#they lack basis survival skills

[made-by-moon]

Who the FUCK choose James Potter to be the mother of the group?! Have you seen the man?!?!? He has an attention spam of a five year old and caught angsty fever from Sirius. He has creepers and jitters from ADHD. As a representative of this group, I am here to announce that we lack basic survival skills. HE would be the friend that jumps from the window and your mother questions you if you'd do the same. Plus he actively ignores his bisexual nature. HE IS NOT READY TO TAKE CARE OF OTHER MENTALLY UNSTABLE QUEER TEENAGERS. While we are at it, none of them are. Lily and Minnie are the ones who keep them alive. And it's still a miracle they all died after 20.

[furiousgoldfish]

I didn't see this right away, but my parents refusing to teach me anything really got to me, and not only in the way of lacking survival skills. I was being told things like 'how old are you not to know this' and 'you should know this by now' constantly, but nobody ever took the time or patience to explain or demonstrate to me how anything works. I had school education, so I was able to absorb information, but that was still, me being one of the 20+ children sitting down, with one adult who spent more time trying to keep us disciplined and quiet, than managing to explain anything. If I didn't get anything, I was too afraid to ask. I was being told I was stupid on a daily basis anyway.

My parents insisted that I was too stupid to get anything, too clumsy and ignorant and incapable, so it wasn't worth trying to teach me anything, it was a waste of energy. I was supposed to absorb knowledge by looking at what they're doing, but they would often give me other tasks to do, I wasn't free to observe. I believed that I was specifically dumb and incapable, and this was the only reason why I didn't have any skills. I actually believed that I was clumsy, stupid, incapable of doing anything correctly. I didn't think I was worth teaching, worth mentoring.

There was one time I was in my friend's house, and there was a guitar. I touched it, fascinated, since I've never had the chance to touch one before. My friend's father saw my interest, and offered to show me how to play. I was flabbergasted. He showed me how to hold it, how to press my fingers on the strings to create different chords, how to make sound happen. It took maybe 20 minutes. But it was the first time an adult showed me how something worked, and I felt.. unworthy. I didn't understand how could I deserve so much of someone's time and patience, because it had never happened before. I couldn't retain the knowledge, because that was the last time I ever touched a guitar, I never got the chance again. I still feel indebted for that 20 minutes, it feels like too much spent on me.

I thought back to those moments a lot, thinking about how special I felt for an adult to believe that I was worth teaching. If someone gave me a guitar now, I'd be ecstatic to try and learn it, because I remember that someone thought I could, someone showed me how. All of the other skills, I had to learn while already thinking I would fail, that I couldn't do it, and had to deal with extensive negative mindset before even trying to start. There is no skill that one can do perfectly on the first time, we all start by being awful, and then slowly get better with practice. But, with the 'I fail at everything and even if I try it will go bad' mindset, the awful start feels like a confirmation that we cannot do this, that we're too incapable, or stupid, or lacking in talent. Since all my work was heavily criticized no matter how well I've done, I had to go back and figure out what things I actually do okay, and criticism was unwarranted, and where I've actually been lacking in knowledge. And that is a complicated thing to do, when all of the criticism feels so painful, and even trying to do something makes you hear the words of ridicule, degradation and berating in your head. It makes you want to go the route of perfectionism, to try and do things so well they would be above criticism in general, but that's impossible. Criticism we receive in abuse is not actual criticism, it's often directed at us only to hurt our feelings, to discourage us, mock us, make us feel inadequate, sometimes even out of jealousy or because our capabilities present a threat, so they need to run that down. But how would we know? If all feedback is negative, it's impossible for us to sort trough what is a confirmation of being awful, and what is a jealous remark created to sabotage our good work.

Sometimes it feels bad learning everything on my own. Finding online tutorials and youtube videos for every skill imaginable, sifting trough forums to find information on finances and economy, trying to put together how society works by analyzing how people live and not daring to ask them to explain how they got where they are now. I had no guidance, and sometimes things would be too complicated, and I would give up. I often wish I could ask someone to explain it to me, instead of typing questions into google. The information is stored differently when it comes from a human, it creates warmth and the knowledge that someone cared enough to explain it to me, that I didn't have to put it together from various sources myself.

Learning basic survival and life skills was unnecessarily painful for me. I still have things I cannot do, just because of how much pain is associated with them. But to think everything could have been as simple as that guitar! If every time I showed interest in something, an adult who knew how it worked sat down next to me, demonstrated it, gave it to me to hold, put my hands in the right places, and directed me to what I should do. Would I ever have trouble believing in myself? It wouldn't have crossed my mind that there's anything I can't do. Or that I would fundamentally be bad at anything, just because I'm bad at it on the first attempt. When you're a kid, you don't even know if you're doing good or bad, if your first attempt gets a 'good job!', you're incentivized to do it again, until you do get good at it. That's why we encourage children, not to lie to them, but because we know how painful it is to be told off on your first try, and that it will make the second try unlikely.

Today I understand that all skills are gained trough practice, and that I can pick and choose what skills I want, and I can get them with enough practice. I can and do give up on some that are too frustrating, and that's okay too, we are all more inclined towards some activities, while others feel bad even with improvement.

As a kid I was enveloped by fear of not being able to do anything, not being useful enough to be kept alive, never being good at anything, not finding any kind of place in the world, just because I can't do anything right. All of that fear was necessary, there's tons of stuff that anyone can do, with some more complicated stuff that one needs to be specialized in, but it's not necessary for survival, or even for earning a place in society. We all have a place, by birthright, and just having skills is not as important as with what purpose you're using them for. You can be extremely skilled and using those skills to exploit, destroy and do damage to society, or even to isolate some members of society who you can then hurt. Or you can have very few skills but be insistent on using what you do only to help those around you be safe and sound.

[wordy-little-witch]

Cross Guild Poly concept where the WG makes Seraphims of all the warlords - and I mean ALL of them.

Including Buggy, short tho his stint was on the register.

The idea had been that he must be a huge threat and so would have workable skills. They thought he would have a more malleable basis to expand on and turn into a mega weapon or, at the very least, an acceptable soldier.

They didn't account for his current persona being a fabrication, a performance, forged in fire and effort to show what he wants to show and to hide what he wants to hide. There is a reason Buggy went so long without being IDed as a Roger Pirate, why he lacked a bounty poster even on the most infamous crew of that era, how he survived that ship as a child.

Buggy has traumas and secrets he was ready to take to his grave.

Now there's a little white haired boy flanked by two other older boys on his island, drudging up any and every memory he wanted more than anything to leave in a dark corner of his mind.

Mihawk and Crocodile are in a similar boat, but they are not quite certain what to make of Buggy's reaction.

Nor, it turns out, the respect, care and adoration of their seraphim counterparts to the clown's.

S!Buggy, new name pending, is quiet, eyes sharp, voice hesitant. He's clingy, yes, but his gaze is is cold and assessing. He often times tucks himself being Angel, Croc's counterpart, or snuggled to Sparrow, Mihawk's, with golden eyes that feel frozen. He looks at people as threats, as prey, and Buggy does not flinch when that gaze hits him. He simply sighs.

He does not answer when asked about it.

Buggy just arranges for a room to be prepared for them. He also gives an order for extra blankets and pillows to be given as well, and for the location to have no more than two entry ways. He does not explain. The children just meet his gaze with something almost like understanding.

