#unless you mean i as a person have a backstory in which case yes i do

[sanctus-ingenium]

YOU HAVE LORE???

You're in luck! it's always been 100% lore for stories I'm working on

it's linked in my pinned post

and there are supporting texts/sketchbooks available for u to peruse

if you are a ko-fi member u also get to never hear me shut up about it. wait for my mermay worldbuilding/spec bio art to drop there lol

[astrobydalia]

🪐 Astro Observations!!!✨

Happy 2024 babes! Here’s to another year sharing astrology stuff with all of you 🤩

work by astrobydalia

Yes water moons have great intuition and could be psychic but I very often notice they tend to allow their personal feelings interfere with their decisions and could tend to not follow their intuition as much. The ones that have a more reliable or unbiased intuition imo are Earth moons and Aquarius moon.

Scorpio Venus really do gravitate to unhealthy relationships… All their connections tend to have unfair or imbalanced dynamics to them where there’s no equal give and take. They believe love means throwing yourself and your life away for another person (or they expect someone to give everything away for them) with little to nothing in return. They may not understand the difference between deep intimacy and unhealthy attachment

Libra placements and their ability to appear likable even when they have the shittiest personality deep down

In my opinion Moon is the most important planet if you really wanna begin to know someone at their core. Ultimately no planet can give you full info without the context of the whole chart tho (#AllPlanetsMatter), but you can really uncarcarve sm about someone just by moon placement/aspects/degree, etc. Moon rules your needs and so it really cements your personality and its an energy that you'll project in so many areas of your life (relationships, career, etc)

Fixed Mars are ARGUMENTATIVE fr fr. They need to have the last word and will die on that hill if they have to💀Honorable mention: Virgo/Gemini Mars due to Mercury influence but they’re more about friendly banter and aren’t as stubborn

80% of Aries Moons I've met were very philosophical/spiritual/religious. They can develop a self-awareness that gives them a lot of wisdom. The other 20% were just adult toddlers and very egotistic...

Capricorn placements and their internalized elitism. They really do believe some people are better than others which is the shadow of Capricorn unfortunately

Aquarius Moons are some of the most traumatized people I know fr fr. Whenever I get to know their life and backstory Im always like bro….😶😶 It makes me so sad cause they always bring such good vibes everywhere (they have a playful aura) when in reality there’s a depth of pain underneath you wouldn’t even fathom through that unbothered persona. The OG misunderstood.

We all know Scorpio is all about depth, intensity and looking beyond the surface but I’ve very often observed the exact opposite in scorpio placements. They could tend to be very superficial, greedy and materialistic, more obsessed with wealth and status than any earth placement (it all comes down to power). In such cases their interest in occult or deep topics could also be superficial or opportunistic, like they only see it as something that could give them a leg up in life or help them avoid unseen threats but that's about it.

Cancer Risings do not come across as sensitive at all. They tend to have a rather sassy personality and are pretty defensive 90% of the time tbh. Think about it, are crabs 🦀 cute and cuddly? No, you actually actually have to be very careful around one cause they sting lol. They do wear their heart on their sleeves and are very sensitive and perceptive but because of this they constantly feel like their vulnerability is out for everyone to see hence the guarded attitude.

^I've also noticed they are VERY opinionated and will hold on very tightly to how they think/feel about something. This results in having a reputation for being kinda bold and sharp (Aries 10th). Pro tip: do NOT question these native's morals or integrity unless you wanna see a very snappy side to them, they respond very very very badly if you even insinuate that they might be hypocritical in their values/what matters to them

The interpretation that Aquarius in the 4th house means you’re an outcasted black sheep in the family low-key doesn’t make sense to me tbh. Aquarius is the sign of camaraderie, friendship, inclusivity and community. All the people that I’ve seen with this placement were actually very bonded to their roots and considered their family (and the people they bonded with during childhood) to be "their people" (they also keep their friends close to heart). These natives do tend to distinct themselves as they grow up but this is due to Leo 10th house. I've noticed their family is in general very supportive of them or at the very least they received some input in their upbringing that made them feel special and/or like their uniqueness was celebrated. Feel free to share your opinion/experience tho

I've noticed Virgo Mars people have a perfect balance between being confident in themselves and fulling trusting their abilities while also staying humble and acknowledge room for improvement. Very mature and self-accountable and they're also great people to work with cause they are highly appreciative of good contribution

Sagittarius placements and their ability to be casually rude in a charming way??? 😭

Moon in the 10th house do not have a reputation for being emotional at all, it's quite the opposite they dislike exposing their feelings like that. A lot of their energy is spent trying to appear put-together and emotionally stable. The ones I've noticed have a reputation for being moody or sensitive are Mars in the 10th house

Venus-Moon aspects probably grew up in an environment that fed up this idea they had to be beautiful and conventionally likable in order to be worthy of love. These natives tend to base their self-worth on the amount of emotional validation they get from others and struggle telling the difference between kindness and love

A couple notes on everyone’s fave topic: 8th house synastry

We all know this overlay deals with power dynamics. On a general basis I’ve noticed it’s the planet person who tends to have the upper hand. Exeption: Moon. When your moon falls in someone’s 8th house you tend to be vulnerable one due to the soft nature of this planet, but the house person secretly feels more intimidated

You will NAWT be able to keep secrets from someone you have 8th house synastry with specially if you’re the house person. Sooner or later they’ll see through you, circumstances might force you to expose yourself or you’ll simply feel drawn to revealing the truth to them. With water synastry in general you will feel drawn to share more deep or hidden parts of yourself/your life but with the 8th house you can’t help it, like there’s almost an accusatory tension between the two that grows the more you try to hide something from them

Something I see no one mentioning about 8th house synastry is the planet person always feels intimidated by the house person's success. The planet person will try to take part in the house person's success by taking some credit and have a sense of control over what belongs to the house person, it's giving Kanye's "I made that bitch famous". At best the planet person would want to help boost the house person's endeavors. Either way, when someone's planets land on your 8th house, you will never feel like something is completely yours anymore, somehow the planet person will "take" something away from you that you can't get back making you feel like you owe them or they owe you something big (8th house=debt), which is why this overlay very often goes south and tends to be very depleting.

If we're talking business (which 8th house deals with that) the house person is likely to take a risk on the planet person, invest on them (can be money, time, resources, trust, etc) in hopes that it'll pay off. The house person is most likely to loose something from their involvement with the planet person, but they can also gain a lot from the planet person if the investment pays off. In either case, one could tend to exploit the other if there’s any ill intent from the individual

Water mars people are very smothering in their affection tbh. Once you’ve been chosen, get ready to be bombarded by their attention a bit more each time. Secret stalker vibes.This doesn’t always mean they love you tho, if underdeveloped they may want to “bond” in order to have emotional control over you and use you. For them it’s easy to get what they want through manipulation so leading people on or fooling around is something they tend to do a lot

Going back to the affection topic, water venus are smothering too but they go about their obsession devotion in a much more soft and non-domineering way where they give a lot of power away to their partner

People with Gemini+Scorpio placements in their chart embody the mischievous trickster archetype fr fr. They’re funny but also a menace. Have an ease to become that type of deceitful manipulator who thrives in chaos

I have a theory that your Moon represents the kind of bond or relationship you have with your mother but Ceres represents how your mother actually is

Capricorn and Scorpio placements are huge tsunderes imo 😭

Chiron in Sagittarius/9th house have become disappointed with religious and/or academic institutions. For them both systems are essentially flawed and don't work or don't make sense

+When it comes to religion I've seen a lot of them being atheist and skeptics. Some others still believed in god/universe/etc. but they did not want to support any stablished religious institution and instead have preferred to craft their own belief system. In both cases, they saw the institutionalization of believe systems as something that hindered their freedom of thought and expansion

+When it comes to academics a very similar thing happens. They felt like collage and the educational system restricted their mind instead of expanding it so they just preferred to walk their own path and find growth elsewhere. A friend of mine with this placement quit collage and the other people I've seen who did finish it all said they had a kinda dreadful and/or unfulfilling collage experience which they low-key regret

If you’ve ever felt powerless in the house where you have your pluto, that’s because you gave your power away to the opposite house. For example, if you have Pluto in the 5th house and you felt powerless when it comes to expression, your creativity, etc that’s because you gave too much power to the public opinion/peer pressure (11th house) and what they may say about you if you express yourself genuinely

Scorpio Moons always battle with that "am I a good person?", "am I a monster deep down?" inner conflict. They are more in touch with darker emotions and experiences than the average person so for them it's particularly easy to channel their shadow. This can often make them doubt their own integrity or think they are doomed to never feel happiness and inner peace. This is moon's debilitation for a reason, their inner emotional world is ruled by chaos and turmoil and they tend to be a bit too comfortable (moon) in toxicity and drama, nothing is ever light-hearted for them. If developed this ability of staying in touch with the shadow side of things can actually give them lots of awareness and resilience for the darker sides of the world as well as a very solid moral compass and compassion

Leo Moons likely had grandiose standards forced on them that inflated their self-importance. It's giving "mommy told me I am the best and most special of all" which is great but now they be carrying that mindset for the rest of their lives and this is where lot of their infamous sensitivity and fragile ego comes from cause not fulfilling these standards deeply hurts their heart. In consequence they tend to be more unprepared to accept humbling experiences that'll make them mature

virgo risings are funny!!!! I haven't seen anyone mention this, but every virgo rising I've met cracked me UP, they are so witty and never misse a chance to throw in a cheeky joke every 2 minutes. I think this is overlooked because they keep a rather awkward demeanor to them which often makes for a rather dry delivery. Best examples of this are Ryan Raynolds, Keanue Reeves, Emma Watson, Cole Sprouse...

Also, all Virgo risings I've met tend to come across as huge snobs so it's very common that people don't take their humor or friendliness seriously

Honestly I've noticed this theme with Virgo/6th house inner placements in general where their judgemental nature always makes them unfriendly or snarky to some degree. They can be the kind of people who are never happy with anything and always have a bone to pick.

My main theory as to why Leo risings are the most shy out of all Leo placements is because a lot of them grew up in very problematic and dysfunctional families (Scorpio 4th house) where they were shamed for showing vulnerability or being genuine (Cancer 12th house)

I’ve noticed Aries Suns and Capricorn Suns tend to relate a lot to their fathers, they tend to have very similar character traits as their fathers. For good or for bad their relationship with their father is always very important in their personality.

