

I know you guys can do better!

What is better than an inner monologue on why your nature is failing your mundane conceptions? Better than that what's more revolutionary than being able to mend your instincts and ideas?

The nature of an omega is vast and instinctually more prone to aggression than most alphas! Omegas protect and go feral over their offsprings! Explore it more!

And make omegas also be proud of their nature, instead of simply making them disgusted by it without backgrounding their stories! (i mean, if they have traumas associated with their secondary genders it is obvious and expected for them to hate it).

Omegas can be hard creatures to deal with, omegas can reject their offsprings scent for example, give them hardships dudes! It will be fun!

A/B/O is fun, and I LOVE TRADITIONAL A/B/O SO MUCH! but we can do more justice at least to betas :3

(this is literally a joke in case someone hates me for it)

[badscientist]

oc profile tag

tagged by @noblebs so im giving betsy the spotlight today!

Name: elizabeth "betsy" winters.

Nickname: betsy. she was named by her mother, after her maternal great-grandmother, whose nickname was betsy.

Kind of Being: human

Age: as of 1998 when dead meat takes place, she is 44 years old. her birthdays october 31st. (because of course it is.)

Gender: woman. uses she/her exclusively.

Appearance: she's a mixed-race Black woman with light skin and red hair, 5'11", lots of freckles all over her face and body, stocky in build.

Occupation: cook. she's a nourisher above all else. but shes got a lot of survival know-how and outdoors experience so shes also recruited to the camps for that too.

Family Members: francine winters (mother), annie winters (kid).

Pets: if you count [spoiler], then sure. at least 1.

Best Friend: dr. herbert sanderson. debatably.

Describe their room: as of dead meat, shes more or less living out of her mothers living room, and keeps a lot of her clothes upstairs in her moms closet. betsy keeps the space tidy bc her moms house, her moms rules even as an adult. but at camp, she was a little more of an organized chaos type. shed have Designated Piles of things but she knew where to find everything and the floor was clean enough.

Way of speaking: very loose and casual, and shes got a southern accent (for that matter, so does dr. sanderson- they're both from the same town in virginia).

Physical characteristics (posture, gestures, attitude): she holds her head high, squares her shoulders. she does tend to slouch a bit when shes sitting though. she rubs her arms and neck a lot (nervous habit).

Items in their pocket/purse: shes always got cash, matches/lighter even though she doesnt smoke (you just never know when youll need it), and her bags usually stocked w food, flashlight, first aid supplies, change of clothes, etc.

Hobbies: while she cooks for fun, too, shes actually pretty into movies and tv watching. shed also engage in hands-on hobbies like whittling and knot-tying and woodworking if she had the chance, shes a hands-on learner and likes tactile experiences.

Favorite sports: (american) football and wrestling are entertaining to her, even if most of the latter is staged.

Abilities/Talents/Powers: physically strong. hardy. once that adrenaline starts going, shes fighting for her fucking life and shes very stubborn about it. shes also good at improvising when it comes to weaponry- if she doesnt have access to a gun, knife or her fists aren't an option, she'll find something to beat you with.

Relationships (how they are with other people): she can be stern when it comes to safety issues, but shes otherwise pretty relaxed and warm, but she has a morbid sense of humor. she can be a little awkward and easily embarrassed (compliments make her awkward, and she HATES when people go out of their way to make her feel stupid). shes a lot stiffer with her mom (theyve never gotten along particularly well), but she can still get the woman to laugh here and there.

Fears: stagnancy, being stuck in the past, feeling trapped. its part of why she felt so strongly about the ankhanum's plight in part 1; a real "theyre just like me fr" situation, and yknow what. she wasnt wrong.

Faults: her stubbornness sure can be a fault- once she gets an idea in her head about what she thinks is the Right Thing to do, she goes for it, and she wont stop til she gets it. this has resulted in a number of injuries and even death. she IS the unstoppable force.

Good points: shes knowledgeable, she knows how to have a good time, shes protective of her and hers, thinks well on her feet. as dedicated as she is to doing The Right Thing, shes merciful- she can be swayed, if you seem like youre having a change of heart.

What they want more than anything else: to live her life on her own terms, by her own rules. shes been in a lot of tough financial situations in the past that have warranted her relying on others- which is fine, but she hates it when those periods make life feel stagnant.

[vexgaycrimes]

Why does this blog exist

In truly a very autistic moment of my life, there was a time where I was strongly invested in all things heraldry. Of course, this later transitioned into vexillology. I am now not as invested as I was, but I forever will be full of heraldic and vexillologic thoughts because of that.

This meant that when it came time to question my own gender and identity, I couldn't help but be disappointed at some of the queer flags that are out there (I'm a demiboy but I find the demiboy flag incredibly underwhelming, for example). So naturally, my autism compels me to try to realize "better" versions of these flags. These aren't intended as actual replacements, they're mostly to satisfy my graphical needs, although some flags do desperately need it (everybody and their mum has tried to come up with a poly flag alternative for a reason).

So in this post I will be describing the guidelines I will follow and try to respect when coming up with redesigns. And I will also be using these to comment on flags that I consider are good and do not need them.

For me (and many other vexillologist), a good flag is one that follows these hard rules:

It is a simple design, easy to draw from memory, even for a kid (no complex shapes or complex coloring, like gradients)

Distinct at a distance, and/or waving in the wind (no intricate details)

As few colors as possible (makes printing easy, and helps with the previous point)

Another soft rule I like to throw into the mix, even though some flag design enjoyers will get mad at me for, is the rule of tincture, from heraldry. It's not a must follow, and it's not an enforced flag rule (after all, this existed partly because there were very few colors available for heraldic shields, and flag printing doesn't have that physical restriction anymore), but many flags do descend from heraldic shields, so many flags inherently follow those rules, and so I think it's nice to have when possible.

There's yet another guideline I would like to respect when coming up with alternatives, and this is something unique to LGBT flags:

Now, one thing that can't be overlooked is the iconicity of the rainbow flag. It's a flag that has way too many colors for a flag (and the original version had even more), but I think it works because the rainbow is just something that everyone is familiar with; and because of the very nature of the rainbow, the colors lead gently into one another, avoiding ugly clashes. Good job!

This same iconicity has led people to associate horizontal stripes of colors with queerness, and so many flags that have been proposed after it, have also followed the template of "many colored horizontal stripes"; but since those aren't "The Rainbow" anymore, I think it works against the flag and detracts from the simplicity and distinctness points. Many of these alternatives also only have like 2 or 3 actually distinct colors, with intermediate tones between them, like a pseudo-gradient. (The only other queer flag design "innovation" has been the side triangle, for when stripes are not enough, or when, understandably, someone tries to make a flag that isn't just yet another striped flag.)

Personally, my cutoff for how many stripes is too many is at 5. If you have more than that, there's a high chance that the flag could be simplified without losing distinctness.

I also think we've reached a point where there's enough identities that just doing horizontal stripes for everyone is not enough to keep them distinct, and that it can't hurt to take a page or 2 out of the design book for more traditional flags.

However, having a consistent graphic language across flags isn't inherently a bad thing. Many existing country flags do share visual elements with surrounding countries because of the shared history and cultural elements represented by these common visual elements. So I won't go against the common "horizontal stripes" pattern just for the sake of hating on the pattern unless necessary, because I do find some merit in it. I just think we can do more.

I will tag all my posts with my URL so if you find this kind of posts annoying (which is understandable), feel free to mute. I will also be posting these in my cohost page of the same name, since Tumblr seems hellbent on killing their own social network just like everyone else is doing

[pandapupremade]

i bit and did the tumblr year in review. ill put it under a cut shits long

I posted 5,307 times in 2022

That's 860 more posts than 2021!

3,760 posts created (71%)

1,547 posts reblogged (29%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pandapup

@pandapearls

@penisbees

@myscaramouche

I tagged 5,288 of my posts in 2022

#kermit.txt - 3,153 posts

#ask to tag - 1,031 posts

#oc talk - 589 posts

#fave - 417 posts

#srb - 368 posts

#eye contact tw - 365 posts

#negative - 262 posts

#other art - 260 posts

#kermitart - 249 posts

#🐰 maria tag (familial) - 219 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#but she's so fun with ryuo and i cannot and will not take away such a dynamic they are in love and they are both in love with me your honor

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

im abt to go to bed but i needed to drop the new story of seasons s/i. their name is bee and they are absolutely bonkers . completely off the walls. and so they are a match made in heaven for daryl <3 she's his assistant

52 notes - Posted September 23, 2022

#4

was watching episode 7 and had a realization

72 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

#3

See the full post

114 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

#2

im sorry to be harsh but if you make f/o imagines about any serious irl events or tragedies i don't want you to interact with me. i understand people have good intentions but it's horrifying to see someone take devastating things happening to real people right now in real life, and put them into fiction in some cute support way. its not fictional, and should not be treated as such.

if you need a way to cope with what is happening, then this is not how you do it. This is not the right way to cope, nor is it a good way to show your support. there's places to donate to or support to give to people in other ways besides a fictional prompt. It's hard times and I get it - our f/os bring us comfort. But now is not the time for comfort through fictional prompts inspired by the irl situation. Now is the time to focus on the irl people who are affected, or at least to find and create prompts that aren't based on current events.

tl;dr please stop making selfship imagines based on serious, tragic, and or dangerous irl situations, whatever those situations may be. the events aren't fictional, and there is better ways to deal with your feelings and to support others.

138 notes - Posted June 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i know there's a lot of weight ppl feel to make their self inserts very like gender conforming but in the end I feel, as someone who makes so many s/is who look feminine or use different pronouns despite being trans men or at least masc leaning, that you should just have fun with your designs no matter what. like. I don't like dresses irl, they make me extremely dysphoric and upset...But I love putting them on my s/is, masculine or feminine appearing or even androgynous etc. so i do that. similarly, i only like he/him in real life, but whos gonna stop me from making she/her trans men? nobody. people could try, but fuck those people because its all pretend and is a good way to explore identity. I also have SO much more fun making "feminine" characters than I do masc, and I feel my s/have more life when I don't force a masculine look. but im still a trans man, my s/i is still a trans man, etc. selfship is about being free to explore yourself and also your funky little characters you feel so strongly for, who would accept you no matter what. be free

tl;dr pronouns and clothing and stuff are fake design your s/is how you want and what feels fun and comfortable for you whether or not it appliesto your irl self

139 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[clowngames]

I’m writing a design doc for an rpg where the player can start with a lot of choices about their “race” and gender, but also has limited control over their start location and the scenario that starts the rpg. I want this to give the player a very textured view of the world, where you come from shapes dialogue and a lot of interactions. This is the part of the game that I’m most proud of, but it’s also hard to write a design doc for. How would you organize this in a design document?

This is a great question! The first thing I would do is dedicate a section of the doc to describing the key differences in experiences based on starting areas.

So like for example I would have a "Town A" section in which I describe what worldview the player will be more exposed to, what political affiliations NPCs will assume the player has, and any mechanical effects of starting here. Then I would have a "Town B" section which does the same for that specific area, and do that for each starting location.

That way, before we get into the nitty gritty, we have an understanding of the overview of what we're aiming for with the specifics. You've probably already done something similar to this.

For anything more detailed, I would take a page from how folks write/design dialogue trees. Most people use Twine or something similar to create flowcharts that either contain dialogue scripts or outline plot beats based on decisions the player makes. The starting location being mostly out of the player's control doesn't mean we can't use it as a variable to determine how the flowchart branches.

A big difference between this and a regular plot flowchart is that this story doesn't necessarily start the same way but instead starts pre-branched; but that's perfectly fine!

It may be hard to map out order of events for a player's experience, but it should work pretty similarly to any open world game, where the designer has placed a series of points of interest and it's up to the player to determine which direction they walk. In cases like that, each event is modular; there isn't a planned order, and so they aren't really connected to each other in the flow chart so much as they are placed on it in the general shape of the world map.

These POI nodes on the flowchart link to their own independent flowchart which is more strongly structured, because once the player is there they will experience things in a specific way (which may or may not be dependent on variables such as their starting location).

A linear document is one-dimensional, in that you can only read it in one direction. A flowchart has the benefit of being two-dimensional, so that you can read it in any direction. This makes it better suited for non-linear storytelling, as long as navigation is easy. Don't be afraid to make a "table of contents" flowchart! And don't be afraid to link back to sections of the linear document when necessary - use what tools you need, when you need them.

[gachaparadise]

i thought ZZZ was launching tomorrow night so. i absolutely did not put aside enough time to play it tonight orz... i started but i haven't gotten nearly far enough to actually review anything. despite that i persist. heres my thoughts for the first 3ish hours lol.

i find the combat. interesting. i think it has the potential to be really fun but i haven't really gotten to sink my teeth into it yet. not only because of time constraints but. the button layout is fucking with my muscle memory from like three different games and i cannot get it right to save my life. attack being x instead of b and dodge being y instead of rb is actually killing me. at least the ultimate button is where it should be so i'm not spamming it randomly.

i've done like. 3 cut scenes so i cannot speak to the overarching story much. i like the comedic vibe so far though. the opening scene with the reporter was pretty funny. i appreciate how they aren't just dumping world building on my head, just sorta letting me marinate in the world first.

environments looked really detailed and lovely but... i need to explore a little more. i need to know if we're getting little fun details like hsr. are there garbage cans for me to interact with. please. my inner trailblazer calls to me.

characters. again. just started. but i do like the sly hares or whatever they're called! billy is a silly goose, the girl is really funny as well. Nicole is cool. i like a stingy bitch lol. i'm really loving the mcs so far. i like their dynamic and their designs are really cute. i almost picked the female mc because i was worried about dialogue differences on the little date sections but... if i pick the guy and we don't get gender differences in the dialogue i can get some really yaoiful stuff and i can't risk missing out on that. plus hes cute. i REALLY love his eyes. the slightly lifted lower lid is a very unique and cute feature.

i think overall its interesting. the vibe is really cool and different from hoyos other games. but to be honest im not sure its for me? the modern techno fantasy thing IS cool, but it's not my favourite aesthetic. i think the arts good, but a little... plain? it doesn't really strike me as much as hoyos other products. that said it may be that they just look way better in motion. in cutscenes and stuff the charters look awesome but when they're standing still they seem a little dull. could be that i'm just used to the maximalist nature of their other games so a more restrained character reads as boring to me now...

there aren't really any designs that make me go ooohh yeah that right there is my WIFE!! and i'm not going to pretend that isn't my primary motivation for gacha games. so. we'll see how future characters turn out. everything just a bit more... cartoony i guess is the word? i dunno. nobody is really Hot with a capital H.

i'm getting off track since it's time for bed uh. one last thing. i feel very strongly i need to stop or minimize my time with others games especially in this launch period. i CAN technically keep playing everything i've got my hands on if i optimize the shit out of what i'm doing but. then i will be having absolutely no fun whatsoever and i need to avoid letting myself do that so. the current plan is

1) drop wuwa entirely for daily logins. i'm not sure i'm ready to quit quit but i don't really get much out of logging in right now so. i'll just stop and see if i miss it.

2) i'm gonna take a break from spending resin in genshin. i'm not even spending it on anything important lately and the battlepass is done so. i'm just going to stop doing it for a while. we're in the pre natlan slump so it's a good time to rest my genshin muscles.

3) as for hsr well. it's quick and we have auto lol. i'll just send my chars to grind for books since i'm literally out and it'll do both my resin and my dailies in one. truly do love this game

i know that SOUNDS a lot like optimizing and taking the fun out of everything but i swear its' not. optimizing would be finding a way to still be doing the dailies and resins for all 3 of those things plus whatever they have going on in pso. which is what i have been doing up til now. no more you hear me!! i may be the worlds biggest gacha apologist but even i can say you know what i've been indulging way to much lately i gotta cut back.

anyway. rant over, i'm going to bed. will continue my review tomorrow ^w^)/

[fictionz]

New Fiction 2023 - December

"Ezekiel" ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

Ezekiel had a lot to prophesy, and none of it good news.

"Daniel" ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

We're really just there for lions and Susanna.

Revenant by Alex White (2021)

I like that I can hop around between DS9 stories that are part of the post-show timeline and the various stories that just take place at some point during or prior to the show. Also good to see the designers stepping up that cover art! And let me tell ya, this story delivers on that cover. Half of it is a Jadzia and Kira adventure with mysteries, heists, danger, and a lot of really good background on the Dax symbiont. Loved that! Then Kira tagged out for Worf and Bashir, and that was alright. I wish it had been Jadzia and Kira all the way though.

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2023)

It's a nerds' tale through and through. Film nerds, occult nerds, horror nerds, and Moreno-Garcia blends it all skillfully. It doesn't hit as strongly as Mexican Gothic, but mysteries tend to be like that when they take place in a metropolis instead of the confines of a creepy mansion.

The Men by Sandra Newman (2023)

I liked the setup, and the premise, and I was mostly onboard until the finale really let me down. Maybe the idea is depressing to people, like it is to most characters in the story, but I saw hope in sticking with the reality of most of the book and making a better world of it. You grieve, you build anew. There was also some hand-wringing around race and gender tension from the main character that feels like it's meant to be considerate but is just channeling white anxiety about the optics of appearing racist instead recognizing racial bias and making changes to address it.

Aftermath by Christopher L. Bennett (2003)

Whoops, one more Star Trek book before the end of the year. I’d been meaning to read it for about a year and finally found some time with the digital copy from Open Library. Like the other SCE stories, it’s a short and sweet little tale. The thematic elements about a civilization’s collapse and hope for the future were just what I needed after reading some more downbeat stories.

Jekyll and Heidi by R.L. Stine (1999)

It was... okay. Not the strongest plot or twist, although notably darker in terms of setting up the main character's predicament. Kinda Dahlesque but without his absurdity.

"> THE JESTER" by Margaut Shorjian (2023)

Do it.

The Simpsons: Bart vs. Homersaurus dev. Tiger Electronics (1994)

These level-based LCD games are never as strong as the endless loops of their Game & Watch progenitors, but the tech is neat. Voice clips must've been an expensive proposition.

Dream Scenario dir. Kristoffer Borgli (2023)

You know, it is a weird movie, but the part where it digs into cancel culture felt off. Too real maybe. And even then, I just don't think it'll stick around in my brain.

Godzilla Minus One dir. Takashi Yamazaki (2023)

A great Godzilla story with a good balance of humans and monster. It's a big deal when I can care about the human side of a monster attack.

The Boy and the Heron dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2023)

It meanders and contemplates, kinda like The Wind Rises, but it's so beautiful and weird that it's easy to just roll with it.

The Abyss dir. James Cameron (1989)

So did Cameron just establish the genre of scifi that is working class stiffs who aren't trained for this being sent out into the deep end?

Eileen dir. William Oldroyd (2023)

It has that short story quality I can never quite describe. Like something unsettling I'd read in The New Yorker.

A Christmas Story dir. Bob Clark (1983)

1983?! This feels so ancient. Well, I'm glad I finally watched it all through instead of bits and pieces on TV.

Wonka dir. Paul King (2023)

I should watch a Paddington sometime.

Monster dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (2023)

I wanna say it's a perfect movie. It has some dread but still has a hopeful vibe in the end.

Leave the World Behind dir. Sam Esmail (2023)

I guess I see why people responded to it, but I found it too bleak, and that's saying something. I guess I prefer these things to be a little further removed from the current timeline. *hugs The Outer Limits 1995*

The Polar Express dir. Robert Zemeckis (2004)

My nephew straight up performs the movie as he watches it, and that's about as memorable as a viewing can get.

The Muppet Christmas Carol dir. Brian Henson (1992)

Pretty good, but it can't top Muppet Treasure Island in my brain. The effects for some of those scenes are mighty impressive though.

Velvet Buzzsaw dir. Dan Gilroy (2019)

No one told me this was a horror movie! I'd have watched it sooner. It's an excellent high-budget version of an episode of Tales from the Crypt.

The 100 - "Perverse Instantiation – Part One" (2016)

I sorta picked up what the show is throwing down, but coming into at this late stage is not the way to watch an episode.

The 100 - "Perverse Instantiation – Part Two" (2016)

This episode was a little more clear as a season finale with defined stakes. It was enough that I'd watch this series at some point in the future.

The Crown - "Ipatiev House" (2022)

Sorta tuned in here, and it has big House of Cards vibes. I guess all this stuff about royals is the original HoC.

The Crown - "No Woman's Land" (2022)

Elizabeth Debicki is a great Diana. I don't know if I'm in the mood for sociopolitical interpersonal drama anytime soon, but this show seems to manage it all with aplomb.

The Outer Limits - "The Galaxy Being" (1963)

A bit snoozy I'll admit, but that's most TV of the era. Things really pick up when the well-designed alien kicks in. Those effects are impressive.

Night Gallery - "Pilot" (1969)

Whoa! This first episode is real good. I've heard the show has its ups and down since Serling didn't have the same level of creative control, but the pilot is just a great horror anthology film.

Babylon 5 - "The Gathering" (1993)

Hokey VFX and 90s-era production values aside, I can see the appeal of the show. I'll be fighting my instinct to go back and watch Star Trek the whole time but I'm glad to finally get into the show.

[vivi-wtz]

Lord of the Ring: Rings of Power spoilers ahead, reading on your own risk:

So I just watched the first two episodes of the show and I am really enjoying it so far. So I was looking on Tumblr, tiktok and youtube for some reviews and some opinions because I wanted to know how other people think about the show. And I was really surprised to see that SOOOOO MANY PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE IT? like yes taste is subjective and stuff but some of those people use weird ass, relatively small things to justify their negative opinions. And in this post essay (because its longer than I thought) I want to explain a few of them and try to make sense out of this. And I also gonna leave my opinions here, just so u know.

(Quick note before this, I haven't read any ot the LotR books nor the hobbit nor any other book but i do get my needed information, just so u know)

Many people complain about how mainly Galadriel and Elrond aren't like the characters we know from LotR. And obviously their characters are different. I don't know how many years are between RoP and LotR but I guess a lot. And of course they wised up in those years. Especially after the upcoming war in the new serie (I assume there will be a war lol). No one, not even elves, are born wise. It needs time and experiences to gain the wisdom that Elrond and Galadriel have in LotR. And since they seem relatively young in RoP (I mean for elves yk) I think that they just aren't as wise as in LotR and that they simply CAN'T be like in LotR. Besides if they would be exactly the same they would be NO room for character development and that would make their characters seem flat which would be ungracious for those two amazing characters!

Young Elrond is kinda hot lol idk love him. I totally understand why he is described as "kind as the sun". Like look at the sweet little puppy on screen. Love him and I will protect him with my life and I will block everyone how disagrees. Because him being an absolute perfect little bunny is a fact and not an opinion!!! <3<3<3 (*3*)

The hair of the elves! Yes, I do that one. First of all I dont care about that hair. But apparently many people out there do so let's fucking go. Yes, the hair is short and I guess that Tolkien originally described them with long hair but idk. But like even elves are just a folk and after traveling from the valinor (?) to middle earth they got influenced from the looks of other folks. And I strongly believe that even elves do have changing beauty standards. I mean yes, we aren't elves but look at how the standards changes from 100 years back till now. And I think that elves also have changes in their standards but they simply "last" longer because they have way longer to live than any other species. And that's also why we just see longhaired elves in the hobbit and LotR.. change my mind

The costumes. Beside the fact that I think fashions standards change like beauty standards, the costume designers from RoP cant just steal/copy the exact costume of LotR. And this is because the costume designers of lotr, regardless of whether the rights belong to the film studio or not, still have the intellectual property. They sit down and did all the work. Also it would not be original if you just copy and paste it. It would be boring and flat. But nevertheless it must be said that the quality of the costumes could have been better. So at least what you see.

Durin IV (i guess) is amazing! I love him and the relationship he has with Elrond. He is amazing and this makes me love dwarves even more.

Disa (is this how u write it) is also amazing!! Except that we dont get so see any female dwarves with beards (so far) disa is everything. How she stands her ground against her husband and just how loving they are with each other. And I also believe that disa is a great example for good character work. Because one of my biggest fears was it that they create a male dwarf character and just let a female actor play it. But this is not what they did. They somehow gave it female traits (I'm not saying traits have a gender atypical speaking yk?). I just love her and the character work.

The storyline. I heard from many people the the storyline isn't canon and that this is like a fanfiction kinda thing. But honestly who cares?! Because this is a fucking fantasy book/movie series/ show. EVERYTHING in it is fictional and not real. It's just a good show so stop to search reasons to hate it.

I love the hobbit girl?! I forgot her name but she is amazing love her wow. She is such a cutie <3 (*3*)

I also love the black representation in the show. I mean I'm not black but I still love it. It shows the growth of the film studios. I mean back in the days it wasn't normal for black people to be represented in shows/ movies especially not as main characters or really important side characters yk. And yes again this is not what we used to when it comes to LotR BUT this just shows that not only new fandoms stick with the time but also "older" fandoms can change to be more inclusive.

That definitely wasn't all that I could say about the show but that were the most important points for me. But if u wanna know some more about my point of view, just ask. Thank you for reading this. Besides this is just my opinion and if u disagree that fine (except point 2, I will die on that hill). I love u all an I hope u have a marvelous day *kissies*

[felony-dykery]

Thinking a lot about how lesbians have a very different experience of gender than heterosexual and bisexual women. We aren't seen as "full women". And sometimes? Idc if I'm a "full woman". Sometimes I just want to be a woman around other females and genderless around males. My connection to womanhood is so strong not just because I'm a female, but because I'm a lesbian. I feel my most Woman around Women. Problematic take but as a female I *do* have an internal sense of ~gender identity~. It's just all centered around how much more woman I feel around other women.

And so this brings me to this (very ironic, very /s) collection of lesbian gender flags. To be clear; these are not intended to replace woman or female, or really to be seriously used at all. This is just a fun little graphic design project to explain some of my feelings. But yeah. Today I have decided that if uwu inclu TRAs get to make any gender they want then So Do I dammit. So now I introduce you to:

✨👅homosexy genders for dysphoric dykes👅✨

Butch4FemmeGender: Feeling aligned with womanhood more strongly in relation to butch/femme dynamics (from the perspective of a butch). Color choice because I liked the pallette Coolers gave me, lavender for obvious reasons, vines just 'cause I vibe with them.

Butch4ButchGender: Feeling aligned with womanhood more strongly in relation to butch only relationship dynamics. Colors chosen for their similarity to the gay male flag- representing the desire to be with another masculine female. The plant here is the Butterfly Pea Flower, chosen because it's scientific name is Clitoria Ternatea and that's based.

Femme4ButchGender: Feeling aligned with womanhood more strongly in relation to butch/femme dynamics (from the perspective of a femme). Color choice meant to resemble the pink/orange lesbian flag, but softer and more pastel. Orchids inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's vulva-esque paintings of them.

Femme4FemmeGender: Feeling aligned with womanhood more strongly in relation to femme only relationship dynamics. Color choice meant to resemble the pink/orange lesbian flag, but brighter and more vibrant. Tulips because they represent love but also mostly because they went with the color scheme😅

DysphoricLesbianGender: For dysphoric lesbians who feel their remaining ties to womanhood are linked to lesbianism. This can be used by anyone who is dysphoric, but especially those who are or have medically transitioned to some degree. Colors similar to the pink and orange lesbian flag, but tonally deeper and focused on the orange/red side. The flower is Sweet William, the only flower typically associated with masculinity/men, to represent the dichotomous way transitioned females are treated as being between sexes.

Alright that's all folquexxes. I look forward to the oceans of angry tears this is going to inspire. Like, how dare I take the precious uwu neogender concept and make it adult human female only, right? Pretty cruel of me to make people pee their pants like that😔✨

[asterismcampanella]

...Continuing on, ancient greece didn't have modern western concepts of gender, or sexual orientation. If you look at anyone older than 30 without heavy influence of the younger internet, their opinion of what it is to be queer is different. Whether it's a bad or a good thing depends on the person, obviously, so there's no use in trying to "well anyone without the new information is simply misinformed." Especially when most of the world, first world countries included, are still fighting for those simple right to live and be gay legally.

The demographic who has a vaguer sense of "gay" and "bi" and the blurred lines of simply being human are not wrong in their ways, and I personally align more with them anyway. I've never had an issue with identifying as gay, but the demand for everyone being valid has made it difficult when most of the "LGBTQA+" individuals I meet are pansexual polyamorous, and within the first few days of knowing them I can usually determine if they're a spicy cishet, going through their whore/gay experimentation phase. Dyed hair, piercings, tattoos, and clowncore aren't going to make you any more gay than your brain chemicals designed you as.

I mention this out of my own prejudices, but also the ones that are still widely accepted, from ancient to modern times. Most adult bisexual men might reconsider the difficulty in society being seen as gay, being intimate with another man, or maintaining the attention span they had for the gender/liking both genders in horny youth. According to the modern LGBT, that's still valid, still bisexual. And it is!

But the disconnect is that there's still that amount of discretion to a bisexual person. It's no secret that the most common bisexuality will naturally lean heterosexual. The reason is simply biology, that your body is going to be inclined to reproduce, or find attraction in something more traditionally chemically promoted in any animal brain. The meaning of life is to reproduce and thrive, especially for mammals...

The percentage of gay men or male-leaning bisexuals, that then go on to pursuit deep, longterm relationships is going to dwindle, their own age group is no longer as queer as they once were. So, they might look to the younger generation that once again wants to experiment, or once again looks for new relations. It's far more common for gay men to be comfortable with casual homosexuality, not full life investments.

That's no less gay, and in this economy, it's not even surprising. It's not great, but yeah, even in ancient times if you were rich and gay (like y'all like to romanticize anyway) you could afford lil gay boy toys. ...what exactly do you think the rich cishets do and did? You think all the rich cishets of modern day haven't sampled the "forbidden fruit" as well?

It's also important to note a lot of the "passive" side of the homosexual relations in ancient Greek society sound like.... exactly the type of "bisexual" men that I do not respect XD they thought that it was demeaning, and outside socially acceptable. I'm mentioning this because the biggest argument is "weh but the greeks hated women" yuppp so did literally everybody else, just as any socially unacceptable homosexuality from either gender. Just because it says it's gay in modern explanations didn't make it ethically gay back then either, because there were always actual gay folks, and there were always perverts who liked to act homosexual, with no actual sexual orientation involving it.

The best example of that I can give is that I am not bisexual, and if I was to try and explain my attraction to women, it would sound very objectifying, because I'm not interested in a relationship with them, but women are naturally pretty. I imagine a lot of the accepted "pederasty" of the time followed similar rules; these men objectified emasculate boys for their sexual release, and not actually with homo-romantic intentions.

It's something I can strongly relate to, and why I was interested in finally studying this. It frustrates me endlessly to be seen as an emasculate, fem, or any sort of... not man, because I'm 23 and I didn't choose to have a baby face and small frame (or no full beard yet?!?) It's more perverted for men with bigger frames (not necessarily older), to deem me as the boy, the bottom, the fetishized one in the relationship. Literally, shit hasn't changed! There are straight identifying men all over grindr, and they're no different than a bisexual man intending to just have his gay phase before he settles for a girl anyway.

Disclaimer: My family Greek. Don't be all "weh weh eurocentrism" because I'm analyzing this specifically lol

[magichcuse]

&. BASICS

Full Name:  Patrick Humphrey Eggleston

Nicknames: His parents call him cute nicknames like "sweet little cherub" and "darling angel", but they're used casually rather than them giving him a consistent nickname.

Patrick has also assigned himself the nickname "Pat", only for people he deems special enough. This is mainly a privilege for his crush, though friends may use it as well. Unfortunately, he isn’t genuinely close to many (if any) people, so the nickname isn't used much. Maude may use it on occasion, which he doesn't mind despite not associating himself with her. Johnathan uses it too, though Patrick is aggressively against it. He's unable to do too much about it since Johnny is so high up the social ladder.

Age: 12

Sexuality: He's strictly gay- girls don't even make him bat an eye.

Date of Birth: March 13th

Place of Birth: -

Gender & Species: He is a male duck.

Current Location: -

&. MORE BASIC INFO

Languages: English

Religion: -

Education: Patrick attends Magic School.

Occupation: Patrick is focused on his studies for now, though he does do some gigs over breaks.

Drinks, Smokes, & Drugs: N/A

&. PERSONALITY

Likes:

His parents, unlike most in their social class, have no issue with fostering their son's love for them and building a bond with them. Patrick loves curling up with his parents by the fireplace, brewing potions with his mom, watching his dad tinker with charms...spending time with them and receiving affection from them is easily one of his favorite things.

His new sibling fascinates him too. Though they're still an egg, Patrick doesn't go a day without talking to them about his day or reading them something out of his textbook. He's excited to see them hatch, whenever that may be.

Theo Daskalakis is one of his favorite people as well. The boy is one of the only people who openly challenges Johnathan Abberquack, super cute, tall, mysterious, and very cool. Seeing that not a lot of people like Theo only makes these feelings stronger, wanting the other boy to know that someone cares about him and will support him no matter what. This means he allows himself to be completely vulnerable to Theo, despite the chance of him being taken advantage of or hurt. He loves and trusts him with every fiber of his being, much to the confusion of his peers. Though it doesn't seem to have a chance at working, Patrick is determined to squeeze through Theo's walls and help him any way he can. He's even willing to let him live with him and his family (which his parents would approve of for their son's sake). Hopefully, he could have even the slimmest chance of getting Theo to like him. Any semblance of a victory is all he needs.

Patrick is passionate about his schooling, seeing it as an opportunity to prove himself to his peers. Magic is something he treasures dearly and definitely is looking forward to teaching his future sibling how to use. Being a professor is something he's dreamed about since he was small- teaching a class on potions and charms (his parents' specialties) is one of his biggest dreams.

Bright colors are something he adores. Though he can't wear his vibrant clothing at school, his parents allow him to dress however he likes behind the security of their manor walls. His room is also colorful, every color of the rainbow being incorporated in some way. A small rainbow flag hangs above his bed, to represent his sexuality and because he loves rainbows.

Dislikes:

Johnathan Abberquack strikes a nerve with him like no one else can. With them both being prestigious and blond boys around the same age, comparisons between them are thrown around on a regular basis. Patrick hates being seen as a "dumber, weaker, less attractive Johnathan" by everyone else. His direct competition with his beloved Theo only cements him in Patrick's blacklist. Despite hating dueling, one of his goals is to beat "Jerkathan" in a duel. Though this has yet to happen, Patrick can at least say that he is (naturally) at the top of his potions and charms class. Having being taught these crafts at a very young age unlike Johnathan, who was taught mainly about dueling because "everything else is useless" in Wilbur's eyes, the doe-eyed boy has the clear advantage. Even if Johnathan doesn't really care all too much (Wilbur couldn't care less about how he's doing in that subject, as long as he's passing), Patrick is proud that he outdoes the brilliant Johnathan Abberquack in his favorite subject.

Ebony Featherton is mostly just annoying, though Patrick eventually grows to hate her due to how much she messes with Theo. He jokes that Johnathan and Ebony are perfect for each other because they're both "stupid, snobby, pretentious jerks". He just tries to ignore her at first, but he eventually becomes so fed up with her that he's determined to defeat her in any way possible or wants desperately for Theo to "show her who's the boss."

The dueling professor is yet another person he views unfavorably. Patrick doesn't get how a "perfect hunk of a boy" could come out of a "slimy, old, crazy monster" like him. He strongly suspects that Professor Daskalakis abuses his son at home. Patrick feels like he has to fix the mess the older man has made, no matter how impossible that may be. He's certainly not going to let Professor Daskalakis succeed in corrupting his son- even preserving the smallest sliver of hope and innocence is a victory in his eyes.

Being disrespected makes Patrick so frustrated. Just because he's soft-hearted and kind doesn't mean he'll brush off being called an idiot or worse... if you're talking trash about him, he better not be listening. He's still worthy of respect, no matter how naive he might act.

Bad Habits: His parents are careful to not let Patrick develop any bad habits, especially since he's prone to developing addictions.

Secret Talent: Patrick is fairly photogenic, sometimes finding work in the modeling industry. His parents have been showing him off since he was born and Patrick has grown to love being in front a camera- not in a self-absorbed way, but because he finds photoshoots so much fun. He doesn't see a need to mention that to his peers, however. Most of them are at least a little aware of his modeling career, the boy being prominently displayed in magazines and shopping catalogues. His parents have a whole room dedicated to all of his modeling gigs along with their personal family pictures of him. The family pictures are his favorites since his parents get to be a part of the fun.

Hobbies: 

Charm making and potion brewing are both large parts of his life, being exposed to them since birth. It's common for him to help his parents when they're working or working on projects of his own. The latter being more common when he's older as his parents grow busier and he becomes more capable of doing things on his own.

Despite having personal chefs, Patrick likes cooking with his family. When Barnaby and Madeleine have the time, they give their chefs a break and make meals with their son. Eventually, Patrick gets to the point where he can cook meals on his own (though the chefs still supervise him until he's grown up).

Crafts are so much fun to Patrick, partaking in them whenever he can. His creations are prominently displayed throughout the manor and his room is truly a room of his own- his parents allowed him design it himself. Plenty of his crafts are proudly shown there as well. DIY things and tutorials are like potato chips to him.

A common pastime for Patrick is making jewelry. At first, his creations consist of loom bracelets and stringing beads. Once he learns enough about charm making, he incorporates these skills into making actual jewelry. The friendship bracelets his classmates used to tease him about become crafts that gather the attention of peers and adults alike.

Modeling is yet another prominent aspect of Patrick's life. His walk-in closet is filled with more clothes than one boy reasonably needs, varying in levels of formality. It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say he has every type of clothing item one could think of in every color imaginable. He also knows a lot about composition, everything from his outfit to the background to the pose being coordinated perfectly. To no one's surprise, he uses makeup, but mostly for photoshoots and special occasions. There's not an outfit that looks bad on him or a single lackluster picture of him. He's so presentable, even in the most casual of outfits, that it's almost witchcraft. Despite him and his parents being more than capable, the Egglestons never use spells to enhance or alter appearance. Such a spell could easily go wrong and none of them need the help of magic to make them good-looking.

Fears: Patrick, being as sheltered as he is, isn't exposed to a whole lot that he could be genuinely afraid of. He might have some fears and concerns that are typical in most children, but he doesn't have any specific phobias that he knows of. However, it's not too hard to startle him. Just don't expect more than a scream and an annoyed glare, he might be sensitive than most of his peers, but he's not a coward. He's learned from his parents that there's nothing that he should be afraid of.

Being unable to help someone, even when he should be able to, makes Patrick genuinely uncomfortable. He wouldn't describe it as a fear, but it sort of manifests itself as one. He becomes fixated on helping people and when his attempts aren't working, he becomes more obsessed with helping the person...it's easy for this cycle to trap him in never-ending misery. Eventually, he reaches a point where he is forced to give up on a person. This causes him an incredible amount of agony that is usually hard for him to recover from, feeling like he failed the person in question. He desperately wants to avoid having going through that ever again and his parents try to prevent things from getting that far. Unfortunately, there are some things even his parents can't stop from happening...

Five Positive Traits: 

Sugar pales in comparison to Patrick's sweetness. If there's an opportunity to do something nice for someone else, chances are that he'll take it. Anyone he suspects doesn't get as much love as they deserve gets extra love from him. Being incredibly sympathetic and empathetic, he wants to better the lifes of everyone around him- even if they don't necessarily want him to.

Like his parents, Patrick is a natural at creating things. He loves the methodical approach to crafting things, following directions and blueprints being as natural to him as breathing. This skill is useful in many other areas, such as cooking- which he helps with every morning and occasionally for dinner (when he isn't too exhausted from school). Anything that can be made into a tutorial is something Patrick can pick up easily. Though he has a reputation for being a naive fool, his classmates can at least all agree that Patrick is by no means a bad student. Earning high marks in pretty much all of his classes, he's almost as esteemed as Johnathan Abberquack...almost.

Expressive as a cartoon character, Patrick isn't afraid to show his true emotions. If he likes you, you'll know it. If you do something nice for him, he'll shower you with gratitude. His (usually) sunny disposition can be infectious, bringing smiles to people's faces- usually just his parents, though he's spread joy throughout the school on some occasions.

Patrick is perceptive, which is a useful skill for his detail oriented hobbies. This is also good in social situations, able to see when something is off about a person or picking up even the smallest details about them that give more insight to who they are. This couples well with his giving nature, his gifts to friends and family always having thought put into them. Using whatever he picks up about a person, he has a good track record into giving presents the recipient likes. Sometimes, he helps others find gifts for people if he happens to know the recipient. Naturally, Patrick gets invited to a lot of birthday parties and gets plenty of chances to put his gift giving abilities to use.

When Patrick is pushed down, it doesn't take too long for him to get back up. Sure, he might cry for a moment or two, but Patrick is not easily defeated unless you take advantage of him when he's at his most vulnerable. No matter how many times his peers try to break him down, he'll come back as the same optimistic, kind-hearted boy he's always been.

Five Negative Traits:

Patrick is too kind for his own good, his peers often taking advantage of his softness to make a joke of him or reap some sort of benefit out of him.

Tying into this, Patrick is also incredibly trusting of those who haven't gotten on his bad side. This especially applies to Theo- Patrick trusts him with his life and would sacrifice nearly everything for him. Whether this is necessarily deserved is up to debate.

Speaking of Theo, Patrick has some obsessive tendencies. It doesn't matter if someone or something isn't worth his time, if he really likes something, it becomes cemented in his brain. This obsessive nature of the boy only exacerbates his other weaknesses- any person who is lucky enough to make Patrick obsessed could very easily toy with him however they'd like.

His expressiveness, though delightful, has a dark side. Patrick is unintentionally an open book, alerting everyone around him when something makes him happy and making it obvious when he's hurt with his out of character reclusive behavior. It's also easy to tell if he's lying, the boy being unable to look the person in the eye and tripping over his words as his feathers stand on end. His crushes also are fairly obvious, with the boy's loving and obsessive nature. Pretty much everyone at the school is aware of his feelings for Theo.

Patrick surprisingly (or maybe not, considering how immature he can be) can hold a grudge. If you hurt him even once, he closes himself off to you and it can be hard to earn his trust back. Certain people have an easier time than others, but a Patrick grudge is usually a fairly strong one.

Other Mentionable Details: ( can include mental disorders, quirks, etc. ) 

&. APPEARANCE

Tattoos: N/A

Piercings: N/A

Reference Picture: 

&. FAMILY INFORMATION

Parent Names: His parents are Barnaby and Madeleine Eggleston.

Parent Relationship: Both of his parents are the younger children of their respective families, meaning they- and by extension, Patrick- have less pressure to fit the prestigious mold. His father is the leading producer of magical charms and his mother is a potions professor in an esteemed magical university. Though they were technically arranged to marry, the two managed to fall for each other long before the arrangement was made. When they heard that their parents were trying to arrange them with someone, they opposed until they found out just who their arranged partner would be. Their parents didn't care about their already developed love, as long as they didn't protest the arrangement they were happy.

Patrick was made from love, not out of obligation. Their parents and other family members (who they try to keep away from their son) might want to make another link of a prestigious family chain out of him, but Barnaby and Madeleine just want their son to grow up to be himself without anyone else's intervention. They're accepting of who their son is and ultimately want to see him succeed in everything he sets out to do. Though they worry about their son's crush leading to his downfall, they'd be happy for Patrick if a relationship came from it. They're all about marrying for love and would be ecstatic to see their boy find the boy of his dreams.

Barnaby and Madeleine are nice people, but become terrifying when they're angry. Patrick is blissfully unaware of this side of them (unless he catches them snapping at someone else), but if someone messes with their boy, they're going to regret it. They won't hesitate to do everything in their power to make sure justice is served. Neither of them really care for dueling, but are willing to challenge someone to one if it means someone who hurt their son gets their just desserts.

Patrick is incredibly close to his parents and admires them greatly. He's always showing his love through affection, words, gifts...just like they do for him. They're a mushy, soft family that always makes time for each other in spite of the responsibilities and passions they each have.

Sibling Names: His sibling does not have a name yet.

Sibling Relationship: When Madeleine and Barnaby told Patrick that he was going to be a big brother, he couldn't hold back his joy. Though he likes things how they were, the thought of his family growing bigger (meaning more love to go around!) was thrilling. That, and he could have someone who looks up to him just like he looks up to his parents and Theo. Patrick quickly became fascinated with the egg once it arrived, already taking on the role of big brother. It doesn't matter to him whether the egg is a boy or a girl (or anything in between), as long as he and his new sibling can become close to one another.

Patrick proudly talks about his new sibling with anyone who is willing to listen...which mainly consists his parents' acquaintances and the few classmates that are patient enough to talk to him.

Though the egg is cute, Patrick has to admit that he is a little impatient for it to hatch and for his new sibling to reveal themself to the world. His parents are letting him name the baby since he's so enthusiastic about the new arrival.

Other Relevant Relative(s):

Patrick doesn't interact with most of his extended family unless it is a special occasion, so he doesn't really have an opinion of them. His parents don't seem to like them for whatever reason, so he doesn't trust them.

Barnaby's parents, Atticus and Lucinda Eggleston, make a point to have some involvement in their grandson's life and only become more intrusive with another grandchild on the way. Madeleine absolutely abhors her in-laws while Barnaby just tries to keep the peace to keep the family together. Atticus and Lucinda both aren't accepting of Patrick, disappointed in their son and his "bad influence of a wife" for not making a "proper boy" of him. They want to arrange a marriage for him behind his parents' backs, but Barnaby and Madeleine are fiercely protective of their little boy. This doesn't stop them from trying anyway, determined to "preserve the Eggleston name". Patrick is hurt his dad's parents don't love him for who he is, but wants to earn their approval anyway. His parents try to shield him from his paternal grandparents' disgust (Madeleine's family kind of forgets about her, as typical of most prestigious women once they're married off), but Patrick isn't oblivious to their blatant homophobia and utter heartlessness. He grows distasteful of them, though he secretly wishes he could have a decent relationship with them- without having to change himself.