It breeds more questions than answers

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Sometimes I'd like to headcanon that Killer would at first see Color as his new 'boss' or 'god' when he gets his good ending because of how Color is the only way he's able to get that happy ending, and since Color was the one who manages to comfort and save Killer when he was in stage 1 even though Color really had no reason to, he still did.

Then Color would like have to tell Killer not to call him boss or anything like that, just as an equal being is fine.

Yes, I can see this being an unfortunate but real possibility. Because Killer went from Chara to Nightmare, it’s reasonable for a being who has never really known freedom and is still learning what that all entails will assume that the situation with Color is still at least similar. Possibly also a defensive mechanism, getting ready for the worse by restoring to what is familiar and comfortable.

I also tend to think that Killer has..a strange view of relationships. A hierarchical, power driven, conditional view of dynamics. He thinks that relationships must always have the stronger one, the most Determined one, who decides everything in the relationship and the weaker one’s life.

The one who is least Determined or strong in the relationship basically becomes the other’s toy. Their every whim is controlled and decided by the other. The only way to get out is to become stronger than the other—more Determined—and thus able to control the other now, or leave.

This is another reason why I think Killer tends to avoid relationships, deeper emotional connections, and Stage 2 only really ever forms relationships with others if there’s something he gain from it or something he thinks he needs to survive. (And is quite loyal to those relationships all the same, willing to share his own skills, intelligence, resources and the like so long as the other half basically keeps their end of the unspoken deal.)

Can be something as simple as a sense of amusement and power (Swap), something new and a sense of purpose (Nightmare), or something more vital—such as a Good Ending, happiness, safety, hope, stability, love(?), something new (Color).

Because while in Stage 1 it’s born out of fear—fear of hurting others yes, but also out of a large fear of being consumed by another’s wants and emotions and being abused, controlled again—in Stage 2, the avoidance of deeper connections comes from a mixture of plain disinterest, but also the desire to maintain control and the inability to trust others on any significant level. That isn’t to touch on how some higher Stages just don’t really have much capacity to form emotional bonds, or will struggle greatly to.

So, due to his past all encompassing and consuming relationship with Chara, and his lack of experience with much other forms of relationship dynamics, Killer thinks all relationships will eventually take that form. Only reinforced when Nightmare shows up immediately after taking control from Chara, and takes away his choice to live or die.

Killer has no basis for any equal relationships. Either he has to be in control, or they will take away his freedom. (Which basically seems to be something he puts into practice with Swap. Swap wants to be friends? Okay. But he doesn’t get to call the shots.)

So Killer deciding to trust and try to nurture a connection with Color, or anyone, is a pretty big deal for any Stage. It’s saying ‘I’m willing to risk letting you control me,’ and ‘I’m trying to trust that you won’t.’

This song is basically kinda how I picture the situation between Killer/st2 and Chara.

[shellem15]

The Case of Baalphegor

So, in DnD lore, there's this one character who gives me a lot of brainrot: Baalphegor, the she-devil consort to the Archdevil Mephistopheles. (For my bg3 girlies, this would be Raphael's stepmother!) As you can imagine, she isn't really talked about much, but what we do know about her is super cool!

(Note: Though I don't subscribe to their theories, @inaconstantstateofchange has a pretty good compilation of some of the lore and sources I'm using here.)

Baalphegor is an archdevil who's been around since the beginning of Hell (Baator), described as a skilled diplomat, tactician, and unmatched sorceress, as well as an inventor who's created a ton of artifacts and techniques used in the Hells. She's well-respected, and has many allies among Hell's upper echelon (Pit Fiends in particular).

So already, she's got a lot going for her (we love evil women in STEM). But here's where things get interesting:

Baalphegor is, apparently, extremely respected and valued by Asmodeus himself. So much so that he lets her live with Mephisto, and is one of the major reasons why Asmo tolerates him and his constant scheming. Now this is crazy, considering Asmo and his Big Fuckin Massive Ego™ and general lack of respect for anyone he considers "lesser", which is everyone.

Baalphegor toes the line between the two archdevils, keeping her goals "to herself" and being minimally loyal to Mephisto, while also maybe vying for a spot at being Asmo's new consort (or at least getting closer to him). Mephisto tolerates this because of the protection she gives him, but I imagine that he's not too happy about it. (Also she's gone missing? Which isn't really relevant to this post but is still something to note).

All of these details combined suggests to me that she has way more sway over how things are run in Cania (the 8th Hell) than we're told, perhaps even more so than Mephisto! The devil behind the throne, whispering into her arrogant consort's ear. I think this is neat, and makes Mephisto even more of a girlfailure, which is funny as hell (pun intended).

Small sidenote: in the lore of Hell, there's these guys called the Ancient Baatorians, the original rulers/inhabitants of Baator (Hell). These guys were pretty much all murked by Asmo and his devils when they conquered Hell, but some remnants of them survived: In the Dogai (assassin devils), who were transformed into devils; in the nupperibos, which are their larval stage; in more grown ancient baatorians called life stealers (an invisible monster which eats light and your life-force). These more mature forms are only really found in the cave systems beneath Malbolge and Maladomini (the 6th and 7th hells), places which even devils don't enter. There are also some of these guys trapped in the ice of Cania, as well. (Lore about them is compiled in Power Score RPG's Blog here.)

Why did I bring up the Ancient Baatorians, you may be asking? Well, some people on the internet really think that Baalphegor is an Ancient Baatorian. The original ruler of Cania, even. Now, I've looked and there seems to be no lore basis for this at all, but its fucking awesome so I've decided to include it here.

Additional Sidenote: So Asmodeus (and the Hells, by extension) has a lot of origins stories, all of which are iffy at best. One of the origin stories is that he's secretly a giant evil snake called Ahriman who, along with his goodly snake-sibling Jazirian, created the universe and the planes out of the primordial soup with the power of Law™. They disagreed on where to center the universe, and in the resulting conflict Ahriman fell into the Hells where his body now lays wounded at the bottom of Nessus. Ahriman eventually disguised himself and now rules the Hells  as Asmodeus, biding his time and eating the souls of atheists to heal his wounds and eventually rule the cosmos.

Now I don't particularly like this origin story (I find it just makes Asmo less interesting), but the idea of a big giant snake being the original ruler of Hell is sick, so I propose we take a page out of Pathfinder's book and give it to someone who's not Asmodeus. Who, you may asking? Baalphegor, of course!

…

The frozen peaks of Cania hold many dangers, but none so insidious as its dark mistress, the Lady Baalphegor. Consort to the Archduke Mephistopheles, Baalphegor takes a backseat role in the rulership of Cania, but is by no means unimportant—she is, perhaps, the smartest devil in all the Hells; A trait which has seen her rise to a position of great power.

Baalphegor holds immense sway and influence in the Nine Hells. Preferring diplomacy over brute force, her power is subtler than her consort's explosive dramatics—but has far greater reach and longer-lasting impact. That is not to say she is physically weak—she is an unmatched sorceress in the Hells and beyond—but that she'd rather make a friend than an enemy. A rare trait in the Hells, indeed.