I find that LEO Suns and Sagittarius Suns always be having daddy issues tho like 😭😭😭😭

One thing about Capricorn is they can be literal billionaires and yet will still refuse to spend a dime on something they think is not worth it

Mutable Moons don’t commit 10000% to things, they’re the type to always have a foot out just in case. They're most likely to commit to things if they don't feel forced or expected to stay permanently

Cardinal energy is very consistent and responsable. People with prominent cardinal placements have a really developed sense of agency, focus and direction (imo this will be more obvious with moon, mars and asc). There's something about them that always gives me this put together "I've got this" kinda vibe, they always seem like they've got it together and always know what to do even when they're lost.

Fixed mercuries and their inability to understand or accept that two different points can be true

Sun/Leo in the 3rd house could want to have a nice car, an expensive or luxurious car from a well-known brand

I’ve seen people saying Venus-Mars conjunction gives it girl vibes. This is also HIGHLY true for Mars-ruled Venus (Aries/Scorpio Venus) or Venus-ruled Mars (Libra/Taurus Mars)

work by astrobydalia

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

im sorry shadow's backstory is What

oh i LOVE explaining this to people so let me clarify: everything i am about to tell you is one hundred percent canon. everything. you can look it up on the wiki or playthroughs of sonic adventure 2 and shadow the hedgehog if you dont believe me.

so

shadow the hedgehog was created in a test tube in space we'll start there

he was created on a space colony by eggman's grandfather, dr gerald robotnik.

gerald was working with the government to make an "ultimate lifeform" in order to achieve immortality. his main motivation is to find a cure for his granddaughter maria, who has a rare chronic illness called "NIDS" which is. AIDS. it's just AIDS. anyway she doesn't have long to live unless he can figure out this ultimate lifeform thing

gerald tries to make this thing but it just makes a really big lizard that wants to kill things so he stashes it in the space-basement and hopes that won't cause problems later

in order to actually make the ultimate life form this time he makes a deal with.... a fucking demon alien hivemind leader from a creepy comet that circles the planet

if you have seen the shadow snapcube fandub, this is the devil from the bible. canon name is black doom

so gerald takes some of black doom's dna and uses it to make shadow the ultimate lifeform

yes this means shadow has two dads

gerald does figure out the demon alien is probably gonna betray him tho so he builds a giant fuck-off canon on the space colony in case they need to kill him

shadow is raised on the ark alongside maria as his sister-figure if not like literal sister. the two of them have never been off the space station and dream about seeing earth

unfortunately the military finds out that there's like suuuper deadly weapons on this ship and they're like "wtf we're the us military nobody can make deadly weapons but us" so they do what any sane person would do

they go on the space colony and massacre everyone

seriously. some people managed to escape through escape pods but like they just kill everyone. one survivor in shth clarifies that his entire family died that day

the military also shoots and kills maria in front of shadow. while she doesn't have a canon age in the games, the anime lists her as twelve

maria manages to send shadow off in an escape pod before dying and asks him to take care of the earth for her and give the people on there a chance to be happy because she's a fucking angel

the military finds shadow's escape pod tho oops

anyway gerald was taken into police custody and when he finds out maria is dead he literally SNAPS and decides that blowing up the planet sounds like a good idea

he figures he wont be able to do anything in his prison so he finds shadow and MANIPULATES HIS MEMORIES to make him think maria made him promise revenge, then tells him to use the cannon he built for the demons and use it to blow up the whole planet

the military then puts shadow in cryo and EXECUTES GERALD BY FIRING SQUAD ONSCREEN

shadow is then woken up by eggman after a 50 year timeskip

schenanigans happen and he ends up deciding not to take revenge and then he dies. but wait he didn't die he just fell to earth and lost all his memories so the demon alien dad manipulates him into revenge again. then shadow gets his memories back and kicks his dad's ass

and now he's just kinda hanging out

and we are going to see ALL OF THIS in a CHILDREN'S MOVIE december 20 2024

[beevean]

I'm thinking of getting into the Castlevania series. Are there any good games to play as a starting point (that's preferably not an NES game)?

Haha, yes there are :D

There are roughly three CV genres: Classicvanias, '80s and '90s platformers where you play as a Belmont, you only have a whip and subweapons at your disposal, the physics are stiff, and you're going to die a lot; Metroidvanias/Igavanias, the 2000s games where you explore the castle, level up, find equipment, and gain new abilities to proceed; and 3Dvanias, which it's self explanatory :P

I'm going to assume that by "NES game" you mean the Classicvanias, so I'm going to skip past them.

Symphony of the Night (PS1) is an excellent starting point, and it was mine. It's the first Metroidvania and by far the most beloved. It's the game that turned Alucard into the icon we know today and gave Dracula his tragic backstory. The game itself has a nice structure where it starts off as linear, then it slowly opens up, and the difficulty is on the easy side (perhaps too easy, if you know what you're doing: the game has a lot of little secrets). Add a great atmosphere and a superb OST, and you have a gem in your hands. (to note, though, SoTN is the direct sequel of Rondo of Blood, a Classicvania, and while it's not necessary to understand it I feel it enriches the experience. If you ever decide to play a Classicvania, RoB is a pretty good choice)

Aria of Sorrow (GBA) is the next most beloved game. It polishes all the little flaws of the previous games, including SoTN, and streamlines the experience. The main gimmick of this game is that the protagonist, Soma Cruz, has the power to absorb monsters' souls and use their power, so every playthrough is a different experience (unless you grind lol). Fun fact, this is the second to last game in the timeline, taking place in 2035, and it's very important for Dracula's character. It also has a direct sequel for DS, Dawn of Sorrow, which IMO was pretty good but not a first player's choice.

Portrait of Ruin (DS) is a personal favorite of mine :D you play as two characters at the same time, Jonathan Morris who is more focused on melee weapons and Charlotte Aulin who is more focused on magical spells, and instead of traversing a giant castle, you traverse a castle and go inside magical portraits à la Super Mario 64 lol. In my opinion a balanced, charming game. Some of the tracks were composed by Yuzo Koshiro of Streets of Rage fame, btw!

3Dvanias are a bit of a special case: I think they're worth playing, just not as your very first titles. Maybe after you tried these three?

Lament of Innocence (PS2) is the first game in the timeline, and it narrates how the Belmonts became Dracula's sworn enemy. In the context of the games of the 2000s, it's a rather odd beast: you play as Leon Belmont, so again you mainly use the whip and subweapons (but you can combine those subweapons with orbs you collect and increase your attacks exponentially), and the structure is similar to Mega Man's, in that you choose which area of the castle you want to explore via teleporters. You don't level up, but you unlock new moves with the whip, and there is a lot of 3D platforming you'll have to do. Excellent atmosphere and music.

Curse of Darkness (PS2) is technically the sequel to Castlevania 3, but you only need to know that Trevor Belmont killed Dracula 3 years prior. You play as Hector, a Devil Forgemaster who can forge weapons and monsters to help him in battle. The structure is unique in that you'll have to go from point A to point B, but there is the occasional backtracking you'll have to do once you unlock the right moves. If you can get past the very flat level design, the main focus of the game is fighting enemies to gain materials to forge equipment with, and level up his Innocent Devils like Pokémon lmao. It's one of my favorites and I think it's super fun, but I may be biased. Also another game with a stellar soundtrack.

These are my picks. I hope you have fun <3

[a-mag-a-day]

MAG 65 - Part 3 of the apple pie baking session

Lol, Tessa info-dumping and Jon is totally overwhelmed.

"Magnetic tape. Everyone thinks it’s analog, but it’s digital." - I mean, not all magnetic tapes are digital. Digital tapes came up in the 80s, but before then they were analog. Especially the kind of tape we usually associate with TMA, the "Compact Cassette", is analog. Look it up on Google pictures! And then compare it to it's digital successor, the "Digital Compact Cassette". Looks different. Mini- or microcassettes used for dictation are also analog (I think, there are digital minicasettes?). And yes, it's STILL in use for that. We use analog minicassettes and I have a tape recorder standing around, catching dust, on my desk at work in case the system's getting a service update and is not accessible for a longer period of time.

"the units of data that a computer works with are by their nature discrete and definite, while the words we use are clumsy, vague things, always at the whim of interpretation and decay." - unless you're working with a printer… They are also clumsy vague things XD

"I have a blog, actually, but I haven’t posted for almost a year. Almost too embarrassed to, now…" - info-dumping and oversharing! Jon is in for a ride…

Holy shit, she's constantly talking over Jon, it's so funny xD

"I mean, yes, there’s drug stuff on there, but it’s mostly just paranoid geeks who don’t want to be caught pirating Photoshop." - Deep Web's a bit overkill for that mumbling. If this was written in 2019 it would be "it's mostly Youtubers buying overpriced trash advertised as 'Deep Web Mystery Boxes' or faking them themselves and needing an excuse to give them a spooky backstory" xDD

I love how this is just a creepy pasta!

"Whatever version you’re told, the story goes that it actually worked, and the police found a pile of floppy disks full of impossible code next to the mutilated body of Sergey Ushanka." - Remember when floppy disks could destroy/save the world?? XD (insert Sailor Moon, Gargoyles, Street Sharks, Ninja Turtles pictures here)

"it was only for a moment, but I could have sworn I saw some of the symbols twitch?" - oh speaking of oversharing earlier - so when I'm not doing good mentally or also when I'm simply sleep-deprived I see all kinds of movement and shadows out of the corner of my eye. When I drew my fanart for "Statement Remains" in October (the dark shape of an Eldritch monster Jon with 7 green-glowing eyes in front of a tape recorder…) I saw all 7 eyes blink. I know it's just that quirk of seeing shadows/movement but it was sooo eerie and fitting.

"there’s no feeling, but the no feeling hurts" - Makes me think of the people in the Catalogue of the Trapped Dead. I don't know if they weren't able of feeling things, but they were basically just a memory (which could be seen as similar to Ushanka uploading himself) and that this existence hurt.

Jon's interaction with statement-givers back in S1 versus now in S2 is also very binary xD ("You are crazy and just imagined everything and I don't believe you" versus "I understand you have experienced something horrible and I believe you")

Tim and Jon arguing is so hurtful to hear. It was different in the intervention but now it's really personal. There is not just anger in Tim's voice I think, there is also hurt. And Jon is just so paranoid and he's right to be paranoid, he just doesn't know why and where it's coming from.

