#this was hard to think about

[strawberrytalia]

the talia anon here!

thanks for that reading list! I think I might start with the arrowfam bc I'm very intrigued by Dinah's character. honestly, the reason why I didn't ask about the mystics is bc I have never encountered them with whatever DC content I have consumed (which is not a lot) and I want to expand to something I'm familiar with first

I'm currently going through both preboot Talia and postboot robins which are drastically different with its talia (like SOTD Talia giving up her son for adoption so he can be something more and won't have to grow up the shadow of The Demon and The Bat vs Tomasi's Batman and Robin Talia that purposefully raised Damian in the league). honestly give me the ick.

unfortunately, the existence of Damian really did ruin what Talia could have been, but I wanna ask (you can totally ignore this portion of the ask if you're too uncomfortable, I'm just intrigued by what you have to say) how do you think Damian and OG talia can co-exist in current canon?

i know there's a person writing a fic about how while talia has her whole lexcorp era ra's kidnaps damian and raises him. Once Talia finds out she gets Damian out and brings him to Bruce (I haven't read it, but I know of its existence). I honestly prioritize Talia's character over Damian's since she was created first and I am 100% ok with Damian's characterization being mellowed out a bit, so it doesn't show Talia horribly, something to show that Talia did try to protect him (it'll be like that quote that said "just because you mother didn't break all the generational curses doesn't mean she didn't break any") talia knows how bad it is to be raised in LOA, so she needs something to make her stay IMO. maybe Ra's promises to be a better grandfather than he was a father, maybe there are external threats to Damian that talia really can't deal with without LOA's resources or something to do with Nyssa (I am so intrigued by the sisters. i want to see the mess of emotions that comes with them interacting. i really do think Nyssa would hate Talia because of Ra's, but talia would just like to hang out with her like the youngest child she is)

now im just rambling but you get the gist

Hello again!!!!!

Ahh so with Dinah, I would recommend Longbow Hunters, then jump into GA Vol 2 and then maybe Birds of Prey (where she shines outside of the family)!! There are other appearances but unfortunately they’re not the best representation of her character (cough GA/BC)

Also yeah totally understandable with mystics!! They really do have a VERY different vibe than majority of the DCU, and it is super enjoyable, but also a little complicated and difficult to get into at first.

Yeah thinking about Talia’s deterioration upsets me a lot. In addition to raising Damian, there were a lot of really gross, unnecessary changes that undermined what she had gone through. Like she was a canon SA victim, and then they have the audacity to make her a rapist herself in the most uncharacteristic way possible. It’s so so so gross.

I agree with you though, I absolutely do prioritize Talia’s characterization over Damian’s. She was a fully fledged character created before him with so much relevance to not just Batman, but the DCU. I love Damian!! But he was also essentially an OC created for a storyline with an agenda that has grown to invalidate adoptive relationships. I’m NOT saying I wanna get rid of Damian, but if I had to choose between them, I’m picking Talia personally. 100%.

THAT is an interesting question because I don’t quite have a solid answer myself yet. I know what AU you’re talking about, and I like that idea a lot! But something about it also rings hollow to me?? If that makes sense??? In a personal sense, I feel like it also absolves Talia of a lot of agency and action, and I would rather her character be in a more proactive position.

And I also think Talia would be a lot smarter and more clever in making sure there was absolutely no way Ras would ever find her baby. So the AU does undermine her a bit, in my personal opinion.

However I think the most integral part of Damian’s character is the way that he revolves around the concept of redemption, especially as an abused child. So it also feels very wrong to take away from that, since it’s such a core aspect to him.

So there’s the conundrum.

GAHHH it’s hard thinking of ideas that will do both of them justice, unless you completely revamp Damian’s character.

Maybe Talia stays in the league with Damian and under the guise of being loyal to Ras, she’s actually secretly plotting to take him and the whole League down. She keeps as much of a watchful eye on Damian as she can, but she’s not perfect and she also wants him to be able to fend for himself. So if he has to learn the harshest ways of survival and combat, so be it. (Talia logic not mine). Talia doesn’t raise Damian to be proud of the League or his Grandfather. She keeps him aware of what she’s planning and why they have to do that. She tells him about Bruce (just like in canon) but makes sure Damian knows until the time is right, he can’t meet his father. Plans get messed up, Talia’s big idea goes haywire because of an outside party, and nowhere near her is safe for Damian. Except for Bruce.