Much like her husband, Baalphegor is an inventor, one who has created many of the profane artifacts and diabolical techniques used throughout the Hells. Her knowledge is as vast as Cania's great glaciers, collected over many eons with perfectly preserved clarity. Her spellcraft is precise and calculated, in contrast with Mephistopheles' volatile magics. In addition to her role as the Lady of Mephistar—Mephistopheles' great citadel—Baalphegor oversees the operations of the various libraries and laboratories in the frozen citadel. It is said that she can recite, by word, all the texts and tombs found within Mephistar's halls.

These traits have earned Baalphegor a position of great esteem in the Hells, so much so that she is respected by even the Archduke of Nessus, Asmodeus himself. The Lord of Lies counts her as a great friend and ally, often seeking her advice and counsel in matters requiring a more delicate hand. Rumors persist that Baalphegor's influence is one of the major reasons why the Lord of the Hells has not deposed her unruly consort.

In any case, an understanding exists between the two that Mephistopheles is not privy to, a fact which ignites much jealousy and insecurity within the Cold Lord. Despite the tensions between them, Baalphegor manages to walk the fine line between the two Archdukes, appearing loyal to both her consort and her King without making a distinction between the two.

Baalphegor's talents and connections have made her an invaluable asset to her consort, but also a grave threat. If she so chose to, she could quite easily overthrow the Lord of Hellfire. Luckily for Mephistopheles, however, Baalphegor has no current desire for usurpation, content with being the power behind Cania's icy throne.

While all in the Hells know Baalphegor to be an old and powerful devil, few are aware of the true extent of that fact. The entity known as Baalphegor is an ancient being—older than the Hells, older than Asmodeus, older than the Outer Planes itself. A serpent as vast as a galaxy, devoid of any light save for the stars in its belly. A devourer of suns and stars, one who feeds off of light and life and hope itself.

Somehow, this great serpent found itself trapped in the depths of Cania, long before any devil stepped foot in the realm. It found kin amongst those strange and incomprehensible Ancient Baatorians, the original rulers of Baator. This state lasted for countless eons, until the arrival of the Heavens' greatest angel, a young Asmodeus.

Before his fall, the Lord of the Hells discovered the plane of Baator on one of his many expeditions to the Abyss. Intrigued, he ventured deep into the bowels of this dark realm, until he found the great serpent in its nest. Instead of devouring him, the serpent hosted the Son of Light, sharing with him secret knowledge and long-forgotten truths of the cosmos. Asmodeus left the serpent's nest with his life, and, more importantly, a newfound friend.

When Asmodeus returned to Baator with his infernal host, he entreated the serpent for its aid in his conquest over the plane. The serpent agreed, on condition that the favor be repaid at the time and place of its choosing. This is the only debt that the Lord of Nessus still yet owes.

The serpent donned the guise of Baalphegor, and served as Asmodeus' advisor in his war against her former kin. With her knowledge, the Lord of the Hells vanquished his foes and seated himself upon the throne of Nessus. He rewarded her with a position of power in Cania, but cleverly did not grant her the title of Archduke, instead bestowing it to the obstinate yet controllable Mephistopheles. Baalphegor was made consort to the Lord of Cania, a station she holds to this day.

The truth of Baalphegor is only known to herself and Asmodeus, a secret well-kept and well-hidden. Only the lady herself can say what her true goals are, but for now she bides her time, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

[astroismypassion]

What's the difference between Mars in the 1st house, and Mars in the 8th house? People say both are powerful and sexual placements, but I feel like there's more to it than that.

Hi!

This is a cool cool question.

MARS IN THE 1ST HOUSE

when they make a mistake, they ALWAYS know THEY are in the wrong, their ego could be hurt or they might not want to admit the mistake, but they will always be accountable and aware that the mistake was fully on them

however, with Mars in the 8th this might very well NOT be the case, they are so interconnected with the other person's feelings, thoughts and actions that they don't know where they end and where the other person starts, lack of clear boundaries firstly within themselves if you ask me, because they need OTHER PEOPLE to survive and REFLECT their own IDENTITY BACK to them, meanwhile Mars in the 1st is already fully aware of their own identity, who they are, what they like, dislike, their actions, motives and traits

great athletic potential and skills, even if they don't even work out on a regular basis, they are still very skilled and might just wing it

very fun, adventurous, down to try everything at least once

does a lot of things on the spur of the moment

also, can we talk about how they procrastinate and one day later they schedule 5 meetings in a day and do it all at once? They might decide to meet with friends, finish an essay, study for an exam, go to the gym, just fully productive in one day

they are really focused on start and finishing a task in a short time frame, for them it's not so about details (like Mars in the 8th house), but they just want to say that they have finished it or done it

they will brag or tell you about stuff they've done before

MARS IN THE 8TH HOUSE

far far more reactive than Mars in the 1st house due to paranoia, past betrayals, trust difficulties

then CAN act very defensive and don't take enough responsibilities for their own emotional hurt or emotional reactions

they might be so convinced that their reaction was caused by the other person, that the feel like THE OTHER PERSON needs to take accountability and/or apologize

they can easily upset other people as well or evoke strong emotional hurt in other people, but then they put it on THEM, like Mars in the 8th house is not responsible for other people, but for themselves

so it's like a weird mix of being on their own, independent and standing behind their own action, yet at other times highly interconnected with other people's reactions, thoughts, emotions

meanwhile, Mars in the 1st house will always take accountability, because they always know they are on their own

don't get fooled by their strong nature, they don't actually know themselves that well deep down, so they constantly need other people around to mirror their traits, emotions, actions back to them

very nerdy

secretly might be low key afraid of their father figure and other male figures in life

loves sensual, quality lingerie

a bookworm too

they know so many random, fun facts, it's like their mind knowledge is endless well, it just never stops, they always surprise with new information, new knowledge

not so open to try everything once, UNLESS their friend recommended it

but other than that they are not so spontaneous with trying new stuff, actions, because they have prejudgements, pre-ideas about a topic and they already know in advance that some actvitiy just won't be enjoyable for them

they rely on inspiration and/or caffeine do meet the deadline

similar to Virgo Mars, can be too stuck in routines or their own daily schedule that they became negative and low energy because of it

they will keep a mystery or won't reveal as quickly their previous accomplishments or what they have done, they won't flaunt as much

I hope this answered some of your inquiries.

@astroismypassion

[cienie-isengardu]

No offense but I imagine the Lin Kuei might have had a bit of an issue with the language barrier given Tomas probably didn't speak English and assuming he did, it was probably broken English.

Bi-Han and Kuai are just staring at him trying to decipher what the fuck he's saying and it's a really bad first impression and utterly cringe worthy because Tomas is tripping over himself trying to sound coherent and it's backfiring.

I’m here for the language barrier as Tomas comes from a totally different culture than Lin Kuei, however considering how little we know about his family, especially why they were so far away from home (Prague), I’m not sure if Tomas even spoke English before he was adopted by Grandmaster. The BIO and intro dialogues doesn’t paint one, coherent picture why they were hunting[*] on Lin Kuei territory, but as Smoke’s ending points out, he was with Lin Kuei for around 15 years (“It was looking at myself, fifteen years ago. I would've ended up just like him, if Lin Kuei hadn't taken me in”). We do not know how old Tomas is during the events presented in story mode, but I think assuming he is in his 20s is a safe bet and thus there is a real chance he was less than 8-10 years old when his family died. Again, we have no idea why Tomas’ family traveled so far from Europe, but if they were hiding from something or someone, they could on purpose avoid contact with people and in result Tomas had not an opportunity to learn different language(s) outside of his native one. Of course, he could attend school at some point before his family moved on to Asia or the parents could teach him English or any other language just in case, but we have no idea how Tomas’ life looked nor how well educated he was. So I wouldn’t cross out the possibility Tomas spoke only Czech - the same as we do not have an idea when Bi-Han and Kuai Liang started learning English, as this is not their native language either.