TIM "we didn’t kill Gertrude" - not including Elias, true. (cont.) "and no one wants to kill you" - not true…

TIM "No, no, you listen for once. I was fine in research. Happy. Then you asked me to be transferred here, and suddenly it’s all monsters and killers and secret passages, oh my!" - That's not Jon's fault though? I'm pretty sure, Tim could have said no to the transfer and the stuff going on with the Archives is even less Jon's fault.

TIM "like I didn’t suffer the worst right alongside you." - I really think, this is it. This is not about the actual act of stalking, it's about the betrayal of why Jon did it. Tim was there with Jon, probably also for Jon. And then he suspects him of murder and of his own betrayal against Jon.

JON "Well, excuse me if my experiences have made–" - Well, while in conflict solution and prevention it is advised to talk about yourself and how you have experiences things rather than accusing others, it is not a good idea to shuffle the conversation to yourself while the other one is pouring their heart out about their difficulties in such an angered manner. I know, a lot of people do this to show the other party that you can relate (I do this myself) and in that case it often works out, but I don't think that's what Jon's aiming for here and it seems rather dismissive of Tim's problems. It looks like both are fighting over who is the most miserable here and no one ever wins that fight. There's only losers if you make misery a competition.

TIM "Fuck you, I got eaten by worms because of you!" - And there we have it. It escalates and heavy blame get thrown around. And it's, again, not Jon's fault. How could any of them be at fault that Prentiss attacked the Archives and Elias wanted them to get hurt.

JON "Jane Prentiss was not my fault, I did not bring her to the archive–" - Tim started unfair blame, not Jon has to defend himself and getting defensive is not helping the situation.

I think Jon already suspected that they were bound to the Archives? It sounds like he already thought about offering Tim to transfer but somehow couldn't do it. Now he tests it, if Tim can leave by his own free will.

JON "I’m sorry, Tim. Truly I am. But I cannot and will not trust you." - It's hurtful, for both of them, Tim and even Jon himself. But given the situation Jon's in I think it's kind of fair. He is influenced by a Stranger's presence. He knows something is wrong, he knows the Archives are not normal. TMA is a lot about making decisions based on the knowledge you had at hand at that time and at that particular time I think it was actually best for Jon to stay wary and watch his back.

Tessa is a queen of oversharing, and I am sad for Jon.

[bloodiedmedic]

For muns with multiple muses, past and present, on any blog.

Rules: Fill out the form according to which muse suits each title best. (The same muse can have multiple titles.) Repost and tag. Feel free to add more!

Filling this out for Alexis Ogata (obviously since this is Alexis’ blog) and Cassandra Cain because I’ve been thinking about my Cass lately and I miss her.

Favourite Muse: Hate to say it, but Cassandra Cain. I’ve spent so much time with her that I adore her just so much. I’m tempted to just bring her back, and see if I can get any traction with her but I already have Silco/Sevika/Jinx/Alexis soooo….I dunno that I need another muse active. But out of Alexis and Cass, it’d be Cass.

Most Character Development: Cassandra Cain just because I haven’t written Alexis for long enough. It’s possible that eventually Alexis will outpace her, buuuuut that requires actually getting more interaction going on Alexis so /shrug

Trash Muse: I really don’t know what this means really. I guess Alexis cause they really something else?

The Meme-Lord: Neither. Cass doesn’t get most memes, and Alexis was gone for 7 years give or take so they out of date with everything.

Most Likely to Start a War: Ahhhh neither? Cass hates killing, and Alexis doesn’t run at that level. I guess if I had to pick one Cassandra cause I could see her beating the hell out of the wrong person cause they a bad person, and it causing a war some how.

Worst Personality: Alexis. Sorry Alexis you are awesome, but… Cassandra has the nicer personality. She just does.

Best Singer: Alexis is the better singer. Cassandra can barely talk.

Most Attractive Muse: Matter of taste. Alexis fucks with gender as much as possible. Cassandra is really fit with lots of scars, a tight ass and small chest so… what are you into?

Biggest Heart: Ohhhh good question…. I’ma say Cassandra. She’s been through so much, and still is out here doing her best.

Falls in Love Quickest: Neither does it quickly, but maybe Cassandra because of how good she is at reading body language and telling if someone is lying or not so she responds quickly to the right person’s affections.

Most Likely to Drop Their Phone in the Toilet: Alexis. Probably while high, or drunk to be honest.

Ice Ruler: Neither is a ruler so...neither? I don’t know.

The Edgelord: oooffff….. I think Alexis. Cassandra mostly just tries to vibe, and she loves dance so I think Alexis.

Most Tragic Backstory: Both have SUCH a tragic Backstory, but I’ma say Cass takes the “prize” here because most of her stuff happened during childhood.

Best Case of Puberty: I…. have NO idea. Alexis? Cause they taller? /shrug

Most Awkward: Cassandra is. For a multitude of reasons. She’s 100% the most awkward. Probably out of all of my muses actually.

Busy Bee: Cassandra actually. She hates sitting still, and being bored. If there isn’t something holding her attention she will probably be wandering off, and finding something to hold her attention. Yes this means if she’s with a group of people, and they all start talking lots so she can’t understand what is being said there is a decent chance they going to look around ten minutes later and see Cass doing a hand stand on top of a wall or climbing a building or something.

Most Clueless: Neither are clueless really except in ways the other is also clueless. Both are very well aware of how evil can be. Both are SO far behind on pop culture, and the like. So I’m going to say it’s equal.

Most Likely to Forget Their Wallet at Home: I was going to say Alexis, but than I remembered something. Cassandra shop lifted for a good few years to get whatever she needed, and probably still shop lifts at times cause fuck the mega corporations. So I’m going to say Cassandra.

Best Dressed: Ohhhh…. Cassandra. She loves going to the ballet, and she absolutely gets dressed up for it. Cute lil black dress and all.

Biggest Flirt: Alexis. Just because Cass is so awkward and has issues talking. UNLESS Cass meets a cute girl who ALSO knows ASL. Because Cass gets a lot more comfortable when she can sign.

Most Dramatic: Cassandra. She worked with Batman, Batwoman, the Robins, was trained by one of the worlds best assassins. When she wants to be she is SO dramatic. Also sneaky. Dramatic, and sneaky.

Least Likely to Show Up Late: Neither really. Cassandra knows the importance of getting to your target on time. Alexis was trained as a doctor. If I have to pick I’d say Cassandra because Alexis sometimes just can’t be bothered to care much.

One with Weirdest Habit: Uhhhh…. Side eyes Alexis and their blood lust addiction and dissecting people and just kind of nervously chuckles SO ANYWAYS

Most Likely to Be Caught at the Gym: Cassandra. Absolutely. Bonus points if it’s a gym with a climbing wall, and a parkour section.

Tagged by: I stole it from my other blog

Tagging: @oculusxcaro and I already tagged people on my other blog so... see it, steal it.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

I also just have some questions about what, exactly, makes a noble's offspring their heir. Like surely that's not Arcanine's only kid ever, right? So if he wasn't ready, why not just skip over him to one of others? Unless this too is something where like they were marked somehow for the position, and it only gets passed on when they get appointed or die before they can. But yes, regardless, you'd think that, as an heir who no longer has a parent, he already be getting treated more or less like a noble even if he hasn't evolved yet. The absolute last thing you should be doing is pushing him hard enough to make him resent you/your clan for it.

Being a warden probably alienates you a fair bit as well, so it'd be really easy for them to just let the ill will towards her grow without it really being checked if Irida isn't publicly standing up for her. Even if she's not actually doing anything wrong with how she's handling Growlithe, and even if Growlithe himself isn't actually doing anything wrong by refusing to evolve just yet, at that point everything she did would be subject to potential criticism.

I mean, Cabala was probably passed over for leadership just because she's too old, right? Even if she did happen to be marked, she's also 99 and they just lost a leader, I'd be worried about her dying within the next couple of years and then they'd just have to do the whole thing over again. After living in the mirelands for so long, it's probably hard for her to acclimate whenever she has to go back to the settlement anyway. Even if she was acting as a sort of de facto leader, I doubt she'd actually want to go back full time. Probably part of why she hasn't retired yet too, I'd bet.

Ooo, I like that idea. It seems a bit cruel to make their nobles actually vote to kick them out after they already ran away, but this could be one of the cases where they weren't being asked to vote, the nobles themselves took the initiative and made a definitive vote against their absent wardens, because they were so offended or hurt over it. Well, there would be about a 15ish year gap between when Volo's parents booked it and when Ingo got the position, depending on Irida's age when he fell and how old she was when they left, so that'd be really significant if no one was the Pearl highlands warden between then. I was kind of assuming there would have been someone in there at some point, because it would really, really reflect badly on the Pearl Clan to have such a huge span where the noble flat out refused to take another warden. That would be kinda interesting backstory for Sneasler though, like if she wasn't the noble when it happened, so all she really knew about wardens was that her parent's warden was distant and eventually broke their trust completely, and them refusing to take another warden until they died just sort of made her resentful or distrustful to the point where she didn't want one of her own once she finally took up the mantel. Or if she is old enough for Volo's dad to have been her own pick, that'd be even more reason for her to not take another (although wow is 15 years a long time), if she didn't trust herself to pick out someone good anymore and she didn't trust anyone in the Pearl Clan to pick someone who wouldn't break her trust. Until Ingo, who through some means wins her over. Which would be a huge vote of confidence regarding Irida's leadership abilities.

Yikes, the Diamond Clan wardens were really picking up the slack for a while there, huh. It's a really good thing that they don't gossip except amongst themselves, because the Pearl Clan was a giant mess for a solid few months apparently.

Them getting caught, or someone finding proof of their improprieties there afterward, would also be another reason for their nobles to be mad enough at them to personally vote against them. Not only were they shirking their duties, including probably those pertaining specifically to caring for their nobles, but they were also spending half that time desecrating the temple. Can you imagine the scandal of that all getting out somehow? Irida getting picked by Sinnoh as a leadership candidate would probably be seen as like, a way to redeem their family line after her father disgraced them so badly. Meanwhile, it's a good thing that the coastlands are far enough away that no one has any idea what's going on between her and Iscan, because oh my god, people would riot. Plenty of wardens have had relationships with each other in the past without it being an issue, but a) most non-wardens don't actually know that, and b) after that I could see even the other wardens giving any of their peers who couple up a major side eye. Cabala especially I could see not liking it.

