#HOO BOY THAT WAS A LOT TO UNPACK

[bugeyedfreaks]

Did you ever read PowerPuff girls D the big crossover comic. It's was so successful that someone made a fighting game for it. And it has a fully animated opening for the comic on YouTube. In my opinion it's one of the greatest fan made comics out there.

I know about it, have answered very brief asks about it before, and am not a fan. I was a little hesitant to answer this because I know there are a lot of other people who follow my blog and are also not fans (so I’ll tag accordingly for blacklists) but, uh… there’s a lot of questionable content in the series to say the least and, for me, I guess aside from the controversy the creator’s been involved in… not a fan of crossover stuff to begin with.

#BUT AS I ALWAYS SAY #you can like what you like #but yeah for me there is not a whole lot to like #especially since there is……. HOO BOY…….. a lot to unpack with it lmao #I will leave it at that #I would probably call it infamous lol #for better or for worse I’m pretty sure it was an inspiration for fusionfall’s style soooooo #that’s nice I guess #tw: bleedman

[thefarminggoblin]

No thoughts, just single dad Jushiro Ukitake

Father’s Day is coming up and this brain rot will not leave me alone. So I had to write it.

It was only meant to be a few headcanons but turned into a whole ass fic. Good grief. The only TW I have is that it’s longer than I anticipated. Dear lord.

It’s not beta read and I am tired so please be gentle.

Disclaimer: this gets a wee bit smutty in places (nothing overly graphic), so if you’re a minor, please DNI.

Otherwise, enjoy this ridiculous modern day au.

Word count: 4,300

—————

You’re running late to a formal meet and greet with other parents of the kindergarten group and feeling so embarrassed when all judgmental stares fall upon you as you enter just after the first speaker starts.

You freeze and scan the room for a seat. Until you spot a very handsome man - the only one in the room - who flashes you an understanding smile and motions for you to sit next to him. The vague amusement in his soft brown eyes makes you blush, but he’s giving off genuinely comforting vibes.

His long white hair is tied back into a low ponytail. He’s wearing a deep red turtleneck with a navy jacket, and beige pants that are tactfully fitted but never the less showing off slightly muscled thighs. Brown Oxford shoes complete the look; he’s very clean cut but his friendly and open nature makes you think he’s a genuinely good man as far as first impressions go.

This man is devastatingly handsome. He even SMELLS good - like fresh linen with a hint of citrus.

After the meeting agenda is finished - start times, expectations for pick up and permission forms for various things are handed out. Afternoon tea is served to encourage parents to mingle and introduce themselves. The kindly man extends his hand to you:

“I’m Jushiro, pleased to meet you.” The deep timbre of his voice is warm and soothing and you feel some of your anxiety leave you.

You take his proffered hand - slender, soft and warm - and introduce yourself, doing your best to ignore the fluttering feeling in your chest, “My son and I are pretty new to the area, so thank you for being the first person who hasn’t issued me a death glare.”

He chuckles, “Well, I know how hard it can be to, ah, befriend some of the parents at this school.”

He’s right; the school is one of the best in the area, and the tuition is high enough to provide insights into the type of clientele that enrol their children. A quick glance around the room gives a profile of the other mothers - dressed in designer outfits that would likely cost you your entire monthly budget. You regret looking around immediately - a few of them are side eyeing you, others looking you up and down, completely unashamed. None of the looks you are receiving are particularly friendly.

You fiddle with your hair, fuss over your outfit, brushing away non existent creases. A mistake. You shouldn’t have tried to enrol your son in this elite school. Neither of you fit in here. You’re not rich. You feel so small in comparison to the other well dressed, well made up women. This was all a mista-

Jushiro’s deep, gentle voice breaks your train of thought, “Don’t worry about them. They’re just trapped in their own echo chamber and don’t realise that there are other parents who don’t focus so hard on appearances and money. You care about your son’s education, that’s all that matters.”

You suspect that the glares from a few of the mothers have something to do with you chatting to Jushiro. You’re positive that this beautiful man has caught the eye of a few of the other mothers in the group, single or not.

He must notice your discomfort because he puts a reassuring hand on your shoulder, “For what it’s worth, I think you look absolutely lovely.” He smiles at you and you’re nearly blinded by how bright it is. That teasing gleam returns to his eyes, “Well, aside from the little bit of pastry you have on your cheek.”

You immediately bring a hand to your face and rub at your cheeks. Chuckling, he offers you a handkerchief (who carries those these days anyway?!) and you utter your gratitude as you wipe your face.

“Gone?”

“Gone.”

“So, what’s your kid like? Are they excited?”

He nods, “Twins. Both boys, and quite energetic. I apologise in advance - they can be a bit of a handful at times! They’re good natured children but can be quite stubborn and cheeky.” He scratches the back of his neck as he grins awkwardly. “And they love to play pranks on their old man! Once I was running late, and didn’t notice that they’d scribbled on my face as I slept. Mortifying.”

You laugh, feeling more at ease by the second, “Don’t worry, my boy has done some tricky stuff too. He can give it as good as he gets!”

He chuckes, “I am sure they’ll get along well then!”

“Perhaps too well!”

He checks his watch and sighs, “Speaking of, I’m awfully sorry to cut the conversation short but I have to leave early. The babysitter’s patience has likely worn thin.”

You go to hand his handkerchief back, but he shakes his head.

“Hold onto it. You can give it back to me at the drop off. But just to be safe…”

He takes his phone out and opens it, then holds out his phone bashfully. Your name has already been entered. Your number. He’s asking for your number. The last time a man did that was-

He clears his throat and you see him start to withdraw his hand. Before he can, you take the phone and enter your details, offering him your own so that he can do the same.

“There. Now you know I won’t commit handkerchief theft!”

You both laugh heartily, ignoring the scornful looks from the other mothers gathered.

————————

Some days you miss him at the drop offs but see him every day without fail at pick up times.

You keep in touch with him regularly, texting each other often. Occasionally you meet up for coffee during your respective lunch breaks during work hours, or squeezing in some time in between work and pick up time.

You find his presence extremely comforting, and the conversations flow effortlessly between you both. You find yourself becoming very fond of this man, and would go so far as to think of him as one of the best friends you’ve ever had.

Over the course of a few weeks you find out more and more about this incredibly kind man: he’s an elementary school teacher, and is from the area. He’s 40, which surprises you - you’re 8 years his junior but aside from the slight creases in the corner of his eyes when he smiles and his salt white hair, you would have assumed he was around your age. He does kendo in his spare time and keeps carp. He’s terrible at gardening, but enjoys it.

When you mention you keep house plants he flashes you that almost bashfully boyish grin you’ve become so fond of, “Perhaps you could teach me a thing or two!”

You also discover rather quickly that he is also a single parent, like you.

He reveals to you one day with downcast eyes and a quiet voice that his wife had passed away while delivering the twins. The loss devastated him but he absolutely adores his boys, doting on them any chance he gets. He admits some days are harder than others but that he wouldn’t trade his sons for anything.

It’s a very different circumstance to your own - your deadbeat ex had left you for another woman, while you were pregnant with your son. The look of quiet anger on Jushiro’s face as you told him over coffee one afternoon was shocking. It’s subtle to the point where a stranger would likely not see the difference, but you knew him well enough to notice the stern expression and fire in his eyes, the tightening of his lips.

“He’s out of the picture entirely. No child support or anything. Said he didn’t want a kid to tie him down. I could’ve pushed for it but honestly I’m just glad he’s gone.”

Jushiro’s hands are clenched around his mug of tea tightly, knuckles white, his brows furrowed in anger, “Selfish bastard. He didn’t deserve you.”

You feel yourself flush, “Thank you.”

He waves a hand, “Don’t thank me, it’s the truth. You’re kind, brilliant, and incredibly dedicated - both as a friend and a mother. And you’re absolutely beautiful. Any man should count his lucky stars to have you as a lover.”

Your face is on fire and your pulse quickens suddenly. No one has ever said anything so romantic to you before.

Oh.

Emboldened by his words, a small smile crosses your face, “I hope I do find such a man one day.”

His expression turns soft, the corners of his mouth turning upwards slightly, “I certainly hope you do. You deserve every happiness.”

Perhaps I already have…

————————

Your children end up having regular play dates together. They get along quite well; a little TOO well, if the reports from the teacher are to be believed. Last week one of the other children was pushing your son around, so the twins decided to put sand in their backpack. Another instance was that another child had deliberately smeared paint all over one of the twin’s artwork - your son had thrown an entire paint pallet at the kid in retaliation.

The trio were also known to sneak toys into nap time and stealthily play together, using rulers as bridges between their cots to push toy cars across when the teacher wasn’t looking.

Before you know it 2 months have passed and you’re both at the twin’s birthday party.

There you meet some of Jushiro’s friends: Shunsui and Nanao, who have children in elementary school. Kisuke and Yoruichi, who have children in junior high school. Byakuya and Hisana, who’s daughter is of similar age to your sons.

You all spend the afternoon drinking and eating as you supervise the children. Jushiro goes to gather the children for the treasure hunt. You assist him by handing out the little maps to the children while he explains the game.

You’re enraptured by how this kind man instructs the kids. He’s so gentle and patient with them it makes your heart ache. He blows the whistle for them to start and the children scatter excitedly.

He laughs heartily, then turns to you, beaming ear to ear. He clearly loves working with children, and watching as his face lights up with childlike glee and continues to supervise from afar.

It hits you - you’re falling for him. Hard and fast.

You go back inside to get some more drinks for the two of you from the fridge and run into the other adults who are preparing lunch.

“Well, Jushiro’s certainly looking happier than I’ve seen him in years.” Shunsui says after taking the last swig of his sake and refilling his cup, earning a stern look from his wife, who is artistically arranging various snacks on a platter.

“That’s your last one Shunsui. You agreed to take the kids while I go out for coffee with the ladies tomorrow, remember?”

“Yes dearest.” He gives her a look that’s all cheek, and she scoffs and rolls her eyes. You catch a tiny upwards turn of her lips.

“I agree with you, Shunsui. It is good to see Jushiro in such high spirits. He’s usually somewhat melancholic this time of year.” Byakuya says.

