#tldr they're all siblings :)

[sunnydayaoe]

Foretale [B]

[lee-blogs]

Also, since i seem to be on a roll with posts tonight, i just wanna say something. It's a bit sappy, as usual heh, but it's important to me.

To my friends; i want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the lovely words and gifts and Birthday wishes!

I may not be the best with words in the moment, but it truly does mean the absolute world to me that you'll go out of your way to wish me a good one and/or take some time to make me something. It sometimes hits me like a truck; the fact that i really do mean something to y'all and that i'm so damn lucky to have found people that really care about me!

Thank you all so much for the gifts, the wishes, and for being my friends through everything. Y'all mean the absolute world to me and i hope you guys know that. I cannot wait to chat with you guys again,

I love you!!

💙💚💛💜

[fuckmeupballum]

the rants continues... Oliver compulsively lies to and manipulates everyone around him, his parents, Felix and the rest of the Catton family to create this version of himself that fits into whatever they're drawn to. For Felix it's the downtrodden underdog with abusive parents that Felix can take pity on and for Venetia it's someone who suspossedly "sees" her, seduces her regardless of her period and "cares" about her eating disorder.

With Elspeth he tries his luck at seducing her but seeing that it doesnt work he quickly changes his angle to reassuring her that she's a good person. For the father he becomes someone who knows the family history and about the items they covert which impresses him greatly.

His own parents believe he's doing incredibly well at Oxford, that he is a part of the rowing team and has a job all at the same time.

He takes on all of these personas because as his parents said before Oxford, Oliver didn't have any friends.

When he went to Oxford I'm guessing he decided to completely reinvent himself and hence why he didn't want to have any interaction with his parents and why he manipulated the situation with the bike so he could get onto Felix's radar. I believe he initially wanted friends and then became obsessed with Felix. When Felix first rejects him, he lies about his father passing because he wants Felix back. He ends up with an invite to Saltburn and runs with it. He's living laughing loving life, as much as he can because he doesn't have Felix. Hence the bath scene. Seduces Venetia (This is where I might be crazy but technically Venetia's blood is Felix's blood because they're siblings so maybe that's why he goes down on her) ? A whole load of shit happens, the whole time I think Oliver is desperately trying to cling onto this new life he's created for himself.

TLDR I don't think Oliver went into this wanting Saltburn and everyone dead. I think he's a compulsive liar and manipulative and he is deep down incredibly lonely (His birthday scene when nobody knews his name) and things spiraled. Also his manipulation doesn't work with Farleigh because Farleigh is the same but in a far less sociopathic way. Felix mentions that Farleigh keeps getting kicked out of schools for sucking off his teachers which sounds incredibly manipulative but never once does he ever think Oliver is capable of killing Felix.

[l3irdl3rain]

Come on, we all know you've gotten attached to The Flat One. I feel trying to argue against her eventual adoption is just gonna make it feel more silly when she does join the fray.

since you all think you're so funny (lighthearted) i suppose i should explain the situation. TLDR: I am planning on keeping The Flat One. It will be a few weeks before she is ready to be separated from her mother so I'm going to foster them all at my house for the time being. In the week we've had her she's continued to put on weight and she feels like maybe her chest is already starting to round out a little.

I'm going to talk more about her medical issues under the cut. I shared an article about FCKS and other thoracic deformities. If you're interested in that here's a link. Please remember I am not a veterinarian so my own explanation may get things wrong.

We did take some radiographs and it definitely appears to just be flat chested kitten syndrome (FCKS) and not pectus excavatum (PE). This sounds like it's the better case scenario, as PE often requires a surgical fix. FCKS on the other hand often resolves itself (if it doesn't end up being fatal). She does have a spinal deformity that is common in kittens with FCKS.

The Flat One is about 5 weeks old, generally if a kitten with FCKS can make it past the 3 week mark that means it will be okay. She's also survived without any veterinary intervention or any specialized care from her previous owner.

That doesn't mean there isn't still risk of something going wrong. Because her chest is so flat it can cause respiratory problems. When she plays hard with her siblings her respiration rate is much higher than that of a normal kitten's. If it gets bad at times she may need medications.

With some time her chest should naturally start to round out on its own. Recovery can take a long time, but usually by the time they're 4-6 months their chest has rounded out to almost normal. On the other hand, her spinal deformity is there to stay.

Even with how attached I've let myself get I probably could have let her go once she was old enough to be away from her mom. However, it's unlikely she'll be "normal" when her siblings are ready to go. We could potentially try to adopt her out anyways and just explain her issues to people. Or we could continue to hang on to her until she is more normal at the 4-6 month mark. I might not be too attached yet, but I definitely would be at that point.

Also, I have the benefit of having so many people who have been so generous in helping myself and my cats. And if this comes down to needing a surgical fix I've already got the funds from Persephone's gofundme.

[yarrayora]

see, like, sometimes i see bsd fans commenting about how it's weird for asagiri to make the tanizaki siblings incestuous or the whole lolicon gag with mori and elise but the thing is both of those things are based on the real life tanizaki junichiro and mori ougai's works

naomi is, of course, based on the novel naomi, a story about a man who groomed a young girl into a westernized woman and it ends up with her turning the table by dominating his life. which is why the junichiro in the manga is unable to say no to his sister. while the irl work is mostly a commentary about the cultural change in taisho period, the siblings in the manga focuses on the unhealthy relationship of the protagonist jouji and naomi. you might find it disgusting and that's okay. but the character dazai is also created based on the real dazai osamu's uncomfortable depiction of humanity's ugliness. it just doesn't make sense to allow one depiction but not the other.

elise is named after the love interest in the dancing girl, but the power that creates her is named after the real mori ougai's erotic novel that is secretly about his own sexual experiences. you can argue that there is no need for elise to be a child because the character in the dancing girl isn't one, and vita sexualis itself is more about the author-slash-protagonist's struggle with having sexual desires in a society that champions moral purity.

but the thing is elise isn't even a fanservice character. she isn't depicted as someone the audience should find desirable for one. when it comes to lolicon fanservice you can expect either excessive depiction of innocence or at the very least elise getting jealous when mori gives attention to someone else. but even her mocking is just that, mocking. we were never shown her returning mori's affection even in a tsundere way.

the biggest hint is actually the fact that in beast au, a timeline where mori gives up his position as the mafia boss, elise is an adult. it shows that the child form of elise is symbolic of mori's desire to control those with the power he wants to obtain i.e. dazai and yosano. it's so much easier to gain power over other when they're a child and you're the authority figure, after all. so when he no longer chases after that ambition, elise becomes an adult.

tldr; asagiri didn't necessarily make tanizaki siblings and elise for the sake of fanservice but it's definitely because he actually pays attention to the literature that inspires him

[halfagone]

So I was thinking and...

Move aside, Danny, this ain't about you-

My reasoning?