So kind of adapted from canon except less evil weird eugenics rapey storyline, and something that gives Talia a bit of autonomy. Damian would also have less of a brainwashed League personality while still carrying trauma and mixed feelings towards his family. I don’t think Talia would be a perfect mother. I think she’d try her best in the way she knew best, and unfortunately, her way is not that great. But most importantly, she would want Damian to have a better future than she did. If it meant enduring 10 years of the League, she’d make that sacrifice.

Other possible idea: Talia was a med student going to University of Cairo in her early appearances. I kind of like the idea of her becoming a traveling medical personal bringing Damian alongside her, except they’re both hiding their identities. Again, it wouldn’t be picture perfect, she’d still make sure he was aware of the dangers in life. But I feel like they’d have an interesting story that way.

Or maybe she kills Ras, escapes the League, the new leader of the League is like whatever and just leaves it alone, and she just openly raises Damian in the realm of Lexcorps business and politics lmao. Little baby Damian wearing a suit and attending meetings on his mom’s lap while she verbally assassinates men.

[roxypeanut]

My Top Ten

Name your top ten in each category. They don’t need to be in any particular order... mine includes some series and I for real had to think about some of these because I was drawing some blanks. Thanks to @tiffdawg for giving me something to kill time at work 😁

Movies:

The Avengers

Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller version)

Moulin Rouge

Thor: Ragnarok

The Princess Bride

Hocus Pocus

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Ghostbusters

Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Return of the Jedi

TV Shows:

A Discovery of Witches

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Narcos

The Mandalorian

The Office

Emerald City (😢 there was only 1 season)

Top Gear (when it was Clarkson, May and Hammond on the BBC)

Home Movies

Ninjago (I have a 6yo, it’s always on & one of the only kids shows I can watch repeatedly.. I got hooked 🤷🏻‍♀️)

The Clone Wars (I’m still not over the last episode)

Books:

Angels & Demons - Dan Brown

The Wizard of Oz

The Secret Garden

All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness

Harry Potter

Wicked - Gregory Maguire

Anything by Jate Moses (Citidel, Labyrinth, Sepulcher)

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain

Good Eats Cookbooks - Alton Brown (good recipes and lots of stories and anecdotes)

The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

Musical Artists:

Led Zeppelin

Lord Huron

Fleetwood Mac

Weezer

The Killers

Last Gaga

Talking Heads

TV on the Radio

Ryan Adams

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists

Here’s my no pressure tag list (I apologize in advance if you’ve already been tagged): @absurdthirst @mostly-megan @rzrcrst @hopelikethesun @zeldasayer @ithinkhesgaybutwesavedmufasa @stevieharrrr Anyone else is welcome to play along too!

[my-art-and-other-random-stuff]

7. 8. and 11.

7. I'd say my favorite fictional medium would probably be manga and webcomics. I like cartoons and movies also, but I really enjoy webcomics and manga a bit more. There's a great deal of variety with those. I'm reading so many webtoons right now 😅.

8. This one was difficult to decide. I enjoy both large and small casts of characters, but I seem to prefer a small casts for the most part. It's mainly since the characters usually get an adequate amount of development and the plot doesn't get lost as often in the process. As far as point of view, I don't have a preference as long as I enjoy the story 😊.

11. One thing is for certain, I really love My Hero Academia, especially Tomura. I'm attempting to make an au series with Tomura as the main character in the Pokémon world. I've got a lot of things to write down and how to introduce characters and the plot. It's definitely a work in progress. 😅

Thank you for the ask! 😁

[yi-dashi-a]

How do you feel yi's personally progressed over time as you've roleplayed him?

//Oh, uh, that’s hard to say really. Yi, in my time roleplaying him, has seen two big shifts in himself that has ensured I’ve never really gotten to RP him through a full character arc. In that respect he has only changed per the lore, so I suppose I’ll do a little breakdown of the different lore incarnations of Yi as I have portrayed him.

Old Lore

When I started RPing Yi, the Institute was still canon. Feral Flare was at its height, and Yi was generally a very reserved and work committed individual. His lore back then specifically stated that he had exited isolation under his own volition, and that he had yet to have a resolution to the anger that had brought about that decision to isolate himself in the first place. He was then subsequently coping with all that had happened to him through his bouts on the Fields of Justice, which let him put up a front decorum when outside of them.