It’s only then that you realise; his wife’s passing would fall on the twin’s birthday. Your heart aches for him; it must be such a conflicting time for him.

Later that evening as you’re helping pack up in the kitchen, your hands submerged in the soapy water while he puts the kids to sleep. He looks a little wan as he walks into the kitchen.

“Are you alright?”

“You always see right through me, don’t you?” He sighs, “Honestly, I feel a little uneasy. This time of year is always difficult. My sons give me so much joy, and I’m glad that they were born, but-“ he sighs again, and this time it’s shakier, and he runs a hand down his face

He’s clearly upset. You dry your hands off and wrap him in a hug. He reciprocates, still trembling.

“I-I miss her.”

“I know.”

“It’s so difficult without her sometimes.”

“I know.”

He takes a few deep breaths and you hear a slight sniffle, “Sometimes I feel so guilty. As if I can’t give the boys what she could have.”

You pull away just a little and cradle his face in your hands, using your thumbs to brush away some of the tears that are flowing down his cheeks, “Jushiro, you’re an amazing dad and they love you so much. And you bring so much joy into their lives. They had so much fun today, remember?”

He takes a deep breath, exhaling a little shakily but he’s clearly calming down. “Thank you. You’re very kind.” He takes you hands in his own, “I apologise, you don’t need to see me like this. It’s unfair on you.”

“Oh, Jushiro. It’s okay. We’re friends, and I’m glad you’re able to talk to me about it. You’re only human.”

“Thank you.” He gives you a small smile that both breaks and mends your heart.

“Would you tell me about her? Do you have any photos?”

You spend the rest of the evening drinking tea while he shows you pictures of he and his wife, of the adventures they shared. There are more tears, but he laughs more than a few times, and your heart swells.

About an hour later you’re standing at the door, your son fast asleep in your arms.

“Thank you for listening to this old man’s rambling. It… meant a lot that I could share that part of my life with a dear friend.”

He looks a little sheepish before adding: “And I… I do hope to have the strength to move on one day.”

“Jushiro, you deserve every happiness.”

He huffs a laugh, “Reusing some of my own words of wisdom?”

“Hey, it’s true! You’re kind, smart and a total gentleman. Easy on the eyes, too.” You add with a wink.

He chuckles a little at that. He takes your free hand in his, giving it a light squeeze.

“Thank you again. Drive safely and text when you get home.”

Your heart flutters. He’s such a genuinely beautiful soul. “I will.”

After you tuck your son into bed you do just that:

I got home safe. He didn’t wake up! Lucky me 😊

Maybe we need to arrange play dates more often. My boys haven’t stirred at all!

Definitely! Only if you’re okay with putting up with us. It’s always great to see you. I really enjoy your company ❤️

You hover over the send button for a few seconds, debating whether to send it - are you being too bold? The three dots appear and reappear about 4 times.

Of course. Any chance to spend time with you is always welcomed ❤️

Your heart flips. He shoots through another message before you can respond.

Coffee tomorrow? Usual time?

Can’t wait! Goodnight, Jushiro xx

Sweet dreams xx

And they are.

————————

Something in your relationship changes after that night over the next few weeks. You notice his eyes lingering on you sometimes, sometimes questioning, other times a little soft, and when your fingers brush while he’s passing you handouts at parent meeting, you notice a light blush appear on his face.

The hugs you give each other when meeting up become a little more intimate, a little longer, with his hands rubbing up and down your back slowly and you burying your face in his shoulder. The butterflies in your stomach swell with each of these events, and you always feel your cheeks redden.

It all comes to a head one evening while you’re making cupcakes together for the kindergarten bake sale. It feels so domestic, working in tandem while the kids are sleeping in your son’s room. You decided baking while they were awake was a terrible idea; they’d likely complain about not being able to eat them all.

Each time he scoots past you in your tiny kitchen he puts his hand on the small of your back, making your heart race. At one point he takes both your hips in his large, gentle hands and gently moves you aside a fraction so that he can get into the drawer in front of you.

You can’t help but imagine how those hands would feel in the same position sans clothing, and you bite your lip as you repress a shudder, attempting to banish the sinful thoughts from your mind.

Your sides brush together as you reach over to grab the wooden spoon that sits in front of him, and a bag of flour goes EVERYWHERE as he opens the packet with a little more gusto than needed.

You’re both COVERED in the white powder, and laughing uncontrollably as you try to wipe it off your clothes, face and hair.

Jushiro goes to wipe some off your cheek with his fingers, but it only transfers more from his hands onto your face and you both burst into giggles again.

“Shhh, shhh we- hahahaha! - we’ll wake the kids!” You wheeze.

He’s wiping tears of mirth from his eyes with a towel, still chuckling.

“Well. That’s was fun. I know I’m a rubbish baker but I didn’t realise how simply opening a bag of flour would go wrong so easily.”

You both get cleaned up and back to work and manage to make enough cupcakes for the event. While you wait for them to cool so you can frost them, you decide to sit down on the couch together and watch a random gaming show.

“Oh, you still have some flour on your face.” You brush the tips of your fingers over Jushiro’s cheek to remove the white powder and he shudders. You can’t help it as your hand falls from his cheek to his jaw, gently caressing his face with the back of your knuckles.

He immediately turns to look at you, his gaze so intense that you almost feel naked. He tentatively takes your hand and kisses your wrist ever so lightly, setting off a spark that travels through your whole body, making you shudder.

His eyes are half lidded and your faces are drawing closer, your heart pounding as you close your eyes in anticipation of what’s finally about to happen.

He kisses you. It’s soft, sweet and heartbreakingly tender, one hand is caressing your cheek and the other rests on your side, drawing you closer. He sighs as he breaks apart from you and searches your eyes, a crease forming between his brows and his mouth opening and closing multiple times as he struggles to find the right words to say

“It’s okay, Jushiro.”

His expression turns into a tortured look, “I-I’m sorry, that was so inappropriate of me. I shouldn’t have-“ he makes to move away but you put your hold his face in your hands

“Jushiro, it’s okay.”

His face is still concerned, “I just don’t want to ruin our friendship. It’s something I truly treasure and I don’t want to mess things up and-“

You press your lips to his to silence his protests. When you pull away you see that some of the tension has left his face.

“I feel the same, but I can’t pretend I don’t have feelings for you any longer, Jushiro…”

A sigh of relief and he raises your knuckles to his lips, “Well, if you’re willing to try, would you allow me to court you?”

You giggle. “Sometimes you say the cutest things.”

————————

Shunsui and Nanao end up babysitting your kids as you go out on your first date as a couple.

Shunsui winks slyly at you as you leave, “If you need to stay out all night, just swing us a message.”

Jushiro flushes, “Good grief, Shunsui, do you always have to be such a lewd bastard?” His tone is hot and flustered, and he’s only half serious.

“Hey now, not in front of the kids, Ju.”

“You’re impossible.”

Jushiro takes you to a restaurant on the river - nothing too over the top but the food is fantastic, the atmosphere a little sultry with the low lighting and soft jazz playing in the background.

You can’t remember the name of the movie - some sci-fi superhero movie with a talking raccoon? - or the plot. All you remember is the fire running through your veins as Jushiro takes your hand about 20 minutes in and intertwines your fingers, his thumb slowly caressing your skin. The sensation is almost too much to bear, your heart pounding the entire time.

The night concludes with a VERY heated make out session in the back of his car. His large, slender hands caress you under your clothing and your hands are in his hair and his tongue is in your mouth and the sounds he’s making are downright sinful. It all sets your skin on fire in the most delicious way. You’re undressed enough - his tie is gone, the buttons of his shirt completely undone and your dress is unzipped, pooled around your waist, your top bare except for your bra - to feel the skin of his lithe chest on yours. It excites you to know that despite his gentlemanly demeanour he is still very much a hot blooded man, and he wants you.

However, he is enough of a gentleman to stop before things get serious as you start to undo his belt, “We - ahh - w-we should stop.”

You stop kissing his neck and sit up, straddling his hips. He looks irresistibly mussed - panting, lipstick all over his face and neck, his face flushed, his hair completely loosened from its usual style, some strands plastered to parts of his face…

“Sorry, I thought you wan-“

He sits up immediately and kisses you, softer but with no less passion, his hand on the back of your head. He pulls back and rests his forehead on yours.

“I do. Trust me.” A small roll of his hips against you has you gasping; you can feel just how much he wants you, “I really, truly do. But not like this. Not where it’s cramped and we could be interrupted by a passerby.” He reaches up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “More than anything, I want to do things right by you. You deserve far more than a quick tryst in the back of a car after the first date.”

You feel tears prick in your eyes. He’s so perfect. So, so perfect. You’re certain: you’re in love with him.

His smile turns into a smirk, “Besides, I’d hate for anyone other than me to see you naked.” He winks and you giggle.

He drives you back to the Kyoraku’s, his hand holding yours across the console. The hand back goes well - your son is fast asleep in your arms as you walk him back to your car and buckle him into his seat.

Shunsui gives Jushiro a sly look, “Looks like the date wasn’t as innocent as you intended, hmm Jushiro?”

You both stand their completely perplexed for a moment until the twins rush to their father, clinging on to each of his legs.

“Awwwwwww Daddy, you did finger painting without us?!” One of the twins pouts, pointing to Jushiro’s neck.

“No faaaaaaiiiirrrr!” The other cries.

Jushiro is a flustered mess as he frantically tries to wipe the missed lipstick mark from his neck with both of his hands as you laugh.

His hair is down at the next drop off you see him at. You tease him about it and he blushes furiously before leaning over and whispering “I’ll get you back for that on our next date, darling.”

————————

On the second date the children DO end up staying at the Kyoraku’s overnight. The two of you end up having a backyard picnic under the stars in his garden - which has improved with your advice.

You lay down next to each other and stargaze together, heads resting against each other and hands intertwined.

Jushiro breaks the comfortable silence between the two of you, “I truly hope you know how dear you are to me. That you’re always on my mind. That I…”

He sits upright and runs his hands through his loose hair. Concerned, you sit up as well, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Jushiro?”