Oh, that's an interesting way of thinking about it. I kind of like the snare analogy, actually! And the idea of them tiring themselves out by thrashing around trying to get out. Plus, maybe on top of that it also acts like putting a hood on a bird or something, and being in a dark enclosed space is just calming in its own right, without the balls actively Doing something that artificially calms them.

Really? It's been a while since I played the beginning of the game, so I did not remember that at all. Why would Adaman be pushing for someone to kill Kleavor? I mean, I can see why he'd push to try to get you to quell Kleavor's frenzy rather than just studying it, but killing him? At least if it was Kamado suggesting it he'd have the excuse of not believing in Sinnoh or that the nobles are special, but you'd think that Adaman would be less gung-ho about someone killing a noble...

That makes sense, you don't get as far as Kamado has without being fairly charismatic and politically savvy. I'm not sure how long he's actually been a leader, but he's old enough that presumably it's longer than Irida or Adaman have, and all things considered he doesn't actually seem to be a bad one. Like, yeah, for a bit there he was letting his paranoia rule over his reason, which could have ended very poorly for everyone, but overall he seems to have done right by his people. He just settled his people there, it makes sense that he would be being careful not to rock the boat.

If they all frenzied at the same time then that's even more baffling that Adaman would be pushing for Kleavor to be put down! Like, what?? Is it just because Kleavor at that point had hurt and possibly killed some people, so Adaman was like he can no longer ever be trusted again?? But yeah, if they all basically frenzied at once, then it'd be like, what, a week or two depending on how fast he walks before Ingo finishes fighting all of them into submission? And then the Red Sky happens and you're kicked out with only your low leveled pokemon to protect you, because you haven't been around long enough for anyone to really care. Pretty sure the only warden you'd actually know at that point is Mai, who might be convinced to help?

so the idea that one child is Marked is, i think, the more popular read? and it does make a certain amount of sense, and that would make a parallel with leaders also being marked by sinnoh. maybe there's some event where the warden brings the newest litter out of the secret den, once they're old enough, and the leader presents the adaman/lustrous to them (or, presents them to the adamant/lustrous, is really the structuring most of them would use—the children are being presented to sinnoh, not the other way around) and sees if any of them provoke the special response that means they're chosen to inherit the blessing of sinnoh. though, i think equally likely is that it's the warden that chooses a specific child to raise and train as an heir. making sinnoh's blessing something that's taught, not given. either way, that might actually be another reason why there's pressure on growlithe to evolve—if he dies without having an heir of his own, they've lost one of the noble lines protecting sinnoh, and it would be an unimaginably massive failure for both the warden and the clan's leader (and the clan as a whole tbh). this also would have been a reason that everyone was really wishing sneasler would just settle on a warden because without the help and protection of a warden, she won't have children and she's more likely to Die of some preventable accident.

yeahhh, wardens are respected and have the most direct human link to sinnoh after the leader and all, but also, that doesn't cancel out the fact that most of them just don't know her all that well, or haven't talked to her in years. so she's less of a person in their minds, and more of just a Thing That Causes Problems and is easy to blame for things.

yeah i mean. calaba seems pretty spry for her age but she's still an old woman. plus, by this point, there's probably the fact that most of the clan literally doesn't remember a time where she was ever not the mirelands warden, and upsetting that as an accepted fact of reality on top of everything else might not be something they're eager to do. actually, that could be part of why palina was passed over, too—they were already two wardens down, and weren't willing to lose another. maybe they feared retaliation from sinnoh if they stripped away too many of the people dedicated to caring for its blessed and the region &etc.

...honestly i didn't even think about that time gap until now lmao. yeah that IS a really long time. i mean irida looks to be, what, 17-19? and if ingo's been here for a couple years, then yeah, there would have been a gap of at least a decade and a half where there was no warden in the highlands. maybe there have been a few in between there, but none of them lasted very long, and as a result the highlands position is considered a little bit Cursed. as if the disrespect of the previous warden was such a Big Deal that it left a permanent mark of sinnoh's displeasure on the position. which is part of why everyone was fine with ingo taking it (the "better them than us" mentality coming back)

or maybe there was something like, the old noble sneasler lived for several more years to a decade after that, and it was widely understood and accepted why they never chose another warden, because their trust in humans had been so thoroughly shattered by their old one. which is sort of similar to palina and growlithe's case (not following clan traditions because trauma) but it was more forgiven here because the old sneasler was an older and more respected noble, and everyone else was also personally upset by the old warden's actions, and also they'd already had a few litters and so the fear of losing the bloodline wasn't as strong (especially if present-day sneasler had already been marked as the heir and was growing fine without human aid). the noble of the cliffs has no warden, end of story.

but then they died/stepped down and sneasler started filling their position, and it was only here that the pressure was put on her to choose a warden, because she did not have the same personal heartbreak or the defense of already being an old, respected noble. but she was also just like... straight up not socialized. if she had been very young when the old warden left, basically her only experience of humanity would be her parent's harsh judgement of them, and her closest experience of having a warden would have been how badly the old one messed up. (especially considering that her closest noble contact besides her parent would have been lord electrode, who is also still wounded over his own noble pulling the exact same trick.) and it doesn't help that the clan would be trying to force one on her, and if she's in her rebellious young adult phase that would just make her refuse even harder. and most of the reason ingo was chosen was because he happened to be standing there when she got fed up with being badgered about not having a warden, and he was like, the one person who didn't have Opinions he just had to share with her.

anyway.

lol yeah, i mean, i think the diamond clan was maybe having their own Problems at the time given that they also lost a warden to the same thing, and their leader literally didn't even get the job by default, he got it by like, the level below even default. he wasn't even participating in the competition. they just yanked him out of the crowd and onto the podium for lack of any other options. and sabi is Five and i feel like in order to make a five year old warden of the most distant and inhospitable area where your hated enemy clan lives you need to be really low on options. which is probably part of why there wasn't much gossip about pearl going around: everyone was way too busy with their own clan's problems to even notice.

considering irida is the child of the most famous deserter in living memory would DEFINITELY make her becoming leader that much more complicated, YEAH. the extra judgement from people who are like "maybe it runs in the blood" vs the people who see her more as an abandoned child and think she was more hurt than most people by his choices. it would probably depend on how she talked about her father in public, and whether she was willing to decry him or not (and also, by correlation, what her mother ever said about it.) and oof, yeah those two just had to ruin it for everyone else. relationships between wardens are one thing, that's not shocking, but running out on your duties because of it is another entirely. and now that that's on the table, anyone else who gets too friendly with a warden from another clan is going to be treated like a potential hazard.

that might also explain why heavy balls have that increased unaware catch rate—they're just, like, harder to break out of.

so, here's the primary exchange from the first mission:

Adaman: But even folk of the Galaxy Team have been wounded, haven't they? Seems someone's got to do something here... Irida: Who, then? Would the Diamond Clan have the Pearl Clan bring down one of its own honored nobles? Adaman: I don't believe I said that. Thought it, maybe. Irida: You might as well have said it, you fool!

so he doesn't explicitly say "kill kleavor," but given that they don't yet know how to actually calm nobles, adaman is, at the very least, making the leap to advocate for physical force—and probably a lot of it—when the other leaders are reluctant to do so. by contrast, here's what kamado actually tells you to do:

Kamado: I have a proposal. Why not send this one to study Kleavor before deciding what must be done? [...] This is your mission now, [name]. I order you to study Kleavor and help us find the truth of this situation!

which, honestly, when compared to the fact that the other two are just about at each others' throats, almost feels like he's just trying to defuse the situation before they break the peace, and also stall for time/more understanding before the galaxy team comes down one way or the other. it's adaman, and later irida in the heartwood, who are the ones to tell you to confront and calm kleavor for the safety of the region (and then irida and lian stand and watch while you try not to die). like, for 90% of the game kamado is a really good leader. he's just decided to blood feud with you for no reason because the game needed some conflict i think. rights for kamado 2k23

the funny thing about that idea is like. if the protag wasn't going around dealing with the frenzied nobles and the frenzy was never that major of an issue anyway, i don't even think they'd be as distrusted. but also what they would definitely not have is acess to the lakes and guardians and cogita. meaning that the red chain, the key to fixing the world, is just completely inaccessible. what are they going to do, make ingo fight the gods?? both of them??

[falinscloaca]

this is no place of honor. nothing good is buried here. like, look at those tags, jesus fucking christ icansayithewasalsojewish there they are, i'm at fucking PEAK 2:11 in the morning brain and i got hooked on the discourse rod like two hours ago at this point? i've been rewriting the same sentence over and over again trying to come up with a way to insult most of the people on this site while excluding all the people i'd feel legit fucking terrible making feel bad (which. includes forseeably anybody reading this unless the grace of god does- AAAAAAAUGHGHGHGGG JUST PUBLISH THE FUCKING THING

yooo this post literally begins "as a trans woman" and is about "discourse", uncool fetish shit, and like. idfk if theres even word for that other thing. People That Are Not Trans Women Keep Your Mouths Shut On This. Maybe Nobody Should Reply At All Actually? i've reached paranoid moralizing stink-beast levels that i don't even really know what to logically do with like i SHOULD post something and this is like my fifth time trying but also it feels deeply unwholesome to either reject or welcome outside input.

being a a trans woman, (which is. fucking relevant because YES THIS SHIT GETS TUMLBRFIED ALONG DEMOGRAPHIC LINESSSSS I'M REWRITING A FOLLOW UP THAT MORE DIRECLTY MADE CLEAR IT WAS ABOUT TRANSMISOGYNISTIC REACTIONS TO THINGS-RANGING-FROM-COMPLETELY-INNOCUOUS-TO-FRINGE-CASE-PERVERT-SHIT-I.-JFC-I-CANT-EXPLAIN-IT-MORE-AGAIN-I'LL-COLLAPSE) one who is NOT immune to internet horny in all its forms ranging from innocuous to.... Less [private information/"backstory" expunged tldr the internet can fuck you up especially if you grow to view it as a place of refuge] and is ALSO extremely adamant that Hey I Think That People Should Face Repercussions For Publicly Saucing Up On "Gross" (don't. make me spell out the exact points at which i think the enjoyment of a particular subject can be morally justifiable we'd be here all week and we'd kill ourselves before the talk was done) Shit but ALSO also the moral phucking filosopher in me can't shake off the feeling that Even Kink Shaming For Legit "Dangerous" Shit (in. interpersonal and cultural normalization ways not "shoot your boyfriend in the pancreas" ways) Still Fucking Counts As Sexual Harassment*** and. ghahghhhh.