We all know Danny's life is fucked up. We know this. We've acknowledged this. All sorts of shit happens in the show that gets glossed over and we, as a fandom, go in and say, "Yeah, no let's talk about that actually-" But while Jazz may not be a main character, things happen to her too that should be acknowledged as well.

Let's start with some basics: her parentification. While it may not be uncommon for older siblings to take care of their younger ones, that doesn't make it right or better. Jazz is 16 in the show. She is just as much a kid as Danny is, even if she vehemently tries to deny it. She should not be the one responsible for looking after her brother like a parent would.

This also bleeds into the way she has to watch after or hold her parents back. They are grown adults; she should not be the one responsible for making sure they treat her younger brother right, or don't forget things, or act like adults. This is not and never should have been her duty as a child, oldest or not.

Let's move onto more episodic examples. In "Prisoners of Love", she had a bit of a meltdown when she found out she had been wrong. That lends to some control issues and perfectionism that isn't healthy in the slightest and should probably be dealt with before she becomes an adult and realizes that kind of mindset is going to burn her out. Fast.

In "My Brother's Keeper", Spectra intended to murder her in front of the entire school. Obviously the plan doesn't work out, but a murder attempt is a murder attempt and that brings trauma all of its own.

A lesser known example, but Johnny (who she had dated briefly) used her as a meat puppet in "13" so that his girlfriend could escape from the Ghost Zone. If we want to acknowledge that what Kitty did to Paulina was wrong, then we have to acknowledge this too.

In "Doctor's Disorders", Jazz was literally a disembodied head in a jar. I feel like we should talk about that, and the body horror that comes with it. In line with that, Vlad had nanobots injected into her system, as known from "Secret Weapons", and regardless if they're still there or not that weighs on the mind.

In "Reality Trip", Jazz agreed with Freakshow which implies she has some ghost envy of her own? If Tucker's desire to have powers like Danny is messed up, then this ought to be too.

Now this poll isn't to ignore Danny's trauma. But this ain't about him. This time it's about Jazz and the fact that she has problems of her own. I know it's popular to make her out as a mini therapist, but therapists have therapists of their own to handle their stress and emotions. Jazz should be no different, even if you don't headcanon her as a psychologist as an adult.

So, tldr: Jazz's life is fucked up too and it deserves some acknowledgement.

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

how did the player manage to get all of them??? what did player do to convince them? if they had to be convinced?? (i'm asking about the 'everyone is saved' au!)

I'm working on a few pieces of art regarding this, but they'll take some time, so until then...

The Player/Angel did half of the "rescues" by accident, the other half by sheer spite. Huggy was saved from falling down by a VERY shaky and terrified Angel who had to drag him somewhere else so they could take a look at him. After freeing a very shocked and terrified Poppy and seeing her getting kidnapped by Mommy Long Legs, the duo went on their way to rescue the doll. And, well...

Lets just say. Long Legs did NOT like having a grown adult look at her face and tell her she seems lonely. Huggy 100% looked at Angel not understanding half of what was going on but still nodded along. He also didn't help much with the games Long Legs was throwing at them, and the toys that were a part of it were SO confused by Huggy being there. Thankfully, though, Angel unkowingly saved their lives with their banter with Long Legs. Angel also sort of "rescued" them/befriended them after the games.

Long Legs... I plan on either drawing or writing more in-depth about how the Angel convinced her to stick around, but let's just say that they GRABBED her out of being crushed to death. Sadly she still lost an arm, but it's better than her life.

Angel came back with Long Legs, Huggy and at least 20 other toys and Poppy was just "??????? how????????", but she was just too thankful to see them alive and well to say anything else.

Angel stayed with the group for some time to take care of everyone's wounds, because Huggy unfortunately also got a bit more hurt during Long Leg's chase. They, uhm, had a sibling fight. That involved certain murder attempt. But, hey, at least they're okay now! Poppy also informed Angel of most details of her plan instead of making them enter the train to reveal that.

Angel, however, decided to head to Playcare alone with Poppy. It took some convincing, but too many toys were hurt for them to feel safe having around without fearing for their lives. Playcare felt lonely until Angel found Dogday and yanked him away from his cell before running for their lives.

For this AU, Dogday does not recover his legs. Angel takes him to Poppy and Kissy, and, together, they stitch him back together. Dogday then follows and helps Angel around, mostly by warning them of what they could find.

I could go on and ONNNNN about what saving Catnap was like but, again, I plan on going that more in-depth later on. So a quick tldr would be "Angel discovers who Theo was and what happened to him before becoming Catnap and decides to bring some comfort to this literal child". Angel knows something else happened to Catnap for him to go from following the Prototype around like a child trying to copy their parent to an apex predator who almost had to beg the Smiling Critters to hunt other toys so they wouldn't starve. Dogday plays a role on this as well because him and Catnap used to be friends (he tried to shield little Theo from all the bullying!), and he genuinely wants Catnap to become better, but he's too hurt to actually be the one who convinces him to switch sides.

Anyways. Angel didn't want for Catnap to be electrocuted again. They were dissociating and on the verge of tears when the Prototype's arm appeared. They didn't even know what happened until they were on top of Catnap and he smelt blood as the Prototype simply left them to be.

Catnap lost an ear and was so, so angry at Angel for throwing themself at him. He was hurt and horrified and he actually screamed at Angel before they calmed him down.

We can say that Catnap knew that dying wasn't the solution he wanted, but after spending so much time in that nightmare, it was the only option he knew. Thankfully Angel knows well how that feels like and gently treated his wounds, even when he tried to attack them, even when he ran away more than once so he wouldn't look at that human again. Angel was still there for him.

Anyways this is followed by Angel having to stop Mommy Long Legs and Catnap from trying to kill each other, and then Angel having to assign Dogday to look out for Long Legs so she wouldn't try to make Huggy or Kissy fight the cat.

Anyways, Angel also befriends the mini critters on this process because they were assigned as the Playcare's new apex predator. Angel asks Catnap to keep the little ones OUT of Dogday's sight so the dog wouldn't have a panic attack, then comes back two hours later to see the mini critters and the mini huggies befriending each other.

After that, it's the group against the Prototype.

...

After that, it's Angel trying to convince Prototype to try therapy. And then when it's all said and one, everyone goes outside and Angel calls the authorities after being handled the paperwork transferring the factory's ownership and money to them. It's a LOT of explaining to do, LOTS of documents to hide so no one else would try to replicate the experiments ever again, and some extra laws being made because what the actual fuck just happened here.

So, in a nutshell:

Angel has too much dad/mom energy for the traumatized kids to not get themselves attached to them.

[danwhobrowses]

I've kept myself contained and (mostly) quiet as I consumed all of Downfall - knowing that each part would alter my previous perspectives and assumptions - but man, there is so much to discuss. Finally it's time to talk about it!

Spoilers for all 3 Parts of Downfall below

The TLDR of this essay is that it was awesome and it has both unraveled so much context while enshrouding so much more lore in mystery. The long answer is long so stock up on cake - but not Brennan's cake, he's very protective of it - or something to keep the energy up.