He sighs and turns to you, his tender expression that never fails to make your heart flutter on his handsome face, “I hope you don’t think I’m moving too quickly, and if I make you uncomfortable please tell me, but…” He takes another deep sigh, closes his eyes and places his hand on the back of your neck to draw you closer so that he can rest his forehead on yours.

“I love you.” He whispers, and time stops.

“Oh, Jushiro. I love you, too.”

He smiles and kisses you. Softly at first, but he can’t restrain himself for much longer and soon enough you’re both a tangled mess of limbs.

You eventually calm yourselves down enough to make your way to his bedroom, where he takes his time undressing you, his eyes full of adoration and lust.

He makes love to you with a passion you’ve never experienced before, his fingers entwined with yours, his face buried in the crook of your neck and you’ll be damned if it’s not the most romantic thing that has ever happened to you.

————————

Single dad Jushiro Ukitake proposing marriage 3 months later.

Single dad Jushiro Ukitake officially adopting your son.

Single dad Jushiro Ukitake who is no longer a single dad and creates a big, happy family with you, with another 2 children.

Just… single dad Jushiro Ukitake 🥰

#this was a lot #it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written anything other than academic nonsense #anyway #you cannot deny that Ukitake would be THE best dad ever #Tbh not sure if he would be a elementary teacher or paediatrician in a modern day au #Also shhhh I’m ignoring that shun and nanao are apparently related because lbr that ish came straight out of nowhere in the manga #There is not a doubt in my mind that Kubo retconned it #Like I’m genuinely convinced #Too much romantic tension for it to be a familial kind of affection up until that arc #This is something to unpack at another time though #ANYWAY #husband Ukitake is next on the list to write #because hoo boy the headcanons I have for that man #Jade is in love with Ju-Kun #jushiro ukitake #ukitake #shunao #shunsui kyoraku #nanao ise #byakuya kuchiki #hisana kuchiki #byasana #ukitake x reader #jushiro x reader #bleach anime #that’s enough tagging I think

[nuclearnyx]

literally my whole life is going to change in the next year

#tbh it might be sooner #but im almost definitely moving out AND to a new state (could be as far as hawaii no joke) due to fiance's job opportunity #and as soon as we can get figured out we'll be getting married #i just hope im up for the challenge because HOO BOY ive got a lot of emotional baggage to unpack #also as soon as we can we're getting a cat (probably 2 lmao) and im SO EXCITED i miss having cats so much #tbh i think having a pet massively helps me physically and mentally and ive been doing worse since my girls passed on #but yeah its about to get real wild real fast

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

thinking of meanwhile in the tardis scenes i could write with the fam

#getting lost in the tardis looking for your bedroom #meanwhile in the tardis 2 is like. could almost be interesting if it was more queer #amy: you are a bloke and you dont know it so here i am to help *tries to kiss him* #like hoo boy lots to unpack there #unfortunately thats not why we're here!! but wouldnt it be fun if we WERE #anyway if 11 is canon then like thats entirely confirming my belief that 13 is full of shit when she plays oblivious #not just 11 but like TEN AND TWELVE TOO #THEYVE BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK #she KNEW she KNEW from the BEGINNING #'are we?' my ass

[aeide-thea]

wow just got a blazed post that was like. an art diptych of ~saints of transfemininity and transmasculinity~ with catholic-style halos and a blurb claiming transfemininity had been around longer… feels like tossing a golden ‘to the identity with the longest history’ apple tbh????

#like just. hoo boy if i see that post again i expect a fight in the notes… #eta also they connect both saints to female cultural figures which. whole lot 2 unpack there!!

[eccentricgamercl]

So...

Do people actually believe that the relationship between Ezra and Sabine in Ahsoka will still be that same platonic sibling-type dynamic that it was in Rebels? Or does Dave Filoni seriously think that the viewers, especially casual viewers (who in all likelihood have seen little or none of Rebels), will see it that way?

I'm not going to repeat what several of my fellow shippers on this site have already said about Ezra's body language when he says the line, they've already done a better job covering it than I ever could. Not to mention it's been ten years since Ezra made this recording for Sabine and disappeared, and we won't have any way of knowing his current feelings on the matter until after we see him again.

Sabine, on the other hand...hoo, boy, there's a lot to unpack.

Being the celebrated hero she is to those on Lothal, Sabine should have absolutely no problem finding a very comfortable place to reside in the city, which has clearly boomed since the Empire left. Yet she consciously decides to live in Ezra's old place: a grungy old communications tower that was clearly never designed for someone to call it a permanent residence.

She continues to wear his old clothes. And I mean old. I'm not sure what they use to make clothes in the Star Wars universe or if it's more durable than what we use IRL, but you need to be taking good care of your clothes if you expect them to last a long time. Clothes tend to last up to five years or so before they need to be thrown out; Sabine has evidently been taking good care of Ezra's clothes for ten.

She has kept and continues to take care of his old stuff. She's got her own collection of Ezra memorabilia that is, again, at least ten years old with various amounts of wear and tear.

She continues to have dreams/nightmares about him, meaning that he and his actions seen in the finale of Rebels continue to weigh heavily on her mind, even after all this time.

All this is pretty over the top for someone who, at least according to skeptics of this ship, only views Ezra as a brother and nothing more. I understand mourning the loss of a close family member, but if Sabine truly loves Ezra in a strictly platonic manner, she is taking the "platonic" factor to its absolute outermost fringe limits. She is unquestionably obsessed with him.

So, yeah. Biased as I might be, I fail to understand how anyone could view Sabine's behavior regarding Ezra in these first two episodes of Ahsoka and come to the conclusion that these two are just like siblings and that's it. It just straight up baffles me.

#the sabezra shipper that has lived rent-free in my head for the past nine years thanks you for listening to his ramblings #ahsoka show #ahsoka series #star wars #ezra x sabine #sabine x ezra #sabezra #ezrabine

[your-local-grubdog]

Pikmin 4: Heritage Theory

Warning for MAJOR Pikmin 4 spoilers, including: various end of day conversations, post-credit events, late game piklopedia and treasure hoard entries, and also the final boss.

As a sort of re-boot of the franchise, Pikmin 4 introduces a lot of new ideas to the series. Among them is the idea that the various alien species in the game are much more closely related than we first realized - and perhaps more connected to PNF-404 than we would have ever thought in the other three games. I wanted to go over the various texts in the game that touch on this idea and talk about them a little because, hoo boy, the IMPLICATIONS. I call it a theory in the title for a lack of better wording but it honestly just feels like a canon fact that's never directly stated. There's just that much evidence, much of which all but outright says what happened.

Apologies if the images are a little low quality, Tumblr crunched them up badly. I provide image descriptions so hopefully that makes up for it.

As this has many end game spoilers (which, final warning for those), I'm going to assume that anyone reading beyond this point knows the basics of the game's story, world, and characters. Thus I won't be explaining every last little thing.

Somewhat early on, Olimar makes the following observation in his Voyage Log:

[ALT ID: Olimar's Voyage Log, entry 60, "Lost Civilization": Some of the objects I call treasure seem to be more complex than they initially appear. It makes me wonder... who made these? And where are they? I don't sense their presence here at all, but I suppose they could be hiding in the shadows, secretly watching me. END ID]

This vaguely threatening entry does confirm that the characters, or at least Olimar, are aware that there was indeed a civilization on PNF-404 at some point. It should also be noted that the Japanese website includes notes from another character who is also aware of the ancient civilization, though the canonicity of it is debatable. I'll get back to that "they're in the shadows, watching" line in another post, as it presents its own can of worms. For now, what matters is that the characters are aware that this planet was once inhabited and Nintendo is drawing attention towards that.

Where this starts to get weird and interesting is with Olimar's Treasure Hoard entries on the Heroic Shield, Memory Fragment (Center Right), and Buddy Display. I can't show all of their text in just one screenshot and the pikipedia hasn't added every treasure note to the Pikmin 4 treasures as of writing, so I'll only be including the segments most related to this conversation.

[ALT ID 1: Treasure Hoard, Olimar's Notes, Heroic Shield (segment): That would mean these living beings must have looked something like us... I wonder who they were and what their faces looked like. Could they have been our ancestors who migrated through space to our planet long ago? (the treasure is a pin showing the helmet of a human-style spacesuit) END ID 1]

[ALT ID 2: Treasure Hoard, Olimar's Notes, Memory Fragment (Center Right) (segment): I'm amazed that such a similar species could exist in the far reaches of outer space. I've heard that organic components can travel through space on meteorites and comets. Could there be a connection between my planet and this one? (treasure is of a puzzle piece with part of a dog's face on it) END ID 2]

[ALT ID 3: Treasure Hoard, Olimar's Notes, Buddy Display (segment): I can't find any evidence of them in any of the existing creature databases. But there's something familiar about them. It's almost as if I've met them before... I guess I'll chalk it up to an ancient memory that's been imprinted on my genome. (treasure is a photograph of two earth dogs) END ID 3]

There is so much to unpack here alone. Olimar straight up theorizes that there may be a connection between PNF-404 and Hocotate, even going to far as to propose if maybe the people of PNF-404 (or at least the people who made the Heroic Shield) may be his ancient ancestors. He does also theorize that a meteorite may have carried "organic components", which is technically possible, but I'm not sure how that would occur in a way that carries said components from one non-destroyed planet to another and leading to creatures evolving in eerily similar ways. Honestly, I'll chalk that one up to an early theory of his, a red herring on Nintendo's part, and thus not something to think about too much. Especially sense, in the Buddy Display, he considers his ability to somewhat recognize Earth dogs as an "ancient memory... imprinted on my genome". While I'm not sure of the science behind such a claim, we also have to take this from a story telling perspective - which is that Nintendo is all but screaming "there is a connection here". Not just in relation to the aliens and the planets, but also in relation to the dogs.

Speaking of the dogs, Olimar's notes on the final boss of the game presents yet more evidence to a connection - this time focusing more on the connection between Earth dogs and space dogs.