at least if i didn't have a moral backbone i could hang out with those smug pretentious fictional bullshit loving DOUCHEBAGS but no i guess i'd chose "foolhardy and can-have-their-sense-of-Innate-Morality-swayed-into-fascistic-tendencies yet barring those incidencees are still fundamentally deep down good" to "i have pleasured myself with uranium-27 every evening for the past three years and its everyone elses problem, radiation is a puritanical myth" (or for that matter "foolhardy and easily swayed into fascistic tendencies and pretending to be good but its mostly people getting mad at trans women for calling themselves dogs or being furries". i do not intend to equivocate The Bad Thing Thats Transmisogynist with my own fucking sad little adoptive poop house filled with people failing to actually make any progress in extricating 'that stuugh' from the contexts where its fucking dangerous but like hey we're trying and i guess thats better than worshipping the the fucking stuff)

*** just bc i call it that doesn't mean arguments can't be made as to why its necessary or for the public good bla bla bla i'm not strictly arguing against it its just. even entertaining that it might be a lesser of two evils opens up so many fucking unsanswerable questions and my feelings-of-personal-shame-and-guilt engines just start kicking in bc this shit can't even be framed as "rationally" or "concisely" as a fucking trolley problem i'm moral relativisming my way into absolutism somehow i pray for hell to be real so that the duty of judgement can be left to hands other than my own for I Too am imperfect (albeit not in a way that gets off to children, LOL, get fucked i do still have the moral highground, like not over YOU necessarily but over those *other* dipshits that neither of *us* like)

[alissaming]

Character Synopsis: Enchantress

So to quickly explain, what I'm doing is to occasionally do a sort of deep dive into a character. However, these are characters that have a name and personality. They may or may not be a main character in a game, book, movie, whatever. I have to have enough info on the character to talk about them, though I'll also be talking about questions and theories if there's not much backstory. I'm starting with the Enchantress from the Shovel Knight series. Now, I actually don't have as many details on her as I'd like, though I do have a basic personality profile. So now you know what I'm doing. Oh, and spoiler warnings. While this may not always be the case, some character synopsis may require spoilers to go as in depth as I want to go.

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read this post any further if you have not played Shovel Knight (or any of the other Shovel Knight games) either to completion or far enough to know who the Enchantress is revealed to be. If you don't care about spoilers, or know what you need to know, continue this post.

Who, or what is the Enchantress? It's a question that, beyond a certain point is never really answered. She's a powerful magic user out to conquer the Wild Lands and the cities surrounding with her knights, the Order of No Quarter. She recruits the knights through her loyal Specter Knight, who she promised humanity if he will find her eight knights. For reasons we'll briefly get into here, as it's important to the Enchantress's power level, though we'll go into more detail in Specter Knight's deep dive, Specter Knight eventually becomes her eighth knight. They all take over and bring terror to the people until Shovel Knight manages to defeat them all. Now it's revealed both in Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope and Shovel Knight: Specter of Fear that the Enchantress is a possessed or evil Shield Knight. Which it truly is, is unclear. I've seen theories that it's an evil Shield Knight. I'm not sure I buy this, for various reasons I'll get into.

So for the idea that the Enchantress is an "evil twin", mirror duplicate, or evil Shield Knight (basically an "if Shield Knight was evil" kind of thing) I think it's highly unlikely. While we don't get to play as Shield Knight, so we don't know her normal magic abilities, fighting abilities, etc, we DO know that the knights we can play as have extremely limited magic. I don't think it's too much to assume this is true of all knights. Knights seem to need magic items, as well as some form of mana to use magic. Shovel Knight needs a locket to become temporarily invulnerable, a staff to use fire balls, etc. And once he's out of magic, he can't use his magic items anymore. This is true whether you play as King Knight, Plague Knight, Specter Knight, or even Shovel Knight. Yes, there are ways to get more magic potential, but even when fully upgraded, you'll still run out of magic at some point. I believe it's only fair that this would hold true for the knights we don't play as. I mean, even when you fight them, you'll see them limiting how many magic abilities they will use through out, with Phantom Striker using the most out of all the knights. Whereas the Enchantress's power seems limitless. Like, yes, she has a specific set of abilities (to raise the dead or prevent dying, brainwashing unwilling people, and many many other abilites.) In fact all her attacks and abilities are magic based and we see no sign of magic items (though this could just be because we never play as the Enchantress. After all, you'd never know the other knights were using magic unless you play as them. Or what specific magic they're using, at least). So who do I think the Enchantress is? I think she's an ancient, evil spirit of some kind. Maybe an ancient god-like being, or an evil ruler from before the wild lands. Maybe she was the cause of the wild lands in some way. She seems to know of this place or a place similar, as she has no problem telling Specter Knight where to go. So there you go a synopsis of the Enchantress. What do you all think? Who or what is the Enchantress?

[greenhappyseed]

BnHA Ch.333: Review, parallels, and a grand unifying theory

The American was killed by the monster destroying Japan, but in death became a cannibal that will eat the monster from the inside out, eliminating the unnaturally trapped consciousness within the monster. That tracks.

The situation is indeed dire — this is the biggest challenge we’ve seen to AFO since All Might smashed AFO’s head in. He’s swearing and yelling, and I don’t think he’s ever lost his composure like that. I think it’s also the first time we’ve seen AFO lose control EXCEPT when it comes to OFA, which never behaved according to AFO’s will. And remember, he envisions a world where everyone is a tiny little bug united by his will. (Just pebbles in his path.) His for the taking or squishing, as he desires.

I’m really intrigued to see what AFO does from here, and would love to see some AFO/Yoichi backstory. AFO thinks about his brother the moment he’s stolen New Order and cleared the board, achieving everything needed to capture OFA. He’s gloating about successfully rewriting the ending of the comic JUST BEFORE Star’s vestige starts rampaging. In this case, I think AFO is remembering Yoichi as a child because he sees Yoichi and his ideals as childish and therefore weak. (In Kamino, he calls All Might a stubborn child right before unleashing the “oh yeah, Shigaraki is Nana’s grandchild” news.)

But the narrative in this chapter (and really throughout the whole story) tells us that being childlike and hopeful is good. Smiling teenage Toshi with child Star shows us that. How gorgeous and peaceful is this moment???

That leads to The Grand Theory.

This chapter ends on ANOTHER explosion. Boring, I know…..except this is the first time we get an actual explanation. Star’s vestige is acting against AFO’s will. Just like how Nagant’s change of heart went against AFO’s will. Here’s the theory: AFO can’t directly see/hear what’s happening in other people when he gives them his quirk. We thought he could spy from the inside, but not quite. He can sense and direct his will inside that quirk. If someone acts counter to his will, the quirk leaves the person and the person goes BOOM. Now, quirks are physical. There’s a spiritual component (vestiges) but they’re housed in a physical quirk, as Aizawa explained during the Overhaul arc.

And quirks generally run in families. So, if AFO was trading a lot of quirks right at the advent of quirks, then subsequent generations are also subject to his will, though probably to a lesser degree than their parents. Hello singularity threatening AFO’s new world order! And yes, if this is correct it means AFO achieving his goal also saves humanity from the singularity. Ofc, he’s saving them to be his plaything for eternity so it’s not like AFO is being kind.

The ONLY quirk that AFO passed on but can’t control is OFA, so it represents the ONLY threat. Mutations might be uncontrollable by AFO too. I don’t think it matters to AFO as long as the mutations are scattered and random…. AFO can’t reach the quirkless but he doesn’t care because (1) they’re going “extinct” and (2) there’s no power to compete with quirks. Unless there’s a “quirkless power” with no physical quirk for AFO to manipulate…and I think there is….

Finally, this chapter is NOT the first time AFO has “gambled” with Tomura, but it IS the first with a post-procedure AFO!Shig body. In case it’s not super obvious yet, AFO doesn’t give a shit about Tomura as a person.

AFO is scared this time because he doesn’t have backup copies of his quirk anymore. And he doesn’t have Dr. Ujiko to make more copies either. But do you know who is rapidly developing quirk manipulation technology?

[autisticcassandracain]

Actually I decided to expand on that last post. The way Geoff Johns' N52 Aquaman run makes Orm and Manta more sympathetic at the direct expense of Arthur becoming a dickhead is really weird.

I'm assuming Arthur's characterization is a result of Johns' clinical inability to write heroes as anything other than huge dickheads, but when you combine it with the way Orm and Black Manta are rewritten to be way more sympathetic than their pre-flashpoint counterparts it ends up reading super weird. Like, does he WANT us to root for the villains? If so, why does he still keep framing them as villains? It makes no sense.

I do like Johns' backstory for Black Manta, it's my favourite by a landslide because it gives him a coherent motive and some actual character depth, but the way Arthur was handled in response to it was abysmal. I actually don't think that Arthur killing Manta's dad in misguided rage is necessarily OOC in and of itself, since Arthur has routinely been portrayed as a very angry person and it's not hard to imagine it overwhelming him in his younger years, BUT only with a bunch of caveats. The most important one is that he immediately realizes that he screwed up, that killing is bad, and that this is the catalyst to him not killing anymore (or at least avoiding it whenever possible).

Instead, Johns writes him as continuing his obsession with vengeance after killing Manta's dad to the direct detriment of others, prioritizing this vengeance over the lives of innocents and being callous and mean to his teammates to the point where they genuinely thought he didn't care about them. Why? I just don't get it. 'Accidentally killed the villain's father in a misguided rage' is MORE than edgy enough for a hero, and if you want to explore a tough look at your heroic character with it, you could ask the question of why Arthur should be allowed to be a hero while he's trying to get Manta into prison, even though Arthur very much did knowingly and intentionally kill a man. But Johns never does that. Even at his worst, even when he's not acting like it at all, Arthur is still framed as heroic - at least, more heroic than Manta. Despite writing a backstory that should, by all rights, put Arthur's heroism into question, Johns is seemingly uninterested in actually questioning it. So what's the point, then? To make him more edgy, because heroes can't just be good people? I just don't get it.