He was less openly witty and sarcastic in those days, preferring to keep these things for when he was in combat and performing for anyone who watched him upon crystal screens, or listened to him on spinning wires. He instead took on a mentor figure to almost everyone he happened across, ensuring to always have an impartial and analytical approach to problems he was presented. His words were pre chosen, long winded, yet completely understandable. He was no nonsense in that way.

He was however younger in those days, just coming on 40 when I started RPing him, and he was very poorly exposed to Valoranian culture and society. As such he often found himself alienated from the majority of other champs and summoners at large, which lead to a lot of seclusion and introspection within his private quarters. He had an almost insatiable want to explore this new world he found himself in, to try and rediscover what life was like outside of his vengeance fueled training, and yet he would be summoned back to a place where he felt just as alone as when he was in isolation.

This led to very volatile shifts in behavior if the situation was stressful enough. Yi was prone to outbursts and overblown bouts of depression, and wasn’t above assaulting people in fits of anger, though he’d chide himself after for ‘violence as a last resort!’ He just hadn’t learned how to get a handle on those sort of emotions yet, and with no one really to relate to culturally (since he didn’t even relate to other Ionians canonically) this lead to some people finding him a well spoken wise man, and others seeing him as a unreasonable, spiteful drunk.

Post Lore Retcon

The abolishment of the League, and a shift in the circumstances of his isolation, did a lot to negate some of the more negative aspects of Yi’s being. He was still younger than now, and still poorly exposed to Valoran as a whole, but he had now had some time, not all he needed still, to explore the place and find himself again. He had had some closure to his anger management problems through Wukong, yet at this point the defining of this closure I felt was a deus ex machina at best. So Yi still had problems, but they didn’t manifest in his interactions so strongly. It was a slow build with these things, generally spurred on by a lot of silent meditation.

But apart from this, Yi in an Institute-less world was more personable, and more extroverted. Some might interpret his ability to engage strangers in idle conversation as annoying or strange, but he didn’t really care. He had his eyes, all of them, on learning and on finding worthy people to pass his teachings onto. Even if it was just in words alone, every ear that would listen was a victory. As such, he cracked jokes more often, said things more likely to confuse in a way most amusing to himself, and challenged others with a very slight but ever-present ego and bravado when it came to his own craft. Maybe he saw people as more a means to an end, but it wasn’t really a conscious thing on his part. Wuju was pervasive in his mind after all. He had no other distractions in his life.

Yi was also easier to offend back in these days, because his understandings of Valoran were not aided at all by any association to an organization. His exposure was more through individuals and the wildlife that surrounded them. This in turn might have spurred on irrational arguments or displays of anger, but they were never as extreme as seen previously. He would have already have to have been at a boiling point to get to that level. Generally if he felt these things coming on, he was more than happy to isolate himself again out in the wilderness to sort things out. He would do this selfishly, without even a thought for others he was trying to maintain friendships with, and this was perhaps the biggest, and still is, reasoning conflict he’s ever had on the blog.

Post Wukong Lore Change

The Wukong lore changes fundamentally shook up Yi’s character, making his character arc during his lore somewhat more complex and storied. Wukong’s lore noted Yi to have been old enough to train multiple disciples pre war, and that Yi had also seen these disciples die at the hands of the Zaunite Alcymists. This not only makes Yi older, but subsequently more adult in his carrying of himself. He is now in his 60′s or 70′s, having lived almost a full life before the war had even started, and this manifests in how he considers the world about him, and his roll in it as a teacher of Wuju who must find more students to take on.

He is more witty, sarcastic, and sure of his abilities than ever before, though this is more a front for the fact that he regrets how much he has seen in his life. He can joke and disregard people because he feels as if he has seen it all before. When not joking or parading his ego, he hearkens back to the old lore days. He is as impartial of a judge he can be in spite of his biases, and he generally feels himself to take a fatherly roll in situations involving other people. His exposure to other cultures is greater, his confidence in his opinions stronger, and his teaching career gives him some tools that help him navigate life and other people’s queries. Generally I think people would most associate him with the wise old master trope that he is clearly based upon.