[ALT ID 1: Piklopedia, Olimar's notes, Ancient Sirehound (segment): These results would indicate that 99.9 percent of the canine creature's DNA matches Oatchi's, and that the only difference between Oatchi and Moss may be the natural presence or absence of a leaf tail. END ID 1]

[ALT IDs 2 and 3, as one naturally leads into the other: Piklopedia, Olimar's notes, Ancient Sirehound (segment): If these two theories prove to be true, it would suggest the possibility that this ancient creature is a common ancestor to two canine species from vastly remote star systems. And that, perhaps, there are even more hidden secrets out there that could hint at a fascinating yet inconceivable truth the universe has yet to reveal... END IDs 2 AND 3]

I'm not sure what else to say here; the evidence speaks for itself. The Ancient Sirehound and Moss - both from PNF-404 - closely match the genetics of Oatchi, who is from an entirely different part of the universe. For the Sirehound to be genetically related to Oatchi, then members of the Sirehound's species would have had to leave PNF-404 and migrate to other planets. Their care takers - humans - would have had to go with them.

I also find it worth pointing out that the Sirehound's arena is filled with various human items, such as shoes and toys. It's honestly a little haunting to find them so deep in a dark cave, unused by humans for who knows how long. The ruined toys in particular really get to me. We don't know how old the Ancient Sirehound in particular is, but the idea that humans once hid in this cave from something or that their dog brought the items here for comfort is really depressing.

[ALT IDs: various hard-to-see images of the human items in question, including: pillows, pipes. gardening tools, a fork, adult sized shoes, baby sized shoes, various children's toys, and other objects I couldn't quite make out. All of them are either partly submerged in water or at the very edge of water, leaving them covered in mud. END IDs]

I think by now it's safe to say that, yes, humans left Earth with their dogs at some point in time. Yet there are still MORE pieces of evidence to suggest this idea, this time coming from Shepherd's family history. Because we really needed to be beat over the head with evidence, I suppose. All are presented in numerical order as shown in-game.

[ALT ID 1: Rescue Journal, Shepherd Family History, entry 1: Thanks to the technology that has come from space exploration, our lives have grown much easier and far safer, and on-planet rescue requests have decreased dramatically. But as migration into space continues to grow, our services continue to be needed. So I'm happy to announce we are extending our rescue services to the frontiers of space! Signed, Paniya Shepherd, 82nd Captain. END ID 1]

[ALT ID 2: Rescue Journal, Shepherd Family History, entry 2: We've done it at last! We have flown to space! Out in this great, limitless expanse, not a sound can be heard. And yet, I can still clearly hear the pounding of my own heartbeat. Space--how it overflows with possibilities! There can be no doubt. This is one giant leap forward for our kind. Signed, Ed Shepherd, 65th Captain. END ID 2]

[ALT ID 3: Rescue Journal, Shepherd Family History, entry 6: The Shepherd family has lived with dogs from the very beginning. We understand that if we love and respect these creatures as we do our own--if we pay attention and observe their behavior closely--then we can break down the walls between our species and truly understand one another. Signed, Kain Shepherd, 16th Captain. END ID 3]

[ALT ID 4: Rescue Journal, Shepherd Family History, entry 7: "Beyond the sky itself there lies a beautiful blue planet." Those words have been passed down from captain to captain, calling to each of us. I can't imagine what sort of place this blue planet might be, but it's said to be home to even more dogs and folks that we have here. One day, I hope to fly beyond the sky...and into space. Signed, Maris Shepherd, 7th Captain. END ID 4]

[ALT ID 5: Rescue Journal, Shepherd Family History, entry 8: Many years have passed since we first began to make this land our new home. Still, we need more time to complete our environmental adaptations. In the meantime, we must survive so that, one day, we can pass down this new history to our children, and pass down the ways we've learned to rescue and protect everyone. One day we will live here in peace. Signed, Mark Shepherd, 2nd Captain. END ID 5]

[ALT ID 6: Rescue Journal, Shepherd Family History, entry 9: The surface! We made it at last! Finally, we can begin making a fresh start here on this planet. Of course, it will take many long months and years before what we've built here will be anything like what we once had. But we won't be alone. Our beloved dogs will be by our side as we walk this long, difficult road. Signed, Aral Shepherd, 1st Captain. END ID 6]

There is so much here, all confirming that ancient Giyans (and Captain Shephard's direct ancestors) 1) migrated to this new planet in search of a "fresh start" and 2) proceeded to migrate to other parts of space many generations latter. It also hints that they know of a "blue planet" - a common nickname for Earth - which is home to more people and dogs. Most certainly, it is the planet they came from - making Giyans human, or at least an evolution of humanity, and perhaps all other alien races in Pikmin 4 (from Hocotations to Koppaites to Ohrians to Conohanins to anyone else from the twenty one named planets (excluding PNF-404) in the series) are also descendent from Giyans. It would explain why they all look so similar in game - though we can safely assume that Hocotations are at least descendent from Giyans based on Olimar's notes. Further more, the leafling cure requires cells from a non-leafified individual who is genetically similar to the individual in question. We're never told how Yonny gets these cells (and, given we're talking about Yonny, I'm too afraid to even ask) but the fact that the medicine works for anyone regardless of what their home planet is suggests that they are, in fact, more or less the same species.

How different the various aliens look from Humans is easily chalked up to evolution. We know minor changes in height could, theoretically, happen within just one or two generations spent on a planet with different gravity than Earth's. It would make sense that this would be exacerbated over many many more generations, especially if the gravity is much stronger. Which, to quote the Pikipedia, "According to Brittany, the gravity on Koppai is roughly ten times stronger than on PNF-404." Given their matching heights, it's probably safe to assume similar applies to the other planets, and thus over the generations the people shrunk. Again, the exact scientific validity of this is questionable, but given the semi-fantastical nature of Pikmin I believe we can suspend our disbelief enough to let this story work. We already have to do that for how the Pikmin as a species function, after all. As for oxygen becoming toxic in the 8th history entry Mark Shephard does state that "we need more time to complete our environmental adaptations". Be these natural or artificially induced (as he is only of the second generation), it is again safe to suspend our disbelief to say that humans just adapted to these new worlds. Besides, Koppaites at the very least retained (or possibly gained back?) the ability to tolerate at least low amounts of oxygen.

The real problems come in the time frame and the loss of history. It's never stated one way or the other if people are aware of their ultimate connections back to Giya, so I won't discuss that, but it is very obvious they have forgotten their connection to Earth/PNF-404. Furthermore, it's made clear that the Giyans lost the ability to travel through space by the 7th generation and only regained it by the 65th. If they had access to space flight, they would certainly have archives of their heritage - and they do indeed seem to have some idea of what it is, given how Earth has become a legend. Yet, the Shephard family history as far back as the migration to Giya was preserved - why not anything else? The inconsistencies and questions make this part of the tale hard for me to ignore, yet we have no answers. This is pure speculation, but if I had to provide an answer I think a solar flare hit Giya and destroyed their technology, making them start over. Perhaps these early Giyain-Humans were so reliant on technology at this point that there were no books or oral traditions to preserve this heritage lost when the tech was destroyed? Though, somehow, the Shephard family would have to be one of if not the exception to this. Again, the previous is pure speculation, but it's the best we can do for the time being.

There's also the question of when and how Earth dogs changed to look like the Sirehound, which would of had to happen before the migration to space given that Oatchi has the same body plan. And then why did Moss's species become so much smaller?

Still, even with all these plot holes, I think it's pretty damn clear that Nintendo intended for our favorite little aliens to be the evolutionary decedents of humans. How and if they'll use this plot point remains to be seen, but it does open up a whole bag of opportunities for the universe of Pikmin. One that, frankly, deserves to be explored.

#pikmin #pikmin 4 #pikmin theory #borb screams #THIS TOOK SO LONG TO MAKE AAAA #I am open to discussions and questions btw

[patchwork-crow-writes]

Thoughts on Kris x Ralsei

This is so long I had to split it up into parts - this is Part 1, which looks into how the roles that Kris and Ralsei are given contributes to the idea of their romance. As more parts are written, they'll be linked below in this handy-dandy TOC!

Part 1: And They Lived Happily Ever After <- (You Are Here!) Part 1.5: I Believe Your Choices DO Matter Part 2: A Pair of Star-Cross'd Lovers Part 2.5: In Another World, We Could Have Been (Just) Friends

Okay, so.

Wanted to elaborate a bit on my viewpoint of this ship, because I don't think it's something I've ever really discussed before and I think it's actually a very interesting dynamic (or at least has the potential to be, depending on where the rest of Deltarune goes).

So, Kralsei is cute, isn't it? It's fun to hug the fluffy boy and watch him melt into incomprehensible stuttering and blushing. All the little signs he's really, really into Kris, all the cute little snippets of dialogue you can initiate with him, all the alone time they spend together, in both chapters... honestly, the game makes it hard not to root for this pairing.

And yeah, it's cute... in a very surface-level, don't-think-about-it-too-hard kind of way. But once you start thinking about it... hoo boy. There is. A LOT to unpack here. So much more is going on just under the surface, and once you see it, it's difficult to un-see it. And in my opinion, it makes the Kralsei dynamic so much more nuanced, more compelling, and potentially quite tragic.

Now, a disclaimer: it's fine to like this ship on a surface level. No real harm is being done, these are fictional characters and it doesn't matter what reason you enjoy it for - if it provides comfort to you and gets you through, then more power to you! This is more me sorting through my thoughts on the subject and is not a judgment on how others approach it. With that said, and in the spirit of full disclosure, this will go into slightly uncomfortable territory - picking apart the idea of destined love, the deconstruction of common romance tropes, how outside manipulation might play a part, and even the potentially incest-adjacent nature of the relationship. If you don't want to deal with any of that, you can stop reading right now, and that's okay. Please continue to enjoy Deltarune in the manner that is best for you, and thank you for your attention thus far :)

If you're still with me, then please click the read more and we'll get started.

Part 1: And They Lived Happily Ever After

The first thing you have to understand is that Deltarune is utterly determined to cram the notion of Kralsei down the player's throat. The game is not subtle about this in any way, shape or form. Everything from the narration, to the dialogue, to major game events, to item interactions, and even the roles that Kris and Ralsei play both in the story and the party, serves to reinforce the notion that these two are very likely to end up romantically involved with each other in some way.