I'm much less confident in judging Orm's new backstory and motives, since I am much less familiar with his character pre-flashpoint, but the degree to which Arthur turned into a dickhead to facilitate this backstory is once again unnecessary. Firstly, within the canon story, Orm actually... well he did do things wrong, but not in the way it was necessarily framed. He enacted a military plan he and Arthur had made to protect Atlantis from a perceived military attack by the United States. Obviously, mass murder bad, and the deliberate targetting of civilians is a war crime, but as the former leader of a foreign nation committing war crimes he should have been judged by a war crime tribunal, not be labelled a 'terrorist' and taken into custody by the United States. It makes no sense that the US has the power to do that unless the land world didn't see Atlantis as an actual nation, which, yes, exactly, that's what's going on.

But in that case... why didn't Arthur point that out? Even if it's a massive dick move, I understand handing Orm over to be judged by above-water authorities, but he should at least make sure they're the right ones. As it stands, it ends up reading less like Arthur is handing over Orm to save polital relationships by showing that Atlantis is willing to cooperate with the Geneva Convention and won't pull this stunt again, and more like Orm is being used as a scapegoat in an attempt to placate the United States to maybe save political relationships. Because, once again, Orm wasn't solely at fault here; Arthur helped develop this plan of attack, and while he does admit this to the Justice League, he never informs any government of this. Even though this seems like pretty important information in the trial of his brother! Honestly, it stinks of Johns wanting the drama of a large political crisis for Man Angst but not being willing to deal with the political implications and consequences of it.

Point is, there were ways to show that Orm was in the wrong and that Arthur had to essentially sacrifice him for the sake of politics in a way that didn't completely screw up both the basic plot and Arthur's character. If Johns had shown the political ramifications and fallout of this arc, shown Arthur trying his best to get Atlantis recognized by the world as a nation to push people into trying Orm appropriately and had shown him grappling with the question of whether he should tell the proper authorities that he helped create the attack plans, to get a fairer judgement for his brother, or if he should stay quiet for the sake of politics, Arthur would have come out looking much more like a man having to make difficult choices rather than just. You know. A dickhead.

But all that aside I think you didn't need to rewrite Orm and his backstory this much. Again, I'm not terribly familiar with Orm pre-flashpoint, but Silver Age Orm was already fairly sympathetic. Unlike Manta, who'd gotten attempts at sympathetic backstories without actual commitment to making his character sympathetic, Silver Age Orm had a relatively unsympathetic backstory of Arthur's jealous brother with amnesia, but gradually grew into a more sympathetic character as he started grappling with why Aquaman kept saving him.

While I wouldn't advocate for bringing the Silver Age backstory back (bc tbh in typical Silver Age fashion it didn't make much sense), the emotional core of that story - a jealous, selfish man gradually becoming better - is infinitely more compelling to me than a misunderstood war criminal doggedly loyal to his brother (which, I'm pretty much 100% sure that last part is a way bigger departure from Orm's pre-flashpoint character than necessary), or whatever Johns was going for, and it keeps Arthur's heroism completely intact. Like I just think that having Arthur cause BOTH of his greatest enemies to exist is overkill, when one has at least one interesting sympathetic character arc to draw alternate inspiration from.

In all honesty, I think all of this is the result of Johns' typical want to explore darker themes and flaws in superheroes, without having the talent to back that up even remotely. It makes Arthur read as deeply unlikeable in a way he hasn't to me since his 90's solo, and since Johns mostly doesn't use either Orm or Manta after their initial arcs, it doesn't even commit to giving them proper focus. It's just an all around mess.

[volturialice]

i’m about 95% sure you ship alice and james (though i can’t remember if that was serious) and am BEGGING you to elaborate, unless you do not, in which case i have no idea who i’ve confused you with,

you're correct, that's Me. i ship that

ship manifesto/slight meta under the cut

I've made no secret of the fact that I love both villain/hero[ine] ships + alice's extremely Gothic backstory, and the obvious combination of those two things is "ship james and alice" so here I am

twilight is, at its core, a story about obsession. edward and bella are obsessed with each other, victoria is obsessed with revenge, imprint-ers are obsessed with their imprint-ees, aro is obsessed with carlisle power.

and the catalyst for the whole story is the concept of Blood Singers, the question "what if you fell in love with your prey, someone you were primally driven to kill?" which is SO spicy I freakin love that shit.

I personally see vampire "singers" as the (even more) fucked-up counterpart of werewolf imprinting—this one person out of everyone in the world who is designed to appeal to you specifically, who you're so powerfully driven to that you literally can't leave them alone. only instead of becoming their mindless love-slave, you're driven to murder and cannibalize them 😈 🥵

and if edward's singer turned out to be his soulmate, what exactly does that say about other vampire/singer pairs? I'm not sAyiNg that everyone's blood singer was actually their soulmate, just that it would be very horrifying in a fun way if that was the case ok

and in the case of james and alice specifically, WHEW. there's just. so much going for them holy shit

james played this HUGE role in alice's life—killing her creator, coming thiiiiiiis close to slorping her like a capri-sun, catalyzing her change—and then she, in the ultimate power move, fucking forgot about him entirely I just

it is bananas to me, B-A-N-A-N-A-S, that james let alice live. because he totally could have killed her while she was changing!! she was utterly helpless and alone! he 100% had the chance and instead he said hmmm let's leave her alive and see how she turns out. there's still some entertainment to be had here. THAT'S SO DISTURBING AND WYLD

and on james's end, alice is literally The One Who Got Away. the victim he failed to victimize. the lone blot on his centuries-long perfect record of murder. his one and only failure. how the mere idea of her out there, alive and whole, blithely living her life as a bloodless, invulnerable vampire, must torment him

in a less protagonist-centered story, james would have gone after alice instead of bella in twilight—I mean, she's the one he has history with! unfinished business! that's where the STAKES were stephenie. that's where the SPICE was.

anyway. do I ship james/alice in the sense that I want them to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after together? god no. yawn. but do I ship them in the sense that I want to read all about them hunting and fleeing and manipulating and gaslighting and tormenting each other and maybe while they're at it they can have a little hatefuck, as a treat? yes. yes I very much do

"I still regret that I never got to taste"

like ok you profoundly horny disgusting little down bad inc*l

[fandom-monium]

For the Holidays - Part 2

Summary: In which Spencer doesn’t want to go to his high school reunion, but you tagging along changes things. “It’ll be nice... having a friend there.”

WC: 1.8k

Tags/Warnings: Spencer Reid x GN!Reader, fake-dating trope, pining (so much pining), insecure and in-denial Spencer, light cursing, (tbh with all the shit that happens in CM they should be cussing way more)

Spencer doesn’t text you. But he’s tried.

First thing he got home, he tossed his bag aside and ripped off his blazer before he threw himself on the couch, digging through his pockets for his phone. Screw reading, taxes, dinner. There are more important things at stake here.

But he’s been sitting there for an hour, glaring at the empty text box with disdain, willing for words to appear.

No such luck.

Spencer writes essays and academic journals in an hour but formulating a simple text? He curses the universe for only making him academically gifted.

He runs a hand through his hair. Maybe he should call? No, you said text. And he doesn’t trust himself enough to have a verbal conversation with you. He will get tongue-tied.

Shit, what does he even say?

It’s not entirely his fault, alright? He’s never been put in a position like this before, except when he goes undercover. And even then everything is planned for him with little contribution on his part⎼he makes small edits to better fit the profiles but that’s about it. All he has to do is scan the file once and in seconds he has his fake identity, his fake backstory, and whatever fake details make up his fake life.

But this. This is different. He has to be brave because it’s you, and he has to chill out because this is supposed to be fake, he reminds himself. Both are tasks within themselves. And yeah, he’s a genius but as Albert Einstein once said, knowledge has its limits.

Shit, his thoughts are so jumbled he can’t even quote properly. This is all your fault.

You.

He still has to text you.

Spencer groans and flops on the couch, the phone clattering to the floor. He doesn’t bother, laying there until there’s an imprint of his butt in the cushions. He stares at the ceiling.

He remembers that you were the one to say yes. He hadn’t directly asked you but you agreed anyway, which means you are willing to spend time with him. Which means you like him (enough). Which means you are friends, and friends help friends out when they are in trouble.

Like needing a fake date.

He rolls onto his stomach, lips pursed as he stares over the edge of the couch. His phone glints in the lamp light.

Just friends helping each other out. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Spencer takes a deep breath and picks up the phone.

He can do this.

⎼

He can’t do this.

“I’m so excited,” Next to Spencer, you nestle into the seat and adjust the fuzzy blanket over your lap, eyes gleaming. “It’ll be nice to see where you grew up.”

Spencer only offers you a tight smile. His eyes dart about as the other passengers settle in, switching seats and fiddling luggage into the overhead compartments. Some of them already requesting for airplane food. Who in their right mind actually wants airplane food?

Spencer really wants to be as excited as you, and he is; he finally gets to spend some time with you outside of work, without the rest of the team hovering (waiting for one of you to make a damn move). It’s almost nice.

If only he can enjoy himself.

His knee bounces nonstop. Against the armrest his fingers tap a rhythm matching the thrum of his heart. And his hair is even more wild having run his hands through it repeatedly before meeting up with you.

He isn’t used to this, being alone with you. Sure, you partner up at work, in cases⎼hell, you've even accompanied each other to a few events. But those were as friends.

Technically, you’re his date. His romantic partner.

Spencer’s never let himself delve deep into his fantasies; he’s imagined (more times than he’d like to admit) taking you on dates to your favorite places, you in his arms, him in your arms⎼you know, minus the imminent danger. All the sweet things that couples do. But they always seemed out of reach. So he’d cut them off, squash the ideas before they went any further. False hope only hurts if you give in.

But now you’re on a plane, rocking in your seat as you hum to yourself, genuinely thrilled at the prospect of seeing his hometown.

This is more than he’s ever imagined. He feels like his heart’s about to burst.

Someone needs to call the bomb squad, real quick.

“Reid.”

"Hm?"

"Are you alright?" You're looking at him, voice drenched in so much concern his stomach twists. He made you worry. He feels guilty.

“Yeah-uh-” He clears his throat, attempting a smile. It’s a sad parody of the real thing. ”I'm fine.“

You raise an eyebrow and scoff, "Okay, I think I know why you're being weird. At least, weirder than usual."

Spencer’s heart drops. He leans back as you lean across your shared armrest, catching the sympathy in your eyes. He stiffens, bracing himself for the rejection. He should have known sooner or later you’d notice his not-so-friendly affections towards you. Of course you did, he isn’t exactly subtle; all the lunches, the museum tours, the stars in his eyes when you wrestle down unsubs⎼

"You’re nervous about seeing your old classmates again."

⎼Or, he’s much better at hiding it than he thought.

Spencer can only watch in awe as you continue, “And it’s totally natural. I mean, I haven’t been to a reunion, but I’d feel weird too if I got to see my classmates after all these years. But have no fear, (Your Name) is here.” You cringe, suddenly abashed. “Unless I’m completely off the mark and now you regret bringing me along. Oh no, that’s it, isn’t? You’re uncomfortable with the whole couples act.”

Spencer shakes his head, and for the first time since take off, he chuckles, “What? No, I’m happy that you’re here. And I couldn't think of anyone better to play my partner.” A relieved smile from you and he shrugs, feigning nonchalance. He fiddles with his sleeve. “But yeah, you got me. I am nervous.”

Which isn’t exactly a lie. You're here, next to him. That's more than enough reason to be.

If he had to be honest, between you and organizing the trip, he almost forgot about the reunion. Then again, he never liked reflecting on his high school years. For obvious reasons.

But your perception is a bucket of ice water over his head. Now he’s wide awake.

You’re doing this because you’re friends. You just want to help.

Friendship never hurt so much.

“I didn’t mention it before, but I’m sure you’re aware I wasn’t exactly the most popular kid in school, being 6 years younger and all,” Spencer swallows the ache. You nod in understanding.

Bright, brown eyes meet yours. He bites his lip. “So, I appreciate you coming with me. It’ll be nice... having a friend there.”

A split second.

Spencer glances away as he says 'friend'. The word leaves such a bittersweet taste he has to hold back a grimace, look anywhere else but you. The word just doesn’t sit right with him.

If he hadn’t looked away, he would have caught the way your smile dropped.

You nearly forgot, though you’re on holiday, this is a mission of sorts. This isn’t about you or how you feel. This is about Spencer. You berate yourself, remembering you're not a teenager anymore; you're a fucking adult and mature adults don't squee at their coworkers.

No matter how cute and adorable they are.

“Of course,” You plaster on a smile and finger the edge of your blanket, unintentionally mirroring him. "Your welcome."

Spencer gives you that white-person smile you love so much. You have to bite back a laugh.

To distract yourself, you pull out your phone and open the Chess app, holding it out to him. "Now, how about that rematch?"

Spencer's face lights up like a Christmas tree.

And as you immerse yourselves into another close match, you feel your confidence grow with every move, chuckling as Reid grumbles about you cheating (you’re not, he’s just a sore loser). You’re an FBI agent, for fuck’s sake. You played spouse and romantic partners for weeks, months. A weekend is nothing.

You can manage playing pretend with a coworker. Just operate like this is any other undercover assignment.

You can pretend you’re in love with Spencer Reid. You can handle it.

You can handle it.

⎼

You can’t handle it.

As one would expect, it’s hard to not fall in love with Spencer Reid. Just as it’s hard not to show it.

It feels like only yesterday the lanky man quite literally stumbled his way into your world and you decided, ‘Him. I will protect him with my life.’ And while you’d totally do that for anyone on the team, with Reid, it hits different.

After you landed in Las Vegas, you had a couple hours to kill before the reunion started, and as the good friend and partner you are, you suggested he show you all the places he frequented when he was little. For research, of course. After all, you’re playing his partner, so the more you know the better.

It’s definitely not because you’re invested in his life. Because that would be unprofessional.

(The way he beamed at you was totally worth it though.)

Then one step in the direction of his favorite eatery and he slipped on a patch of ice. You caught him in time, but the way he looked at you, brown eyes wide and filled with awe, made you feel things you shouldn't feel for a coworker.

It only snowballed from there. Everything about him is just so… endearing.

But you’re at your limit.

Love and affection threatens to spill out of you. Your hands flex in your coat pockets, itching to grab Spencer’s pretty face. Even your chest aches from your heart having swollen twice its size. You feel like you’re about to explode.

This might be the most difficult mission you’ve ever worked.

But this is it, you realize as you stand in front of the closed auditorium doors. This is the final lap. Where everything you’ve practiced really matters. You just have to keep up the charade for a few hours, then you won’t have to struggle to fight back the hearts in your eyes.

Although, your clothes fit tighter than you remember and you’re trembling. Why the fuck are you trembling?

Next to you Spencer eyes the double doors, almost like he’s daunted by them.

Multi-colored lights filter into the dark hallway, silhouettes flickering and shifting from the crack under the door as cheery holiday music faintly streams from behind them, accompanied by shouts and laughter. From his old classmates. Who are most likely making jokes at his expense.

Spencer already wants to go home.

“Ready, Doc?” As if sensing his hesitation, you offer a smile and an arm to him. Your eyes gleam with resolve. It’s more than enough for the both of you.

You can do this.

A deep breath, he slips his arm into yours. “Yep.”

He can do this.

Together, you open the doors.

AN: 2/4?? 

note: don’t expect part 3 to come out as quick. it’ll contain panic/anxiety descriptions and id like to take my time to write it best :))) i hope you enjoyed the last bit of happiness for a while :))))

also i apologize that i havent gotten to all the requests!! the ones posted on my masterlist are the ones currently being dealt with, but i’ll get through them eventually thx for the patience :D

i remember seeing a post ab Hotch x Prentiss and I didn’t get it but watching CM over again 

i get it i so get it. when theyve both gone to each other’s homes? *tears up*

and my hate for seaver has been reinforced :)))))

[jadechamber]

long post about the chinese dragons, rex lapis exuvia, and why the en translation left out the specification that it’s half qilin and half long (chinese dragon)

also spoilers i guess for guizhong and zhongli backstories?

I think maybe the game will expand/fix this later on when we get to know more about elemental life forms, but I just realized the EN translation never actually explicitly calls zhongli's exuvia/beast form a dragon, or even mentions that he was ever a dragon or anything. Which is odd, because they canonically mention dvalin and azhdaha being dragons. So maybe EN the game is trying to go with the consistent and European version where "dragons are big, powerful and usually scary unless special humans help them"? (more about that in the third paragraph.)

To be fair, you don't even need to say zhongli's most recent exuvia was half dragon for virtually everyone on the planet to recognize that it was. Or more specifically, a chinese dragon. Even if you don't know a lot about chinese history and culture, there's a very high chance you can still recognize a lóng (in mandarin), or chinese dragon. So maybe that's why didn't mention it. Because they knew the audience would already know (but there's also problems with this line of rationalization as well, which I will also get to). But if that's the case, why did they already go ahead and change the mandarin text of Ivanovich who specifically says the exuvia is half qilin and half dragon? In english they only say that it's "a combination of two legendary creatures of liyue" or something like that. It never specifies which ones (if you talk to Ivanovich after you complete the rite of descension quest you don't get that dialogue anymore.)

Like, we're already going to be introduced to qilins via Ganyu's backstory, and we already know dragons exist in genshin. It wouldn't have been confusing at all to keep the specification, and arguably it's more confusing to go without it because I think "his beast form is a combo of two super legendary liyue creatures" is kind of a big deal lore-wise. In fact, it wouldn't even confuse people who are most used to knowing dragons as the more modern European version (large and mean and destructive) because lore-wise you could easily attribute zhongli's gentler side to his qilin side (which are still explained even in EN to be very gentle creatures via ganyu's story quest). Even if you play the game only in mandarin this is what the game seems to do. I know that he technically took on a lot of forms and that the lore states that not even the Exuvia might be his original/"true" form, but still. It's the only beast form we've seen him in and it is the most fitting, so the audience will subconsciously pick it up as his "main" beast form.

Also this is a very nitpicky thing with the fandom but TECHNICALLY from what I've seen in chinese media lóng are not depicted fully as "super soft innocent uwu" creatures like I've noticed some people saying, they can still be stern and serious, they're just historically/culturally more wise, graceful, benevolent, protective/leadership deities compared to modern english dragons. I don't think it's actually THAT big of a deal or insulting of however you depict a chinese dragon, some variations just may seem more unusual or weird to asian people (and it also intersects with conversations about masculinity in america and europe vs masculinity in east asia) and then for the case of zhongli some depictions are just like. arguably ooc. ALSO I could write paragraphs about how even in some european countries dragons were revered too! Especially in Celtic Ireland.

Now, as I mentioned before the "well the game doesnt need to say zhongli is a lóng since virtually everyone can recognize one" is a faulty argument because his exuvia is actually very apparent to be a combo and not fully lóng; the problem is most people just aren't able to tell because more people are familiar with them and not qilin. The exuvia is shorter than most traditional dragons, has this little pointy horn thing? in the middle of the forehead which you see more on qilins (at least in more historical, non-genshin depictions), and the biggest indicator I think, is that it's a LOT more fluffy than lóng (like the large unevenly-sized crests on his back, his tail, and around his head).

I know a lot of people say that the En translation team made Zhongli too strict/mean for a chinese lóng (they're mainly talking about Keith Silverstein and how they directed his voicelines) and I do agree a bit but to me I would have to argue that if anything, the EN writing team also leaned too much into zhongli's lóng/serious side and kind of disregarded his qilin/polite side. And I wonder if this is because they thought chinese dragons were more easily digestable and recognizable to most people who weren't chinese? Either way it sucks they left that lore bit out because having him be a combination makes zhongli more interesting and less stereotypical. like oh yes liyue is china of course the archon/leader has to be a serious male full chinese dragon. duh. Which is fine and fitting! but just slightly boring at this point. Also considering that zhongli has taken on several forms and the way daoist illuminated immortals (adepti) work, he could've even been born a full qilin, a tiger, a human, a fucking panda. who knows.

Personally I think zhongli's half long half lin form is his most common form and he took it up when guizhong died, which was when he became like "okay maybe I should start interacting with my people and learn about them if I'm going to be the sole leader of them now. [and also because guizhong wanted him to] but also I need to make sure I can still be powerful to protect them" and "I need to take up an appropriate form so humans respect/rever me and don't freak out." (I definitely don’t think full lóng dragon was his original form.)

[normal-thoughts-official]

Why was Lorenzo such a jealous bitch nd why does this fandom treat him like he's a good person😑

okay so i know that this is a rethorical question but i've actually thought about this a lot so i'll take my crack at answering this - WHY is lorenzo such a jealous bitch?

the only thing he's said about why he hates magnus - that i remember of, at least - is the line "he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. his fame is not based on talent, it's all nepotism"

now, anyone who knows anything at all about magnus knows that not a single fucking word of this is true. magnus was born poor in a recently colonized country under a lot of oppression, there was no damn silver spoon in his mouth, and after that he was thoroughly abused by his demon father. his fame is also absolutely based on talent - he invented portals, for fuck's sake! and the "nepotism" comment barely makes sense. i assume he means it's just that magnus' power is all due to the fact that his father is demon royalty, which makes magnus more powerful than most warlocks

so, that explains what lorenzo is jealous of - magnus' power and prestige among warlocks (such as having been HWoB for decades) - but not what the fuck lorenzo's deal is (i mean, we've met plenty of other warlocks in the show, many of which weren't really fans of magnus, but no one other than lorenzo has this idea that magnus doesn't deserve his fame), or why magnus (because while like, yes, magnus is very powerful, i assume he's not the only son of a prince of hell, considering asmodeus is not the only prince of hell and these guys get on the loose, like, weekly. and lorenzo is obviously OBSESSED with him, he deliberately went out of his way and abused his power as HWoB several times specifically to antagonize him, and also, you know, TRIED TO KILL HIM)

lorenzo talks about magnus almost as if magnus took something from him. it's not just that magnus is powerful and that he supposedly doesn't deserve it, lorenzo obviously feels as if antagonizing magnus is some sort of vengeance. i know plenty of jealous people, but going as far as forbidding anyone other than himself from giving magnus a magic transfusion, specifically saying that if it went wrong he wouldn't help, and then refusing to take back the magic when he KNEW perfectly well that would kill him, is to me very obviously a thought out plan TO kill magnus. lorenzo had been hoping from the start that magnus' body would reject his magic and the transfusion would kill him - why else would he specifically say, the second he agreed to the transfusion, that if it went wrong magnus would be on his own?

and it's not like lorenzo even gains anything from that, other than killing magnus. and humiliating him, which lorenzo has said explicitly was something he wanted to do (i believe the term he used was "breaking his spirit", but potato potatoh). if it was about magnus' position of power, he already had that - lorenzo literally already had the HWoB position. if it was about magnus' magic, he had already lost it. lorenzo had absolutely NOTHING to gain from magnus, so his personal vendetta against him doesn't even make sense from JUST a jealousy standpoint. he had already "won" over magnus. the only explanation is that he wanted some kind of revenge

but revenge from what? well, we know that magnus and lorenzo don't like each other, but magnus never really TOOK anything from lorenzo. considering how he wouldn't miss an opportunity to talk about how much he hated him, i think lorenzo would have brought it up if that had been the case. and magnus is just not the kind of person to pull the rug from under other people's feet - look no further than the whole show for evidence of that. he literally puts the others above himself at all times (which is unhealthy but that's another story and something i've talked about plenty of times already)

so why does lorenzo feel so much resentment towards magnus? why does he act as if magnus' power took something that was rightfully his?

i think lorenzo feels that he was entitled to be the most powerful, to have the most prestige, to be above magnus, and he resented magnus because that was simply not true

why?

let's go back to the only thing we know about lorenzo's backstory - the baby painting. yes, it's a huge meme, but think about that for a second. lorenzo has a huge ass painting of himself as a baby that he displays proudly in his home and that's, like, his #1 stop at the house tour. the baby painting. "needless to say, being born in spain during the siglo de oro was quite the experience". is the first thing he said

let's make this abundantly clear: this line makes it canon that lorenzo is a colonizer. the siglo de oro ("golden century" in spanish) started (roughly) in 1492, year of the """""discovery""""" of the americas, and ended (roughly) in 1659, the year when spain signed a treaty and lost a bunch of their territories to france (link to source). altho the term is usually used to refer to the boom of the arts in spain, it's obvious, just from these historical landmarks, that the siglo de oro is about colonization. it's about the fact that at the time spain was at its peak colonial power, and could afford to exploit what later became third world countries, and put part of that money (in fact, the literal gold they were stealing from latin american countries) into arts and other luxuries (because in the renaissance portraits were a luxury item and a symbol of status - link to source) for the ultra rich that benefited from colonization

so, lorenzo is not only a colonizer, but he's a part of the elite. the fact that his family could afford to have a painting of him as a BABY (portraits were almost exclusively adult portraits, and usually of the whole family, unless you were even richer than the rich. and even then individual portraits were usually to celebrate important achievements such as a marriage or acquisition of state - a baby being born doesn't qualify, especially because at the time most babies died not long after birth anyway), and a HUGE painting on top of that, shows that they were just. loaded in an incomprehensible way. im talking jeff bezos level of riches. they were the elite of the biggest colonial empire of their century. so, ironically, lorenzo was born with a silver spoon in his mouth - everything that he had, he was born having, and he specifically had because it was being stolen due to a dramatically violent process of genocide and slavery, that he believed to be entitled to simply because he was born a spaniard/white. that is all canon, because in the shverse mundane history is the same as in real life. EVERYONE who was born in the colonial elites was taught that they were entitled to shit from other countries, that they were superior not only to other ppls but also to their own people - let's not forget that this was way before the advent of republics, those were monarchies. the ppl who were part of the elite straight up believed they were superior to others by virtue of god

"woah woah woah but lorenzo is played by javier muñoz who's brown" yeah, which is unfortunate, but he is still canonically a colonizer. first off, because it's not like they wanted someone to be lorenzo and were looking for brown people - they were looking for someone javier could play because he's a bigshot broadway actor who was also a fan of the show, and then they picked lorenzo. probably because the sh showrunners don't fucking know the difference between a latino and a spaniard. or maybe they do, but they thought, "eh, close enough". either way, lorenzo is a spaniard, and he was born a colonizer - ergo, he is white, regardless of what race his actor is, regardless of even what he looks like. there are plenty of white spaniards with similar skin tones to lorenzo, because what today is spain used to be a territory occupied by middle eastern ppl, and there was mixing. what makes whiteness is not skin tone, it's context, and the context of being a literal colonizer directly benefitting of the oppression of black and brown people is as white as it gets

so, to recap: lorenzo was born a white colonizer, and he was RAISED believing that everything he had, he was entitled to. he was entitled to it by virtue of god, because he was born a part of the rich elite in the richest colonial power in the world, and he had access to everything he could possibly want. and he wasn't just entitled to riches and power - which he still has, look at his fucking mansion, dude - but specifically to superiority to his peers. especially black and brown people, the source of his riches, the people who owe him the wealth he takes from them

and then he joins the warlock world, and not only is he not royalty (because presumably he is the son of a regular demon, not too high up in the hierarchy) but some brown guy is. and this guy is in a position of power over him (high warlock) and he is better than him (at magic, specifically, but also at everything including being a human being, but lorenzo doesn't care about that). and lorenzo is fucking livid, because he believes himself to be entitled to be the best, entitled to be treated as a superior, entitled to admiration and to servitude, especially from people like magnus (let's not forget that the philippines - colonized by spain during the siglo de oro - are right next to indonesia [link]). instead, magnus is, politically speaking, his superior

and it's not like it even means much because the high warlock position is implied to be kind of like, the mayor, and it's not like magnus ever abused his power (unlike some people - and sidenote, i think this backstory is also why lorenzo was so comfortable using his power to antagonize magnus: because he was raised in a context where political power was pretty much boundless and politics and the personal feelings of the ruler were not separated). so in practice its really just that if lorenzo had a problem, he could go to magnus, and if magnus made a decision that referred to all warlocks, lorenzo was supposed to follow it. it's nowhere near like, actual subservience. but it's way too much for someone who was raised to be entitled to the level that lorenzo was

so that's why he has this feeling that magnus took something from him - because in his head, everything magnus has, lorenzo should be entitled to. because in his head, any and all power rightfully belongs to him, and if magnus has it, then it has been stolen. and that might not even be conscious of his part or whatever, altho i doubt lorenzo doesn't think in explicitly racist terms at least in private, but that had been ingrained into his head for centuries on end. if it's still ingrained into the heads of white spaniards born TODAY, imagine one who was actually born at the fucking height of racist exploitation

so. yeah. that's why lorenzo is such a jealous bitch. that's why he hates magnus so much - because he feels that magnus having anything at all lorenzo doesn't is theft, and ironically, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but believes that he earnt what he has whereas magnus didn't. it's not just jealousy, it's a profound feeling of racist vendetta, and i'm sure the sh writers didn't mean it that way, they were just writing a big villain to bring malec together, but death of the author, baby! and this explanation actually makes sense without having to change anything in canon, so, i feel very comfortable saying that's why lorenzo behaves the way he does

THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT THE BOOKS

[i-mybrunettelady]

saw you want to talk about OCs so here are some questions <3 what oc would you most like to be friends with and why? when making a new oc, do you start figuring out the personality first, or the backstory first? whose character arc are you most proud of?

Ayyy tysm for the questions!!! Classes do be killing me rn, but asks keep me afloat

But yeah!! Regarding OC creation, it largely depends on what is the OC for - but I usually start with a mixture of backstory/personality because they influence each other a lot. For a game, I usually factor in race and profession, as in what race do I really need up my character roster rn (which is a case with Mirka, because I really wanted a norn warrior) and work from there. As a general rule, I don't make a character in game (especially in gw2 where I have to spend real money on a character slot) unless I'm really sure I want them, aka they have some semblance of a personality and backstory that I can later ponder like an orb and change if necessary. I've been putting off making a thief because of this for a while now.

But when I do, it becomes hella personal and I'm bonded to the character and they stay. Thusly I think Liv and I would get along perfectly because he reflects a lot of my own personality and plus he's a giant fluffy cat man so that's a huge plus, and also I'm El's height irl (162cm/5'3) so he can carry me around like a baby and not break a sweat. Nyra too, even if I'd highkey be intimidated by her and just nod along to whatever she's saying because do you really wanna say no to Nyra

(As her creator, I have to add that yes, you should sometimes, even if she won't listen a lot of the time and pay the price of it.)

And on the creator side of things, I'm proud of them all because they feel like personal victories to an extent, but I have to give props to El here. My boy went from "I WILL BURN THE WORLD BECAUSE I AM ANGRY" to "I am angry yes but it doesn't mean I have to put everyone else and myself in harm's way because of this necessarily tho" which I think is very sexy of him