Wukong’s lore also notes Yi’s devotion to protecting other people, as well as his keen strategical mind through his integral part he played in the Ionian War. These things make Yi come off as a traveling handyman of sorts. Always is he ready to help someone with more practical problems, and those who watch him try to solve things note his keen ability to think outside of the box. In these instances he might come off as rude too – he is more than happy to call someone else stupid for not seeing things his way – but generally he is seen as quite practically intelligent and street smart. He is also more than happy to lay down his life for a stranger, and even if this is seen as blind braver by most to him it’s more a coping mechanism. If he were to die protecting someone, anyone, he would feel his life had meaning.

Of course there are negative aspects too. Yi’s longer life lived give him a certain resentment towards his current situation. He knows what he had before the war, and he knows that he will never have it again. This again creates the slow build of angst that can erupt at a moment’s notice, but once more he’s more likely to isolate himself until these feelings subside. Anger management is also harder than ever, as this Yi has had much more exposure to toxic chemicals during his war service. This leaves him very subtly chemically altered, and this can affect his personality in any number of ways depending what triggers off the warped perception these chemicals cause. Basically, I like to think of the Yi of today as an amalgamation of the past two Yi incarnations.

I hope this answers your question though! A lot of this stuff is hard to write about, because a lot of Yi’s personality just comes naturally to me at this point? In the way that most of his reactions to things are considered on the fly by me as based on my internalized headcanon-ing and… just the fact I have been RPing him for coming on four years at this point. He tries to be a good egg though, and will especially try to be on his best behavior if you offer to pay him a in swords for his services XD

[onceahocat]

Strength and Weakness

Strengths & Weaknesses: Zhena

BOLD what applies to your muse! ITALICIZE what your muse low-key shows to some people or hides! REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG!

⚔ FLAWS

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | lies impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power-hungry greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive vengeful | stubborn | sadistic | petty | unlucky

♛ STRENGTHS

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky intelligent | confident | focused | humble | generous merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm

Tagged by: @maybeimawhale

Tagging: @boozythief @the-zaktrain @ex-atomos (Pick a character any character) @noxtis @lord-kahzaihl @yato-xiv

Show us your strengths and frailties!

[shadowsboxer]

♡ + Family.

Send me ♡ + a word, and I’ll write a headcanon.

Growing up in an orphanage hasn’t lifted any weight from theword for Akihiko. For him, family means Miki, it means Shinjiro, and later, themembers of SEES.  His chosen family is noless important than those linked to him by blood.

It’s for that reason that when he falls in love, he mistakesit at first for the familial kind. For him, that has always been the utmost,the highest and most unconditional of loves. It’s a love he extends to very few butone that can never be revoked. 

In the beginning, he didn’t want his family togrow; the fewer people he loved, the fewer he had to lose. Buta bleeding heart isn’t repressed so easily. Akihiko’s family grows larger evenstill and rather than wearing him thin, it makes him all the stronger.

[cordialiity]

✁ Carlisle or renesmee

Send me a ✁ with two names and I’ll tell you whom my muse would save.

Though it would break her heart and she would lose her soulmate, Esme would save RENESMEE. She would know that Carlisle would want her to put their grandchild's life before his own, and his selflessness would play a big part in her decision. Also, Esme lost her own child once and I do not think she would let ( or withstand ) the life of another be taken away -- especially not one from her own family.

[jacquelinenle]

close

do you still remember what it's like to be in love? wild longings and the wind whipping our hair. my fingers entwined with yours and it was like we never had to end. and we were young and foolish, so pleased with ourselves, and how we danced. the light hitting you in just the right way to make you beautiful and terrible, the perfect mingling of halves. and do you remember the stars? and the way we found that falling apart gazebo, posing to pretend that we were present in such a real way. the cool rain settling in, and my boots soaked to the sole, and my socks never did lose the damp. the world looked like a whole other universe, sparkles in my mask distorting and warping my vision to something as lovely as the songs you used to play for me, the secrets you used to whisper, making their way into my own. and we shared stories and hurts and lies, everything but. but do you remember the music? our quiet breaths not quite in time with each other, and the tap tap tapping of birds. you set me free that rainy summer, and you won't remember. you refuse to. the rain washed away more than that chalk graffiti I found that night. it washed away the idea of us, the utter poignancy of which we existed. and I wish to God you still remembered how it felt when you grabbed my hand and we were in love.