Let's look at the characters first. Kris is portrayed as the noble knight - stoic, unwavering, courageous, a natural leader - clad in medieval-inspired plate armour and wielding a sword and shield. And Ralsei is the archetypal princess - demure, dainty, kindhearted, nurturing - who uses magic to heal his allies and pacify enemies.

I did not mistype there - Ralsei is a prince, but the characteristics associated with him are more commonly found amongst female healers in JRPGs. Think Fina from Skies of Arcadia, or Marle from Chrono Trigger (minus the temperment), and you might have an idea of what I'm on about.

Think of knights and princesses for a moment. Imagine St. George slaying the dragon to save a helpless damsel. Imagine Lancelot and Gwenevere. Robin Hood and Maid Marion. Link and Zelda. Squall and Rinoa. Every single fairy tale involving an imperilled princess and a knightly rescuer. For a more modern take, imagine The Bodyguard. Ness and Paula. I could go on, but then we'd be here all day.

Suffice it to say that there is a pretty entrenched tradition surrounding these archetypes - a male-coded, phsyically-adept, courageous, stoic, action-oriented figure, is paired with a female-coded, magically-adept (depending on the medium of course), less-physically-capable by comparison, emotional, and more passive foil. The (male-coded) knight protects and rescues, the (female-coded) princess nurtures and soothes.

It is a very, VERY emotionally-charged dynamic, by its very nature. Through their acts of service to their protectee, the Knight displays their devotion and care for the Princess, and is in turn emotionally-enriched and cared-for. There is a great deal of physical and emotional vulnerability between them, and it is therefore ideal for romance stories.

Look at Kris and Ralsei again, through this lens. Kris is immediately put into the role of Knight, and Ralsei quickly establishes himself as a classic Princess. Almost instantly, before you've even become aware of it, you've made the connection - they're going to fall in love, because that's what ALWAYS happens in these stories. Ralsei supports and encourages Kris, both in dialogue and in battle, and Kris...

...Kris, uh...

...they...

...hug Ralsei sometimes...?

...they... they give him a ribbon...?

...no, that can't be right.

But it is right, for two reasons. One, Kris doesn't have to do anything. The roles are already established, and Ralsei is playing his part like a pro. And two, Kris doesn't do any of those things in the first place - you do. It's the player who hugs Ralsei, who gives him the ribbon, who picks the dialogue options, who makes the connections. You're the Knight in this scenario, not Kris.

Because Kris doesn't get to make that choice. Kris has to do what you tell them to do. And many of us have already jumped to the conlusion that this romance is happening, becuase that's what always happens. The Knight and the Princess fall in love. They get married. They live happily ever after.

So we ship them, because hey, it's cute, and it's easy. I can't stress enough how easy the game makes this. I'm fairly convinced that Ralsei was designed by comittee, like the Funzo toy in that one episode of the Simpsons. Like he was created with the sole purpose of being the most disgustingly adorable, lovable, awkward little cinnamon bun that ever existed. Like he was created to generate the maximum emotional response in players. It's the cuteness response dialled up to 11, and we are almost hard-wired to want to protect this little bundle of fluff from any and all danger, because lookit how sweet and adorable he is! The glasses make his eyes look all big, his fluffiness is reminscent of that of baby animals, he stutters and fumbles his way through dialogue, and you just want to scoop him up and put him in your pocket or something.

And so, we're more than happy to fulfil the role of the Knight to Ralsei's Princess. Whether Kris actually wants to or not. Because it does become increasingly obvious that outside of our influence, Kris is still their own person, with their own goals and desires, but no real agency with which to pursue them. Would that we could know what they truly want, but we are never presented with an opportunity to find out.

The thing is, Kris is not particularly... knightly. They play pranks on their friends, they swipe sweet treats from their mother, they seem to enjoy getting a rise out of people, and particularly from Asriel, if the story about "dropping the lizard into the pit to jump higher" is any indication. They sleep through class, yet by Berdly's grudging admission they are the "third smartest in the class". The only reason they go to church is so they can drink the "sick fruit juice". They don't seem to have any issue with prank-calling their mom, while she's taking about them with their tutor, while they're standing just out of sight, while they're balancing a trash orb on their head.

Nothing about this behaviour screams "Knight." If anything, it would make more sense for Kris to have become a Rogue-type character upon entering the dark world. So the question remains - why is Kris forced into that role? And to what extent is the seemingly "fated" romance between Kris and Ralsei part of that role?

Folks, we have barely scratched the surface here. If I keep writing here this will become a novel, so I have to stop for everyone's sanity. But I will follow up soon, looking into the ideas of Purpose and Destiny and how they relate to Kralsei in-game. If you've stuck with me up to this point, let me just say thanks, because wow I wrote a lot here, and it's probably a bit rambly and says the same things two or three times, but I just. Had to get this onto the page in some way or another, so... here it is.

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next one :)

#essay #thoughts #rambling #deltarune #kris dreemurr #Ralsei #Kralsei #Krisei #shipping #romance #character archetypes #Knights and Princesses #long post #Part one of several #oh my god there's so much ground to go over here I didn't even know #and we're only TWO CHAPTERS in #no wonder I'm obsessed #theory

[dreamii-yume]

Aight, for my first proper thirst post after my long vacation, I present to you :

This fucking music video. Oh, Kayano Mikoto, the woman that you have made me 🧎‍♀️

But no, this music video is actually very sad 😭 Because not only does it confirms Mikoto having another personality, but this song is sung almost entirely by that other personality—“John” as Es calls him, short for “John Doe”

Mikoto is a tragic character y’all, I know we were all hornii about him during his first trial ☠️ But goddamn, his story is one of my favorites to dissect.

I really believed Mikoto when he said that he couldn’t remember a thing about his murders, because he doesn’t seem like he’s lying and seemed genuinely confused—So, I ended up entertaining the theory that his brain is actually erasing the memory due to trauma ☠️ One anon even theorized that Mikoto himself is the one doing the murder, and “John” is the one trying to protect him, which was something I started to believe in for a while—BUT THEN HIS SECOND TRIAL DROPPED AND HOO BOI, there’s a lot to unpack here lol

First of all, contrary to popular belief, Mikoto is now proven to be a kind character, he doesn’t have ill intentions. He’s a people-pleaser, who always bottles up his feelings and would end up suffering because of this. You could tell from how exhausted he looks, yet he keeps up a smile when talking to other people like his mom so they wouldn’t worry about him. But he’s not okay 😭

Eventually, the stress from his job got to him so bad that “John” was born to protect him from breaking. It’s currently unknown who or how many he killed, but it seems to imply from the Drama CD that it was a bunch of strangers that happened to irritate “John”, so he came out and killed them.

One thing to point out most of all here is that “John” is not evil—He didn’t kill just for laughs, he killed to protect Mikoto. He knows how kind Mikoto is, but just couldn’t handle the fact that the world mistreats Mikoto so much, taking advantage of his kindness. “John” cares for Mikoto, he was born to do things that Mikoto couldn’t do, because he just can’t sit there and watch as Mikoto break down.

“John” even expresses his distaste for us, the viewers/voters, for calling Mikoto a liar and making him seem like a villain in the first trial. Us, voting him Guilty/Unforgivable only made Mikoto’s stress-level sky-rocket so “John” comes out more in Milgram.

But his music video tells us that “John” does regret his actions. But I don’t think it’s the “I regret killing those people” kind of regret, it’s the “I regret making Mikoto suffer even more by killing those people” kind of regret, because look where that got the both of them. “John” practically ruined Mikoto’s life by trying to save/protect him, hence why I think he was apologizing to Mikoto at the end instead, not to us.

In the Drama CD, “John” basically admits to his murders, but begs Es to forgive/vote Mikoto innocent/forgivable because Mikoto is technically not the one who did the crime. Milgram is judging Mikoto as the Prisoner and not “John”, so he wants to at least put Mikoto at ease by telling him that he is innocent/forgivable. He tells Es that he’s afraid that if Mikoto is voted Guilty again this time around, the “Original kind Mikoto” will soon disappear, and that “John” will have take over. But on the contrary, if we vote Mikoto innocent, then “John” promises that he will be the one disappear.

I feel extremely unwell about their dynamic 🧎‍♀️Mikoto and even “John” deserved better than this. Mikoto doesn’t even know “John” exist bro 😭

#milgram #mikoto kayano #im voting Mikoto innocent #but i do think John is guilty

[drawing-prompt-s]

Hoo boy, a lot to unpack here!

#submission #art prompt #drawing prompt

[punkeropercyjackson]

Weirdboygirl Percy headcanons

(But it's almost entierly me just sharing my friends' because i'm a sap who wants them to be appreciated /lh)

When i say 'weirdboygirl',i mean it-Percy is transfem bigender and autistic with no masking ability based off canon subtext that borderlines on straight up text.He's also afrolatina/monoracial black dominican for the same reason and he's mostly femme but has a decent amount of masc thrown in there for gender fuckery and he's crustpunk with pastel/kidcore elements thrown in

He's a huge gamer who's got his own low cost setup and only dosen't do Lets Plays even though he has a vlog channel because with how he is that's setting himself up for getting viral meme'd

He thinks adult only shows and movies are absolute ass due to being too dark so he watches pg ones only including pre-schooler ones(Bluey is his favorite obviously)and he has no shame in it since he's not a freak about it

She listens to obscure podcasts and rambles about them and she's a part time artist thanks to her and Rachel being queerplatonic besties but she dosen't do grand materpieces and just draws weird shit and same for crafts

Her favorite musicians are nostalgic ex-weirdkid ones like My Chemical Romance and All Time Low and The Cheetah Girls and then it's shit like Everybody's Worried about Owen and The Cure and Meet Me @ The Altar and Metallica and a bunch of transfem artists and general genres they love are Lo-Fi Beats,Breakcore and Punk Rock

Her special interests are blue,video games,kidcore,cats and anarchy.Blue is not Percy's lifestyle but Percy's way of life,she plays only free games and uses an emulator for the rest,kidcore is a huge coping mechanism from her extremely brutal childhood,she employs a lot cat based things in their daily life and even naturally acts like a cat sometimes including a meowing vocal stim and she goes full force in Tales of Dead Seas,a Hoo one year later sequel that's about Percy dismantleing the greco-roman mythos world system starting with killing Zeus and things go up hill for everybody who's not a dickbag from there and this includes Percy gaining new powers even pre-deicide but actually having mentors this time and she actively helps out with activism in addition to all her direct action across all 5 books of her last official story