Let's start at the beginning: Tengar. What a start that was! The destruction of Tengar really does reframe the Gods from the get-go. They were lights, they were refugees, they watched the destruction of their home and the loss of their family just as mortals would in life, war, and Calamity - but in a place where those things had only just come into being. It poses many questions too; were they what the Luxon scattered themselves into? Is Dunamis the remnants of Tengar? Was Predathos - assuming that the 'fruit' was Predathos - a purposeful creation or one that got out of hand? We knew of two gods that it ate but there was more (Unless Predathos is Edun? It's definitely a theory). The prologue shows how the Gods ended up being forced into shape, how their traumas limited their possibility as they careened towards proto-Exandria. There's a parallel to be made with the Lights' response to escaping Tengar's destruction and several PCs', especially Bells Hells who are able or attempting to rise above their pre-defined traumas and unhealthy coping mechanisms, development and growth - compared to the gods who found themselves stuck in place: doomed to play the role and domain they became shaped into. It also makes me wonder about the Founding, Creation, and the Schism itself; did the Primes start creation in order to keep an essence of home (all the divine trees planted across Exandria could be parallel to the Orchard)? What are each Betrayer's views on mortals? Asmodeus and Lolth clearly have disdain for them, but Asmodeus hurts mortals with a 'jealously kicking down your siblings' legos' vibe whereas Lolth likes to make mortals look as ugly as she already sees them. In cooldowns it was mentioned that had Melora been willing to walk away from Exandria she might've been a Betrayer, so I wonder if all Betrayers are simply mortal-hating or some are just willing to just leave mortals behind? I remain super curious over what the Primordials' side of the story is too; asking Rau'shan and Ka'mort should be considered eventually, given how they have knowledge and experience with sealing Predathos, but how did they see the events leading to the Schism; was there a deal that was broken? Did the Primordials hate mortals? Were they aware of Tengar before the Founding? Did they aid the gods in adjusting to their fixed forms and domains? And did they treat them like children like the gods treat mortals? What in history is lies and what in history is lecture?

Then of course there's the mission itself, which commits to its title in many areas; the Downfall of a civilization and culture within Aeor, the Downfall of (more) Wizard hubris with the Factorum, the Downfall of splinter factions trying to end the war by thinking they're doing what the gods want, and the Downfall of the Primes' infallible reputation as their armies and followers felt abandoned by them, no longer willing to accept the 'I am the parent, you are the child' justification. In the end only the Betrayers succeeded because the city falls and mortals died, but they don't succeed enough because they didn't get the Factorum - and the Primes still cared enough for mortals to try and save them - and thus the Calamity resumes, which I suppose is another Downfall: they were once family and wanted to be family again, but the truce wasn't real. The Betrayers were planning to use the Factorum to win the war (perhaps the two who didn't show had a change of heart?), they wanted to go where the Primes would not because, at that moment, winning and being right was more important than family.

The characters to nobody's surprise are all fantastic; Ashley's Trist (Saranrae) and Noshir's Emissary (Proxy of Erathis) had my heart in a winch for all three episodes, reminding me of it every so often with a big squeeze of emotions. Laura's Emhira (Matron of Ravens), Taliesin's Asha (Wildmother), Abubakar's SILAHA (Corellon) and Nick's Ayden (Dawnfather) all flourished as their characters too, alongside Brennan's variety of NPCs both as mortal gods and Aeorians. I loved Trist's boundless compassion and her constant struggle with having to do something cruel to many for the sake of saving the people she loved, as well as being forced to choose between her mortal family and her infinite ones, I loved how Asha was prickly and cutthroat as Nature can be in desolation but also not without her own regrets, longings and her gradual softening towards the Emissary, I loved how Ayden was an embodiment of the Dawnfather's purest hope and desire to protect people - contained in the body of a teenage boy, I loved how SILAHA loved Aeor's culture and people so much that he couldn't even be angry at the archmages using their gift to build a weapon that could destroy them, I loved that Emhira played cold and detached in an effort to bond with her siblings but found that her connection to them shone greater in the more human moments, and I loved the Emissary's innocence, how with so few words you had an earnest encapsulation of what he was thinking or feeling, and how in death the deep bass became a childlike lightness when meeting the Matron in her domain. The short arcs each of these characters undergo was amazing to see and the combat the more they became divine was insane - like seriously Trist hit 500 damage from a Guiding Bolt! And Ayden's Sunburst killed 3 Dragons and more AT THE SAME TIME! And btw throughout all 3 parts the dialogue has been outstanding, good grief! You could make a small book of all the amazing, thought-provoking, and downright emotional quotes packed in these three episodes. These are true tour de force players, guided by Brennan painting a gallery of scenes as if he was speaking at the Globe Theatre.

I like that the Factorum Malleus is pretty blatantly an allegory to a Nuclear Warhead. With the problem being that dropping a nuke will only beget the sobering conclusion that it can be done again, by others too - much like the Ritual of Seeding: once you make god bleed, everyone will try to cut them. The Factorum should not exist just as Nuclear Weapons should not exist, and that plays a part in the horror of seeing Cassida present it to Trist as if it was a gift to win the war rather than a tool to kill her family, just as Oppenheimer saw the bomb as a means to end all wars until he realised after that it was just a new escalation to warfare.

We also found room for important non-God NPCs, mainly the tragic success and failure of two Aeorian Archmages: Selena Erenves and Cassida Previn. Both display acts of humanity which end tragically; Cassida fell into faith to save her son and was given the chance to try and erase the knowledge of the Factorum so that people could survive, but her good intentions was prey to Asmodeus' cruelty and she was tortured and killed for information that, had he maintained the Arcadia guise, would've been handed over willingly, then on the other side there's Selena, who accepted death and consequences before attempting to activate the Factorum while also successfully spreading the knowledge of its construction to every wizard in Aeor, effectively forcing the Primes into having to destroy the city, only to be embraced by Corellon, forgiven, spared, and left to live with her actions. It's ironic that Cassida was punished for her humility while Selena was spared for her hubris, and the only real reason for their fate is which god they were stood before at that moment. The celestials Garathran and Acastriel were solid obstacles for Brennan to flex his dialogue of embitterment and demonstrate humanity in characters deemed otherworldly but not so much human, Garathran's suicide was very visceral even if them killing themselves in front of the Death Goddess was dumb, and Emhira and Ayden both using themselves to shield a blow from Acastriel was great symbolism to pay off their arc of bonding as siblings. They and the Archmages also acted as a harsh reality for the gods that their 'children' don't want to be coddled anymore, they've grown enough to want to understand, and have at least a voice on the table. On the lighter side of NPCs, Slitch was a lot of fun, I hope he managed to survive - maybe ascending with the Matron since Emhira did willingly relinquish her mortal form rather than it being destroyed in the crash - and still serves the Matron somehow, he's just a funny lil' guy. Brennan playing as children is always gonna be heartwrenching too, but the Everchildren Haylie and Topher were both sweet and also so brave; they have their mother's courage, as well as her divine spark.