But the most important thing is, Tomas being unable to speak English or communicate with Grandmaster’s sons is hardly the first - and bad - impression he would make on Kuai Liang and Bi-Han. He was a kid who witnessed the death of his family and then was forced to live with a clan responsible for this merciless act. As we know Tomas as a kid did not consider being adopted by Grandmaster as anything good, he could on purpose refuse to learn the dialect used by Lin Kuei** and/or talk in any other language than his own native one - or show his justified resentment in more drastic ways. The communication barrier was, as I imagine, only partially created by lack of skills and more by lack of will to interact with the murders of his family. 

So I think Tomas on his own wanting to communicate with Kuai Liang or Bi-Han, no matter how broken his English or Lin Kuei dialect was, could be seen as a great improvement compared to his resentment, anger, maybe agression and generally speaking trauma.

That said, I’m pretty sure there is plenty of hilarious stories about their earliest attempts at communication. Sadly, tie-in material does not provide any anecdotes about that :(

[*] Tomas' family hunting as a means for survival or hunting solely for fun builds a very different impression of who they were. 

[**] I don’t have an idea what exactly language Lin Kuei use on daily basis, just throwing here an idea that since they live in hiding for centuries, their speech patterns could be considered as outdated compared to the official language(s) of China (as I assume Lin Kuei are still somewhere there stationed) and after such long time of isolation from world, Lin Kuei has their own unique dialect.

[prhvlbop]

daan te's inferno

so i feel like the fandom perception of pocketcat has herniated away from the explicit information that he is a pedophile, like that is just.. what his character is about, primarily, alongside other things. it's uncomfortable to see people trying to get around that for how and why they like him. but anyway, his character basis of what makes him frightening is that he is a charming and polite and charismatic welcoming friendly figure in a setting that lacks friendly faces almost entirely and he's also a pedophile, which is pretty true to life honestly. in both games he offers tempting and valuable resources to you that are difficult to get anywhere else

daan's character backstory is fairly long. some people interpret his parents trying to pass the healing gift of sylvian onto him as an allusion to him being transgender*, which makes me happy to see, but i'm also curious about the other ways you can read his backstory and interested in the cyclical framing of daan pretty textually undergoing different forms of CSA at different points of his childhood--

(the entire nature of sylvian cult worship referenced in the prior mentioned 'passing the healing gift of sylvian onto him', i saw someone else point out that daan doesn't learn any of sylvian's skills at this time which implies it would have been through other traditional sylvian healing methods, the options you can choose in regards to him surviving on the streets at age 13 have him either performing sylvian healing for money or being weirdly propositioned for information by your girlfriends dad, etc)

-- and he transforms into pocketcat as his moonscorched form, despite it also being true that daan is not a pedophile and the transformation has more to do with his failed pursuit of the cultist god, and removal of himself from his own life, the entire "The most important thing learned is that you trade your life, your self in the practice of medicine. That is the price to save lives of the others." mantra (reaffirmed by seeing pocketcat's dimension room changing from stuffed animals, etc, objects associated with children, to a crime scene related to daan's gf's sacrifice that he's obsessed with resolving for obvious reasons)

then that line about how pocketcat has been following him since long before coming to prehevil...

i'm not really putting anything together here in a big explanation, but i think the contrast is interesting. daan's life circularly starts with him getting traumatized from sexual events as a child by multiple different figures who have power over him, and the rest of his life has been completely defined by these events and what he learned during it. there's not a single thing he currently does that doesn't somehow tie back to sylvian. it made him a healer. it's how he met everyone he knew that was important to him. it was repeatedly the only thing he could use to try and have a life, one he merely survives by becoming detached from himself and the pain of others. you have to trade your entire self away in order to save the lives of others. and in the end the worst outcome he can imagine to become is a dehumanized caricature of a god's servant who would do the same things that happened to him 15 years ago

*note: i have not read dante's inferno and don't know anything about it

*note 2:

[pink-strawberry-kissess]

is it just me or has aeon and ada become even more popular because of the remakes (despite what haters say)

i think that a lot of people who were ada antis that switched were typically (not always tho) hating on her because they were jealous or they misunderstood her character. i think that a lot of the new fans are strictly leon stans and lack the critical thinking to go beyond their simping

it takes a certain amount of time and effort to look into a character that you vehemently dislike because you've already mentally written her off, or she's "in the way." and i don't necessarily blame them but i do think it's kinda stupid to hate on characters without knowing much about them (at least the people who hate on characters and make that their personality. I hate tons of characters- i just don't talk about it much cause i care about my time lol)

i think that SW was always made in a way to make the audience sympathize with ada. she's always been this morally grey character that (with most people who lack critical thinking skills) has always been painted as a villain- when arguably every single re character has does something morally wrong or has just straight up worked under actual villains in the stories

there's no morally good re character imo.

if we were to take this into account, it would be hypocritical to call all the other re characters morally just while condemning ada for her actions in the same breath.

i've already mentioned that i think the way they wrote luis's "redemption" arc was made in such a way that it was written to necesitate the story and was made into just a plot device. and i do think that if luis was written to be a woman, he would not have been given just a pass in what he had done.

ada's point of contention was always that she did what she needed to survive, and on the basis of what she deemed morally correct. people who paid attention to her story always knew she would kill if she needed to, BUT she would also do what she was think was the better option. she weighs two evils and chooses the lesser one.

i hear a lot of complaints from antis that her "saving" leon doesn't erase what she's done. and no one is saying that it does. but we have to remember that she doesn't owe leon ANYTHING. she could easily have left him to die. from the very start, if we were to assume the role as ada as our own pov, LEON is the one that wouldn't leave her alone.

i think that it's difficult to read characters that have their own sense of morality. when people do bad, you assume they're bad. but people aren't like that as a whole. when main characters like leon or chris do morally reprehensible things, it's because of the narrative, it's written as such so that the ending is still good.

the changes within SW was definitely to make the audience sympathize with ada. with her infection, with how the other characters treat her, with the way she carries herself. she knows what's she's done, she's "made peace with it," it's literally in her opening monologue.

anyways

tl;dr yes

[gaykingslayer]

Gaykingslayer? More like gay BITCH if you ask me. Maybe you should stop putting so much time and effort into your drawings because all you're doing is showing the world that you're passionate about art and growth and tbh that's so fucking CRINGE you should just keep your art to yourself, you'll never be Alyss and Cassandra's third no matter how much you ask because you'll NEVER be a lesbian vampire like them just a sad gay artist gay

you have a lot of nerve speaking those foul words while you're hiding behind a screen.

Not only that, you're making a lot of assumptions about me without any basis of proof. shame on you.

My passion for art is not JUST cringe! I decided to dedicate my life to art after my dead grandmother died dead, she tried to be an artist, but she was really bad. I, as the good grandchild, had to take up the mantle of being a mediocre artist and keep the family legacy alive.

It's truly disgusting how you tell me to keep my cringe to myself. No. Until the end of time, I shall burden the world with my cringe, something my dead grandmother could not. I am her reincarnation, her second chance at life, her dreams manifested.

Words said from behind a screen cannot stop me.

I'm also laughing my ass off at that pathetic attempt to hurt my feelings. "you'll never be Alyss and Cassandra's third". Really, what's this then?

Yeah, that's right. You know nothing about me or Alyss and Cassandra. I'll have you know they're fucking me with their ribbed straps right now as I'm typing this. How do you call yourself a member of the Ranger's Apprentice fandom with such a lack of investigation skills? What's next, you going to tell me you don't know how to survive in the wilderness?

I might not be a vampire yet but Cassandra said she would turn , me as soon as she gets her rabies shot SO.

[leportraitducadavre]

I think canon did the Yamanaka, and thus Ino, dirty by necessity tbh. I don't like it, but also the show is mostly focused on front line combat and training for it. Which is the opposite of Yamanaka strengths, as a clan focused on spying, interrogation, conversion, and (in more gritty/dark fanon) seduction and subtle poison. If a Yamanaka is in a position where their skill is compared to a front line assault ninja, they've already failed, yknow? Their targets shouldn't even comprehend they're near a ninja. And I get why the show didn't focus on that, it was NARUTO Shippuden not INO Shippuden. But on that basis alone it's an unfair and futile comparison to set Ino up as Sakura's long term rival. If anyone it should've been Shizune, or more realistically Kabuto (and she ISNT Kabuto's equal, imo)

Hi there, I’m not at the moment replying asks and this might be unfair to some people that send me questions that I haven’t replied before (apologies), but I wanted to tackle this specific subject (Ino), as I don’t get that many asks about her.

I think canon did the Yamanaka, and thus Ino, dirty by necessity tbh. I don't like it, but also the show is mostly focused on front line combat and training for it. Which is the opposite of Yamanaka strengths, as a clan focused on spying, interrogation, conversion, and (in more gritty/dark fanon) seduction and subtle poison.

I apologize, but I have to disagree with you, not on the fact that two-thirds of Team 7 focuses on frontal attacks (Naruto and Sakura -Sasuke, as Uchiha and a prodigy who also knows kenjutsu, can tackle pretty much any range of attack), and as the team with the most panel time they get pretty much highlighted throw out the series. Still, this manner of attack isn’t the story's primary focus.

The story in itself is about political warfare and the overall cruelties of the system, Sasuke -as an antagonist, it’s the main plot driver of the show (as are Obito, Nagato, and Orochimaru), and the main character that the narrative establishes as “the good ones” are reactors rather than causers.

Once this is established, I do agree that the show focuses mostly on front-line attacks as those are the ones the main duo (and some other fan favorites) possess, however, this manner of combat isn’t as relevant in the overall structure: Itachi and Nagato, for instance, rely on either genjutsu or upon their rinnegan and vast amount of chakra to control other people and perform their binding. Deidara fought against Sasuke while putting distance between them through his secret technique, and so on. 

The relevance of such a style of combat is well established during the Chünin Exams: this type of approach is the most “spectacle-friendly” as it allows viewers to witness true carnage and visible consequences, cementing before the audience the overall military power of a village or a character –which is similar, if not equal, of how a shönen works for its audience.

However, it’s constantly highlighted, albeit secretly (as this portion of the tests isn’t shown to the rest of the civilian population as it lacks the “thrill” that combats possess and I’ll say some readers skipped it as they, too, liked to see displayed raw physical power, as that’s how most mainstream heroes are depicted, not having to think around their power shall it be more complicated than a powerful punch); the relevance of Information gathering skills, having an entire test dedicated to it: such exam, Sakura failed, as she never realized what the test was actually for. Ino-Shika-Chö passes it because Ino was the only one out of the three of them shown to have understood it and has the perfect technique for it, here.

There are, however, other mentions of such specialty relevance during the second stage as well, here and here –of course, this specific portion of the “information gathering” skills are to be more rudimentary as they’re more focused upon the shinobi’s survival rather than sharpening their spy qualities, but they are necessary to guarantee the success of a mission.

Obito specifically targeted the Intelligence Division where Inoichi and Shukaku were to guarantee his success as they worked quickly with the information they received of the battlefield to send specific teams to different locations to warrant the enemy’s defeat (like when they sent Team 10 to support Kumo and fight the Gold and Silver Brothers, or how they also asked them to defeat Asuma); Hashirama specifically asked for a Yamanaka to spread amongst the shinobi forces the information he had and Shikamaru’s strategy. 

Sasuke and Naruto (or even Hashirama and Madara), are people whose strength isn’t the usual norm, as they’re particularly strong even amongst those considered “the strongest” in the military population (Kages), so them not having to rely on prior information to win a battle (despite them coming up with strategies all the time upon seeing how their enemies work –something Sakura isn’t shown doing, as she either relies on other people (Chiyo) or fails, as she did against Dosu) it’s an off the norm occurrence, only to be applied to them.

People's preference around which techniques are best or more "spectacle-friendly" -something necessary for a manga that relies on visual story-telling, doesn't dispute the overall value of Yamanaka clan's techniques inside the plot and structure Kishimoto established (they, after the UCM, became the clan with the most information-gathering relevance, as they were the only non-Sharingan users that could control their target and read their mind, and while the Saiko Denshin it's a T&I jutsu and not a Yamanaka one, it's clear by Ino's recollection of it that it's at least taught at its most basic form).

If a Yamanaka is in a position where their skill is compared to a front line assault ninja, they've already failed, yknow? Their targets shouldn't even comprehend they're near a ninja. And I get why the show didn't focus on that, it was NARUTO Shippuden not INO Shippuden. 

I agree that Ino isn’t a specialized combater, although she did fight Asuma while controlling two Zetsu (I speak a little about the possibility of it being a technique she came up with here), so her taijutsu is -at least, better than Shikamaru’s who stood back as support; her family’s technique and her medical training taught her to stay out of conflict (as she did when vs. Hidan and Kakuzu) in order to be able to attend those wounded (the only ones able to fight are those that mastered Mitrocondrial Regeneration, as they are able to heal without using signs and have more chakra to spare since they stored it, x and x), as medics are also main targets during combats (x).

[If you are more interested in Medical skills, here’s a little post about it: x]

However, I’ll say that, as a secondary character, she got more panel time and development than many other characters who were pushed aside shortly after their introduction (Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Kurenai -to name some of Konoha’s). She was able to help discern, albeit with her father and an ANBU, Nagato’s location when sharing information about her mind-body switch control, she also realized one of the Paths used a similar technique to Inoichi’s (Saiko Denshin) and was given a few very powerful moments during the war, which is more than other fandoms were given.

But on that basis alone it's an unfair and futile comparison to set Ino up as Sakura's long term rival. If anyone it should've been Shizune, or more realistically Kabuto (and she ISNT Kabuto's equal, imo) 

Do you mean, unfair for Ino to be Sakura's rival or the other way around? Kabuto is a far better medic than any of them, and Sakura, while impressive, didn’t surpass Tsunade at this stage –as she improved not Tsunade’s techniques, being solely able to master them prior in age to her mentor as Tsunade created them and had to experiment with her own body in order to use it and teach it afterward. Kabuto invented his own version of Mitochondrial Regeneration (x), which is the reason why Orochimaru chose him. He’s the only one who Tsunade considers surpassed her during her prime (x, x).

Sakura and Ino’s rivalry has less to do with their overall techniques and more to do with their attraction to Sasuke, which is the main focus Sakura puts upon their rivalry. Asuma claimed during his last speech to Ino that she mustn't lose either Ninjutsu or love, but the bars they both have about their techniques are completely different –Sakura, medical-wise, possesses a natural advantage that Ino doesn’t, which is natural delicate chakra control, something inherently necessary to learn the Yin Seal; while Ino’s medical skills (likely taught to her through Shizune), are rudimentary at best in order to do something else for her team while on a mission that doesn’t require her technique, in order to guarantee her safety.

Now, you might wonder, why does she have to be safe? Canonically speaking, besides collecting information, the team must guarantee at least one survivor who can pass on the knowledge (or, at least, a way to communicate the information). No other team is expected to ensure such a thing (x). 

In that sense, Team 7, Team 8, and Team Gai are mostly viewed as expendable** (I am aware that all of the soldiers are viewed in such light, I’m specifically referring to such an idea when already inside that “disposable spectrum”). Only those front-lines combateurs that have techniques with enough power to defy even shinobi standards (Naruto, Hashirama, Tobirama, and some others –and I’m not putting Uchiha there as they are able to cover multiple ranges), are highlighted and rewarded with the Hokage title, the rest are sent to die or to distract the enemy in order to open space for teams more specialized in gathering the enemy’s secrets or strategies.

[Minato, also considered amongst the best, relied on other front-liners to plant his special kunais upon his targets and to take care of a big portion of the enemies, as he killed the rest. Saving the small group of survivors.]

Being rivals has nothing to do with having similar techniques, but either opposed goals (Sasuke vs. Naruto) or the same goal (Sasuke’s love reciprocation when it comes to Sakura and Ino).

Inside the manga itself, the notion of rivalry is shown to be deeply intertwined with shinobi culture, as they encourage such a mindset so shinobi would push each other to new highs of their respective techniques in order to win their competitions as long as they don’t put Konoha’s stability in jeopardy: Madara/Hashirama, Danzo/Hiruzen, Kakashi/Obito, Naruto/Sasuke, Sakura/Ino.

[**Sakura, as a front-line fighter, is expendable, as a medic-nin, slightly less, as she is expected to die, if doing so, last of all. Not to return alive, as Team 10].

In case you’re interested, I have some other post regarding kunoichi:

The infinite “who’s strongest Kunoichi” debate and the sexist erasure/degradation of female characters and an addition

Yamanaka clan techniques

Posts of my Naruto re-read

[karume-selfshipper]

My Hero OCs

A quick run down of all my OCs within MHA. Just some basic character stuff and how they would fit into the world.

My OCs are all typically blondes with blue eyes. No pictures for most of them just yet, I'm better at making characters and writing than drawing... 4 child OCs (at the start of the canon) 8 adult OCs.

Inari Yagi

Quirk: Rebound- Allows the user to leave faint after-images to absorb blows and store power. Unfortunately the user must release the stored power all at once, this can leave the user's muscles bruised and bones broken if over-charged.

Hero Name: Shadow Nova

Notable Relationships: All Might (Father) Shoto Todoroki (Vanilla BF and Ex [pre grad]) Shinsou Hitoshi (Best Friend and future BF [post grad]) Mirai Sasaki (Honorary Uncle and first person she saves)

Plot Basis: As All Might's 14-year-old daughter, she heavily influences the plot. Her personal problems and plot line deal with the social pressure of being perceived as "The Next All Might" and learning to ease up on the lofty expectations and impossible standards she sets for herself.

Tohikana Yagi

Quirk: Beast Shifter- The user can transform into various animals as long as they know the animal's musculature.

Hero Name: Triphibia

Notable Relationships: All Might (Father) Mezo Shoji (eventual BF [post grad])

Plot Basis: As All Might's 14-year-old daughter, she barely influences the plot. Yet her personal plot shows just how much is stacked against her, yet she refuses to give up on her dream. Despite all of the pressure she has in her life; she keeps up a bright, jovial attitude at all times.

Nanori Yagi

Quirk: None

Notable Relationships: All Might (Father) Mei Hatsume (Rival) Shoto Todoroki (eventual BF [2 or 3 year pre grad])

Plot Basis: As All Might's 14-year-old daughter, she manages to attend U.A. Due to her lack of a quirk, she is only capable of being in the Mechanics classes or General Studies; of which she chooses the Mechanics course. Though she can't do much to influence the plot, she's still held to a higher standard than most.

Aiko Imari

Quirk: Tempered Glass- The user has the ability to heat, cut, and create glass with their hands. Creating glass requires the materials (often found in the surrounding area) to create glass; this leads to other forms of glass (e.g. obsidian glass) in the right situation.

Hero Name: Occutrum

Notable Relationships: All Might (secret Father) Eraserhead (captured her and struck a deal to avoid jail/juvie) Tenya Iida (biggest hater and eventual BF)

Plot Basis: As the 14-year-old child of a notable villainess, she had to fight to survive and strike a deal with Erasurehead right before the school year. Being so isolated, she does what she can to keep her distance and minimal hope for her future.

Danica "Dani" Grey

Quirk: Star Knight- An older, arcane-based quirk that allows the user access to the power of the Western Zodiac-centric skills and attacks. Some of the star signs can be a bit difficult to use due to the user's own star sign.

Hero Name: Zodi Knight

Notable Relationships: All Might (old friend and eventual BF)

Plot Basis: An older American Pro Hero who decided to soft-retire as a teacher in U.A. Barely a year younger than All Might, the two attended college together, though they never knew each other's real names. Despite their running joke from how well they worked together as rookie Heroes, Dani has her eye on a specific, quirkless teacher ;).

Chelsea Rogers

Quirk: 2-D -Allows the user to merge with walls in a graffiti-esk style and move within the flat surface.

Hero Name: Speed Paint

Notable Relationships: Midnight (GF) Erasurehead (BF) Present Mic (Friend and awkward poly partner)

Plot Basis: She has little to no bearing on the plot as her entire story is crack-poly shipping at its finest.

Minnie Stewart

Quirk: Cryptid Enhancement- The user has traits based on local legends and an increased strength proportionate to the cryptids the user resembles (hers specifically is wolf hybrid with large deer antlers)

Hero Name: Dego

Notable Relationships: Fatgum (semi-rival and eventual BF)

Plot Basis: Not much, save maybe Vigilantes and Team Up Mission (if I ever read them). Though more background, not main plot relevant. More or less to explore a possible dark/petty side to Fatgum

Dorothy "Dora" Johnson

Quirk: Demonic Kinesis- The user develops demon-looking traits (horns, wings, tail) and has a powerful form of telekinesis that allows them to perform difficult and intricate tasks even when they can't see what they're doing.

Hero Name: Spectrold

Notable Relationships: All Might (eventual BF) Star and Stripe (mentor/boss)

Plot Basis: While she is a teacher at U.A. after being legally sued out of America, she offers a close look at the dark underbelly of a Hero society. Being the daughter of a well-known villain she has suffered an uphill battle due to her quirk being exactly like her father's.

Lindsey Powell

Quirk: Gecko- The user looks similar to a gecko and has the ability to stick to walls, ceilings, and flat surfaces. (Specifically looks like a colorful, spotted gecko)

Hero Name: Spotty

Notable Relationships: Present Mic (eventual BF) Erasurehead (reluctant friend) Midnight (co-conspirator/prank friend)

Plot Basis: Fun little side character that has little to no influence on the plot. An American Hero who relocated for a supposed temporary time frame, but found something she liked and decided to stay.

Audrey Foster

Quirk: Drider- User has traits of a spider. (Specifically traits of a tarantula)

Hero Name: Fuzzy Legs

Notable Relationships: Erasurehead (eventual BF/reluctant BF) Present Mic (annoyance... sometimes) Midnight (also sometimes annoying)

Plot Basis: Another side character with little to no influence on the plot. Another American Hero (me thinks there's a pattern... No its just me trying to self-insert "properly") who came to Japan to get away from the harsh amount of Hero work she had as the only Hero in her area. Though she didn't leave until there were more up-and-coming Heroes in the area.

Katherine Turner-Yagi

Quirk: Chem-Trail -The user can rearrange the chemical components of objects into other items with similar compositions. Any attempt to make something without the necessary materials will drain the surrounding area and deposit any excessive materials.

Hero Name: Catalystic

Notable Relationships: All Might (father) Present Mic (BF) Erasurehead (reluctant BF) Sir Nighteye (best friend from high school and ex) David Shield (honorary uncle) Mellissa Shield (friend/sister-like)

Plot Basis: All Might's half-American adult daughter who he has had quite the fight to have any kind of custody (50/50 until she turned 13 then All Might got full custody). Otherwise, she's a side character with little to no influence on the plot except being in a poly-ship with Aizawa and Yamada.

Margret "Maggie" Moore-Yagi

Quirk: Glyphs- The user has a host of abilities based on the color of the glyphic circles. & Premonition- The user sees brief glimpses of the future, both good and bad outcomes.

Hero name: Circa

Notable Relationships: All Might (father) Sir Nighteye (eventual BF) David Shield (honorary uncle) Mellissa Shield (friend)

Plot Basis: Very little to no influence on the main plot. (there's a whole other post about her background...)

[kaiya-player2]

I'm currently writing another fic (yes, it will be posted on ao3 when it's done. No I do not know when that will be) and I decided "why not post some of my headcanons?" So here you go. Can find some of these in my chat fic too probably lol.

MHA Headcanons: League of Villains

Toga will force other members of the League to give her piggy back rides (mostly Compress and Magne at first, but quickly spread to each member)

Toga pokes people as a sign of affection (she only breaks the skin of the people she has a crush on. Watch out Deku and Uraraka, you two are not safe.)

Dabi acts like a tsundere.

Spinner likes the cold, even he doesn't know why.

Shigaraki can, and will, walk in heels.

Spinner and Shigaraki constantly debate which Pokemons are better (this counts for Smash Bros or literally any game characters)

Shigaraki plays more RPGs (role-playing games) and survival/horror

Spinner plays more FPS (first person shooters) and dating simulators

Compress is a walking uno reverse meme. He'll have way too many uno game cards on hand that no one will be able to outplay him.

Shigaraki takes videos and pictures of his comrades being stupid. He calls them his "save files"

Kurogiri is like a dad to Shigaraki, while Compress is like a dad to Dabi. They both babysit the others.

Twice is way too impulsive for his own good, often lacking a filter

Magne puts him in time out when necessary

Magne is the mom friend/big sister

Spinner can juggle knives with his eyes closed (so can Toga)

Shigaraki is skilled in reading body language

Often times, Dabi has no clue what he feels

Compress is bilingual (Japanese and English)

Dabi knows some English, but isn't fluent

Magne knows some French, but also isn't fluent

Kurogiri is a fast reader

Shigaraki is also a fast reader

Dabi writes poetry (mostly for Shigaraki as I'm a hardcore shigadabi shipper, but more on the complete canon side; angsty and violent poetry with Endeavor dying.)

Twice is dislexic and a slow reader

Dabi is nearsighted

Shigaraki's scratching is mostly caused by anxiety or anger, but is also due to skin eczema

(if having survived Overhaul)- Magne would use her quirk on Overhaul every time she'd see him (probably to throw him into walls)

Shigaraki can drink anything alcoholic straight from the bottle without flinching. He also doesn't get drunk easily.

Compress is a lightwieght

Dabi prefers iced drinks, as it helps cool him down

If Toga wants to be fancy, she'll put blood into a wine glass with some ice cubes. (Mostly did so when the adults drank back when the bar was intact)

Toga and Magne are both hopeless romantics

Shigaraki does have excellent control with his quirk, thanks to finger dexterity

Dabi cracks his knuckles and literally every other bone in his body on a daily basis

Shigaraki also cracks his knuckles, but not frequently

After Shigaraki got more mature, he also got more sarcastic and a total meme lord (also abuses the FUCK out of video game terminology)

Dabi had RBF

Toga also has RBF

Shigaraki ALSO has RBF

Spinner will belp when concentrated

That's all I got for now. Might do more of these later, maybe with different characters.

[oathofkaslana]

hi hi hi leeeee :] as a colleiwarrior it is my duty to ask about collei o7 and if you want to do it id like to hear your thoughts about xiao too hehe

HAI PLUTO!!!! ill do collei and then xiao :3

Collei:

First impression:

OHHH I LOVE HER ALREADY SHE'S SO SNARKY AND HER LORE IS SO COMPELLING....... very very excited to see her in game i hope she comes out soon (<- had to wait like what. two/three years????)

Impression now:

gives me brain worms my God. i think i've thought about her too much bc theres so many lil symbols that i associate w her that just aren't intentional in the slightest. she has so so so much lovea nd heart in her and i wishhhh people understood her better. also extremely disappointed in her in-game writing for multiple reasons but like. the ableism and misogyny being a big one. :( colleination could fix her...... i wish she were more mean in the game.

Favorite moment:

her fight w kaeya and the subsequent "confrontation" w amber....... makes me so so sick in the head that was The original collei trio to me. i looove how it plays w all three of their characters even if it isn't shown very well. it's also the basis for a lot of my interpretation of collei since it shows the extent of her beliefs/lack of belief. dear god..... it's so so good.

Idea for a story:

i've talked abt wt spin off au and windblume rewrite a bunch on this blog so let's go with amber and collei liyue trip!! :DD someone comes and tells amber they heard something about her grandfather in qingce while collei's in town and obv collei's like i can't hold you back on this! so they jsut decide to go together bc collei's packed a bag anyways and they're both adept w survival skills surely their different skills will come in handy for liyue. going to qingce leads them to going to yilong port (i'd do qiaoying but i feel like its too close) and amber's like. kinda stumbling w her broken canto-mando and feeling weirdly emotional and she and collei both bond w "coming back" to a generational homeland while feeling like a stranger and its an important moment to both of them bonding as friends and a pivitol point of collei changing her idea of amber as a savior as more of amber as a best friend yk :''). also ga-ming....... i don't know if he'll stay for long bc honestly i do want it to focus on amber and collei but i think it'd be fun for him to at least make an appearance or sm yk!! the narrative there could be so compelling.

Favorite relationship:

........................okay yeah obv it's amber and collei aksjbdkbsdja BUT. her and cyno are a close second :]

Favorite headcanon:

SNAKE MOMENT. i have a moment in my wt spin off au where she tends to a snake in spite of a phobia of them and it's representative of her first step towards healing AND her caring for her younger self even if she's still wrapped in so much hatred of her. also trans (she/her) lesbian.

Xiao:

First impression:

he's so sad :(( i want him please come home.... he has so so much heart and he doesn't even know it because of his own grief and guilt and objectification of himself :(( he's bruce-coded FUCK.

Impression now:

MAKES ME VIOLENT. i love him so so bad i miss him all the time. his story is soooo entangled with grief and acceptance and every little step he takes reflects that. he's such a fun character bc it's kinda a study on what comes after the tragic hero's story yk? except the tragedy is in part because he lives! he feels so so much and has such a big hear tbut denies it any priority bc it's easier not to. :((

Favorite moment:

PERILOUSWS TRAILS CUTSCNEe......... MY GOD. DERA GHODDD. FUCK. it makes me so so sick in the head that entire quest. xiao so readily sacrificing himself for the others because it's his duty to and because its what all his loved ones did. him closing his eyes and accepting it and finding comfort in the fact that he knows what happened to bosacius and that he's following his footsteps. him being saved and being surprised but That being such a key moment to his grieving process. also the poem from the waterborne poetry event :'') (aka the only part of that event that matters). it referencing all of the yakshas :'''''') and talking of him missing them

Idea for a story:

i don't have an actual story w xiao in mind... i would loooove to see another story quest w him and the other adepti though :''') i wanna see him in the past so so bad :C

Favorite relationship:

him and zhongli! :] they're both characters whos stories are about grief but both have different timelines to it and i think that's so so interesting especially when you remember how zhongli showed no emotion during the archon war and how his depart from his duty was his final stage of grief (acceptance) whereas xiao plunged himself into duty and emotional repression as a means to cope with all the grief and guilt and pain that he feels.

Favorite headcanon:

i think the wangshu inn staff gives him li xi sometimes and he's just like "i am literally older than you please stop i have no need for this" but he keeps it anyways. they have a small room saved for him at all times just in case he ever wants it (he never takes it but he appreciates it). <- its small bc he'd die if it was an open space.

[grim-faux]

I wanna do another story under the TTT concept/headcannon children just hardcore go feral in the Nowhere due to survival and isolation. Though I incorporate different forms and types to how children just devolve.

The Sounds of Nightmares introduced us to the different children and mystery to what becomes of some in the Nowhere. Some are captured and kept to perform, others might devolve or become 'infected' with the Nowhere, whereas others pack up and safety/solidarity in numbers.

There are variations of children adapting to what they are surviving through and the environment that is 'nurturing' that survival. Mono sometimes refers to his own understand (and extent of knowledge) on how such things work. Whereas the other some children packs that function more like tribes, due to how well organized and long-lived they are - though tribes are rare, since...

....they're still children.

And Snatchers are seasoned experts at tracking, hunting, and trapping. For the most part child tribes survive out of luck basis more than skill, given how terrain and environmental factors can contribute more to their downfall if they are pursued by a Snatcher.

Since when isn't luck a major factor contributing or decimating a child's prospects for survival?

But kids usually adapt to isolation since more than two kids usually doesn't work out - its more strain on roaming and securing essential food resource, which is what drives children to escape the dangers. There are also degrees to how children reach a point of feral equilibrium - this is based on cases of trauma in our history of children undergoing extreme cruelty and stress in their upbringing.

And its an underutilized and underappreciated factor of the narrative I do enjoy exploring. It gives explanation behind some of Six's actions (though by our world standards does not excuse them. Ever.) The children of Nowhere survive by the means that make sense and are unapologetic with that - they could never be trained to know remorse or forgiveness, since it's such an alien concept. Much of their actions come with intent or impulse, and there is no deep or explored language into such of these concepts due to extreme language barriers and lack of reflection or capacity for allowing reflection to develop. They don't have the novelty for a pause or break, it's always escape and survive, rinse and repeat. If children are not selfish or self-serving, they will not survive.

But its all concepts and worldbuilding points open to exploration. Different characters lost in their own heads, trying to survive in this world with every disadvantage a child has is magnified by a dozen.

[houseboatisland]

Rosie for the ask game?

(Team Red Rosie for the win!!)

Tidmouth Marshalling Yard had already grown steadily from 1925 onward, but by the end of the Second World War had more than doubled in size. During the conflict, freight tonnages had risen month by month, and the REC was keen to avoid supply bottlenecks. When the war was finally over, rather than being overbuilt, this new capacity kept finding use. The soon-to-be North Western Region of British Railways, for many economic reasons beyond the scope of this post, was one of the few parts of the network to enter Nationalization "in the green."

Tidmouth and Vicarstown, the NWR/NW Region's two competing power centers, had by then spent twenty years duking it out over available tank engines, (and a million other things.) The Big Three Strike of 1933 specifically happened because Vicarstown, the main provider of tank engines after Thomas' transfer, just... stopped letting Tidmouth use them. The Fat Director, taking it from all angles at that time, couldn't make them budge. The war obviously broke their resistance, but when peace kicked in, Vicarstown was firm: Tidmouth Marshalling Yards wouldn't again be allowed use of their tank engines, and they were on notice to get some of their own.

In the immediate years after the war, the soon-to-be NW Region went on an engine shopping spree. And why shouldn't they have, when demobilized War Department engines were being offered at firesale prices? Austerity 2-8-0s, 2-10-0s, and a handful of saddletanks were bought. All survive, and are to be counted among the "Unseen Engines" helping run the railway without acknowledgement in Awdry and the television series' bodies of work... except one.

Chief among them was a USATC S100 Class, nameless and still painted battleship grey, built by Vulcan Iron Works in 1944. For reasons unknown, (but most likely a bureaucratic oversight,) this particular engine was never shipped to the Continent, remaining in storage right up to V-E Day. Her lack of experience for her age, and Europe now being swamped with necessary motive power, made her especially cheap. The NWR, in their last purchase before becoming a region, snapped her up.

After only being fired a handful of times, (and that was to just shunt her brothers and sisters around,) Rosie was EAGER to work, and especially to learn, and she was based at Tidmouth Yards from the outset. She retained the skills taught to her to a tee, (her arrested development making her something of a genius,) and by 1947 she had rocketed past the other tank engines to become Head Shunter of Tidmouth Yards. She's still in this position all these years later, because there's simply no outdoing her.

Rosie disagrees with her TV portrayal. She has NO idea where the "idolizing Thomas" thing came from; she's crossed paths with him millions of times but just finds him "cool enough" at best, in her words. Her "new" livery is a decent recreation, although her underframes aren't yellow and her red is much deeper. She's also a bit scruffier. The most accurate bit is her powerful headlamp, which is the same bronze color. The lamp has been passed down from Head Shunter to Head Shunter, and is incredibly coveted.

The pink livery had no basis in reality whatsoever, and Rosie found it quite insulting. (*gag noise* "That's supposed to be me? Nuh-uh, no way, alright? They think I play with dollies too or some'n?")

In her time in storage, Rosie adopted a strong Philadelphia sort of accent, which she maintains to this day. This led to some confusion at first. First meeting James in 1946, she told him to wait while she went "fuh wooder." James, baffled, just mutely let her go and do whatever that meant.