The only sea related things they love are because Sally does so she raised them in them all the time and they've got mixed feelings on them post claiming because of how awful Poseidon is but they very slowly reclaim it for themselves and the process is given big boost when their egg cracks as they use mermaid/seapunk aesthetics for presentation and their personality a little too and it gives them gender euphoria

They refuse to drink energy drinks that aren't blue colored so they have a whole stash of them and junk food too with a threatning note attached to it,their go to store is unironically Claire's and they made sure to beat the Hot Topic allegations by loud and proud announcing how much they hate them for being sellouts and fakeout freaks and they're neither a skater boy nor a surfer dude because ewww but a guitarist and a multitask helper at the Familia Jackson Beach Shack

He's also Nico and Hazel's eldest sibling figure and pseudo-dad that got them away from Hades forever and Sally legally adopted them so they all live together in the mortal world and stick together as a trio too in the mythos world.He's their caregiver but also their best friend and radicalized them and taught them how to be punks,Nico choosing tradgoth and Hazel pastel goth.Their relathionship is extremely intimate and equally silly but that dosen't mean they never had problems to unpack and fix-Siblings aren't perfect but real siblings are the ones who try to be anyway and don't expect eternal forgiveness regardless.That's what makes us siblings,not JUST blood

And they healed his inner child a lot just by hanging out with him and loving him and letting him take full responsibility in their best friendship and on the other end there's nobody who's helped Nico and Hazel heal and be stronger and be themselves like Percy has.They're eachother's whole world and multiverse and rubbed off on eachother significantly(Nico and Percy's love for video games,Percy and Hazel's artistry,Hazel and Nico's taste in food,all three of their love for kiddy things)and Percy helps Hazel with girls

He was Warrior Cats kid and gets back into it as an adult and loves it even more and yes,he roleplayed it his classmates during recess yet they pretended they hadn't and mocked and animalized him for years because how long his hyperfixation it is lasted and that's why he gave it up in his teenage years but returned to it and reclaimed the catlike behavior it gave him as autistic swag

Percy's five love languages:Humor,comfort,justice,unrestrained fun and diy'd gifts.All giving and recieving and none strictly platonic or romantic,Love is stored in the Percy

She knows how to diy so many things it's a running gag and includes things that don't exist,her biggest comfort characters are:Cookie Monster,Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy(she's a huge Flutterdash stan so she refuses to seperate them),Brandy's Cinderella,Shego,Cookie Nessa and Marina from Nintendo,Yang Xiao Long,Katara,Sonic The Hedgehog,Amy Rose and the Adventure Time Cast as a whole and her type is other autistic afrolatinos/afrolatinas who're pastel punk to her crustpunk

He (jokingly) kins Hobbie Brown and Gwen Stacy and looks like she could be Hobie's older brother

She acts and talks in ways people find offputting and strange but by now she's learned to stop being ashamed and happily embraced that she'll never be normal but that that dosen't mean she's not loved dearly and by so many people and realized that's what she truly wanted from the start instead of not being different from everyone else.Because she's the most awesome as all fuck person ever

RIZZ CITYYYYYYYYYY,HE'S FROM MANSHATTAN

#percy jackson #perseo jackson #black percy #latino percy #transfem percy jackson #bigender percy jackson #autistic percy jackson #punk!percy #team parent percy jackson #nico di angelo #hazel levesque #black nico di angelo #lesbian hazel levesque #trans nico di angelo #gamer nico #autistic nico di angelo #goth punk nico di angelo #pastel goth punk hazel levesque #trans hazel levesque #autistic hazel levesque #pjo #hoo #tods #the anomalies #the loser trio #group:it's in my nature to love you #perlex #x black!reader #💌 #summerposting

[thesilliestofgals]

The pilot for The Amazing Digital Circus dropped on Friday, and it's absolutely taken over my brain and become my new hyperfixation, so of course I'm going to ramble incoherently for like 30-40 minutes trying to construct a theory about it.

Ready? No? Well neither am I because hoo boy is there a lot to unpack here!

(WARNING: spoilers under the cut!)

I want to get this out of the way first- the pilot, in my honest opinion, is a treasure trove of those golden foreshadowing nuggets. The video I linked does a really good job of showing most of them. There is one moment, however, I believe, that is foreshadowing and was looked over.

This moment right here... they lurked on it for a reason. "But Nonny!" you protest, "Maybe it was just to show how surprised Pomni was when she finally got a full look at her new body!" And sure, that could be the explanation, but that just... isn't satisfying for me. I have an idea we'll see this scene recreated down the road- Pomni escapes back to the real world and is running from something or someone, and is able to see her human form in a mirror or window or other reflective surface.

On the topic of Pomni... When I first heard the "How do I... take this... headset off?!" My theory brain immediately jumped to "Oh, VR!", but then I thought, "Well, she could be referring to her jester hat". Glad to know I was right, as Pomni says, after failing to take it off, "I-I-I put on some... weird headset and now I'm... here." Later on, when she's running through the office, she stops and we see this:

It's... weird. Out of everything in that office, that stopped her, and it caused a very visceral reaction. I have many questions about how exactly this office is even here (did Caine make it? If so, how would he know what an office looks like?), but something stood out to me the most.

On the far right looks like a weird headset. Perhaps this is the headset Pomni was talking about.

This ties in with another very important detail.

Since the release of TADC, there's a theory that the circus is the creation by a company, and those in the circus are/were employees or beta testers for the digital circus. I want to add onto this theory that. Maybe this company is a bit more.. malicious, and this beta testing wasn't entirely voluntary. Perhaps those trapped in the circus are employees who discovered the truth behind what the company is really doing (what nefarious stuff could it be doing? No clue!). This could work- perhaps Pomni was close to finding something out, so she was manipulated into becoming a "beta tester" for TADC and got trapped there.

You know, "C & A" reminded me of "Cain and Abel"... Now, that first name sounds... familiar...

"Ok," you pipe up again, "but Caine is AI. This is been established. So, how in the world would he be able to make a (presumed) company with another individual?" Well, it could be likely that Caine was named after one of the founders of this company- or maybe he's considered a "founder" of the company. I dunno, this part of my theory needs to be fine-tuned a bit.

ALSO, WHILE ON THE TOPIC OF CAIN & ABEL: TADC seems to make callbacks to the Bible. This post does a really good at explaining it, but to summarize: at the end of the pilot, we get this scene:

The post I linked points out this setup looks very similar to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper painting. And honestly, considering everything? This isn't too far of a reach. I'll have to keep an eye out in future episodes to see if any more of the bible references show up.

Back to Pomni- something that interested me was, after Ragatha was healed, Pomni's hand glitch healed, too.

...Why? Caine didn't snap his fingers at Pomni, but her glitching stopped when Ragatha's did. Perhaps Pomni's glitching was connected to Ragatha's, so when Caine healed Ragatha, it extended to Pomni. I'm very interested to learn more about abstracting and glitching.

Speaking of abstracting... one last thing before I finish off.

This right here... worries me. The whole Cellar thing implies that the abstracting problem has been happening probably since the beginning of the Circus. And by Caine just tossing these creatures away... I have a feeling this'll end up biting him in the butt later.

This is really I have so far. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to add it. I know this theory was kinda all over the place, but I just wanted to get it thought there.

#nonny's nonsense #the amazing digital circus #tadc #the amazing digital circus spoilers #tadc spoilers #the amazing digital circus theory #tadc theory

[best-overplayed-song]

Re: Take Me To Church in response to anon-- a take by someone who first heard it a bit After it came out at the age of 20, was concerned it was overhyped, and on listening had to admit that it was in fact good. (Also disclaimer, I've got less context about like, Irish/English history and stuff than OP so uhhhh sorry this is just gonna be my own personal vibecheck)

Tw: sex mention.

A lot of my feelings on the song are more related to this bit: Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies I'll tell you my sins, and you can sharpen your knife Offer me that deathless death and revolve around a. Possibly more sexual interpretation, so take that as you will (I was horny at 20 what can I say)

Okay first off let's talk about Why Church Is Horny. Religion and sex are both things that people often have a lot of feelings about. Christians specifically have even more feelings about sex, usually because they're saying it's bad. However, from a Catholic perspective, there's often a LOT of erotic imagery and stuff going on behind the scenes. See: lactating Jesus, saints' mysticism (for instance, Theresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena), and honestly just general medieval saints… people were SO horny for God. Plus, from an anti-sex Christian perspective, stuff still gets horny more often than you'd think. Milton was a Puritan, and that doesn't stop Paradise Lost from having originated Sexy Satan as a trope. All of which boils down to, coming from Christian, English-speaking cultural context a lot of your feelings about sex and religion, both of which carry enough baggage on their own, become intertwined.

So. All of that means you get the invocation of Christian stuff in the Bedroom anyway--lots of people say stuff like 'oh god' during sex, for instance. Think about the popularity too of the sexy nun trope, or even Destiel. A lot of people find desecration of the (Christian) holy, hot as shit, though it remains taboo.

For that reason! "Take Me To Church" being a song about sex?? About a woman referred to as a "lover," not a wife? Sex as worship? Get all those cultural hotbuttons pinged. (And that's just the first line we're looking at.)

I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies Hoo boy. So, again, worship = sex? That's a lot as seen above. Invoking the dog imagery as part of deference to a woman also gets into stuff about gender roles, taboos, and the breaking thereof. There's a lot to unpack here-- deference of a man to a woman, of an animal to the holy, the admission that it is a shrine of lies, and tied into all that is the implied desire and consent to do these things. That's sexy!

I'll tell you my sins, and you can sharpen your knife Shame is a strong feeling-- one that comes up a lot when we look at this religion/sex network. Telling of sins evokes the Catholic sacrament of confession. And then we get to the knife. I don't know how to explain my interpretation of this without getting real kinky so uh, let's just say that pain and blood can have significant associations with both Christianity and sexuality, and the use of the knife thing in this context brings in Yet Another hot-button thing.