For the mortal god NPCs Brennan rightfully didn't have Arcadia (Ioun), Zaharzht (Torog), Umleta (Lolth) or Tishar (Grummsh) outshine the main cast, often guiding the story along or cracking wise with them, but that could not be helped when it came to Milo Cowst. Brennan's Asmodeus is spectacular, absolutely untouchable, and when I say that I mean every time he does something I want to punch his smirking shit-eating face so hard that my hand appears on the other side of his head, because fuck that guy! The continual torment he does not just to mortals but to his own family is just some absolute peak villainy; he conspired with the celestials to entrap Ioun and was willing to sacrifice her, his own sister, to get what he wants. He as Arcadia tried to convince Trist to go after her family, telling her 'I love you' just as Imri did before heading into the fire, knowing KNOWING that he was luring her away from Cassida - one of the few followers she had left - to try and run away with the knowledge of the Factorum, and then donning Trist's husband's shape while he revelled in getting Cassida to allegedly renounce her before eviscerating her at his feet for Trist to find, all this while he had already sent his forces to murder all the refugees in Hawk's Hill - targeting Trist's mortal family especially while this all happens - I hate him so much. As a side note, it's interesting how Brennan and Matt establish two different Major God villains in the world: Brennan's Asmodeus and Matt's Tharizdun. It's not a bad thing to have two godly villains, I shudder to think what would happen if they worked together (at least before the inevitable power struggle), especially since their villainy is in two different departments: Asmodeus is a villain to beings while Tharizdun is more a villain to the Material Plane, you could also relate that to Predathos who uses both of their methods in their own way. Since Tharizdun doesn't get as much in-person appearances atm Brennan's Asmodeus does truly feel like the absolute villain of everything right now, but Matt does have way more time than Brennan does to get his godly villain across.

The three episodes each had a unique flavour to them; Part 1 was very much about establishing the dynamics and setting the scene: Aeor in its militarized dystopian state and the characters as mortal avatars of a pantheon of siblings and lovers, refugee lights of Tengar, in a truce. Part 2 however flaunted the positives, negatives, and defiance of mortality; the Ars Elysia was wild as it was beautiful, SILAHA's monologue with Emhira was engrossing, and the episode excelled in showing the weight of knowing how many innocent, faithful and/or good people there were, paired with the horror of knowing how many lost faith in the Gods there also was, and the lengths both the devout and the undevout would go because of the Calamity's toll on them. And then Part 3 ramps up the tragedy to like 15: the dystopia dystopes again, the destruction destroys, and the disaster disasts, and we reach the boiling point of conflict for an episode that was a mammoth SIX AND A HALF HOURS! The visual of the gods slowly being forced to break from their mortal shells to keep fighting their creations, and each other, to different ends showed the physical and mental toll the mission had done to them, Ayden rapidly aging the more his divinity courses through him and Trist continually trying to hold onto mortality if but for a single second longer, and reaching a point of no return: a choice between sacrificing, at that point, one unknown god to potentially find a way to spare the rest of Aeor - as they had desired to do - or save their entrapped sibling - having already lost so many to Predathos and the Matron having replaced another - but doom all of its people by not stopping Selena's Wish, which she believed would be a victory rather than a damning of her city. Heartbreak after heartbreak, sacrifice after sacrifice, and betrayal after betrayal, but even in the dark and desperation there was still a faint measure of hope; a mother seeking to erase the scrolls to save not just her son but all families in her home, Primes seeking only to destroy a weapon and as the city falls offering acts of compassion where they could, and a Slingshot firing a Sending Stone across the sea like a shooting star so that a mother could protect her children one last time. It is the fact that the hope still existed that makes it a tragedy: it could have been prevented, but because of the way mortals are, and because of the way the gods are, it couldn't end that way. By Part 2 I was intrigued by the fact that the idea of the Divine Gate had started to take shape this early, the Calamity after all would last another century, but it was a greater surprise learning that by the end of Part 3 Aeor wasn't the start of the conversation but the conversation, the last straw. Everything leading up to the Divergence was the Primes attempting to corral their siblings - and the Chained Oblivion - so they could lock themselves away from their second home forever, for the sake what they had built, which was chronologically the final layer to the tragedy. The theme that will complete the trinity of tragedies would be the theme of sacrifice. The Emissary was Erathis' sacrificial lamb, how biblical it was that she sent her 'son' knowing that he would die because she was unable to defy her laws nor bear to watch her lover come to harm, just as biblical is how Pelor sent the best and most hopeful qualities of himself to try and help people, Asha sacrificed her mortal form to embrace Zaharzht even when he hooked and clawed her form away, SILAHA sacrificed saving Aeor like he wanted in order to save Ioun, and then all the Primes resolve to sacrifice their presence in order to protect what was left of what they made. The theme of sacrifice will be compared with the weight of whether it was worth it, but it's not something you can say was justified either way, Downfall doesn't feel like it should be about sides; it was always a Trolley Problem, it is a current fey-absorbing, war-criming, land-sundering elf mage who is trying to make it about sides.

On that note, we must wonder how Bells Hells feel about watching all this. I did like many others think about their reactions throughout; did Imogen think of her mother when watching Trist and Cassida? Did Orym relate to Asha given how stretched thin and pining for Erathis she was? Did Ashton perhaps relate to Trist a little having also felt broken and powerless, kept going by the support of their family? I know we joke about Braius probably having to be silenced for cheering and hollering for Asmodeus but did he really agree with all that? And will Fearne now worry about seeing Asmodeus' true nature, which she should (call them lawyers Dorian!), given how she has unwittingly (and I maintain that it was not said to be a pact, Fearne clearly didn't know it was one and Nanna Mori, who is versed in pacts, called it an 'invitation to trade') bound her soul to him for Dominox's dusty wikipedia page - which is more a redirect to a 2-line section in 'List of Demons Unaccounted for Since the Calamity' - that yielded less info than a Speak with the Dead spell with an Aeorian corpse did. Outside of individual thoughts, I wonder if the Hells collectively related to other events the Gods underwent; the loss and lack of a home, tension caused by one of them thinking they knew better, the constant attack of their sense of morality by others? Ayden's character may invoke an interesting pause - since the Dawnfather has been pretty cold and unkind to the Hells, mainly Team Trauma, and Deanna lately - I wonder if they acknowledge or soften towards this new light (pun not intended but welcomed)? I know he didn't show and wasn't gonna but I also wonder if the Hells kept looking to see if FCG was there, if only to get another glimpse of their fallen friend, or if any of them managed to spot FRIDA - who while we know is canonically present wasn't explicitly mentioned either.

I must admit though I'm in the camp of 'what does this achieve for Ludinus?' because Matt said in the Cooldown that there was parts that proved him right but honestly I don't see it. History knows that the Gods united to drop Aeor, but if anything the footage makes most of the Gods more sympathetic, even to the god-adverse Hells. Showing how they have been just as messed up, traumatized and conflicted as they are as they tried to limit the loss but in the end get put in a crossroads where they choose their family, without discarding or disavowing their creations because of it, isn't gonna endear them to Ludinus' already ill-thought plan. Honestly the only Prime Deity that seemed overly brutal was the Stormlord and like, why would you even try to use Control Weather in a storm made by a Weather God? In interviews Taliesin has mentioned that Ashton has conflicted thoughts on the humanizing of the Gods, though again I don't think it's in the way Ludinus expects - I anticipate that it's more of an 'it was easier to hate them when they were all-powerful, all-arrogant entities that ignored our prayers' kinda thing, having sympathy for someone they had grown accustomed to disliking - so I wonder if other members of the Hells have conflicted feelings and whether it smooths over their aversion or whether their resolve remains the same. I'm not saying they will, but imagine if the Hells decide to be more open to allying more with some of the gods because of this? Seeking the temple in Aeor to converse with them and get on the same page. They all seem pretty respectful towards the Matron already, but perhaps some focus on Corellon - if only to see if he rebuilt the Ars Elysia elsewhere for a post-Ruidus rager XD - and Ioun would be an interesting route; the Knowing Mistress would have answers for those seeking history and information, and the Arch Heart could have answers in curious and divine magics. In addition, imagine if the Everlight gains more followers through the Hells? She helped revive Laudna through Pike so the Hells shouldn't really have any negative feelings towards her, honestly I just think she deserves more followers after seeing all of this. Plus if they could get some of that Divine Prowess (Vitality and Potency at the least) for the final fight we could be in for some blockbuster and creative damage feats! Again, I don't see it as likely, but it's a thought. We could also entertain learning more about the non-god characters that survived; did the blood of the Everchildren continue to this day - there are theories they're tied to the Clay family? What did Selena do post-Aeor? Is Cassida's body still in a protective shield? These are questions fans would want answered that isn't 'was the silver dragon's name Bolo?'.

One has to wonder too if this presentation framed as validation for the atrocities he's committed just shows how divorced from reality Deludinus is. Was the point that 'they're family so they'll choose to save each other over entire cities'? Because many mortals would do the same in their position, the Hells themselves have inferred at times that they would prioritize each other over everyone else. You know what's not a way to avoid that dilemma? Unleashing a god-eating entity the gods even at the height of their power are afraid of! Because of this, Ludinus is painted as someone blind to the fact that it's his machinations that are trying to push the world into an even worse and bloodier Calamity than what he endured as a child, with him weakening the measures put in place to avoid such a thing rather than preventing it. Also he is almost like the Primes in that the people he's allied with secretly seek to remove him from the equation, though I think he's just arrogant enough to believe he can handle them. On the topic of whether Ludinus is Hallis Previn - spared by the Matron after having been healed by the Everlight - I'm not sure, it is possible but I don't think he needs to be Hallis, in fact it would probably be more interesting if he wasn't - since you'd have to jump through a fair amount of hoops to even begin explaining his motives and mindset.

But now we have to ask a question: what do we do now? The mission was to take down Ludinus, and we could still achieve that given how it's 10v1; but Orym isn't in the best of shape health-wise, the Toothy Maw and Dominox fights did cause a lot of the group's slots to be used up and Ludinus only really used 2 spells (Gate and Counterspell) since being encountered, deluded he may be but weak he is not. Laudna's haunting will permanently track him anyway and if he shows this to the world it'll likely emit similar results we and the Hells are having; some faiths may be shaken sure but others may be more supportive of the Gods. Right now there's no real reason not to show this footage. I suppose we could kill him and show the footage anyway - I mean it doesn't need to be shown by him explicitly - before handing it to Vassalheim or the Cobalt Soul's archive, honestly I would live for it if the first thing Bells Hells did after seeing the footage was Orym or Ashton just calmly walking up to Ludinus and decking him in the face, but the encounter in Aeor does feel designed for either Ludinus or the group to escape rather than fight to the death. Between the two, it would favour more for the Hells to stay; Aeor still feels barely scraped for them and Essek, who hasn't given Ashton any tangible answers about Dunamancy that he couldn't have gotten from a book yet - plus wild magic is rife within Aeor heck a beacon could be here, won't have much reason to stick with the Hells if they leave. If they don't use Essek's 'emergency escape' measure he's hinted at there could be something devised to let the group linger here a bit more such as finding the temple, the Ars Elysia, or another special room simply to explore more of Aeor - freeing the Stasis bubbles may not be the smartest or merciful option right now, given that all wizards within know how to make the Factorum. In terms of Ludinus, it'd be good to kill him now from a mission standpoint because he's the head honcho and the Hells need a big, convincing W to kinda make up for Otohan (which was more Matt's fault for rolling so high), but if we eliminate too many Exandrian enemies like Ludinus, providing that Liliana won't 180 again with him gone...which is a possibility, the endgame battle can risk turning into a more ugly Exandria vs Ruidus conflict rather than Life vs Predathos. So perhaps Ludinus should simply escape this time and we'll save the next major enemy to kill for Zathuda or one of the Five Imperium leaders.

Overall, and this won't be the last time we'll have to say it because some people have short memories and impulsive reactions, this is a prime example towards why we need to let CR cook. Yes, C3 has been scattered a bit, but this plot is a worldwide threat, which means you must show that it affects the whole world: this is a convergence of storylines from all 3 campaigns AND spinoffs, everything has its place and while we can be irked about the timing of things what we get is still pretty awesome. Just like the CK intermission, Downfall was an incredibly intricate and well-performed piece of narrative important to the main plot which honestly, as much as I still miss the Hells, could've gone an episode longer. Where we go next becomes further interesting because we have a greater grasp on the lore and characters of the gods, and it opens the door for more lore - such as what Corellon's strand of hair he left behind is - and context to be discovered in later episodes in this and/or later campaigns.

[robby-bobby-tommy]

Honestly, I can't stress enough how important the theme of family is in mdzs. IMO it is the main theme of the book. Of course romance and devotion is important, but there's something so special about the way families are portrayed in mdzs and how important they are. (I watched donghua and read some of manhua btw)

Let's start with sibling relationships:

The whole plot started because of love for a brother and rage for how unjust his death was. The whole Cloud Recesses arc is an amazing set up for Wangxian etc, but it also shows the complicated yet sweet relationship between WWX and JC. How they both care so much about each other, how they tease each other. IMO JC did see WWX as a brother and loved him as such. Every time he scolds Wei Ying, it's always about Wei Ying's safety. Usually it's not "How dare you use demonic cultivation, you're gonna get our clan in danger", it's " If you keep it up, I won't be able to protect you". Even during the Wen invasion, the they're still together, they sacrifice themselves to save another. And don't get me started about Jiang Yanli, she loves her brothers very much. Despite Madam Yu creating a competition between the boys or Jiang Fengmian's lack of action and even enablement of WWX' dangerous and irresponsible behavior, they still love each other. I can ramble about yunmeng trio so much, but in short despite everything they went through, they cared for each other deeply. After Jiang Yanli's death everything changes, because imo the boys fully internalized Madam Yu's last words. WWX bring pain and destruction to Yunmeng. I think I need to stop, or we'll be here all day.

Or, another example: Nie bros. Nie Mingjue had to basically raise A-sang. They do deeply care about each other, and despite everything they'll be here for each other. Yet the desire to protect NHS from sad reality of golden core and qi deviation, their relationship soured a little. But it's obvious even for an outsider like WWX, that NMJ loves his brother. He pressures NHS, because he feels that he's starting to lose it. He wants to prepare his little bro to be a decent leader and to live without him. And NHS literally makes it his life mission to avenge his Dage even if it means having a blood on his hands.

Lan brothers show a good brother relationship. Lan Xichen supports LWJ in everything he does. Even his love for WWX. He gets protective, when he thinks WWX is laughing at LWJ's feelings. Lan Zhan is deeply saddened when his brother is missing and helps him discover the truth about his best friend's death. They're almost perfect siblings. (Plus they're super funny when drunk).

MXTX deserves an award for writing so many different sibling dynamics. And that's not all, she also portrays this different parental relationship so interesting.

Like, the nephews you didn't want, but care so much about, that you don't want them to suffer like their father did (Lan Qiren and this family drama); the kid of your husband's unrequited love, whom he seemingly loves more than your own children (Yunmeng Jiang happy house), JGS and the myriad of the kids he has ect. I love this variety so much.

I just love so much how MDZS has so much themes. Every time I think about MDZS, I find more and more interesting points and moments that change my perception of the characters. Every character is so humain and has their own motivation, that I can't truly hate some of them (apart from Wen Chao, his mistress and JGS, they suck).

TLDR: MXTX is a queen of writing complex human characters.

[circusclowne]

ii bot / ii fandom rant 😙😙

////////////

why is every relationship with bot labeled as family (besides tt and fan ofc)😭😭

LIKE LET THAT ROBOT HAVE FRIENDS DAMN

i'm trying so hard to respect headcanons but every thing people post about bot being a child is viewed as canon

NONE OF THEM HAVE CANONICAL AGES!!!..CABBY IS NOT THEIR AUNT, MEPHONE IS NOT THEIR UNCLE, GOO IS NOT THEIR SIBLING IM GOING TO CRY

like if you hc any of these idm!! you do you

but i'm so tired of it all being viewed as canon and having to explain how i DONT headcanon bot as a minor!!! sorry but it's not canon and i'm not the majority!! i don't think they are minor coded at all!! they just had a midlife crisis after finding out theyre not who they were built to be!! they're exploring their identity!! who cares if they like cartoons and drawing damn !! paintbrush likes art and none of you hc them as a minor, bow likes cartoons (although they did specify crude cartoons lol) AND THEY WERE MADE IN BOWS IMAGE??? WIULDNT THEY BE THE SAME AGE???

hell APPLE HAS A HARD TIME TRYING TO SPELL, LIKES ARTS AND CRAFTS, DOESNT KNOW A MAJORITY OF COMMONLY USED WORDS, PLAYS WITH TOYS (as seen in ep16, i am assuming!), AND IS LABELED AS "IMMATURE" AND I STILL DONT SEE A MAJORITY OF THE FANDOM HC HER AS A CHILD

WHERES FUCKING MEPHONE4???😭😭

bot is more than just a child of a fantube family dynamic. in fact, i don't think they are a child at all. they aren't minor coded any more than the average character! if you just go off the fact that they have parents/creators, everyone on earth no matter how old is a child. they are independent and heavily dislike being seen as otherwise!!

tldr; you can headcanon whatever you want!! i respect that!! but when you treat it like it's canon and expect others to view it like that, . don't do that please!!

[fanficfish]

zzz: fairy is sus and here's why

(originally posted to reddit by yours truly)

i had this thought while browsing a thread just now so hear me out (1.0 spoilers but like..you're here, I'd hope you played through at least up to the Fairy bit)

Alright so first off: The name. Fairy is mentioned to be one of several little..."gifts", the first to be activated. The others have pretty interesting names I can't recall but "Fairy" stood out as the most innocent name.

A quick recap: Fairy has you sign a contract while you're really not in a headspace to do so which should already be a big tipoff, since you don't even know what you signed. Either way, she gets herself installed and can't be removed. She has access to most of the city's networks and basically eveyr device in your house, to the point you have to use signal blockers to talk without her knowledge.

Now, the name.

"Fairies", or faeries, or the fae, are far from Disney-made creatures who are hardworking little things with big emotions and big hearts or whatever. The real fae originated in (mostly) European folk tales, hiding in woods and various places. There were several rules around dealing with them- don't give them your real name, don't eat anything given to you by them, do NOT step into their mushroom rings, and get the hell out or they'll try to grab you into their realm and make you a servant or worse. Don't underestimate them, and do not insult them. Their deals do not generally work out for humans, but they can't lie. You can circumvent, but don't lie to a fae. They also can't leave their rings in some versions, but sometimes they can. There are also different kinds of fae, but i don't think that's important at the moment since they're all malevolent, just different forms of it.

They can also switch humans with their own kind. Something to do with changelings, their young and elderly, and sneaking them into human homes and stealing people away into the fae realm. The fae realm itself is a paradise that is hard to escape from and full of fae who have ulterior motives.

Now let's talk about the relations of Fairy and fae.

* They both deal with contracts (Fairy made you sign one, fae like them too), and you don't quite know what is in it for you.

* They know more then they let on, and are highly dangerous when not dealt with in a proper manner.

* They also find ways to degrade you (Fairy: "Say "I'm stupid. I should have asked fairy for assistance earlier") but they do it in a way that makes it hard to deny and insulting them back ends with them getting very offended.

* They force themselves in, and it's ahrd to get rid of them.

* Ulterior motives

I also want to mention that a common tactic of infiltration is making yourself a constant reliable presence, to the point your target can't remember what it's like without you, and once you have their full trust start sliding more and more things in until one day, too late, they realize they're fucked.

TLDR: if your sibling starts acting weird, make sure they haven't got any devices plugged into their person because Fairy could very well have taken control of them. Never trust AI, kids. Looks amazing until it takes over your house.

TLDR TLDR: Fairy is a scarier Alexa.

thus concludes my ted talk on the sus AI.

[wings-of-fire-confessions]

I have liked the ship Cleril since the very beginning. Yes, I know that Peril is very toxic in her mannerisms, but I still feel like she can improve, and she already has! By the tenth book she's learned to not put Clay on a pedestal and trust in other dragons besides him. Obviously they shouldn't get in a relationship right away, but I think they'd be a good couple after a few years of healing.

Also, people don't focus on Clay's side of the ship enough. He's seen Peril grow and change for the better, and she was the first real friend he had outside the mountain. Plus (getting into headcanon territory now), I've noticed that a lot of dragons think that his entire personality is food. The other dragonets of destiny are not exempt from that; assuming that the books are warped in the protagonist's limited perspective, all Tsunami, Glory, and Starflight think of Clay as the food-obsessed guy first and the bigwings second. Even Moon and Qibli’s POVs do that too! Yet Clay's own book portrays him as a complex character, and Sunny sees him as her protector and likely-favorite sibling, so her book is more representative of Clay's actual mannerisms. But he's still a foodie, because of course he is.

Then we get to Peril’s book. Of all the times that Peril talks about Clay, when does she mention any food? Exactly once: when she jokes about Clay sighing because he wants a goat. Literally every other time, she's thinking about his big heart, bravery, and compassion, or all the things Clay wanted other dragons to see when they meet him, rather than his initial internalized monstrosity.

And yes, we all know that Clay likes food. It's the only thing anyone can think about. But that does not define him, and Peril seems to understand that, albeit subconsciously. Through that, I think they can bond even more, and not just because "he can help her". They lift each other up and constantly support one another when no one else is. That, in short, is why they're my favorite Wings of Fire ship.

TLDR: Cleril isn't just a "he can fix her" relationship. Trust me.

.

[canary-song]

Due to what little on-screen interactions we see between Noir Peter (Pete) and Peni in ITSV, it's no surprise that a lot of people have agreed upon the popular fanon of them being a sort of father-daughter duo (or, for those who subscribe a bit more to Pete being younger due to the comics, a sibling-like relationship). It's cute so I support it, but it got me thinking about the two in comparison to eachother, specifically in terms of corrupt systems and how they're handled in their stories. I think the two have a bit more a contrast than just the surface level stuff, so let's look into it!

(Essay + comic panel evidence beneath the cut)

From the very start of Peni's (unfortunately short) comics, she's shown as very resigned to her fate - when brought in to discuss her father and her future "career" in the SP//DR program, she's upfront and blunt; My father is dead, and I'm the only one who can replace him, so I will. It's a foregone conclusion, and one she doesn't shy away from.

Furthermore, even though we see how, throughout the comics, she's basically given no life beyond her work, and even her school hours are eaten into, she's told again and again that all of this cost means something.

She has to sacrifice everything, because there's no other choice. Her own Guardians, her Uncle Ben and Aunt May, work for the very organization that her father did, and persist to remind her of the importance of the job, even if they do try to remind her that she can't handle this alone. Very telling, when faced with threats to the multiverse, she briefly asks her Uncle Ben if she should stay with him, only for him to tell her to go.

Duty calls.

This isn't the point of this, but of course she joined Spider HQ and went along with what Miguel was telling her - she's grown up surrounded by very like-minded, sacrifice-willing adults. Of course she has to do this. What other option is there?

On the other end, Pete is quite the opposite of Peni's story. Yes, 100%, like all Spiderpeople, there's the element of responsibility, that looming recognition that not doing what you can gets people hurt, but while Peni's story is set up so that she's fighting for her system of authority, Pete is unsurprisingly against his. At any point that he can, even pre-spiderbite, he's picking fights and trying to fix things. He's so set in his beliefs and outspoken that he makes his own mentor question his actions, constantly in pursuit of a better world.

It's the responsibility of the people to give a shit, and Pete cares so much that it drives him a bit mad, I think.

Where Peni is told that this is the way things work, Pete is demanding that it change, asking questions. Peni was raised to accept her responsibility, whereas Pete was raised to fight against the expected status quo.

AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THEIR RESPECTIVE BENS.

I'll try keeping this fragment of a thought short because we're already clocking in 6 paragraphs pre-edits and I need to feed the dogs their dinner soon, but the TLDR is that Uncle Ben is the last surviving legal Guardian of Peni, and though distant, he tries his best to support her while she's in the SP//DR program. Pete's Uncle Ben is, by no such surprise, dead, but specifically, he was a WWI veteran, decorated but guilty.

Uncle Ben is, in the Noir comics, yet another symbol of how doing what you're told can haunt you. He was very vocally against the war machine he was a part of, while Peni's Ben has known nothing else but his work.

This is how completely dead opposite they are in so many regards. They contrast eachother!! It's really interesting! Honestly, I could see Pete getting into an argument with Peni's Ben over how she's been treated, even if it probably wouldn't go well. He cares too much to keep his mouth shut, often.

[meowmeowriley]

Hi Zuko here! I grew up in the country and one thing you learn young out there is “Don’t fuck with prey animals” (especially the big ones). An animal that hunts needs to balance risk vs reward so if your scary enough your not worth the risk. Prey animals don’t have that problem and will absolutely fuck you up given the chance regardless of how scary you are (I’ve heard of chickens killing their owners), and having a giant rabbit shifter (holy shit Flemish rabbits are BIG) with the intelligence of a human and the fuck it we ball drive of a prey animal is fucking terrifying! I’m so excited to read your fic when it comes out poor MacTavish lol.

TLDR: Ghost as a rabbit man is actually terrifying and anyone who’s smart should be scared.

Have a great day.

ZZZUUUUUUKKKOOOOOO!!!!!!

*me waiting for you to drop by again

Rabbits are actually fierce little bastards, they're fast, their hearing is exceptional, and their eyesight is actually a lot better than people think. If rabbits weren't prey animals, they'd be terrifying. Honestly the more I think about this fic the more I really feel like a rabbit is the perfect animal for him because 1, no one would see it coming and 2, if you know rabbits, you know how fucking frightening that makes him 😂 and I do love me an unhinged horrifying monster Ghost.

I haven't decided if his whole family are all flemish giants, or if they're all different breeds of rabbit. Maybe the different fathers produce different breeds of offspring? He only has one sibling with the same father as him, so that could work. Idk yet, but that's okay, I'll figure it out.

Anyway, missed you friend! Good luck with the honor! Please chime in with any and all bunny!Ghost ideas!

That goes for anyone actually, I'm running low on asks, I need more for my hoard!!! Please I'm begging!!!

[ectonurites]

Are Tim and Cass Cain actually close in canon? Or is that more of a fanon thing that gained canon status?

Alright, so the tldr answer is that yes pre-reboot they were close—but it wasn't something that happened immediately/right off the bat, it took time, and they didn't always perfectly see eye-to-eye. But like, it's not just some totally fanon thing, they were absolutely close.

I'm using past-tense in the above though because it's like... all the actual content with them becoming/being close is pre-reboot. Anything post-reboot with them either had them back at square one (during N52 stuff) or like, just sort of handwavey 'oh they're close again' without much actual elaboration/explanation. Theoretically nowadays everything's canon again so all the old stuff applies, but as far as I'm aware nothing has really dug all that deep back into the two of them/their dynamic.

Now, to give a brief crash course on Tim & Cass's relationship in canon...

Early on they weren’t all that close because Tim was absolutely intimidated by her & her background and like, in general seemed to just find her kinda off-putting:

(Robin (1993) #73)

However Tim eventually gets over himself & after working side-by-side with her a little bit realizes he shouldn't let being intimidated by her stop them from being friends and working together:

(Batgirl (2000) #18)

After this point they work together on several occasions, definitely communicating much better than in their initial appearances together and clearly getting along well. They're a fun lil duo:

(Superman/Batman Vol. 1 #5, Superboy Vol. 4 #85)

Then… after a while, War Games happens. Gotham goes to shit, Steph dies (well, we nowadays know she didn't really, but they sure were both grieving) and so they both independently move to Blüdhaven, which leads us to the Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood crossover. Which has some fun little moments with them:

(Batgirl (2000) #58)

As well as some on the more tense side, as they both navigate mourning Steph and the clashes in their ideologies/approaches to hero work—the fact that Cass wants to be & be like Batman, and the fact that Tim absolutely does not:

(Batgirl (2000) #59)

After the crossover they mostly do their own thing staying out of each other's ways in Blüdhaven—though they do get another little story together in this timeframe in Batman Allies: Secret Files & Origins that sort of rehashes the above conflict during some training together & a team-up.

And we DO also get the cute (and oft-mentioned by the fandom) moment where Tim mentions she frequently breaks into his house to shower & steal rice krispies (just for clarity sake, while fandom almost exclusively calls her 'Cass' largely to avoid confusion with Cassandra 'Cassie' Sandsmark, within the comics themselves both Cassandras get called 'Cass' and 'Cassie' at various points—considering Cass is the one who lives in the same city as Tim at this point in canon, that's definitely who he's talking about here)

(Robin (1993) #138)

So like, at this point they are absolutely comfortable with one another and pretty close, but just, they don't see eye-to-eye on everything so it's not some flawless friendship (and I say friendship specifically because at this point we're still a few years out from them actually becoming siblings). But it's absolutely an interesting dynamic!

Then… after Infinite Crisis we get to the One Year Later/OYL era which is... bad for Cass. Terrible horrible character assassination we all refer to as the 'Evil Cass arc' which began in Tim's book. I don't wanna pull panels from it because it's just... it's bad!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a reason it got retconned into Cass having been brainwashed—because it was bad.

I guess the only thing worth bringing up here in relation to Tim & Cass's relationship though (because as mentioned, Cass gets retconned into it having been brainwashing so anything from her in this era is irrelevant/moot) is the fact that Tim was obviously very upset about the whole situation because Cass is someone he cares about and he even says he considers family.

To fast forward through that mess, when we get to the end of it and the 'oh it was brainwashing haha!' retcon, Tim was the one to have on hand a counter-serum that could free her from Deathstroke's control:

(Teen Titans Vol. 3 #44)

Once Cass is no longer forced to be evil and ooc, she gets a little mini at the end of which Bruce formally offers to adopt her (and Tim, who had earlier been adopted by Bruce, is present for this—so from this point on they go from a more general 'we're like family' to actually 'we are adopted siblings').

Buuuut then Final Crisis & Battle for the Cowl both occur and Cass gets extremely pushed aside by DC, giving up the Batgirl mantle to Steph and heading off to Hong Kong.

At which point we find out that Tim & Cass have actually kept in contact (just... off-panel) during this time when she's been out of Gotham and he's been off doing all sorts of stuff:

(Red Robin #17)

When they see each other in person again, Tim urges her to be a Bat again. Maybe not Batgirl if that's not what she wants, but to wear the symbol and be part of the family. (Which she does take him up on, keeping the suit he brought her and becoming Black Bat).

She pops up again at the end of Red Robin to save Tim & also help him pull off a fake assassination attempt on himself—ya know standard stuff.

And then right before the reboot we get to see them working alongside Damian and Dick in Gates of Gotham, and see one final time that yeah—these two have kept in touch after everything, and are definitely far more on one another's wavelength nowadays than they were back in the 'fresh out of War Games' era:

(Batman: Gates of Gotham #2, #5)

So like, does fanon over exaggerate them and their relationship? Aaaaabsolutely—that’s what fanon does. But they did definitely become close after everything they went through and had a fun dynamic together!

Sadly though, as I mentioned at the start of the post, the n52 wiped everything back to a clean slate. And while nowadays post-Infinite Frontier everyone’s histories have been restored their dynamic has never really been the same again.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Harry and Prince William's wedding guest list differences are very telling by u/AdelaideSadieStark

Harry and Prince William's wedding guest list differences are very telling TLDR; William has closer connections with his family, not just first cousins or family who you're 'expected to invite' but also his mother's maternal side of the family and the Queen Mother's side of the family, he's also got a large social circle from his time at Uni and during the time him and Catherine were dating. He seemed to get along with people from Catherine's world. Harry on the other hand invited family you're expected to invite, like immediate aunts and uncles, first cousins. He also seems to aristocracy. I don't know if it's because he's a snob or the aristocracy were the only people who tolerated him. (guest list at the bottom) All of the Queen and Princess Margaret's decedents are invited, as expected.William invited more distant cousins he invited the Queen's cousins, his father's second cousins and in some cases his third cousins. Harry on the other hand invited a handful of his grandmother's cousins. Since they're working royals i guess the Queen invited them.From the Spencer side, Harry only invited his aunts and uncles and first cousins. William along with his aunts and first cousins, also invited Lady Anne Wake-Walker (nee Spencer), his great-aunt (Diana's aunt). Lady Anne's daughter and son-in-law Elizabeth Wake-Walker and Anthony Wake-Walker. He also invited his second cousin, Davina Duckworth-Chad and her husband Tom Barber.Harry had one member from the Bowes-Lyon family, one from the Mountbatten family, and from the Parker Bowles family he invited his two step-siblings and one of Tom and Laura's cousins. He also invited Catherine's immediate family. Meghan only had her mother at the wedding. William also invited the Roche family (Diana's maternal side of the family), Camilla's ex, Tom and Laura, Camilla's sister's family, and Camilla's bather's family as well as three members from the Bowes-Lyon family. Catherine had 22 members of her family, some of her second cousins were also there.In terms of friends, most of Harry's friends were friends from childhood or younger siblings of people who William was friends with (ex; Emilie van Cutsem, widow of the groom's father's friend, Hugh van Cutsem and Tom Inskip (friend of the groom from Eton College; son of Owen Inskip, a friend of the groom's father)). It honestly doesn't seem like Harry has a lot of friends who he made himself. Compare that to William and Catherine's wedding where they have friends from Uni, someone who worked at the grocery store they frequented, the Middleton family's butchers, neighbour of the couple's while at university, in some cases his friends parents were also invited.William's wedding also had a load foreign royals compared to Harry who only had Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and his wife, and The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Oettingen-Spielberg who aren't 'technically' royalty. But that's more to do with their positions in the line of succession than anything personal.https://ift.tt/3YfPEjw post link: https://ift.tt/mA6GuX4 author: AdelaideSadieStark submitted: September 12, 2024 at 01:53PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.