Offer me that deathless death I always just interpret this as euphemism for an orgasm. But! That's not to belittle it. Could a deathless death also be an assumption to heaven? In the context of the previous line(s), it takes on so many alternate connotations it's insane. Has he been stabbed for his sins? (That carried penetration imagery with it fyi.) Has he been forgiven his sins and gets to go to heaven? Or is it sexual release? With the ambiguity the song leaves, all three are possible, keeping up all those threads of violence/pain, shame, ecstasy, sex, divinity, submission… there's A LOT here.

Anyway I'm gonna stop there cuz this is too long. I don't even like this song THAT much, I'm just here to explain why people do.

OH YEAH AND PS: ADD TO ALL OF THIS THE SHAME/RELIGION/SEX FEELINGS AND ASSOCIATIONS CAUSED BY THE LISTENER BEING QUEER okay bye

I loved reading your interpretation! Thanks for the breakdown!

#asks #song propaganda

[jw-horror-stories]

Oh, boy, let me think of some good stories. I was fortunate enough that my family never tried to pressure baptism on me (My grandfather did, but only once). I never got baptized because of this.

I also lucked out in that I don't have any creepy old man stories, or anything else of that nature.

I DO have trauma from they way they use the world 'homosexual'.

Once, when my sister was like, 5? She made a board game all by herself, using paper. It was called 'Run Away from the Demons and Go to Jesus.' There were some awesome stick figure demons. Jeezy Boy, however, did not make it into the picture.

My parents had a good sense of humor about it, though.

I vividly remember reading a Watchtower article discussing a man who had a 'homosexual lifestyle' before coming into 'the truth'. He prayed to God and it went away tho!!! Prommy!!!!

(I feel so bad for him and I hope he realizes he doesn't have to do that.)

If I get anymore crazy stories, I'll let you know (I'm a minor and am stilled being brought every Sunday).

As soon as I sent that last ask I remembered a story! I had to listen to a talk given by a brother who clearly did NOT research evolution outside of the JW publications. He said (all in his talk about EVOLUTION): - There is NO evidence for evolution. None. Not even a bit. Not a single piece. Nada. - The sun will never run out of (quote) "fuel". (I don't remember how this tied in at all. Chances are it didn't.) - If bees died there would NO POLLINATORS. AT ALL. No more bees; no more anything!!!! (He literally said that without bees no flowers would ever be pollinated. Man has not seen a butterfly. Tragic.) - AI stands for AUTOMATED INFORMATION. (He did mean actual AI, he used this talking point as a 'gotchya' because humans cannot come close to creating a brain. Therefore: God.) - Evolution is being taught EXACTLY THE SAME as it was 60 years ago. (Tell me you've never looked into it without telling me you've never look into it.) The only difference is when HE was a kid it was a THEORY but now it's taught as a FACT. (No???) - Things NEVER crash in space because GOD is guiding them! (???? Man said this DURING a meteor shower btw) - Ants are NOT STRONG. (What. What are you talking about.) In the same line as the previous note he DID say elephants are strong. This is evidence of god's POWER. (I nearly had to leave the room. Elephants are evidence of god's power but ANTS are not???) This was all in one 45 minute talk. He bounced from point to point so much that it was too hard to follow and he just said straight-up untrue things half the time. If it wasn't so infuriating, it would have been funny.

Hoo boi, lots to unpack here, so let me just get everything done in one ultimate post.

The first part about the homosexuality, all I can say is that more likely than not the article you mentioned was most likely fictitious, or at least greatly embellished (probably involved a slightly girly man, or a slightly boyish woman, all that GNC shit they don't like).

And now, that 45 minute indoctrination session talk you heard.

There is NO evidence for evolution - yeah we were always at war with Eurasia. Okay, not quite that level of Orwell, but it's still bad. And also laughably stupid.

The sun will never run out of (quote) "fuel". - all part of a large over-arching narrative of "god has god powers so sun is forever and so is humans"

If bees died there would NO POLLINATORS - nevermind the butterflies for a moment, if such a cataclysmic mass extinction of bees did happen, flowers that do not need pollination would overtake the gene pool, and oh look, evolution. Those that survive the new conditions would take over. Funny that.

AI stands for AUTOMATED INFORMATION - I keep reading AI as "Accuracy International". Hey, if he can put in irrelevant nonsense then so can I. Only difference is I'm not pulling any bullshit here. Look them up, pretty cool, but autistic infodumping will have to wait.

Evolution is being taught EXACTLY THE SAME as it was 60 years ago - You can tell roughly how old this speaker was. Hey gramps, your information is pretty outdated, have you finally switched over to Windows 98 yet?

Things NEVER crash in space because GOD is guiding them! - Oh okay, so his knowledge of magnetic fields would imply that he's yet to discover the automobile. Or that it costs more than $5 a day for a good living wage. Does he even know about the Printing Press?

Ants are NOT STRONG - ok boomer

ngl it was actually kinda fun to respond to those talking points, just because of how utterly absurd it all is. I find that laughing at it rather than trying to understand the reasoning is ultimately better for one's mental health.

-Mod Degurechaff, needs more shit to respond to

#mod degurechaff #jehovah's witnesses #jwhs #jehovah's witness #jehovah's witness horror stories #submission

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Made it through chapter 4 and talked about it with my mom. And hoo boy is there a lot to unpack 🤣

First of all, she got really mad at Crowley for leaving us at school and going on a vacation. (She legit was ready to punch Crowley when he refused our call). She did find the send off cute though but felt really bad for Riddle. She hopes that he'll become his own person and not his mother's puppet.

Then there's how she feels about the Scarabia duo. She ADORES Kalim, and calls him "that little sunshine" and thinks his Unique Magic is cool. She legit CRIED when Kalim cried omg 😂.

As for Jamil. She didn't really like him at first. At first. Though she thought he was handsome and charismatic. But after his true motivations were revealed, she absolutely hates him 😂. She literally dissed Jamil when we were pretending to praise him, calling him "Medusa and Jafar's love child". BUT when she saw his backstory, she did feel empathy but not sympathy towards him. In her own words, "While I understand where he's coming from, as being told to hold back your true skills is both frustrating and will make you envious and jealous of others' freedom, to pin it all on one person (Kalim) isn't the best or healthiest option."

She says that there are multiple people who deserve blame. His parents because they told him not to be better than Kalim. "They basically are the ones who started the fire of hate in his heart." She says. The whole class system, for obvious reasons. But the one person who deserves the most blame is Crowley for accepting a bribe from Kalim's parents and making Kalim housewarden with a bullshit excuse. All of them were really unfair towards Jamil and pretty much said the same thing "You're a smart boy, you understand right?" That line alone is enough to piss Jamil, and anyone really, off. She does praise Jamil for showing his true colors and vowing never to hold back in the end. In conclusion, my mom is kinda accepting of Jamil. For now.

She also found the Octavinelle trio hilarious but threatened to turn them into sushi when they told us to pay for the damages at Monstro Lounge and when Azul tried to get Kalim in a contract. She also expressed surprise at the Tweels and Azul's relationship.

During the end of the chapter, she actually deadpanned and said "who's this condescending Queen Bee" when she saw Vil.

Overall, she thought that Chapter 4 was the best chapter in her opinion.

Now I'm waiting for how she feels about Vil in chapter 5 cause it seems like she despises him more than she did Jamil. 😂

[I think this is the same Anon from this post and this post!]

chksbskwbzks It’s been pretty interesting hearing these hot takes from your mom 😂 (I guess because this isn’t a perspective I hear from very often?)

I’m split on Crowley leaving for vacation and not answering his phone when Yuu tries to contact him. Yeah, it’s irresponsible for him to act like this, but I think we’re more offended by it knowing that Crowley is, in general, this level of incompetent (especially when we REALLY need him to come through for us in this very moment). Keep in mind that this is winter break, and teachers/staff usually also have this period off for the holidays themselves, so it’s normal to receive no responses or delayed responses during this time, no? I don’t think anyone really expected a super serious incident like this to unfold while they’re away as well.

The sendoff was really cute! 😭 It was nice briefly catching up with the characters we met in previous episodes!! I only wish we got to hear about the aftermath of the conversation that Riddle said he was going to have with his mother… I doubt that all of their issues went away with a single talk, but 🥲 just confronting her about the past is a good start. Maybe Riddle will have the chance to explore other career options for his fourth year internship (instead of concentrating on magic medicine like his mother wants him to). He could tackle law for one semester, then dabble in other areas for the remaining two internship periods.

xbsjwbksnwkw Why does your mom sound like such a cinnamon roll?? We could always use more Kalim appreciators 🥺

I think a lot of us have pretty complicated feelings surrounding Jamil 😂 Having empathy for the character rather than sympathy (the latter of which I think Jamil may actually take offense to, as this would be “pitying” his situation without truly understanding why it’s so awful for him) is similar to my own thoughts on the matter. It can feel so bad constantly being put down and having to hold yourself back from reaching what you know is your full potential, but it also wasn’t right for Jamil to blame it all on one person. However, it was the easiest thing for his young mind to do to cope with his circumstances, as Kalim embodies a lot of the issues Jamil has and is “soft” enough to be a convenient sponge for Jamil’s anger.

… Okay, but Jamil’s OB looks pretty ugly. I’ll give you that much 😂 It pretty much is a mishmash of Medusa and Jafar—

Mmm, Jamil’s trauma is unique in that it’s something deeply systemic and difficult to dismantle. It was definitely his parents who planted the ideas in him, but it was society that perpetuated it and kept Jamil down rather than encouraging him or recognizing his abilities. Crowley plays into this too, and I think his words are the ones that claimed Jamil’s last straw and set him plotting to overthrow Kalim. I really like that TWST didn’t neatly resolve Jamil’s issues at the end of the episode, but rather introduced it (and the start of his character growth) as Jamil deciding to live in his own way.

A lot of people tend to misunderstand Jamil’s issues with Kalim on an individual level rather than a societal one, and it sometimes leads to talking down the seriousness the Viper family’s circumstances 💦 I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen “Jamil should have told Kalim about his frustrations; Kalim is kind and would understand, he would set Jamil free” without the fans recognizing the consequences of it. (Ironically, this is also something Kalim does in 4; he tried relinquishing his dorm leader seat and even offers to leave school to appease Jamil, but the offers are all refused.) Jamil has to consider his family and how his liberation would affect them and ultimately their legacy and livelihood (which Jamil brings up in episode 4 when expositing his motivations); it’s akin to generational trauma because it can’t be resolved overnight. It requires difficult conversations, acknowledging wrongs, and working as a widespread collective to fix it. The blame is not solely on Jamil not communicating; it’s also in part on the society and the systems in which he and his family operate.

… I mean, regardless of the reason for it, it was still legitimate damage to the lounge so I think (even if it was scummy to do), Octavinelle had every right to demand compensation. Otherwise, he’d be eating up the costs for that significant damage, and that’s not smart for a money grubber reputable business owner like Azul to do. And hey, what’s an octopus to do when he runs jnto Mr. Moneybags Kalim? He’s got to take advantage of opportunities and potential suckers customers while he can!

Azul and the twins’ relationship is so complex, man 🤡 I could honestly talk forever about it if given the chance bisvsjwnzksiwjd (but instead, I’ll link this post to get the basics of my thoughts out—)

I find it so funny (?) when people call Vil a “Queen Bee” type because while he definitely comes off as one at first, I found that (in the long run), I see Octavinelle as acting more like the stereotypical high school Mean Girls than Vil does 😂 Like, Vil certainly gives off a strong first impression (and not a very positive one), but I do think he ultimately has a stronger moral compass than most of the OB boys we’ve seen so far.

(Note: If you play EN, it has cut out content from parts of episode 5 😣 so I’d recommend looking up “Minna de Yahoo” and the deleted ending scene to get the full episode 5 experience!)

Anyway!! Episode 4 was also my favorite for a long time, the writing was pretty solid and I loved all the character interactions 😌 but then episode 6 happened and that one became my favorite—

#Scarabia #Octavinelle #Floyd Leech #Azul Ashengrotto #Tweels #Jade Leech #Jamil Viper #Kalim Al-Asim #spoilers #notes from the writing raven #Dire Crowley #Yuu #Riddle Rosehearts #Jafar #Vil Schoenheit

[crookedorel]

zinnia : how has the loss of fallen comrades and/or loved ones affected your muse ? has it taught them anything or given them any new perspectives ? >:)

Okay let's talk about loss, actually. Loss is such an important theme in Shadows of Valentia, and in the character arcs of its entire cast. If I were feeling ambitious I'd argue that loss and the way that it's handled is The Theme, which shaped the forming of the nations, to kicking off the plot, and the negative space of each of the cast's loss is so visible and apparent in every action they take, like an embrace of those they don't want to or can't forget. 

But that's an essay for another time. 

Berkut being one of the major antagonists, and foil to the two protagonists, his losses affect the plot just as heavily. There is of course the obvious, and we'll discuss those in a minute, but I actually want to discuss a loss that doesn't get brought up in-game but has such clear and disastrous ramifications for Valentia as a whole. 

Because you see, when Berkut was a boy, his father died. 

(Cut for length. You know how it goes. SOV spoilers as well)

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Oh, boo hoo, this is Dead Father the Series, and you don't see anyone else letting themselves get possessed by a war god and sacrificing their loved ones' souls for greater power." And you're right! But bear with me, because there's more to it than that. 

To start putting this into context, I'm going to pull from Valentia Accordion (the Berkut entry in which was translated by our very own Ree, here's your crown regent 👑). We learn from Berkut's section that before his father's passing, Berkut was a timid boy, to the point that even riding horseback made him cry - and after his father's passing, his mother raised him quite strictly, to harden him up so that none could tease him for growing up without a father. 

As with most things Valentia, this is such a dense sentence, so let's unpack it a bit.  

Obviously that's a fucked up thing to expect, that your child will be harassed for having lost a parent, but kids are cruel, and from this sentence we learn that Rigel values patrilineal lines, and to an extreme extent. Since they're the imperial family with very few heirs, it seems incredibly unlikely that Berkut's father married below his station (bordering on impossible – this is no Meghan Markle situation) - and since Berkut obviously ended up the crown prince, the heir to the empire barring any usurpers, his mother clearly retained influence within the imperial court during her time there, as noble and mother to the future Emperor. 

And yet, a single mother, even widowed, still casts a shameful shadow in Rigel. We do not learn how Berkut's father died, but I'm of the opinion it was illness, for a couple of reasons: first, we have historical precedent. Generally in monarchical families that have multiple sons, the first (the heir) learns military affairs and politics, the better to ascend the throne or position when the time comes – the second (the spare) would then learn ecclesiastical affairs and gain a position in the religious affairs of the state, the better to support his brother further down the line. 

Secondly, his death is implied to be something to be ashamed of, something that children would tease Berkut for. Though misogyny runs strong in many cultures, it doesn't seem enough that his mother would be concerned that his father dying on its own would be enough that Berkut would need to toughen up. Given that Rigel has such a strong martial culture, and the hard turn that Berkut's mother imposed upon him after her husband's death, it would follow that for men, there is one acceptable death: battle. 

As we know, I don't put a lot of stock into Heroes' characterization, but occasionally they give us nice little nuggets, such as this one, from A Splendid Soiree level 40: 

Unlike his older brother the emperor, my father was a kind, gentle man. He passed ere I was 10 years old. My mother smiled often when I was small.  

If nothing else, it seemed, Berkut's mother was determined to ensure that, for better or worse, Berkut did not end up like his father. 

And he didn't. Kind and gentle are not words that I would associate with Berkut, except specifically when he's interacting with Rinea – but even with that influence, we see that he is definitely a young man shaped by his upbringing, and by the culture around him. He's eager to fight, even to the point of what I would consider emotional immaturity – he's unable to see human lives for what they are, and when he first meets Alm he refers to the battle as practice, as sport, as exercise, like it's just a game that he's playing. 

I think it's this disconnect that he has, this inability or the inexperience to actively practice empathy (decidedly not a value in Rigel), that makes him so susceptible to outside influences: be that Rigelian people or culture as a whole, or Rudolf's or his mother's, Duma's or Nuibaba's, or even Fernand's. 

Yes, Fernand's. Despite the fact that Fernand is a political prisoner, it is undeniable that he has more worldly experience (in and out of wartime) than Berkut by the simple fact of his age. We don't have an official age for him, but we can get a good guestimate based on Clive and Mathilda's ages – 27 and 28, respectively. A full decade, at the very least, older than Berkut.  

Now, this is not to say, of course, that Fernand knowingly exerted any influence over Berkut, or manipulated him – but it is to say that teenagers of Berkut's general disposition are eager to show off, and will adjust the behaviors they display in order to impress the people around them, especially those who are older or more experienced. And with Fernand himself leaning so idealistic, wanting to see something specific, it seems clear to me that natural showman Berkut was eager to mold himself into that, and to show it off at any opportunity. 

Which, by the way, is something that Berkut is shown doing throughout the game, in each of his appearances – mirroring the expectations presented to him, molding himself to fit into whatever those opposite him have decided he should be, and being so proud that he gets a good grade in being manipulated. 

Now, I know it seems like we're getting off topic, and that I'm trying to avoid the elephant in the room, but I promise I'm not – this is all incredibly important context for what comes next, which of course that he, under the influence of Duma's possession, sacrifices Rinea. 

 By this point, he has lost to Alm multiple times – with an audience, no less – he has called upon the magic pushed on him by breaking the mirror Nuibaba gave him, and he has learned that this stranger who has been defeating him all over the country is actually the one who is supposed to be the emperor's heir. Not only has Alm beaten him in battle in front of someone Berkut wanted to impress, but he has, seemingly without any of the effort Berkut has been putting in over the last several years to gain Rudolf's favor, jumped the line of succession, and is coming to take not just Rigel, but Berkut's father figure. 

The second father he has lost. 

Watching the scene wherein Duma fully possesses Berkut, or even just reading the script, you can feel that the ground ready to open under his feet, and his grip over his own mental autonomy is tenuous at best. He is paranoid, he lashes out, and most importantly, he's confused. The scene begins by explicitly telling us that he does not know how he arrived at Duma Temple, and he is immediately beset by Duma's presence, the voice of a god offering the power that Berkut has felt slipping from his fingers. 

Whether he explicitly accepted Duma, or whether Duma forced his way in, we do not know. What we do know, however, is that the change in his personality is immediate and obvious. Both Rinea and Fernand clock that whoever is speaking, it isn't the Berkut they know – by this point, though, it's too late, and he attacks and heavily injures both of them, with Fernand making it far enough to warn Alm, and with Rinea being sacrificed to Duma. 

However much of Berkut remained during his battle of Alm, it's clear from his battle quote that all of these losses, one right after another, lined up in a perfect queue of dominoes, and gripped him until his death: 

You… You took…everything from me. You will SUFFER for what you’ve done! 

Then, after his defeat: 

Alm: Why, Berkut? To have finally found family after all this time… Why did it come to this?!  Berkut: Heh… I have no family…nor do I want for one. 

To put a bow on the series of tragedies that shaped Berkut into a man he didn't want to be, the family and companionship that he so desperately needed had arrived, had knocked the sense back into him just in time for him to die. 

But not before one final chastisement, from the one person who had never asked him to be anything except himself: 

Rinea: Dear, proud Berkut… Even without crown or throne or castle… You were ever my emperor. A just, right, and noble man…  Berkut: Rinea…  Rinea: You were born to lead… This just wasn’t your empire. So come with me now. Let us find our empire together. If you’ll still take me for your empress?  Berkut: You’re right… You were always right. The moment I turned to a power beyond myself, the man you loved was dead. Rinea, forgive me… If you’ll have me, I’d be honored to…set out with you… 

For better or worse, from his mother's influence, Berkut had not ended up like his father in his death – but, in the matter of the woman he loved, perhaps he wasn't so different. 

#out of character #ask memes #botanical ask meme #meta #i've been sitting on this since i received the ask #like i knew how i wanted it to be structured #words were just really hard to word fdjkfld #anyway mirae :baseball: